From the category archives:

Quick meals

Swiss Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts

February 18, 2010

I fall easily into a vegetable rut. If it weren’t for this blog I’d happily get my daily quota of greens from string beans, broccoli and mesclun mix salad. I once ate Basil and Walnut Green Beans every night for a week. When I stopped I swear, the stock for California walnuts plummeted.
But I have [...]

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Romanesco

November 19, 2009

Despite looking like something from Deep Space Nine Cardassian cuisine, this spiral-studded vegetable has been growing right here on Earth for a few hundred years. Romanesco, or Roman cauliflower, might look strange, but its taste is very familiar — a gentle cross between broccoli and cauliflower.
When I saw it at the Farmers’ Market a couple [...]

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Quick Fresh Tomato and Herb Pasta

November 11, 2009

Bet you thought I was done with the fresh tomato recipes for a while.
So did I.
But I was given some environmentally conscious, on-the-vine hydroponic Ontario tomatoes (say that three times fast!) at the Royal Winter Fair and I just couldn’t bear to toss them in a salad. With some stoic herbs still toughing it out [...]

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Sag Paneer

October 21, 2009

What are those things? Slivered almonds? Potato chips sprinkled a spinach dip? No. Crispy garlic slices atop a quick-cook spinach curry. See.

And it’s so good I ate it two days in a row.
Spinach is one of those foods that doesn’t photograph well when cooked. It can look slimy or gray. Or slimy and gray.
While I [...]

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Tikka-Style Chicken Kebabs and the World’s Longest Barbecue

July 20, 2009

Some of you might remember last year’s post in which, thanks to a sprained wrist, I cajoled my friends into doing all the work for The World’s Longest Barbecue™.
Andrew served drinks, my sisters chopped, diced and threaded kebabs and my brother-in-law worked the grill. Me? I looked fragile and basked in the title of “host”. [...]

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Dana McCauley and My First Ever Podcast

June 19, 2009

Update: First podcast launch ever? Make that WORST podcast launch ever. Internet Explorer refuses to launch it. Blogger refuses to embed it. And until iTunes adds me to the feed, no iPod can use it.
Changing my motto to: Real podcasts. Real life. They ain’t always pretty..
Fools rush in where techies fear to tread.
In an attempt [...]

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From the Archives: Thai Coconut Soup

June 6, 2009

I’m on the road this week and will be dipping into the archives for a few tasty blasts from the past. This posts features a recipe that can warm you in winter but goes down easy any time of year. And if you’re complaining about the heat, my winter woes might change your mind.
Thai Coconut [...]

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Chicken with Dried Cranberries and Orange

March 17, 2009

After yesterday’s jelly bean confession, I figured I should eat a healthy meal. But I wanted the intense flavours those tiny shellac-coated goodies offered. My solution, dried cranberries.
The shot above is an extreme close up of the cranberry sauce that graced my potentially ho-hum chicken. Marmalade, balsamic vinegar and some orange brightened up an otherwise [...]

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Tilapia Piccata with Asparagus

March 6, 2009

Last week Christie set up a fish challenge. She was looking for a quick, simple, healthy fish recipe. Her parameters? Not too lemony but it should have veggies. She was even open to a splash of wine. Oh yes, and we were to keep it healthy, so Andrew’s suggestion of “fish & chips, hold the [...]

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No-Butter Butter Chicken

March 3, 2009

I’ve been saving this recipe to share with you during my upcoming and long-promised Indian Week. But it’s been so cold lately, I thought something from a warm and sunny land would help. And you can’t go wrong with curry.
While I adore Indian food, butter chicken especially, I don’t make it that often. It can [...]