April 25, 2015
Not quite summer yet but these tomatoes were nice and sweet wherever they came from so I made a simple and naturally flavoured panzanella style salad. I am going to Italy, remember, so I am beginning to immerse myself in all things Italian. I kept it very simple letting the softness of the tomatoes and crunchy croutons play their part creating texture and the tangy juices of tomatoes mixed with the fruity olive oil and... View Article
April 20, 2015
Once spring and summer arrive we have potato salad on the menu often. I don’t make the traditional mayo based potato salad too often. The Italian and French salads, made with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, appeal to me more. I add other vegetables that are in season, like green beans, radishes, carrots, peas, whatever works with the potatoes. The other day I was looking at some food blogs and saw a beautiful image... View Article
April 18, 2015
Funny I haven’t made kale soup before, especially because I make a lot of soups and tend to have a pot of soup simmering at the back of the stove or a mason jar or two in the fridge with homemade simple and delicious soups. They are so easy to prepare and making dinner is simple if you have a nice soup on hand. Somehow I found myself with 4 bunches of kale in the... View Article
April 17, 2015
I was organizing my pantry the other day, determined to simplify and use what’s there. I am not a “shopping list” shopper and inevitable my pantry gets filled with stuff that excites me one moment and then languishes on the shelves, forgotten. One of these items was a bottle of Asian dipping sauce that looked enticing so I thought I’d make a few salad rolls to use the sauce with. They are always fun and... View Article
April 5, 2015
Cooking Indian style food can be intimidating but this simple dal and basmati rice with a crisp and lemony salad on the side is simplicity itself and so good, and good for you. There are specialized legumes for making authentic dal and you can certainly find them but I cook with what I have in my pantry and I (almost) always have lentils in there, red, green, black, you name it. Lentils are one of... View Article
March 31, 2015
Once in a while I like cooking with Asian flavours and asparagus lends itself beautifully to Asian flavour profile. One of my favourite recipes was from Barbara Tropp’s book, it was either China Moon or The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. I no longer have either of these books and a quick peek on Amazon shows they are selling for almost $200 each, likely because they are long out of print. Of course I had... View Article
March 22, 2015
It’s officially spring here in the Okanagan but still kind of cloudy and cool. The lilacs are trying to bud and I hope their efforts are going to be rewarded with warm weather and enough sunshine. So what I am trying to say is that it is still cool enough here to enjoy a warm bowl of hearty and delicious homemade soup. I wanted to have a simple dinner of soup and salad and have... View Article
March 21, 2015
I am a little under the influence of opera at the moment. The London Royal Opera broadcasted their Flying Dutchman Wagner’s opera to movie theatres worldwide and of course I never miss a performance if I can help it. This production ended on a tragic note, with the doomed Hollander taking off to the raging seas believing, mistakenly, that his last hope for redemption, his beloved Senta, was unfaithful, therefore unknowingly punishing him to eternal... View Article
March 19, 2015
I call this a mandolin salad because I slice most of the veggies that go into it on a mandoline type slicer. It doesn’t have to be a fancy one, the small plastic gadgets that are readily available work just fine. You can use a knife, but unless you have very good knife skills, I suggest you use a mandoline. I vary the dressings from olive oil and vinegar to sweet and tangy to nut... View Article
March 18, 2015
Here is a beautiful spring salad, full of vibrant colours and unexpected flavours and textures. What’s in it? Steamed creamy fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced crunchy radishes and red onion, roasted sweet mini peppers and a few briny olives. Tying them together is a creamy-tangy sherry vinaigrette and a sprinkling of parsley. This salad disappeared so quickly that I had no time to photograph it except for the little bit you see in the image. The... View Article
March 17, 2015
I thought I’d tell you about one breakfast cereal trick I have. If you cook with grains and seeds you know how you end up with a little bit of this and a little bit of that in your pantry. When I get to less than a cup of any of these items I add them all together to a jar and then cook them as cereal instead of the usual oatmeal. You can keep... View Article
March 16, 2015
Rice is one of the pantry staples that helps you put together a good dinner without having to run to the store. I find that people divide between those who love potatoes and those who love rice. I have my foot in both camps and have developed a decent repertoire of main course rice (or other grains) dishes for vegetarian style dinners. I started pre-soaking the rice recently after reading about it in various sources.... View Article
