July 28, 2018
Potato salad is a signature item for me and when I have company I almost always have a big dish of potato salad ready to serve when family or friends arrive. It’s an easy dish to make and flexible in terms of the ingredients you put in it. This time I had green and yellow beans so I used them but have used other ingredients in other salads. I also like adding crisp romaine to the... View Article
July 26, 2018
I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen and lately also trying dishes I have never made before. We recently spent a week in the BC mountains hiking and biking (Sun Peaks, post to come) and our days consisted of all day hikes (or biking) and then dinner at night at one of the several restaurants in the small Austrian style village. Food mostly left some to be desired except for one... View Article
July 24, 2018
Summer beets are a special treat, especially when you get them small and tender. This is a pretty and refreshing salad using the beets in a few different ways. I cooked the beets sous vide but you can roast them to equally delicious results. I then marinated them in a little olive oil and balsamic crema to impart sweet and tangy flavour. I then made a light mayo style dressing to which I... View Article
July 21, 2018
So we are back at home from a hiking adventure here in BC and I am in the mood to cook again after eating out for an entire week in the mountains with varying degrees of success (more on that later). Since I am addicted to Australia Masterchef and was catching up on a few episodes I missed while I was gone I noticed that they often make fondant potatoes that look beautiful on their... View Article
June 28, 2018
Remembering a dish I had at a restaurant a while ago I thought I’d try to make something similar at home. The dish was an elongated Asian eggplant, cut in half and roasted with a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce similar to teriyaki. Rather than buy a bottle of the sauce which would be full of artificial ingredients, I thought I’d try to make it myself. The sticky-gooey sauce was quite good so onto these pages... View Article
June 5, 2018
Often when I cook rice I make extra and use the leftover rice in a pilaf a day or two later. It’s a good way to use up odds and ends of veggies that are lingering but are still beautiful, fresh and crisp. A classic pilaf is rice sautéed in oil with aromatics and then cooked in flavoured broth with vegetables or non-vegetarian proteins. My method here is different, sautéeing vegetables first and then adding... View Article
June 3, 2018
Pasta, pasta, pasta. I can eat it every day although not necessarily with such a rich sauce. Today I was in the mood for ravioli and wanted to try a potato filling instead of the usual ricotta. I also had mushrooms and asparagus that I needed to use as we are off to another “exploring our BC backyard” adventure in the Sunshine Coast so this was an opportunity to use them in a sauce... View Article
May 29, 2018
Rice noodles have a light texture and neutral flavour that adapts to any sauce or dressing you pair it with. The noodles are beautiful white and raw vegetables add colour and texture to the dish. This salad is quick and easy to prepare and for us it’s a light and refreshing dinner on a warm evening or a hot summer day. The crushed peanuts on top add just the right crunch and nutty flavour, I... View Article
May 18, 2018
A good lunch salad is an art and takes a little imagination but it doesn’t have to be complicated. I was leafing through a Donna Hay cookbook last night when saw a fennel and chicken salad and decided to translate it to a vegetarian version and change the dressing. I liked the croutons idea so went with that. The fennel has to be sliced thinly, like they do in Italy, and then marinated for... View Article
May 15, 2018
Beans require soaking before cooking so when I prepare them I usually soak and cook more than required for a particular dish and keep the rest for another recipe. The other day I made a lovely bean soup and only used half of the beans, keeping the rest in the fridge for a couple of days and today used them to make this warm bean salad. Beans are nice on their own with a splash... View Article
May 5, 2018
Still cool enough here to enjoy a warm bowl of soup and mushroom soup is one of my favourites. You can use a variety of mushroom to add flavour. I like texture so I sauté a few additional mushrooms briefly in olive oil and use as garnish. For a creamy vegan version use cashew cream in the puréed soup or as garnish on top. If you use bay leaves don’t forget to remove them before... View Article
May 4, 2018
I have had a few good versions of Japanese eggplants in the past and have been looking for a way to recreate something similar at home. I found a recipe for miso eggplant in an Australian publication and worked with their recipe to make this dish. I think I would try it with Japanese eggplants next time although this version was nice. The recipe called for grilling it but I roasted it in the oven... View Article
