Tag Archive: Vegetarian

Asparagus with Soy caramel – from Mollie Katzen Heart of the Plate

March 31, 2015

Once in a while I like cooking with Asian flavours and asparagus lends itself beautifully to Asian flavour profile. One of my favourite recipes was from Barbara Tropp’s book, it was either China Moon or The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. I no longer have either of these books and a quick peek on Amazon shows they are selling for almost $200 each, likely because they are long out of print. Of course I had... View Article

One pan pasta with tomato sauce

March 29, 2015

Pasta for me, as I imagine it is for most people, is the go to food when you need to make a quick dinner without turning the kitchen inside out. And, since I discovered the one pan pasta method it has become the go to method for a quick pasta dish. I have made it a few times now, changing it a little every time. Today I came back with a few grocery bags but... View Article

(Not) another kale and brussels sprouts salad

March 23, 2015

If there was one food trend in recent history that can be called the trend of the century it must be kale. I have already waxed poetic about it before so I won’t make you listen again but that’s my opinion and I am sticking to it. Kale just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. Kale salads are now de rigueur on restaurant menus and some are quite appealing. It is a good mixer but... View Article

Fingerling potatoes salad with roasted mini sweet peppers

March 18, 2015

Here is a beautiful spring salad, full of vibrant colours and unexpected flavours and textures. What’s in it? Steamed creamy fingerling potatoes, thinly sliced crunchy radishes and red onion, roasted sweet mini peppers and a few briny olives. Tying them together is a creamy-tangy sherry vinaigrette and a sprinkling of parsley. This salad disappeared so quickly that I had no time to photograph it except for the little bit you see in the image. The... View Article

Rice with sprouted lentils, roasted cauliflower and pistachios

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

Fennel, pear, endive, blood orange and roasted squash salad

March 9, 2015

Sometimes the best salads happen when you least expect it. I was making a fennel and blood orange salad with the usual accoutrements and decided to add the lone acorn squash that was sitting on my counter. I roasted thin wedges of it with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of brown sugar and I have to say it made this salad (you can eat it with the skin, no need to peel).... View Article

Easy cheese sticks – and foodie films

March 8, 2015

I have been searching out movies that have food as part of their theme to watch now that I am done binge watching season 3 of House of Cards. There is a significant number of food movies out there, some well known, other more obscure. Here is my starter list of foodie films. If you know of or have a favourite food movie please pass on the name in a comment to this post: Chocolate... View Article

One skillet pasta? They do it in Puglia

March 4, 2015

My Italian neighbour (thanks Marisa) alerted me to the trend of cooking pasta in a skillet: pasta, veggies, flavouring, oil, water, the whole thing in one skillet and you have a beautiful and flavourful pasta dish in its own sauce  in about 10 minutes. A quick internet search produced Martha Stewart as the instigator. One of Martha’s editors traveled to Puglia in Italy a couple of years ago and saw them making pasta in one... View Article

Basic Recipe: Soft Polenta with Parmesan

March 2, 2015

I hear the temperatures have dropped in Canada so I thought I’d post a recipe for a nice warm, soft polenta to warm you up. Polenta is cooked cornmeal and not exclusive to Italian cooking, as anyone who has had grits or mamaliga (Romanian cornmeal porridge) or corn pudding knows. The simplest way to make polenta is to cook it with water or stock until the grains are soft and plump and this takes a... View Article

Fermented pancakes – vegan, no oil, no eggs, no dairy, no sugar

March 2, 2015

A healthier alternative to regular pancakes that are loaded with eggs, butter, sugar and dairy, this easy recipe calls for mixing flour and water and letting it sit covered for several hours or overnight before cooking. The flour ferments and lightens with the air bubbles and the pancakes are surprisingly light and delicious. This morning I used half white flour and half garbanzo flour because that was what I had in the pantry but I... View Article

Seitan – vegan gluten patties with shitake-herb sauce

March 1, 2015

  The title image is recent – seitan and broccoli stir fry. the rest is from 2015….   Once in a while I crave these high protein gluten patties that are quite popular in vegetarian and vegan cooking. Seitan (pronounced Say-Tahn, a strange name) is made from wheat gluten and has texture and flavour reminiscent of poultry or meat. The original method for making seitan involved making a dough with regular flour and rinsing it... View Article

Olive-walnut biscuit bites – vegan

February 17, 2015

You know what it’s like coming back from an extended vacation. It’s great to be home and if you are like me, you are looking forward to your own food again. As good as food is when you travel, the familiarity of one’s own kitchen and food is always welcoming and comforting. I have been making very simple foods since we have come back. Clean and flavourful vegetable soups made only with vegetables, no grains... View Article