April 15, 2016
I have been making an effort to use up all of the grains and legumes in my pantry. I am a bit of a shopping addict when it comes to foods, wanting to buy everything in sight. Just think of what I could do with this or that. So inevitably I have jars filled or half filled with barley, wheat berries, various rice grains, lentils and more. I haven’t cooked with barley in a while... View Article
August 13, 2015
Roasting a cauliflower transforms its flavour and texture, and I am sure would convert even my friend Val to loving this veggie. The sugars in the cauli caramelize and lend a smoky-sweetness that is very enticing. Cauli comes in many colours, from white to orange to purple and green. Each has a slightly different flavour profile and unlike purple beans or purple asparagus, they keep the colour during cooking. The colourful variety makes a beautiful... 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
February 18, 2015
A while ago I attended a special dinner at Mission Hill Winery in Kelowna. The dinner was held in their Chagall room where a long table was set with linen, flowers and crystal and dinner was served family style. The Chef served a dish of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas that was just my kind of food. I adapted it to my vegetarian cooking style omitting the prosciutto that he draped over the dish. I didn’t... View Article
November 10, 2014
Part of my culinary style is cooking with grains, legumes and vegetables and combine them in hot and cold dishes. I find it convenient to cook grains or legumes in advance and have them sitting in the fridge for a day or two waiting to be incorporated into a recipe for lunch or dinner (or breakfast). Quinoa cooks very quickly as it does not require soaking but still, I usually cook more than what I... View Article
September 15, 2014
As the weather gets cooler I get in the mood for a heartier fare. A trip to the farmers market yesterday yielded a bag of sieglinde potatoes from Sweet Life Farms, beautiful green cabbage and black kale from another vendor and an orange cauliflower. I thought I’d combine all of them in a quick sauté for dinner, which is just my kind of food. I started with the potatoes as they take the longest to cook,... View Article
September 25, 2013
Couscous is a useful grain, lending itself as a base to many vegetables and legumes or good on its own with tomatoes, herbs and lemony-garlicy dressing. Couscous has mediterranean origin, made from semolina, a product of cracked durum wheat. The type available here is mostly the instant couscous, grains that have been previously steamed and dried. You add the couscous to boiling water to which a little oil and salt have been added, then remove... View Article
September 16, 2013
Once in a while I make fritters. I don’t deep fry them in oil but rather cook them on a lightly oiled electric griddle, much like you would cook pancakes. They are delicious and can be served as an “entree” of a vegetarian meal, or if you make them small they are nice as an appetizer. I posted other fritters recipes a while back here and here and they generated a lot of traffic on the... View Article
October 1, 2012
Here is a quick, easy and delicious dish to make with cauliflower and potatoes. Vegetables are so beautiful. They lend themselves to many preparations and because of their seasonality, you never get bored with them. By the time you have cooked one in a number of different ways their season is up and a new vegetable prevails at the market. Having said that, of course I know that in the supermarkets you get more or... View Article
September 19, 2012
Mediterranean cuisine has a dish called Mujadarah where lentils and rice are cooked together and then topped with slow cooked caramelized onion. It’s delicious and I make it often. This is a spin on that recipe but I cook everything separately and then combine “stuff” together. This way I can experiment and create different dishes from the basic rice and lentils. So today I am making the rice and lentils with cauliflower and carrots. Tomorrow... View Article
August 28, 2012
Sometimes vegetables are so nice and tender that they really do not require any cooking at all. In the summer I like making a few dishes that can be enjoyed in the raw (I mean the veggies, relax), just tossed with a dressing or offered with a dip. Cauliflower, when fresh and tender, is one of those vegetables. The markets have been featuring small heads of coloured cauliflower in orange, purple and white and I... View Article
August 2, 2012
Whenever I serve appetizers I try to include crudités (raw vegetables) with dip. Vegetables are so beautiful and can serve as a centrepiece of an appetizer table. They are also nice on the table before dinner, allowing guests to munch on fresh vegetables while waiting for dinner. As a salad they can be very refreshing and make a beautiful salad plate for one or more. Try to use the unexpected. How about raw asparagus, sliced... View Article
