I was speaking with a friend about writing cookbooks a few weeks ago. Because of my healthy eating mentality, I read a lot of vegetarian restaurant cookbooks looking for a balance between gourmet and budget-friendly recipes that taste good and don't take a year to make (unlike … [Read more...] about DIY-Buddha Bowl and Thoughts on Vegetarian Cookbooks
Japanese
Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Have you ever cut open a sea urchin before? I have - twice. It's a very messy, ugly thing. The green spines are a little prickley, but that's not the worst of it. You take a pair of scissors and cut from the top halfway down the body vertically, then you cut horizontally all the … [Read more...] about Sea Urchin (Uni Sushi) and Sea Snail Salad
Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi
Spring is such a short-lived luxury season. There are fiddleheads, there are asparagus, and then there are crab, sea urchin and sea snails. I like them all, but I like them more because they're so short-lived. Just three or four weeks max for my favourite sea urchins, and already … [Read more...] about Crab Season, the Atwater Market, and Sweet Crab Sushi
Fake Miso Black Cod with Wild Labrador Turbot
Some people might think I'm crazy for coming back from Newfoundland in April with a suitcase 2/3rds full of fish instead of, say, clothes. Some people might say I'm crazy for going to Newfoundland in April in the first place (land of RDF, after all - rain, drizzle and fog). But I … [Read more...] about Fake Miso Black Cod with Wild Labrador Turbot
Babaghanoush with Pomegranate
I made this a long time ago and then I got swept up with fish. It's not gourmet but it sure is delicious. I should probably stop eating entire eggplant after roasting them. It's probably hard on digestion. I guess it's too late to make that a New Years resolution. And, really, … [Read more...] about Babaghanoush with Pomegranate
Broccoli, Green Bean, and Snow Pea Sweet Sesame Salad
This is a basic Japanese creamy dressing with a few substitutions, all fancied up with a ton of cilantro. If you do the entire recipe it's going to be gorgeous and it's just gourmet enough to sneak its way into this cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi. But you can also just make the … [Read more...] about Broccoli, Green Bean, and Snow Pea Sweet Sesame Salad
Persimmons in Quebec Pear Ice Wine
I need you to buy these from me now! They're incredibly delicious but they're sitting in my fridge and I can't can them safely. Soft, sweet Hachiya (Kaki) persimmon pulp covered in honey syrup and Domaine des Salamandres Pear Ice Wine with lemon juice to bring it all together. … [Read more...] about Persimmons in Quebec Pear Ice Wine
Raw Beet Sushi and a Bloody Mess
It took a lot of tries before I got a picture of a beet juice-free plate of this sushi... Boy was I was sick of beet salad. There's just nothing gourmet and exciting about yet again shredding a few pounds of the juicy things and tossing it with apple cider vinegar, or lemon … [Read more...] about Raw Beet Sushi and a Bloody Mess
30 Lbs of Cucumbers, Part 2: Cucumber and ORANGE PEPPER Sushi
I still had a lot of cucumbers and as yet, no pickles, so I used my leftover sushi rice to make a variation on a theme: cucumber-pepper sushi. This also happens to be my perfect breakfast - slightly sweetened, dense carbs, some greens. The salty, savoury antithesis to everything … [Read more...] about 30 Lbs of Cucumbers, Part 2: Cucumber and ORANGE PEPPER Sushi
“What do you do With 30 Lbs of Cucumbers?”: Part 1 – Cucumber Sushi
Yes, I had 30 lbs of cucumbers. It's a bit of a long story that involves a dinner party, a large shoulder bag, two sore shoulders, and ends with a lot of pickles. Somewhere between the sore shoulders and the pickles, however, there was sushi. Friend: "Hey I've got three giant … [Read more...] about “What do you do With 30 Lbs of Cucumbers?”: Part 1 – Cucumber Sushi