Zucchini, Sweet Potato & Polenta Slice (Gluten Free)

This recipe is an adaptation of a Zucchini Slice recipe that I used to love growing up. 

I have reduced the amount of butter and cheese (both by half!), and substituted creamed corn for regular corn and polenta for flour, and yet to me, it tastes every bit as good as the original! 

I played around with this recipe a few times, but have finally settled with one that I love. 

It has the right texture and right balance of flavours. 

I used to use gluten free four but then thought I would give polenta a go and I love it! It gives it a great spongy texture and is more wholesome than flour so you get a few extra slow burning calories. 

Homemade Chickpea Falafel Wraps (GF)

I made my first chickpea falafel years ago when we were living in Melbourne and they've been on regular rotation ever since.

My funniest memory of them though was two years ago just after my daughter was born. I had a doula for the few weeks who was very healthy, a little alternative and VERY surprised that "I" had made falafel (not even "she" made them herself!).

I was as much insulted as I was pleased for surprising her!

Easy Lamb & Qunioa Tabbouleh wraps (GF)

Some weeknights I feel the need to create elaborate and exhausting dinners, for some reason it just soothes my weary soul to create and savour.

And then other nights I want something simple like an omelette or toasted sandwich.

This dinner kind of fits in the middle, but closer to the "less is more" end!

Tabbouleh is typically made with bulgar wheat, making it not suitable for people allergic to gluten, but I decided to give it a go with quinoa instead and was pleasantly surprised with how it worked out! 

For the Tabbouleh (regular recipe BBC Food)
1oz cooked quinoa
2 large ripe vine tomatoes, or a handful of baby toms
Large bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
Small bunch fresh mint leave, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2-3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

Chop all ingredients finely and combine in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the Lamb Kofta's
Lamb mince
1/2 brown onion, finely chopped
1-2 t Harissa paste
1/2 t ground cumin

Combine all ingredients and form into small balls and cook for about 15 minutes until well cooked on the outside, but still a tiny bit pink on the inside.

For the wraps
GF corn tortillas

For the sauce
Tomato paste/ketchup/puree
Harissa paste

Combine the tomato and harissa to taste, it should be a little sweet but a little spicy.

Slightly cook the corn tortillas so they are soft and arrange a little tomato sauce, lamb kofta's and tabbouleh.

Wrap and Eat!

PMI

Plus = Fresh, tastes like Morocco in a wrap!

Minus = The wraps are fine with this, but I can imagine flour tortillas would be a bit softer

Interesting = I made my husband these but in pita pockets, which would keep the tabbouleh contained better!

What meals are your favourite go-to meals for midweek dinners?? Or Friday night dinners as this may be?!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! As you read this we are probably somewhere South of Zurich starting our accent up into the Alps!!! I'm sorry but I am beyond excited, we've always dreamed of going to the Swiss Alps and so my Husband is making (another) dream come true and that is where I will be seeing out my 20's and welcoming my 30's in with style!!! 

What have you got planned?! If you want to see lots of snow, I'm likely to bombard Instagram with way too many photos this weekend!! Did I mention I am excited!!!! 

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Gordon Ramsay's Sausage & Caramelised Onion Hot Pot

Hi, my name is Meg and I am addicted to Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking.

Seriously, so far there's been the Brisket, Baked Porridge, Potato & Beetroot Gratin and Grilled Lobster!

I almost feel like I could complete a Julie & Julia project for this cookbook! The Meg & Gordon project: Ultimate Home Cooking Challenge. Without  even thinking about it, I am working my way through all the recipes, so maybe I should turn it into a project of some sort! Original idea, no of course not, but a good idea, HECK YES (say's my enthusiastic Husband!!). We'll see...

This week has been another gloomy week in London, lots of rain and not a lot much else! It is soup weather and casserole weather! Apologies if you're reading in Australia and are sick of all of these warm and cozy meals, but the idea of getting excited about a salad right now is just not going to happen!!

Having OD'd on soup last week, I decided to give casseroles a whirl this week. And what better place to start then with a good old sausage hot pot! 

meg-made: Gordon Ramsay's sausage & caramelised onion hot pot

A little more involved then regular Bangers & Mash, but worth the extra effort!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

Olive oil, for frying
8 best-quality pork sausages (I got GF ones)
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 knobs of butter
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
3 thyme sprigs, leaves only (I used rosemary)
150g button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
200ml red wine (I used port)
200ml beef stock
Small handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

meg-made: Gordon Ramsay's sausage & caramelised onion hot pot

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Place a large hob-proof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add a dash of oil and fry the sausages until coloured all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the onions and a couple of knobs of butter to the empty casserole dish. Stir in the sugar and thyme (or rosemary), then cook for 10–15 minutes over a medium heat, stirring now and again until the onions are completely caramelised. 

meg-made: Gordon Ramsay's sausage & caramelised onion hot pot

3. Add the mushrooms, stir, and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and cook for a further 5 minutes.

4. Add the cooked sausages and red wine (or Port) to the dish, bring to the boil and bubble for 4–5 minutes to burn off the alcohol and reduce slightly. Add the stock, bring to the boil, then transfer to the oven for 18–20 minutes uncovered until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce is thick.

5. Sprinkle the finished dish with parsley and serve.

meg-made: Gordon Ramsay's sausage & caramelised onion hot pot

meg-made: Gordon Ramsay's sausage & caramelised onion hot pot

PMI

Plus = Comfort food at its best! 

Minus = Obviously not too healthy!! 

Interesting = I loved the rosemary instead of the thyme, it really took on a "Roast" flavour

Wishing you a wonderful weekend wherever you are! Are you watching the Super Bowl? We probably will stay up for some of it but otherwise are hoping to see some sunshine this weekend!!! Have a great one!

Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Fast Diet Recipe O'Kelly Fish

I purchased some gorgeous Wild Alaskan Salmon fillets on the weekend and wanted to find a low calorie way of preparing it for a Fast Diet Recipe. I saw a recipe from Mimi Spencer on Get The Gloss for a baked salmon with veggies and it was love at first sight.

meg-made Fast Diet recipe: O'Kelly Fish

For a Fast Diet meal this one is such a hit! It's low calories but high in flavour and volume. Quite often I really enjoy a Fast Diet dinner, but usually finish dinner and want more, but I found this dinner to be completing filling. 

I incorporated this recipe into Week 13 on the Fast Diet. 

Ingredients (serves 2)

200g trimmed green beans
100g broccoli florets
100g asparagus spears
Juice of one lemon (and keep the husks)
1 teaspoon olive oil
15g black olives (I only had green)
2 vines of cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
2 salmon fillets (approx 100g each)

meg-made Fast Diet recipe: O'Kelly Fish

Method:

1. Blanch all of your greens for 2 minutes in boiling water, and then place in a bowl of water with ice to stop them cooking further. This pre-cooks the greens and also helps to keep them green when you put them in the oven.

2. Place all of the greens in an oven-proof dish and add the tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon husks and olives.

3. Place the salmon on top, season with salt & pepper and chilli flakes and oven roast at 200C/390F for 20 minutes or until fish is just cooked.

meg-made Fast Diet recipe: O'Kelly Fish

I would love to learn how to prevent the salmon from seeping its fat and turning that unsightly shade of white, so if you are the salmon expert, help help help?!? I think its from cooking the salmon too quickly, but would love to know if anyone else can advise the best way!

Fast Diet or no Fast Diet, this is such a lovely way to enjoy salmon, and have put this dinner firmly in the "to make again" category!



Psst!! If you are looking for a little more meg-made, I'd LOVE for you to follow along!

Fast Diet - Week 6 - #LoseDayTuesday

Week six of the 5:2 Fast Diet!! To find out more about it, read my original post here.

I'm really enjoying the Fast Diet community. Its been fun finding other Fast Dieters on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook etc and seeing other people's results, motivation and meal ideas has been really inspirational for me this week.

I am definitely still enjoying my non-fast days far too much, I really have to remember that I am actually trying to be healthier and lose weight, and shouldn't be putting 100% of the pressure on the two fasting days!! I have had a bit of shift in mindset though this week. Rather than waking up on a Fasting day with the first thought being "bugger, no breakfast", I now have managed to think about it as such an opportunity day. I always feel better about myself after I've done a workout (not the endorphin rush kind of better, just feel more empowered and proud of myself), and so this feeling I now get in the mornings is similar to that, and I try to carry that feeling and remember it when the hunger pangs hit around noon.

In reaching out and connecting more with the Fast Diet community, I have stumbled upon a few awesome recipes that I am keen to explore more over the coming weeks and tried out another awesome recipe from the Fast Diet Recipe Book. 

Again I am finding that in putting off eating my first meal as late as possible, I am not nearly as hungry for as long in the day now. Its as though my system forgets about food overnight, and it isn't until I remind it what its missing that it starts growling for more!

Lunch - Chorizo & Butterbean Soup

I made this soup once. And then twice more that week! On one of my Fast days I actually had it for lunch and dinner, it's THAT good! I added some extra chorizo in mine when I had the spare calories because, well you can never have too much chorizo. 

I love how simple and easy (and affordable) this soup is. I am not going to reinvent the wheel, so here is the fabulous recipe from Lavender & Lovage. 

Snack - Green olives

Yes, the same snacks as I've had before, but I got some flavoured ones this week, so have added a few extra calories to the total for the pesto and pimento olives! Instead of 60 calories, I have had to guestimate about 100 calories. 

Dinner - Masala Prawns (with chickpeas and spinach)

I really do love reading a recipe, wanting to cook it, and finding out you had mostly everything you need already! Very neat. I followed the recipe from the Fast Diet Recipe Book for Masala Prawns, and given that I had had a very low calorie day thus far, added in the chickpeas and spinach. My husband even had the same meal as me, no rice, no bread, nothing bulky at all, and he commented that he was full without all of that starch!

The recipe from the book is as follows:

Ingredients (serves 2)

2tsps cumin seeds (I used ground cumin)
1/2 cinnamon stick (I used 1/2 t ground)
3 cloves (I used 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Salt and pepper
2 tsps chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)
2 tsps butter
150g raw prawns
coriander leaves

And my other changes were the addition of 120g of tinned chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of no-fat yoghurt and 2 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves.

Method:

1. Make the masale paste by heating a pan and adding the cumin, cinnamon and cloves, dry frying for a minute. The smell that this creates is amazing!

2. Remove from the heat and crush in a pestle and mortar (I don't have one, so I figured the ground spices made up for that).

3. Put this mix in a blender with garlic, salt and pepper chilli powder, turmeric and oil and whizz to a paste (again, I didn't do this step, but stirred it well into a paste in the pan instead).

4. Melt the butter in a heavy pan and add the paste and fry for two inures.

5. Add the prawns (and chickpeas) and stir gently until cooked through. Meanwhile cook the spinach.

6. To cook the spinach, turn a pan on and wait for it to be a little warm before tossing two handfuls of spinach leaves directly in the pan. Toss gently and the spinach will begin to wilt almost immediately. It will need to cook for no more than a minute in total.

7. To serve, I stirred through 1 teaspoon of yoghurt just before serving and dolloped one teaspoon on top before  sprinkling fresh coriander over the prawns.

The masala tasted like authentic Indian curry, without all the oil! It was filling and full of flavour.

Drinks

Lots of water as usual and some more of my new favourite Teapigs Rooibos Creme Caramel herbal tea. (2 calories). And what better vessel to brew it in that my brand new Fast Diet mug! Woohoo!!!

Total calories for the day = 477

Exercise

Reformer Pilates, lots of incidental walking and one Heath Hills walk! I had a bit more energy this week and so made sure I made the most of it! I still find designated exercise unlikely on a Fast day, but walking half an hour each way to take Maddie to her swimming lesson is still on the agenda!!

Weight loss?

Total loss to date = 2.7kgs (5.95lbs)

I was stoked to see the number on the scales this morning, I was sure there wouldn't be any change at all! I have two targets that I've set myself, and the first one is 4kg by Christmas (yay, only 1.3kgs to go), and then I want to be at my goal weight by my 30th Birthday in February (4.3kg to go). I am starting to believe it might just happen too!!!

On a very unrelated note, other than ticking off items on my Non-Food Cuddles list this week, here's a project I have been working on that has kept me busy and kept my mind away from food thoughts!!

Click here to view the meg-made Christmas 2013 catalogue on GLOSSI.COM

I have put together all of my favourite items that are on my Etsy store in one easy to read e-catalogue. If you're looking for some Christmas gifts or decorations, you might just find a little sparkly piece of London that is perfect for your Christmas!

I hope you have a great week! One Fast Day down, one to go!

Fast Diet - Week 5 - #LoseDayTuesday

Week five of the 5:2 Fast Diet!! To find out more about it, read my original post here.

Four weeks down and into the fifth week. I have continued on with Monday and Wednesday fast days and have found it easier to get them "over with" earlier in the week. I am not finding the fast days quite as difficult as they first were, but I would rather fast on busy days to keep my mind from constantly thinking about food.

This diet has really identified my eating patterns that need changing. I have always known how much time I spend thinking about food, but I hadn't really noticed how much of the day I participate in food, be it prepare, cook, eat, pin and now calorie-count! I justify it partly because of this blog, but I have become aware of some of my behaviours towards food that I have held onto that must change.

Whenever I have some time to myself in the afternoons when Baby M naps, I make an afternoon treat. Whenever I feel unwell or have had a migraine, I heat up potato in some form to soothe my woes. Whenever I am stressed or anxious, I bury my worries in sugar. These behaviours are ingrained in me as a way of dealing with life, but as I have other mechanisms to deal with things these days, it surely is time to let go of the emotional eating! I have a post prepared for later in the week regarding non-food cuddles, a topic that is personal to me but something I really want to talk about.

I am still enjoying good food. I am still baking and not worrying about eating an entire fish (he was a little guy don't worry), followed by rhubarb and apple crumble. The difference is now though, that knowing a big dinner is looming, I ate small and healthy meals all day so that my evening intake wouldn't tip the scales terribly. This diet is helping me restore balance in my food life, and it is starting to show, ever so slightly, in my clothes!

The scales may not be saying all that much still, but my clothes are fitting better and having tried on clothes from a few years ago that are now fitting (but not quite yet looking good, still work to do!) it is giving me a surge of motivation to keep going and see where this diet can take me.

Enough ramblings from me, here is my food intake for last weeks' fast day. 

Lunch - Scrambled eggs with grilled tomatoes

This was made possible by the discovery of oil spray. I've always seen it on the shelves but never felt compelled to pick it up before this diet. But hey, if you can have a little moisture in the pan to grill some tomatoes and it only adding one extra calorie for the process, well that's okay with me. I grilled 5 cherry tomatoes, and then scrambled one egg with some fresh parsley. Delish.

Snack - Green olives

Yes, the same snacks as I've had before, but I was just needing some salt!!

I also had to sacrifice some calories on throat lozenges, darn cold and flu season is playing havoc on me this year!! 30 calories were wasted, grr!

Dinner - Chicken Puttanesca with Courgetti

This was definitely a case of moulding a recipe around my pantry, but it worked! I again consulted the Fast Diet Recipe Book, and stumbled upon the Sarah Raven's Chicken Puttanesca recipe, and adapted it to match what I had on hand. I had some spare calories up my sleeve, so had my chicken on some amazing courgetti (courgette-spaghetti). Here's the recipe post.

Drinks

I caught up with a friend for some park time for our little girls and then we huddled inside at the nearest coffee shop for a warming beverage. I asked (without too much hope) what herbal teas were on offer, and to my surprise, discovered a new tea that blew me away! Teapigs Creme Caramel tea is divine. It is sweet and packs a punch in the flavour stakes. I've had it since with milk and sugar, and it really didn't need it, or add anything really, it doesn't need it. 

I found drinking water much easier this week, so was able to get 2L per day easily. 

Total calories for the day = 415

Exercise

Pilates, lots of walking, and a workout in the stairwell again. It's actually one of my favourite ways to work out. I have loaded up a fun playlist on Spotify on my phone, plug the headphones in and away I go. It is such an exit from life for me, and I really enjoy it. Plus, I can look ridiculous and get really sweaty, without anyone ever seeing!! 

Weight loss?

Total loss to date = 1.8kg (3.97lbs)

Last week I was toying with the idea of doing a third fasting day, and gladly was talked out of through some really encouraging comments. This week, I am wondering whether I need to start actually counting calories on non-fast days. If you're doing the Fast Diet, do you count calories every day? I just am starting to feel like whilst I am seeing some changes, I'd like to see more, and am wondering how to tweak my week to make this happen. So I think my two options are to count my calories every day (oi) or to up my exercise... Which do you guys think would be more successful??

Have a great week! One Fast Day down, one to go!

meg xx

Fast Diet - Week 3 - #LoseDayTuesday

Week three of the 5:2 Fast Diet!! To find out more about it, read my original post here.

Week three, and what a rubbish week it was!! I apologise for having virtual radio silence on meg-made last week. I try to keep my blog a positive little haven of mine, and so didn't want to compromise that with the woes of a sick mama. 

It was a difficult few days of fasting though (not complaining, just being open and honest). On the first day I got a fast and furious 24 hour cold, and on the second fasting day I had a migraine, and in between, two days of IBS. To say I felt like depriving myself of all kinds of comfort foods would be LYING, but that is why I chose to continue on with the fast that day. Migraines are just the most soul-destroying illnesses. I would gladly go through all the surgeries I have had twice over if I could trade in suffering migraines. Since stopping breastfeeding the occurrence of mine has dramatically decreased, but I still get utterly wiped out when I do get one. And throw in the mix a little one year who can't see that Mummy is sick and still wants the same amount of love and attention. And then, remove my usual go-to comfort source for the day, and its sure to be a rough old fast day!  But wait, I thought this was a positive blog.....okay, moving on, you get the point, migraines are the pits. 

Here is what I ate to get through one of my fast days last week.

Breakfast - One poached egg on grilled tomatoes

This week saw the purchase of some low-cal oil spray, and it has changed my world. Who knew! One spray equals one calorie, and so you can just spray a few misty oil sprays into a pan to help the cooking process out. I photographed all 3 of these tomatoes, but only ate two of them (and counted calories for two). 

Not sure how to poach an egg,  I did a little viewtorial on it here...

Lunch - homemade Courgette & Mint soup

Finding the correct calorie count was the most challenging component of having this soup for lunch!! Oh and sticking to the right portion size too!!

All this soup consists of is courgettes, fresh mint, water, cumin, garlic salt, cinnamon,; and a small teaspoon of no-fat yoghurt to serve. I didn't want to add stock as I knew the salts would up my calorie count too much, so just kept it really basic. The mint and cumin were the star flavours that enhanced the courgette, and I found that it was delicious without being heavy. 

When searching for calorie information prior to making my soup, I found a delicious Pea & Courgette soup from London Unattached. I followed this recipe for a guide on quantities and calories,  but obviously left out the peas! 

Snack - Sweet Potato Fries

The photo is terrible sorry!! But the fries were not. They are dead easy to make and were filling enough to see me through the afternoon before dinner. I needed some kind of comfort this particular fast day, and so when I spotted the sweet potatoes in the fridge, I practically hugged them!! 

Peel and chop one sweet potato and lay it on a baking tray. Sprinkle with paprika and bake for 20 minutes, tossing half way. The sweetness of a baked sweet potato combined with the heat of the paprika gives a lovely symbiosis of flavours, without costing too many calories. I know that a lot of people save up their daily amount of calories and just have one big meal, but for me, I need a little bit of sustenance a few times a day, I just do.

Dinner - Fluffy Crab & Courgette Omelette

Ever since we had breakfast at Customs House in Brisbane, I've been wanting to make some form of crab omelette. I was browsing through the Fast Diet Recipe Book and saw a prawn omelette that sounded incredible. I followed this recipe, however, substituted my crab meat for prawns and used less egg yolk to reduce my calorie count a little more.

Ingredients, serves 2
100g crab meat
1 courgette, grated and liquid removed
4 egg whites and 3 egg yolks
Chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
Oil spray
Parsley for serving

Method

1. Grate the courgette and squeeze all of the liquid out.

2. Combine the courgette, chilli flakes (or tabasco) and crab meat in a bowl.

3. Separate the eggs and keep the yolks to the side. Season.

4. Whisk the egg whites with an electric beater until fluffy.

5. Combine the egg white and yolk together and gently mix through with a metal spoon.

6. Spray some oil into a pan and gently cook the crab/courgette mix for a few minutes until it starts to brown a little.

7. Add the egg mixture and cook until the bottom of the omelette is brown.

8. Finish the top of the omelette under the grill (or flip if you are a whole lot more talented than me!)

9. Dish up and serve with a little sprig of parsley.

If you aren't following the Fast Diet, I would probably serve this with either a tomato relish or a chilli jam type sauce. It was great on its own, but a little extra sauce would really give it that last bit of zing!

Drinks

I had about 32904 litres of water over the day, real terms, probably 2.5L. I could only take medication to help my migraine when I had food in my belly, so relied mostly on water to get me through the lingering headache. 

Total calories for the day = 467

Exercise

I started back at Reformer Pilates this week. I was doing it quite consistently before summer travel interrupted my routine, and I loved how I felt doing it. I was actually getting stronger, a bit more toned, and enjoyed the time on my own to not think about anyone else's needs for a whole hour! So kicking it off again on Friday night was fun for me. 

In addition to this, I did two 30 minute walks, with the pram, up and down hills. 

Weight loss?

Total loss to date = 1kg (2.2lbs)

Overall I definitely found this week a tough one, but I was really proud of myself for sticking with each fast day, even though I wasn't really feeling my best. I am enjoying the challenge of what to eat all day, and maybe the dormant accountant in me is also enjoying the numbers game, don't judge me! I was happy that I was down another 1/2 kilo this week, it surprises me each week! I do love that it is just two days of modified behaviour. I am gradually figuring out which foods keep me fuller for longer and so I feel like by the end of this diet, I will probably eat the same thing each time!! 

Are you doing the Fast Diet too?? Do you have any tips or recipes to share? I would LOVE to hear them! I'd also love to know how much exercise other Fasters are doing, as I kind of think I should be doing more.... 

meg-made it to Grill'd (review) - Gluten Free Healthy Burgers

Now if only Grill'd would make it to London!!!

I have a fairly long list of favourite "must eat's" for whenever we are back in Australia, and even when time is tight, I usually find a way of making it to each of them. High on the list is Grill'd. I've eaten some pretty amazing burgers around the world now, but, Grill'd is still my favourite, without a doubt. 

Pre-travel planning always factors in Grill'd, I spend a whole lot of time thinking about it... as do others it seems!

It is an Australian burger joint who's angle is that they make healthy burgers. They started in Hawthorn, Melbourne, in the suburb we lived in, so we kind of feel like we were part of their success story, given that we've eaten there enough to have shares in the company! 

I was so excited to see an entire spiel about Gluten Free options on the menu, which meant I could eat anything I wanted. I could order a gluten free bun and the chips are already GF so I was all set!!

I tried virtually every burger on the menu when we lived in Melbourne, so now when I return for one burger, it is always the same: One Baa Baa burger and herbed chips please.

A Baa Baa Burger is quite simply a Lamb burger with avocado, tasty cheese, salad, relish and herbed mayo. The relish and herbed mayo really elevate the lambyness of the lamb and is such a divine combination of flavours.

And I mean come on, how good do these chips look?!

And just in case you didn't believe how good it looked from the outside....here's the inside view...

Mr M ordered the Big Queenslander - lean beef, tasty cheese, crispy trim bacon, free range egg, a couple of slices of beetroot, with salad, relish and herbed mayo. I didn't get my act together quickly enough to photograph his though!

If you're visiting Australia, or live under a rock in Australia (it would need to be Ayres Rock) and have not been to Grill'd, it is definitely worthy of being on any "must eat" lists. I love when something you hold in your memory stands up to the real thing. Over 8 years I am yet to be disappointed with Grilld. They are that good.