January 22, 2020
Sometimes I venture into different cuisines and make a curry of sorts with what I have on hand in my pantry. In the last few days I have been working on a submission to an online food photography challenge and today’s challenge (for Saturday submission) was herbs and spices. Since I pulled out all the colourful spices for a photograph, I decided to use them in a dish for dinner, hence this curry. It’s a... View Article
June 5, 2018
Often when I cook rice I make extra and use the leftover rice in a pilaf a day or two later. It’s a good way to use up odds and ends of veggies that are lingering but are still beautiful, fresh and crisp. A classic pilaf is rice sautéed in oil with aromatics and then cooked in flavoured broth with vegetables or non-vegetarian proteins. My method here is different, sautéeing vegetables first and then adding... View Article
May 1, 2017
So does it seem I am cooking a lot of rice recently? It’s probably true and I am not apologizing. Rice goes well with so many dishes and is relatively easy to cook. I have also been on a Middle Eastern “kick” in the kitchen and rice is an important part of this cuisine. I find the flavours of the foods I have tried to be robust and generous, much like the people that make... View Article
November 23, 2016
Rice pilaf is an easy and flavourful dish to make for a side course or, for us, a main. Classic pilaf is made by sauteeing the aromatics (onion, garlic and vegetables) in butter or oil, adding the spices then adding the rice and toasting it in the skillet until it’s coated with the oil before adding the cooking liquid and finishing the cooking. I have a shortcut for you to make with an already cooked... View Article
October 11, 2016
Rice and vegetables are one of my go to things when preparing a quick lunch or light dinner. You can make it literally in minutes with no advance preparation. With the change of weather I brought inside the summer grill pan that we use in the outdoor kitchen and looking for something fun to make on it I pulled out the baby bok choy from the fridge and decided to grill them instead of stir... View Article
July 13, 2015
This recipe is for the rice, lentil and noodle bowl that I served with the Israeli tomato-cucumber salad the other day. Together with grilled corn on the cob and French baguette it made a lovely summer patio dinner, all plant based. I also made Rosemary lemonade to cool us down, love lemonade in the summer. I cooked everything together pilaf style so the rice, lentils and noodles are ready at the same time. If you... View Article
June 7, 2015
Risotto is one of the most luxurious and flavourful dishes to come out of northern Italy. It’s easy to prepare and combines well with all kinds of seasonal vegetables and flavours. I posted a number of risotto recipes on the blog before and you can always exchange ingredients as long as you follow the basic simple method of cooking the rice. There are a few considerations when cooking a risotto: What rice to use? Oil or... View Article
April 5, 2015
Cooking Indian style food can be intimidating but this simple dal and basmati rice with a crisp and lemony salad on the side is simplicity itself and so good, and good for you. There are specialized legumes for making authentic dal and you can certainly find them but I cook with what I have in my pantry and I (almost) always have lentils in there, red, green, black, you name it. Lentils are one of... View Article
March 16, 2015
Rice is one of the pantry staples that helps you put together a good dinner without having to run to the store. I find that people divide between those who love potatoes and those who love rice. I have my foot in both camps and have developed a decent repertoire of main course rice (or other grains) dishes for vegetarian style dinners. I started pre-soaking the rice recently after reading about it in various sources.... View Article
January 13, 2015
I am learning a little about Mexican cooking while we are vacationing here. The more I learn, the more there is to learn. I have been experimenting with different rice dishes lately and this red rice turned out to be one of my favourites. I used achiote paste that I heard about at a cooking class with Claudia of Can Cook in Cancun and after discussion (mostly with hand gestures) with staff at our place... View Article
June 29, 2014
Summer is slow to come here in Kelowna this season. Rain and cloudy skies greet us most mornings. I happen to love rain, the way the air feels, the sound of the raindrops falling and how green and bright everything looks against the grey backdrop of rain clouds. Something romantic, nostalgic, exciting and calming all at once. Leave it to nature to create the perfect harmony. If it’s windy my husband goes to “the other... 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
