February 3, 2015
I often have cooked beans on hand (in the fridge or freezer) and use them to make either a soup or refried beans or some other bean dish. You can make this recipe with uncooked beans as I instruct below, or use already cooked beans, sauteeing the vegetables, adding the beans and stock and continuing to cook and puree. To soak or not to soak? I have read various articles (here, here and here) with opinions spanning... View Article
January 28, 2015
I have taken a liking to salads that are composed of many vegetables, all finely chopped and tossed together in a harmonious pile. They are easier to eat than a large leafy salad and the flavours blend together so nicely with the dressing, just my kind of thing. I have had one such salad recently on a side trip to Merida last week. We went there to take a cooking class at Los Dos cookings... View Article
January 22, 2015
The weekly cooking classes at Latitude 20 restaurant are packed every week. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn authentic Mexican and other South American cooking from the knowledgeable Chef Danny and meet other people in the community who clearly have an interest in learning about local cuisine. Although no reservations are required to attend the class (you can just show up) Danny is never phased by the number of people (anywhere from 20 to almost 40)... View Article
January 14, 2015
Don’t be mad at me. I am writing this post sitting on a lounge chair on the beach at Chac Al Hal Bay with my toes in the cool white sand and gaze occasionallyat the unparalleled view of turquoise waters, a few palapas and a fishing boat or two in the distance. The Christmas crowd has come and gone and the resort village is back to the few die hard regulars that fell love with... 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
December 10, 2014
Hola from the Mayan Riviera. We arrived here a few days ago and I am just getting into the swing of things. The pace is different here. The trip down was a “speedy” 26 hours with an overnight stay at an airport hotel, thanks to the monopoly that Canadian airlines have over the Canadian skies. I believe it takes the same amount of time to fly around the world. Upon arrival we had to endure... View Article
December 4, 2014
This week is clean the fridge and pantry week as we are heading for the Mayan Riviera for a couple of months. My fridge is always full (overfull, perhaps?) so I had plenty to work with. I made all kinds of interesting salad combinations, a couple of rice pilaf with the vegetables that I obsessively buy (can’t resist), roasted the root vegetables and even made some cookies, just for fun. Many didn’t get photographed but... View Article
November 25, 2014
The inspiration for the recipe came from a Greek cookbook author Aglaia Kremezi. My friend Val spent a week on a Greek Island several years ago, attending Aglaia’s cooking school. She remained a fan and alerted me to the fact that Aglaia has published a new cookbook and was touring Canada and the US to promote it. I happened to be in Montreal when Aglaia was there and attended a demonstration and book signing at the... View Article
November 24, 2014
Did I mentioned that I tend to get “stuck” on a few things and make them over and over for a while until I move on to something else? these salad rolls are a good example. I love eating them and love making them so here they are again. I vary the filling and the dipping sauce according to what I have on hand. Today I had mangos, arugula and pumpkin seeds (where did I... View Article
November 19, 2014
I was feeling good about drizzling balsamic crema on my salad instead of an oil based dressing (it is oil free) until I read the label and realized there were at least 9 gram of sugar per 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of the stuff. I was not impressed. Granted, this was a balsamic crema with strawberries and figs reduction, so it had more sugar. The plain balsamic reduction showed 3 grams of sugar per tablespoon,... View Article
November 18, 2014
On my recent visit to Israel I stayed for a couple of nights with a long time gal-friend Irit. Irit and I now see each other infrequently so it was a special treat to spend some time together. She lives in a beautiful home in Zichron Yaakov and has a spa-like guest suite in which I stayed. The bright and serene suite has an arched window above the bed overlooking a profusion of purple hanging... View Article
November 16, 2014
This week I offered a cookbook giveaway on the blog, and hope that you put your name down for one of them. This is the first time I am doing a giveaway, offering four books sent to me by a Canadian publisher as part of their promotional program. It’s kind of fun to help promote Canadian cookbook authors and give something back to you the readers at the same time. There are four books in... View Article
