Tag Archive: Vegetarian

Red and golden beet salad with walnut-balsamic vinaigrette

August 6, 2015

Cooking is an aesthetic experience. Before I even start to cook I may browse through beautiful food images in books and magazine and get inspired by an image, a colour, a combination of ingredients, a table setting. It’s already beautiful. Then I landscape the countertop with the cooking ingredients: colourful vegetables, fresh herbs, exotic spices, crusty bread, beautiful bottles of oil.  The cooking itself is also aesthetic: flames rising to touch food on the grill,... View Article

Roasted garlic

August 5, 2015

Roasted garlic is useful in the kitchen and very easy to make. Roasting makes the garlic mild and slightly sweet and the texture becomes creamy and spreadable. Use it to: Spread on a pizza before piling other ingredients Fold into mashed potatoes Add to pasta Add to sauces Add to soups Serve as a spread with crostini Make roasted garlic oil Add wherever a mild garlic flavour is desired   Keep in mind it is... View Article

Heirloom cherry tomato tart

August 3, 2015

Summer in the Okanagan is in full swing and of course tomatoes are part of it. Little heirloom cherry tomatoes are available at the local organic vegetable stands and make their way to my kitchen and the various dishes I cook. Pasta with cherry tomatoes, tomato salads, pizza and many more dishes have been fun to make and serve in the past few weeks. Today I had a small basket of green, black, red, orange... View Article

Pizza with figs and gorgonzola and figs with goat cheese

July 25, 2015

I brought back a flat of fresh, ripe green figs from the Italian market in Calgary. Ripe figs don’t last too long so I need to use them fast. I made a simple dinner today and thought that a couple of small pizzas with figs and a honey drizzle would be nice as part of dinner, and they were. I made them very simply, with gorgonzola on one pizza and goat cheese on the other.... View Article

Pickled red slaw

July 23, 2015

Driving through Banff the other day we stopped for lunch at Nourish Bistro on Bear Street, known for their innovative vegetarian and vegan cuisine. We ordered three dishes between the two of us: fresh peas and coconut soup, 420 burger and a slaw with pickled asparagus garnish. The menu was not overly descriptive so I cannot tell you what each dish was made with other than describe what I saw. According to the menu the... View Article

Cornbread

July 23, 2015

Local corn this year is early by about two weeks, thanks to the warm Okanagan summer. I have been buying and cooking it on the cob and off the cob, steaming or grilling and adding it to other vegetables. I had some leftover corn the other day and used it  in this moist and light cornbread to go with a baked bean dish that I prepared but forgot to photograph. Cornbread goes well with BBQ... View Article

Rice, lentils and noodles bowl – vegan

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

Corn fritters with roasted red pepper mayo

June 16, 2015

Corn fritters make a lovely change of pace at lunch or dinner, and they can be served as an appetizer with the mayo as a dipping sauce. I made the fritters batter in the food processor, pulsing everything a few times so the fritters still retain texture. Cook them in a skillet on medium heat, to allow them to cook through and the outside to become golden. Too high heat may cook the outside fast... View Article

Watermelon, cucumber, raspberry and feta salad with mint and balsamic glaze

June 9, 2015

By the time you read this post I will be well on my way to Central California driving along the Oregon coast and Route 101and hopefully will write from the road. I scheduled a few recipes to intersperse between the travel posts (that I hope to write) because after all this is primarily a blog about cooking. The experiential travel is fun for me to write and hopefully fun for you to read. So while... View Article

Shaved asparagus salad with chive flower vinaigrette

May 28, 2015

The salad was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my daughters (Alexis) who lives in Toronto and gets to eat at the many fabulous restaurants in that cosmopolitan city. She was telling me about a shaved asparagus salad she had at Buca Bar I believe and although we didn’t get to discuss it in details it stayed on my mind and I knew I wanted to make it. I didn’t have a... View Article

Mini banana pancakes with banana and blueberries

May 24, 2015

Summer is time for leisurely breakfasts on the patio and although most of the time it is oatmeal or whole grains, sometimes I indulge in a little treat. Pancakes and waffles with fresh fruit, maple syrup and whipped cream are high on my “indulge” list.  And I like them small: compact and puffy little disks that can play the main role or be a side-kick, whatever else you are serving. For this recipe I chopped... View Article

Tacos with refried beans and roasted cauliflower

May 17, 2015

On a recent extended stay in the Yucatan I attended a cooking class (several, really) and watched local Maya women making corn tortillas by hand, beautiful, symmetrical, thin and perfectly formed round tortillas. When you watch them making it seems so simple, roll the dough into little balls and slap it into a perfect rounds between the palms of your hands. Not so fast. Try and do it yourself and let’s see how easy YOU... View Article