El Five – Restaurant Review

 

Location: 2930 Umatilla St, Denver, CO 80211

(303) 524-9193

Fantastic news for all of you that are already in love with Linger, Vital Root, Root Down and Ophelia’s…they have gained a new sister – El Five. El Five is located in Lo-Hi on the same block as it’s big sister Linger. The 5th floor restaurant has incredible views in all directions, with the balcony dining area over looking downtown Denver. Word of warning, this place is so popular you should book if you don’t fancy waiting for a table.

The menu is mainly tapas that boast flavors of Spain and the Middle East. You can enjoy larger portions of Paella, steak and fish in addition to the delightful share plates. Almost everything can be made gluten free and our server Patrick went above and beyond to ensure everything was safe for me.

We opted for multiple share plates this time round but I will most definitely be back for the seafood paella! First up the Moroccan lamb sausage. If you are a hummus feign like I am then this is a must for you! The flavors in this dish will make your eyes pop. The sausage is served with hummus, feta, fava beans, pea tendrils, lemon and mint. This was the top dish of the night and  I can not recommend it highly enough.

If you are like me and can not get enough of seafood, then these next two dishes are for you. Firstly the shrimp and calamari a la plancha. Fresh and tasty with nothing too fancy just incredibly cooked seafood. Served with dried lomo, sugar snap peas, gigante beans and pil pil. This dish reminds me of back home as my father would often grill calamari and shrimp with these flavors – very nostalgic for me. The second seafood dish was grilled mackerel. I definitely miss the abundance of seafood that we get back home and this dish filled my void. A great size, skin on fillet, served on a bed of cauliflower cous cous, preserved lemon, dates, olives, smoked almonds and nigella oil. The preserved lemon was similar to a lemon curd – rich, velvety and zesty. Such a perfect accompaniment

The last tapas of the evening was patatas bravas. I lived off these when i visited Spain. Although these are not presented the same as they were in Spain, the flavors are spot on! These tasted almost exactly the same and boy did it make me happy! Served with chorizo, salsa brava, sherry gastrique and garlic aioli.

We finished the night by splitting an orange flan. This was a bad idea as it was too good to share! Served with a tahini crumble and fresh berries.  The tahini crumble took the dish up a level from a normal flan. Imagine nutty flavored rice crispies…

Total Bill – $90.92

This included everything mentioned above as well as a soda and a glass of wine.

Rating 10/10

Meatball Mania

Ever wanted to cheat and buy meatballs from the store but realized they all have breadcrumbs in them? Then you need this recipe! Complete with gluten free breadcrumbs and a whole lot of flavour.

Ingredients

1 small pack of ground pork

1 small pack of ground beef

1 carrot grated

2 celery sticks grated

1 egg

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan

1/2 cup of gluten free breadcrumbs

1/4 brown onion finely chopped

1 can diced tomatoes

1 jar of organic tomato sauce

1/2 diced onion

1 tbs Italian herbs

1 clove of garlic minced

2 tbs of olive oil

Method

1.Combine both packets of meat, carrot, celery, egg, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and 1/4 onion in a bowl. Once mixed together role in to desired meatball size and place in fridge.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat combine oil, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 diced onion, herbs and garlic.

3. Cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to simmer

4. Add meatballs in to sauce mixture and allow to simmer until cooked through (around 40 minutes). Stir occasionally and cover frying pan with lid.

5. Serve over gluten free pasta and top with extra Parmesan cheese!

Instagram – mydenverdelights

 

Thai Fish Noodle Bowl

This dish is full of flavour and wont make you feel uncomfortably full. A perfect meal for a dinner party as it is super quick and easy to make yet your guests will think you have slaved away for hours!

 

Ingredients

1 fillet of white fish per person (I used tilapia)

1 box of phad thai rice noodles (this will be enough for 3-4 people)

1/2 brown onion diced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro / coriander

juice of one lime

1 lime quartered

1 tbsp red chili flakes

1 can light coconut milk

3/4 cup of milk (i use 2% / hilo )

1 tbsp red curry paste (make sure it’s gluten free )

1/4 cup crushed peanuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped broccoli florets

1 cup of halved green beans

Method

1. Cook rice noodles as per method on packet
2. Heat oil in a large non stick pan over medium heat (one with a lid preferably)
3. Add onion and chili flakes and cook for 2 minutes
4. Turn pan down to low
5. Pour in coconut milk, regular milk and red curry paste
6. Add vegetables, cilantro and juice of one lime
7. Place fish fillets into pan
8. Cover and allow to cook for 5 minutes
9. Turn over fish and cover and cook again for 5 minutes (cooking time will depend on size of fish). Fish will be cooked when white all the way through and easily fall apart when cut into
10. Divide up cooked noodles into bowls and top with fish mixture, a quartered lime and crushed peanuts

 

 

 

 

Thai Chicken Cakes

Looking for the perfect lunch, light dinner or app?

Well look know more!

These cakes are bursting with flavour and it’s up to you what size to make them. Serve them by themselves, with sweet chili sauce or on a bed of salad.

Ingredients

500grams (1 pound) of ground chicken / mince

1/4 red onion diced

1/2 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup diced zucchini

1 /4 cup chopped cilantro / coriander

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds

1 heaped tablespoon of sweet chili sauce

1 heaped teaspoon of red curry paste (ensure it is gluten free)

1 egg

2 tablespoons of gluten free bread crumbs

juice of one lime

1/4 cup chopped green onion / spring onion

2 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Mix all ingredients besides oil together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add oil to a non stick pan over medium heat
3. Spoon out mixture at desired size (roll a little in your hands if you want more of a meatball size)
4. Cook in pan until mix is cooked – chicken will be white all the way through. I placed a lid over my pan and turned the cakes 3-4 times. They took 12-15 minutes to cook through
5. Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce or over a bed of salad.

 

 

Gluten Free French Toast

So French Toast is only a new discovery for me and I do feel deprived for having to wait so long to try it….Sorry Mum!!

After trying multiple gluten free bread loaves I have to say Canyon Gluten Free provides the best texture for this dish. Just their plain old white bread.

Ingredients :

2 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

Dash of cinnamon

4 slices of canyon white bread

Fresh fruit

Maple syrup

1 Tsp butter

Sprinkle of powered Sugar

Method :

1. mix eggs, milk and cinnamon together.
2. Dip each slice of bread into egg mixture ensuring it is all covered
3. Melt butter in a non stick pan over medium heat
4. Place dipped bread into frying pan and cook both sides until slighty crispy
5. Serve with your favourite fresh fruit, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkle of powered sugar!

A truly delicious way to get your kids to eat eggs!

 

Vegetable and Feta Frittata

Frittatas are a great way to use up eggs and any aging vegetables in your fridge. You can add almost anything to them and they still taste delicious!

I recently had a girls night in at my place and two of the girls were Vegetarians plus myself being gluten free. I decided a vegetable and feta frittata was the way to go. I was inspired by some gorgeous tri-coloured fingerling potatoes I found at my local Sprouts.

Ingredients :

Mixed bad of tri coloured fingerling potatoes

8 eggs

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 carrot

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

1/2 cup of feta crumbles

125mls of milk

1/4 brown onion

1 clove of garlic

2 cups of baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper

splash of olive oil

Method :

 1. Pre heat oven to 425 F

2.Thoroughly wash or scrub potatoes – I used 3 of each colour. Remove skin of carrot and cut potatoes and carrot to similar size (inch x inch size). Place in bowl with a lid and a splash of water. Microwave for 5 minutes or until soft.

3. Use a non stick skillet or pan that can be placed on a stove top as well as oven safe. Dice and cook onion and garlic together with oil. (low heat)

4. Add potato mix to skillet (low heat)

5. Add spinach leaves and the leaves of one sprig of rosemary to the skillet, stir well. (low heat)

6. Mix eggs, mozzarella, salt, pepper and milk together in a separate bowl then pour over ingredients in the skillet.

7. Sprinkle feta crumbles throughout the skillet and place the remaining rosemary sprig on top.

8. Bake until brown on top and dish cooked through (Roughly 30 minutes). Cover with foil for first 20 minutes then remove for last 10 minutes.

*Note : I cooked this the previous day and then reheated it covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

Range – Restaurant Review

Location : 918 17th St Denver, CO, 80202

(720) 726-4800

On Saturday night I found myself going through my newly purchased Denver Dining Out Passbook. If you haven’t heard of this, it is a fantastic booklet, that offers buy one get one free entrees and other great deals at over 70 restaurants in and around Denver. It costs $99 but Groupon is currently having a  55% off deal which takes the booklet down to $45. The booklet is valid through to July 2017 so it’s not too late to grab one! So after a period of searching and reading menus, I decided to give Range restaurant a try. The restaurant is located in the old Colorado National Bank which is now the Marriot Renaissance Hotel. The bank was built in 1915 and the original murals, marble pillars and bank vaults are still standing.

We easily got a booking at 7pm on a Saturday night and the small dining room was quite full. We were greeted and seated quickly and our server was very prompt and helpful with drink selections. I tried a Colorado local cider called “Glider Cider”. I do prefer beer over cider but no gluten free beer was available. However, this cider is not sickly sweet at all, very crisp and refreshing and I will be keeping my eye out for it at other restaurants.

For appetizers, my husband and I shared cheese puffs with basil pesto and loaded potatoes “bravas style”. Our server was able to clearly identify what menu items were gluten free and notified the chef to take extra precautions when preparing my food. The cheese puffs were giant Brazilian cheese balls made from tapioca flour. If you have never tried these, your life is lacking big time. Imagine crunchy outside with warm, soft, gooey, stringy cheese on the inside…my mouth is watering writing this. The potatoes were also good but in my opinion the cheese puffs were hands down the winner. The “bravas” were served with chorizo, goat cheese, saffron aioli and a chile sauce. The cheese puffs were $6 and potatoes were $8 a serve.

For Entrée I ordered the fish special of the day. A crispy skinned sea bass on a bed of mashed potatoes accompanied with tomato puree, basil pesto and an olive citrus salad. I pray that Range makes this a permanent feature on their menu. The fish was cooked to perfection, super crispy skin and juicy, flaky meat. The flavours transported me back to Cinque Terre in Italy. I could quite happily eat this meal every day. It was extremely well priced too at $27 for a great sized fillet of fish.

For dessert we shared a vanilla bean crème brulee. Now this thing is huge! I would be very impressed if someone managed to eat it by themselves. It is served with a baby citrus compote and had a perfectly crunchy top like any good brulee should have. The brulee was priced at $9.

With our Denver Dining Out passbook we got one entrée for free so the final bill was very reasonable. The Range have great happy hour specials Monday to Friday from 4pm – 7pm and some nice tables out on the terrace to watch the world go by. After our meal we went downstairs and explored the old bank vaults as well as read the numerous history facts posted around the main foyer. I thoroughly look forward to dining here again soon.

Rating : 8/10

Food and service were incredible, acoustics of the room and size of the dining area led to a noise issue.

I was unable to crack the vault code in case you were wondering….

 

Protein Bar – Restaurant Review

Location : Denver – 16th St and Glenarm

                      – Union Station

     Boulder – 29th St Mall

Also located in Chicago and Washington, DC

If you are looking to start your work week out healthy, then Protein Bar is the place for you! They offer breakfast, lunch and stay open late enough for dinner. You can order online, pickup, get delivery and organise catering through this fantastic company.

What originally started out as a bar for protein shakes in Chicago, it has turned into a gourmet eatery that can cater to almost every allergy and dietary need.

The menu has gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.First up I sampled the cold pressed juices. These juices are made at a dedicated cold press facility that keep all the goodness inside the juice. The ingredients that are printed on the bottles are exactly what is inside – nothing more, nothing less.  They have cleansing and detoxifying properties to them. The beet juice was my favourite but I could easily drink all of them. You don’t have to feel guilty after drinking juice when it is this good for you!

Next up I tasted three of the many food options. First up was the spinach and pesto protein bowl. Using a base of organic quinoa and mixed with spinach, basil pesto, Parmesan and all natural chicken, this warm meal was my favourite. The quinoa bulks up the salad and makes it surprisingly filling. I’m not one to normally pick a salad for lunch as I usually walk away hungry but this dish will now be a go to for me.

Moving on to the El Verde. Another protein bowl, it again was served with the organic quinoa blend. Its made with roasted poblano and onion, corn, tomatillo sauce, chipotle greek yogurt, all natural chicken, cheddar, hemp seed blend and fresh salsa. The chipotle greek yogurt gives this dish a nice kick. Not too spicy but full of flavour. My husband, who is a very fussy eater, ate this up before I had even realised. When I stated that he had just eaten quinoa (something that he wouldn’t usually choose) he responded that the flavours were so good it didn’t matter about the quinoa!

Lastly I tried the superfood vegan salad. This salad instantly makes you feel healthy with the first mouthful. Made with roasted organic tofu, avocado, kale, hemp seed blend, chickpeas and house made creamy chia dressing it is filling and very satisfying. I am not a huge tofu fan but this roasted organic tofu is a stand out of the salad.

Not only does Protein Bar offer great cold press juices and food, they also make raw juices and the classic protein shakes. The protein used is a whey protein and the smoothies are made with almond milk – however you can change this. My favourite smoothie I sampled was the Avo Matcha, which is made with avocado, matcha green tea, organic raw (and local) honey and vanilla protein. I also sampled the red rocks shake, which is made from strawberries, banana and vanilla protein and lastly the HI – 5 juice. The high 5 juice is made from kale, spinach, cilantro, pineapple and crushed ice. I expected the cilantro to be a very strong flavour in this drink but I was wrong, it all balanced out perfectly.

I finished up with a Protein Bar black and white brownie. This was like eating a fluffy slice of heaven. Not too sweet and not at all crumbly – which is impressive for gluten free.

The menus provide nutritional information for all items as well as stating what is gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. I only sampled a fraction of this extensive menu and I am already deciding what I want to try next. For a restaurant that provides such fresh and healthy options I was rather blown away with the prices. The cold presses juices are a little pricey ($6.50), but hey, they are packed full of goodness! Shakes are around $5, salads around $10 and protein bowls are $6.50-$10.

If you’re looking for something fun and different for a work lunch, Protein Bar offers catering as well as hosting Drink Events. They will bring the ingredients and blenders to you and you can even name your own shake!

Go on, reward your body with this healthy food today!

Rating : Price 9/10

                                               Gluten free friendly 10/10

                                 Food / Drinks 9/10