August 31, 2012

Plum Buttermilk Cake with Walnuts

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

Many-Sprouts Salad Three Ways

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

August 29, 2012

Pasta with Summer Eggplant and Tomatoes

I know that many here in North America are not fans of eggplant. In mediterranean cuisine it is a popular vegetable and appears in many dishes. This recipe makes a delicious pasta dish and I hope to entice you to try it. You can develop a palate for eggplant. I made this pasta with the pink striped eggplant pictured below but you can make it with the regular type as well. When buying eggplants make... View Article

August 29, 2012

New Potatoes and Green and Yellow Beans Salad with Creme Fraiche

This summer I have been making many different potato salads and they have been quite popular here at home. Different than the traditional salads these are a melange of new potatoes and a variety of vegetables I happen to have in my fridge at the time. I toss them together with a dressing, add a couple of hard boiled eggs (or not) and voila, a lovely summer potato salad. I made this salad today with leftover... View Article

August 28, 2012

In The Raw: Three Colour Cauliflower Salad

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 27, 2012

Heirloom Tomatoes with Tomato Vinaigrette

I love the irregular shape of heirloom tomatoes. They look so nice sliced on the plate or stacked with different varieties. With a good piece of grilled bread it makes a nice light lunch or a substantial first course. Here it is paired with an orange tomato (orange colour tomato) dressing. Salad dressing is easy to make but If you are not inclined to make your own  you could try a a bottled dressing from... View Article

August 26, 2012

Vegan Oat Waffles with Peach Sauce

I never liked the word vegan when it comes to nutrition . Vegan refers to animal-product-free foods, but it doesn’t mean anything in terms of health. Coke and potato chips are vegan, if you get my (borrowed from Dr. McDougall) point. I won’t go into a plant based food sermon here but may in the future. In the meantime, here is a waffles recipe made without eggs, butter or oil and served with fresh peach... View Article

August 26, 2012

Quinoa and Red Lentil Cakes with Warm Cherry Tomatoes

Have you jumped on the quinoa bandwagon yet? It seems that every now and then a new trend takes over the culinary world and everyone starts cooking it. Quinoa looks like a grain but in fact it is a seed passed on to us through the ancient Inca culture. It’s known as the super seed and its claim to fame is the fact that it is gluten free and protein rich. In our protein crazed society... View Article

August 24, 2012

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Blueberries are plump and sweet right now and it’s hard not to buy them by the caseload. Some of them made it into a few jars of jam, some into simple desserts (Blueberry Buckle, to be posted) and a few get incorporated into breakfast foods, whether on top of cereal or, as in this recipe, inside and on top of pancakes. I make these lovely breakfast treats in regular size or in mini form. For... View Article

August 23, 2012

Carrot Salad with Candied Hazelnuts and Honeyed Yogurt

I bought a large bag of grated carrots from the market the other day. It seemed easy and I immediately thought of making a carrot salad with them. Carrot salad is usually associated with Northern African cuisine and features middle east spices like cumin. There are a couple of good recipes for Moroccan carrot salad you can check out at Epicurious as well as in the fabulous cookbook Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, the famed London chef... View Article

August 20, 2012

Corn Buttermilk Muffins

My friend Dori mentioned that she wanted to make corn muffins and that of course triggered in me immediately the desire to make corn muffins, especially with all the fresh corn on the market now. I make several different types of muffins and usually adapt one recipe to make something else with it. This time I thought I’d make something new and settled on corn-buttermilk muffins. The slight tang from the buttermilk would balance the... View Article

August 20, 2012

Grilled Zucchini Ribbons

I am still trying to get through the mountain of zucchini that followed me home from Kelowna. It was so beautiful that I just couldn’t leave it behind. So, I have been making zucchini this and zucchini that and haven’t tired of it yet. Here are a couple versions of grilled zucchini ribbons salads from my salad book. One is  tossed with bread crumbs, pine nuts and parmesan. The second one is served with a... View Article