Gluten-free quinoa wraps – our recipe

We hope you made it to the Simply For Life (SFL) seminar last night at the Trade and Convention Centre. If you did, you may have seen us. We were one of the many Saint John vendors taking part. Events like this are always full of information and for us it was a nudge to get on something we have in the works: identifying the SFL approved items on our menu.

On the subject of foods, last year when we were at the Fundy Food Festival we served up quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) wraps and they really went over well with everyone. Quinoa is a gluten-free food and we’re posting our recipe (see below).

 

What’s quinoa?

Quinoa is a grain-like crop grown for its seeds, which are edible. It has a long history as a food source. More significantly, it’s known for a number of valuable properties. Wikipedia tells us quinoa is,

“… Highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.”

Now, here’s our quinoa wraps recipe, via our long time friend Lianne of Exhale Coaching in British Columbia. Thanks Lianne!

Quiona Wraps Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cups quinoa (keen-wa)
  • 2 cups water
  • Lettuce (iceberg, butterhead or romaine)

Method

Combine water and quinoa. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered and cook for 15 minutes.

Marinade

  • 3 tbs ginger, fresh and grated
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbs cilantro
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 scallions (optional)

Method

Combine ginger, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and salt. Combine these together and then add the quinoa.

Note: can be served warm or cooled. Next day, it’s even better. Can be served on its own or with a dollop of peanut butter / peanut sauce on each with the lettuce.

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We gave away tickets to Black Comedy at the Imperial

Director of 'Black Comedy', Scott Thomas (photo: Noel Chenier/Telegraph-Journal)

We’ve just given away a pair of tickets to Thursday’s performance of Black Comedy, written by Peter Shaffer and on the main stage at the Imperial Theatre. The tickets are thanks to the Saint John Theatre Company and it should be an intriguing and funny show.

Scott Thomas will be directing and the Telegraph-Journal tells us it is his directorial debut and he is, “… the founder of Improvisation Corporation, a group of comedic improvisers who perform a variety of shows and formats around the city.”

Our winner is Kim Atkinson of Saint John. She was pretty excited about winning the tickets. Thanks to everyone who filled out ballots at the restaurant! And by the way …

You don’t have to win tickets to see Black Comedy. It runs Thursday through Saturday this week, March 17 to 19, and you can get tickets by calling the Imperial at 674-4100.

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Catering primer: tips and hints for your occasion

A small example of what Urban Deli can bring to your catered event.

Be it big or small, when you have your event catered you want it to go smoothly. That is part of the point, isn’t it? You want your guests to enjoy themselves, to enjoy good food, and free yourself to attend to all the other matters that need your attention to make sure it is all smooth sailing.

So we’ve put together a little catering primer. It provides both tips and suggestions on how to ensure your event is everything you want it to be. (You can download it here: Catering Tips and Hints.)

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options. They can range from standard “off the menu” caterings for various gatherings, such as boardrooms or open houses (to name two), or we can tailor to your individual needs for weddings, anniversaries, graduations, or intimate social gatherings with friends and family. We can help you with almost any event. Just give is a call at 652-3354 or send us an email.

At the Urban Deli we offer a variety of catering options and we can help you with almost any event.

We’re also easily adaptable and can help you design your memorable occasion.

Regardless of the type of function or the style, there are a few not-so-obvious points to consider when planning a catered event. They can help you achieve a successful catered occasion that meets, even exceeds, your expectations.

We have nine items to keep in mind:

  1. Manage Expectations
  2. Know Your Guests
  3. Know Your Guest Preferences
  4. Provide Menu Choices
  5. Incorporate Seasonal and Fresh Items
  6. Select a Menu that Fits the Event Schedule
  7. Anticipate Special Needs
  8. Allow for a Comfortable Room Setup
  9. Create Ethnic or Regional Menus

To learn more, download our Catering Tips and Hints (.pdf file).

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Lunch and dinner – Happy Valentine’s Day!

We have our Valentine’s dinner set for this evening, but today for lunch we’re featuring:

  • Pasta Dish … a creamy pesto pasta with sauteed portabello mushrooms, roasted reds and spinach; finished with fresh Parmesan cheese
  • Burger … Bacon and cheddar burger – comes with a side choice

Of course, this evening’s dinner is for the romantically inclined, or even those who just like an excuse to be with each other.

It’s our Valentine’s dinner. Have a look at the menu (.pdf format). We think you’ll like it! You can reserve by simply giving us a call at 652-3354.

And hat’s off to our friends at happinez! Via Uptown Saint John on Facebook, we found out the Ottawa Citizen has picked them as one of the 18 best places to kiss in Canada. (We knew something was going on in those quiet corners.)

Have a great day everyone and we hope to see you this evening!

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Our Valentine’s Day menu

Even when we’re busiest, we like to think there’s something romantic about the Deli. It’s in the way we approach food (always with love) and something in the decor.

And there’s something contagious about romance, so we’re hoping you’ll join us Monday evening for our Valentine’s Day dinner.

Here’s our menu (a .pdf file). It involves a couple of yummy appetizers, a choice of savoury entrees and a dessert to die for. (Can you say chocolate molten cake with chocolate drizzle, fresh whipped cream and a strawberry?)

Maybe you’ll be headed to see the Goo Goo Dolls and want something loving and romantic beforehand, or maybe you’re just planning on a starry-eyed evening with someone special. We’re pretty sure we’ll fit the bill.

So, please join us for our Valentine’s dinner. It will be our pleasure to serve you. We’re always big on romance!

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Over the moon with our social media nomination

Saint John has its first ever social media awards, The Saltys – a celebration of the Saint John Social Media Community. It’s set for February 17 just down the road from us at the Saint John Ale House. And guess what? Urban Deli is a nominee! We’re over the moon!

We’re nominated in the category “Best Use of Social Media in a Campaign” for customer engagement. Actually, it’s really our customers who should be getting the tip of the hat. You guys have been fabulous on our blog, Facebook page and on Twitter. And you’ve kept us on our toes!

We’re not always as on top of things as we would like. Being a small operation, our main focus is the kitchen and the restaurant, so we can’t always be engaging people online to the extent we would like to. So for the record, we would like to say a big “Thank you!” to everyone for the RTs and wonderful comments we’ve seen in our feeds.

Huge congratulations as well to all the nominees in all the categories. Looking at the list is a bit like looking at a list of friends. We’re pretty sure we know everyone there.

Urban Deli has been using social media for some time now. We started on Twitter in March of 2009 – that’s almost two years ago – and started our Facebook page not long after. It was lot of figuring out how to use this social media thing (we bumbled a lot with the Facebook part initially) but it became very clear, very soon that social media was about one thing: people.

So it really is a lot like being in the restaurant where we get to interact with our customers face to face. With social media, we do the same thing, just not face to face.

Once again, we’re very excited that Saint John now has its own social media awards — The Saltys — and even more excited to see we’ve been nominated.

By the way, the online voting is now on. Cast your vote while you can and we hope to see all of you February 17 for the big party!

Thank you again Saint John!

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It’s warm uptown at the Deli

It may be snowy and windy and still frosty with the January chill, and maybe your school has closed today or even work, but if that’s the case you could drop into Urban Deli. We’re open, and we’re warm!

The food is warm too. It’s from our kitchen where the heat is always on. For instance, you might want to indulge in:

  • Our popular Reuben Sandwich, or
  • Our Roast Beef Melt Sandwich, or
  • One of our two pasta dishes — creamy Pesto Pasta or our Mac’N’Cheese.

You may even want to close your eyes and imagine you’re somewhere south as you enjoy our Pulled Pork Sandwich or Muffuletta Sandwich.

You might even want to go with something simple and traditional on a snowy, cold day: soup. Our soup is always homemade, fresh and hot.

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