August 29, 2012
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 19, 2012
So, this week my countertop in the kitchen has baskets full of peaches and apricots finishing their ripening process over here. I tried to control myself when I went to the market because this week it is cooking for two but still, a whole bunch of “stuff” jumped into my basket and came home with me. What could I do but open my kitchen and let them stay. The apricots especially are beautiful this season.... View Article
August 16, 2012
One of the gifts of summer are vine ripe field tomatoes. With all due respect to hot house tomatoes, they just aren’t the same. Needless to say I make a lot of tomato salads in the summer when tomatoes are vine ripened and sweet. Try to find a variety of tomatoes, preferably heirloom and combine colours, shapes, sizes and flavours. This is one case when I say the more the merrier. Tomatoes do not require... View Article
August 16, 2012
When you do a lot of entertaining you learn to compose menus with items that do not require your attention at the last minute. Most people do not hire help in the kitchen so you have to be careful not to create menus that will keep you in the kitchen instead of on the patio with your company. When I have people over I try to make a few salads or vegetable dishes that can... View Article
August 15, 2012
Zucchini is another vegetable that is good served raw. The small, sweet summer zucchini can be sliced thinly lengthwise with a simple mandolin and tossed with a little olive oil, herbs and salt. In Italian cooking zucchini is often paired with mint and I am using this flavour combination here with a little lemon balm added as well. A sprinkling of chopped nuts and scattering of goat or feta cheese make a nice addition. If... View Article
