Vegan

Recipe: Jade Soup

October 8, 2011
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I’m feeling rather ornery. It’s Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend but the weather is downright balmy and I can’t face the thought of autumn, let alone winter. I don’t care that the leaves are turning glorious colours or the nights are perfect sleeping-weather-cool. I don’t want to make the obligatory pumpkin pie — even if it’s [...]

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Recipe: Watermelon & Raspberry Soup

September 19, 2011
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When I signed up for the watermelon carving challenge I figured inspiration would arrive by the time I received my personal-sized watermelon and its accompanying dual-ended melon baller. It didn’t. So, I scoured The National Watermelon Promotion Board‘s website to see if anything sparked an idea. One look at the fun and fanciful watermelon rabbits, sharks and [...]

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Three Farmers Camelina Oil and a Give Away

September 15, 2011
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Is bright yellow the new olive green? These tiny mustard-coloured seeds are from the Camelina plant. Although popular in Europe since the 1940s, Camelina oil has been commercially available in Canada only since December 2010. I’m no trend spotter, but if I’m right, Camelina might be Canada’s answer to imported extra virgin olive oil. 

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Recipe: Green Beans with Smoked Paprika and Marcona Almonds

September 13, 2011
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I’ve created a monster. Or half a dozen monsters to be precise. Seems I’ve become the unofficial pastry chef for potlucks. In the past month alone I’ve made three fruit galettes, two rounds of pavlova, a gigantic chocolate-orange torte, a double batch of ginger cookies, champagne sorbet, and a couple of ask-for-seconds bundt cakes. I’m [...]

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Recipe: Roasted Radishes

September 5, 2011
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To observe my mother eating radishes is to understand that over-used phrase “living in the moment.” They are not munched like baby carrots or popped into her mouth like grapes. They are consumed with quiet, focused deliberation. To begin, she sets a small bowl of radishes on the table beside her. They are scrubbed and [...]

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Recipe: Roasted Strawberries

September 1, 2011
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Writing about strawberries in September seems unreal to me. When I was a kid, September meant corn. Cobs and cobs of hot corn slathered in butter. Strawberries ushered in the summer holidays. They didn’t close them.

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Recipe: Spicy Green Beans

March 17, 2011
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You know you’re getting old when St. Patrick’s Day arrives and instead of wondering where you put your green belt and shamrock earrings, you make a mental note not to drive anywhere after 6 PM and place bets on how many drunks are going to stagger by at 3 AM singing Danny Boy at the [...]

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Orange and Carrot Salad

March 10, 2011
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Winter has returned with a vengeance, Dumping great soggy clumps of slush on our heads. In the face of this penetrating cold, I don’t want hot soup. I don’t want great steaming mounds of comfort food. I want warm temperatures and sunshine. And I want it now. So I’m pretending they dishwater gray sky is [...]

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Recipe: Potato and Cauliflower Curry (Aloo Gobi)

February 17, 2011
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If you look at my recipes index it’s hard to believe I used to do a lot of health writing. While I was supposed to be promoting a healthy lifestyle in others, opposing stats and studies nearly made me sick. One day I’d file an article declaring 7 cups of black coffee a day would [...]

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iSpice Winners and Monica Bhide’s Favourite Spice

January 6, 2011
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Today I get to spread more joy. I think I could get used to this. It makes me feel a tiny bit like Oprah — you win an iSpice, and YOU win an iSpice, and YOU win an iSpice!  The only difference? Everyone was expecting a mass giveaway. And the winners don’t have to pay [...]

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12 Cookbooks Picks of 2010

December 23, 2010
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I know what you’re thinking. “It’s only 2 days to Christmas and you’re posting this now?” Yup. I figure, since I’m going to be making a mad dash for gifts later today, you might be a last-minute shopper, too. So, in no particular order other than this is the way the books were piled on [...]

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