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Lemon Winter Warmer
This Lemon Winter Warmer recipe is based on a drink that I’d been making for a while, but then altered once I tried the ‘Citrus Booster’ that they serve at Balzac’s Coffee. There’s a Balzac’s near my office in the Distillery District, and when I feel a cold coming on, I sometimes pop over to the cafe to get one, or mix it up myself at home. I’m not sure whether or not it makes a difference to the cold, but it’s delicious and soothing and it makes me feel like I’m doing something about it, which is half the battle. I originally made it with honey, but I…
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Sweet Potato Salad with Orange-Maple Dressing
Sweet Potato Salad with Orange-Maple Dressing - delicious, flavourful, and great energy food that kept me going when all I wanted to do was lie down in the grass and sleep.
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Guacamole
Making Avocados are kind-of a major staple of my diet these days; I don’t eat a lot of meat, ((though I’m not a vegetarian.)) and they make a good stand-in for the hearty part of a meal. Though they are annoyingly finicky, ((Not ripe, not ripe not ripe Ripe! Too late)) I usually have them around for sandwiches and things. Lately, I’ve been really craving salty, savoury things, and discovered Los Cantores Tortilla Chips at our local deli, St. James Town Steak and Chops. Normally I don’t shill for companies, but these are freaking delicious, and I totally recommend them. I’ll also note that if you’re in the market for…
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Pina Colada Popsicles
I found this recipe online and altered it slightly; it’s super-easy and super-delicious. They really do taste like Pina Colada Popsicles, even if you leave out the rum. If you are using rum, I totally recommend Sailor Jerry’s, which is my favourite – it’s very vanilla-y and super-delicious. The only annoying part about these popsicles is waiting for the popsicles to freeze, but then, is you get impatient, they’re pretty good as slush, too. And they’re a creamy treat for vegans! How nice! Ingredients 1 can pineapple chunks, in juice 1 banana 1 can coconut milk Rum (Optional) Directions Combine ingredients in a blender, then pour into popsicle moulds. Freeze (approx. 5…
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Quinoa and Corn Salad Recipe
We’ve been interested in picnicking for a few years now; something about packing up a lunch and going somewhere green and lovely to eat it on a blanket on the grass feels so special and nice. We’ve got one of those picnic knapsacks, with all of the cutlery and everything, which we’ve been using as our camp kitchen for years, and we’re building a list of excellent and easily-portable recipes. In the midst of an unexpectedly sweltering May day, we decided to make a few salads and bicycle down to the Trent-Severn Canal, on the bank of Little Lake, to have our first picnic of the year. This recipe, one…
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My First Hammam
My trip through Morocco has been terrific so far, with many serendipitous encounters and lots (and lots, and lots) of interesting, friendly new people. Last night at my Fez guest house, Pension Dar Bou Inania, I met an American woman who’s also traveling solo. Melissa joined myself and some other Canucks for breakfast at Cafe Clock (my home-away-from-home in Fez), and asked me over pancakes and fresh-squeezed orange juice if I’d be interested in joining her at the Hammam this afternoon. I’d tried to get to a hammam with some other travel friends in Meknes, but had missed the appointment, so I was happy to find a companion for our first…
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Pumpkin Pie
One of the greatest pleasures of Autumn is pumpkin pie. I wasn’t converted until I was well into my twenties; the idea of vegetables in desserts didn’t sit well with me. Nowadays, as soon as the weather turns cooler I start to think of the creamy deliciousness of my own homemade pumpkin pie. I got this recipe from Terri, who took me under her wing when I was at theatre school and away from my family for the first time. Whether for Thanksgiving, Hallowe’en, or just to celebrate Fall and harvest-time, this easy pumpkin pie recipe is exactly the thing you’re looking for. As with all of my sweet recipes,…
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Apple Pie
Easy-peasy, lovely and delicious, Apple Pie is the perfect thing for just about every day, if you feel like it. I know oldsters and orchard-owners will tell you all kinds of things about which apples make the best pie, but I’d say that MacIntoshes and Granny Smiths are the absolute best apples for pie making that are regularly available in most grocery stores (in Canada, anyway). I know other apples hold together better in the pie, but taste is my issue, not texture, and you can’t beat Macs and Grannies for perfect sweet-tartness. If you want a pie that tastes less like a straight-ahead old-fashioned version and more like candied…
