September 14, 2016
When you buy corn by the dozen for only 2 people sometimes you have a few cobs left over. What I do then is scrape the kernels off the cob and use them in salads, with grains, in tacos, or as here, in a late summer corn and potato soup. This soup can be made with cream, creme fraiche or vegan with cashew cream. Take your pick. It’s a beautiful soup either way you do... View Article
March 15, 2016
You will have to forgive me for still being immersed in Italian food and culture. On second thought, I shouldn’t have to apologize, it’s fabulous food and I am sharing it with you. So, enjoy. One of the soups we had in Tuscany was pasta and chickpea soup that was simply delicious and just my kind of food. When we returned home I made a lot of soups in the beginning, because they are easy... View Article
November 6, 2015
I have been taking cooking classes for years, always looking for vegan or at least vegetarian classes but they are hard to come by. Finally there is a school that is dedicated to teaching both amateurs and professionals how to make beautiful plant based foods that in Mark’s words is “good for you and good for the planet”. Chef Mark Reinfeld is best-selling author of numerous award winning Vegan cookbooks, including the recent 30 Minute Vegan series,... View Article
October 21, 2015
There is nothing like a warm, fragrant soup on a cold day and I have been whipping up soups here lately that are much appreciated by my husband, thankfully. With only the two of us at home, he is the main audience for my cooking frenzy. With the trip coming up am trying to get away from the kitchen so I can start packing my suitcase and make the final arrangements before we go away... View Article
September 27, 2015
My mental image of an ideal kitchen is one with a pot of soup simmering on the back burner with the warm, inviting aromas wafting in the air, making a house feel like home. My favourite pot to cook soups in is the French enamelled cast iron Le Creuset, and no, they are not paying me to say this. I have some beautiful copper pots that would look beautiful filled with soup, but then I... View Article
September 17, 2015
Fresh peas have a short season and I wasn’t expecting to find any on my last market trip but what do you know, here they were. They looked crisp and fresh so I bought a large bag and brought them home. I sat with a bowl like an old fashioned mamma and shelled the cute little peas wondering what to do with them. By the time I finished shelling I knew they were going into... View Article
September 10, 2015
This was one of the best corn season I remember in the Okanagan. Almost every day I picked up delicate and sweet cobs of corn with pearly, crispy, juicy kernels at local markets, still cool from early morning picking. It was a memorable treat all summer and I have not tired of it yet. My quickest and easiest method for cooking corn is in the microwave. I place the husked cobs in a sturdy ceramic... View Article
August 26, 2015
I don’t make a lot of soups in the summer with two exceptions: tomato soups and corn soups. Making a soup with fresh tomatoes or fresh corm is a special treat that I reserve for summer cooking. A farmer nearby grows small round tomatoes that are juicy, sweet and delicious. I put a bunch of them in my Le Creuset pot with olive oil, onion, garlic and stock and a while later I have a... 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
February 3, 2015
I often have cooked beans on hand (in the fridge or freezer) and use them to make either a soup or refried beans or some other bean dish. You can make this recipe with uncooked beans as I instruct below, or use already cooked beans, sauteeing the vegetables, adding the beans and stock and continuing to cook and puree. To soak or not to soak? I have read various articles (here, here and here) with opinions spanning... View Article
September 23, 2014
I am not quite ready to give up summer and open my kitchen to fall foods but you know how it is, I was in the mood to make a soup. My kitchen is still full of late summer tomatoes, ripe stone fruits, potatoes of every kind, beets, pickling cucumbers and even some summer zucchini and I am trying to make the most of these ingredients knowing they are on their way out as the... View Article
