September 12, 2012
I know that eggplant is not for everyone but I love it and maybe someone out there does as well so here it goes (why am I appologizing?). I have had these three Japanese (or are these chinese?) eggplants in my fridge for a few days now. They are the long skinny eggplants with purplish skin that are available every now and then in our markets. They have thin, edible skin and their flavour is... View Article
September 11, 2012
I mentioned that with the abundance of blueberries in the markets I have been cooking with them a lot lately. Blueberry muffins are one of our favourites and I make these often so I thought I’d share the recipe today. These muffins are a please-everybody muffins, large and fluffy and made with eggs and dairy but I also have another way of making them, fat free vegan style that is also very good. Maybe I... View Article
September 11, 2012
I made these potato cakes as part of a breakfast selection when I had non-vegetarian friends visiting, hence the smoked salmon. If I remember correctly I poached a few eggs and offered them along with this dish. The potato cakes can be made in advance and reheated at breakfast. I made them as little cakes but they can also be made thinner and larger, pancake-like (see image below). When grating potatoes I prefer to use... View Article
September 9, 2012
On my last evening in kelowna I invited two of Kelowna’s food bloggers Val and Laura (www.morethanburnttoast.com and www.anuneducatedpalate.com, respectively) for a glass of wine on the patio. It’s fun to be with foodies who can talk about food and blogging. There are a few food people I’d like to get to know better in Kelowna and I hope to have more of these evenings as time goes on. I was busy enjoying other company... View Article
September 8, 2012
Whenever I make these potatoes (which is quite often), my guests love them and ask how I make them. It is an embarrassingly simple recipe but in the spirit of full disclosure, here is how I do it. The potatoes in the image are a German variety called Sieglinda butter Potatoes that I get from Little Church Organics in Kelowna (see post about Kelowna for Foodies). They are so delicious and flavourful that I wish they... View Article
September 7, 2012
Have you used haloumi cheese in your kitchen? It features prominently in middle east cuisine and used for frying or grilling thanks to its high melting point (it begins melting only at very high temperature). It originates in Cyprus and is made from goat, sheep or cow’s milk. I have been looking for haloumi cheese here for a while and not finding any. I tried the Italian stores, the Greek shop and our Janice Beaton... View Article
September 6, 2012
Although I cook pasta all year round I find that I tend to cook it more frequently in the fall and winter seasons. Not that I think of pasta as winter food but in the summer I like to take full advantage of the beautiful fresh vegetables that you find at the markets and finding myself cooking with a variety of summer potatoes for the starch component of dinner. We are now nearing the end... View Article
September 5, 2012
Beans, green or yellow, are one of the joys of summer cooking. Buttery and tender they feature regularly on the summer menu here and then disappear not to be seen again until the following spring. Sometimes during the winter we get haricot vert, the thin crisp green beans, imported from somewhere and I do get tempted if they look good, but really for me beans is summer cooking and I mostly try to keep it... View Article
September 3, 2012
Here is a simple and fun little appetizer to serve with drinks when you have company. I use canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this but you can certainly cook the chickpeas yourself. If you do, put a little baking soda into the cooking water. Chickpeas tend to stay hard outside and the baking soda helps soften them as they cook. This is a flexible recipe, you can fry them in oil or roast them in... View Article
September 2, 2012
Summer beets are completely different from what we get here year round. Summer beets are soft and sweet and take hardly any time to cook, whether roasted in the oven or cooked on top of the stove. I make all kinds of things with beets (even pickled beets) and will post a few of them over the next while. I am trying to limit myself to a post a day for now so I have a... View Article
August 31, 2012
Plums are in season and there all kinds of types and colours available at the market. I like baking with prune plums and have been waiting their arrival with anticipation. Finally they were at the market on my last visit (everything is late here) so I bought a bunch and have been having fun with them in the kitchen. I made plum jam, plum butter, plum sauce, plum fruit soup, plum pizza, plum muffins and... View Article
August 30, 2012
I saw a couple of sprout salad recipes recently (see below) and had sprouts on my mind for a while now. Sprouts are mostly thought of as something to add to a salad or a sandwich and rarely get to play the main role. Well, here is their chance at the limelight. I bought a bunch of different sprouts at Planet Organic the other day and decided to give them a chance. They had mixed... View Article
