December 12, 2019

Cheese Blintzes

Going back to my roots here with these cheese blintzes. My mother used to make them when I was growing up and when I lived in Calgary I went to the farmers market where Marguerite was making wonderful blintzes for sale every week. Now when I want them I have to make them myself. Blintzes are easy to make. They are basically egg based crepes filled with sweetened cottage cheese (I use local ricotta), folded... View Article

December 6, 2019

Roasted Eggplant and Tahini Dip (a.k.a baba ganoush)

Borrowing from middle eastern cuisine, this dip or spread is good to have on hand for ourselves or for company. I have friends who love it and I try to make it when they visit. You can serve it with a variety of breads, anything from a baguette to pita wedges, but I like making a flatbread and serve it warm with the eggplant dip. I have a number of flatbread recipes on the blog,... View Article

December 4, 2019

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with quick flatbread

Two hummus recipes in a row but that’s how it goes. One was so good I had to make one more but this time I had roasted peppers and added them to the mix. I also made a different flatbread, a very simple one with no yeast so it does not require rising time. I added a teaspoon of baking powder to lighten it up. It’s not vegan though, as I use yogurt instead of... View Article

November 28, 2019

Hummus

Homemade hummus is a wonderful thing. I cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker so they get nice and soft, and that makes the hummus so much more creamier than when using canned beans. Tahini paste adds a unique flavour and texture. Sometimes i make extra and drizzle it over the hummus, it’s delicious. For garnishes i drizzle olive oil over, sprinkle paprika, sesame seeds, dukkah, za’atar, whatever inspire me that day. Enjoy.

November 27, 2019

Plant based fat free scones

As promised I am posting a recipe for plant based scones that are also fat free. I don’t often make health claims on any of my recipes but I think this one would pass as healthy by most people. I used quinoa flour in the first recipe and it has quite a distinct quinoa”ish” flavour. If you want something less pronounced either use another flour (like oat or spelt) or blend half quinoa and half... View Article

November 26, 2019

Pumpkin Pie

      I am more of an apple pie (tart, galette) kind of gal but since “Tis the Season”, pumpkin pie it is. I had leftover roasted pumpkin on hand so puréed it through a food mill for smooth texture. You need about 2 cups. You can use canned pumpkin if you don’t have fresh, I think it’s fine and many online recipe call for canned pumpkin. However, make the pastry yourself, please. It makes... View Article

November 25, 2019

French toast (a.k.a. Pain Perdu)

This is not something I make frequently but when I want it I want it and today was the day. Luckily I had good homemade bread that worked well with this, or get a beautiful challah bread, or a brioche if you are lucky. Otherwise, any good white bread would do. You can use whole wheat but this is not a health dish, it’s more like a rare treat. It’s best to leave the bread... View Article

November 24, 2019

Brioche

        Marie Antoinette became famous, or infamous, for her saying “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, loosely translated to “let them eat cake”. Well, if she was offering brioche to the masses, maybe it was not such a bad thing (relax, just kidding). As it is brioche is my number one go to breakfast bread, even more so than the hallowed croissant, which I love as well. However, given a choice, which happens... View Article

November 17, 2019

White beans and potato soup

  Soup for me is second nature and as I mentioned before, I do not need or use recipes for making it so it is a little different every time I make it, depending on what I have on hand. This soup was a delicious combination of cooked white beans I had in the freezer, combined with potatoes, half a red pepper, a tomato and stock. For garnish I sprinkled along the side of the... View Article

November 17, 2019

Candied Nuts and Nut Butter

      I have been asked about the candied nuts that I often use in my recipe. It’s true, candied nuts is an item I always have on hand whether in my freezer or in a small dish  on the counter, ready to be sprinkled onto salad, desserts, roasted vegetables etc. They add a sweet, crunchy element that I like. I have posted the recipe as part of a few recipes before but for... View Article

November 15, 2019

Grilled chocolate sandwiches

    Who said it always has to be cheese? Crusty on the outside, warm and melty inside and beautifully bitter-sweet, these chocolate creations are easy to make and so good you will not stop at one. I make them on sourdough bread or baguette, not on a regular sandwich bread. The crispy, crusty grilled exterior is too delicious with the melted gooey chocolate inside. No recipe is needed as this much like making a grilled cheese... View Article

November 14, 2019

Espresso panna cotta

      Panna Cotta in Italian means cooked cream, which essentially, it is. It is a rather loose “pudding’, not set so hard that it is stiff, and should have a slight jiggle on the plate. Normally you would serve panna cotta un-moulded. This often requires dipping the molds in hot water to loosen it up and inverting it onto individual dessert plate. It takes some coordination and “hold your breath” moments, hoping that... View Article