Tag Archive: Vegetarian

Lentils, walnuts and vegetables salad with shallot vinaigrette

May 15, 2017

When vegetables are fresh and tender in the spring I like to combine them with lentils to make  different salads. The idea here is to build a few layers of flavours and textures so every bite has a surprise. This salad is good served warm or at room temperature. Today I had crisp white baby turnips fresh from the market and thick local spring asparagus from Osoyoos in the south Okanagan. For a tangy note I... View Article

One dough two ways: Pizza Napolitana and a loaf of bread

May 13, 2017

Naples left a lasting impression on me. There is something about this place that speaks to you, or shall I say sings to you, belting out arias from every street corner with drama, tragedy and romance all intermingled in a timeless opera of real life. We didn’t stay there long but just long enough to know that I have to go back. Pizza in Naples (Napoli in Italian) is extraordinary: thick and chewy crust, sweet,... View Article

Lake House Store cooking class – roasted butternut squash ravioli

May 11, 2017

I recently attended a cooking class at the Lake House Store in Kelowna. This is one of my favourite stores in town and much of my cookware and kitchen gadgets come from there, not the least a Kitchenaid,  Vitamix,  Fissler pressure cooker, Le Creuset, Nesspresso coffee maker (for my husband) and more, none of which I would do without. The state of the art kitchen is surprisingly spacious, hidden during the week by beautiful merchandise displayed on... View Article

Raw artichoke salad with grilled bread

May 9, 2017

When baby artichokes are available one of the ways to serve them is raw, very thinly sliced and tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I serve them with spring greens and baby arugula to layer the flavours, and shave parmigiano on top. It is a delicacy that if you love artichokes I am sure you would appreciate. Baby artichokes work best but for this salad but if you don’t have them use... View Article

Middle eastern rice with noodles

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

Quinoa confetti with feta, tahini yogurt and pistachio sauce

April 27, 2017

I posted recipes for cauliflower “rice” before. It’s a useful method to add cauli to various dishes without the florets dominating the shape. Today I had a white and purple cauliflower and this dish evolved from it. Once I chopped and roasted both cauli and aded them to the cooked quinoa I needed more colour so into the processor went a few stems of broccolini, chopped into rice size pieces and roasted for a few... View Article

Carrot ribbons, orange and mint salad

April 25, 2017

The humble carrot plays center role in this colourful and fresh salad. I came across the recipe in Michel Richard’s book Happy in the Kitchen (foreword by Thomas Keller) and wanted to try it. Richard’s cuisine is remarkable in its sophistication and “simplicity”, using this word judiciously. Jaques Pepin calls his cuisine “wildly simple, always brilliant”. I have marked a few recipe to try and if they work I’ll post them here. For this salad Richard... View Article

Persian jewel rice

April 23, 2017

I recently bought “Persiana: Recipes from the middle east and beyond“, a book by Sabrina Ghayour, and so far I love what I tried. Persian cuisine is known for its rice dishes and one of the recipes that intrigued me was her Persian Bejeweled Rice (Morassa Polow), cooked differently than what I have seen before. Ghaour boils the rice in plenty of water for 8 minutes, then drains and rinses it. She then returns it... View Article

Asparagus salad with preserved lemons

April 19, 2017

I am getting a little addicted to some of the food TV shows, particularly Master Chef Canada (home cooks) and now Top Chef All Star (professionally trained accomplished chefs). I have no idea how these people can cook like they do, with difficult ingredients and under such time pressure. I couldn’t boil water under these conditions. Apart from the entertainment value I watch the shows because I learn something and even if it is not... View Article

Barley, roasted cauliflower and shitake warm salad

April 12, 2017

So I set out to make this recipe from my friend Colleen’s The Food Blog but somehow got distracted and ended up with the similar base ingredients but a different recipe. I’ll have to make Colleen’s recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook another time. I cooked the barley the day before, planning to do something with it but wasn’t sure what. Some of it went into a vegetable soup that is currently simmering on the back burner... View Article

Potato gnocchi with homemade tomato sauce

April 3, 2017

What’s the story with gnocchi? If you ask two Italians how to make gnocchi, you are likely to get three strongly held opinions. What kind of potato to use, bake or boil them, add an egg or never with an egg, all purpose flour, semolina, or “00”  flour, add salt or no salt and so it goes. You get the picture. Essentially, gnocchi are light and fluffy dumplings typical of northern Italy (dare I say?),... View Article

Two lentil soup

March 27, 2017

The last couple of weeks have been busy with food events and other local activities. First was the International women’s Day dinner organized by local chef Aman Dosanj. You can read about here. Next, our “foodie crew” attended a cooking class at Mission Hill Winery, the Tuscan-like sprawling estate on top of the hill overlooking the Okanagan lake. Recently,Vancouver Magazine declared the winery “the anchor piece of architecture in the entire Valley”, and for good reason.... View Article