March 27, 2014
Here is my third and last submission to the Canadian Lentil Recipe Challenge organized by Canadian Lentil. Lentils are a natural fit with my cooking as you can see from the several lentil recipes on my blog. Lentils are so versatile, I can make anything with them, from soup to salad to main course and even for breakfast. This recipe is for an appetizer dip or you can use it as a spread for sandwiches... View Article
March 26, 2014
Still in the process of submitting lentil recipes for the lentil recipe competition (why not?). This is a lovely vegetarian dinner dish that you can make with any vegetables that are seasonal and beautiful. With spring just around the corner we have beautiful asparagus in the stores now, some baby potatoes, snow peas and crisp radishes. I combined these with the rice and lentils and added sweet grapes and candied hazelnuts for a surprising layer... View Article
March 25, 2014
With winter lingering a little longer than I’d like and views of fog over the lake and snow on the mountains are what we see from our expansive windows up here, I am still in the mood for good hearty soups to serve with crusty bread and a crisp green salad for dinner. This lentil soup has been in my repertoire for a while and earned its respected position in my kitchen for its simplicity,... View Article
March 20, 2014
While I was travelling in Spain recently I was contacted by an olive oil expert and fellow blogger Judy Ridgway about writing a guest post for her blog. Judy is an international olive oil expert and for the past twenty years has worked with olive and olive oil producers in all of the European producing countries as well as emerging “new world” producers in California, Australia, South Africa and South America. Judy published a paper... View Article
March 20, 2014
When we travel I watch for and try to learn about local customs, especially in food and culture. One of the customs I noticed here in Spain is that the locals stop at a bar for a glass of vermut (vermouth) on tap as an aperitivo before lunch or dinner. Bars here by the way are not just for drinks. It’s a general term for places where you can stop by for coffee, lunch or dinner,... View Article
March 17, 2014
It has taken me a long time to make the adjustment from cooking for five to cooking for two. I had to completely change my thinking and uncharacteristically begin to “think small” in the kitchen. Lasagna is one of those dishes that needed an adjustment. The large pans of lasagna no longer made sense for just the two of us. I am not a big fan of freezing things. Once it’s in the freezer it... View Article
March 16, 2014
It’s good to be back in my kitchen. I am slowly adjusting to being back and “having” to cook for the two of us after three months of restaurants, markets, cafes, tapas bars, cooking classes and foodie tours. I am going to cook some of the foods we experienced on the trip but for now I want to cook “my” kind of food, simple and vegetarian. My daily style of cooking at home is focused... View Article
March 13, 2014
So it’s spring and I am cooking with asparagus again. I am posting this together with the white asparagus recipe in another post in celebration of a new season and a new crop of veggies. This is what’s nice about cooking a vegetable-centred cuisine, there is always something new and exciting. Asparagus is one of my favourite vegetables, green or white. I consider it a delicacy when used in season and as soon as the... View Article
March 13, 2014
As I write these words asparagus spears in France, Holland, Spain, California and elsewhere are beginning to push out from below the soil reaching for the first rays of sun to fuel the photosynthesis process and turn them green. This is true for green asparagus but not so for white. White asparagus, the same species as the green, remains white because it is grown in the dark under a mound of soil (and sometimes black plastic... View Article
February 26, 2014
I haven’t been posting many recipes lately so I thought I’d offer this simple one to go with my last post since we drove through date palm groves on the way up from Marbella to Barcelona. Here is a simple but delicious way to make a different kind of “tapa” that I have seen served here and sold in food stores. You can serve it as part of a tapas offering or with a cheese... View Article
February 16, 2014
The Costa del Sol consists of several towns built from the beach to the hilltops above. There is hardly a break between towns and you can drive from one to the next without really noticing you left one and entered another. It’s a major tourists destination and there are probably hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms in the various resorts as well as apartments and homes as far as the eye can see. One interesting... View Article
February 6, 2014
I am adapting my cooking here to Spanish tapas style. We are touring and exploring so there is not a lot of time to spend in the kitchen but I love trying to reproduce foods we have eaten out or that I think would be nice to serve as tapas. This potatoes and roasted peppers is one such dish. As with most tapas you can serve it as part of a selection of small plates... View Article
