Posts by The Culinary Chase

Fifa World Cup 2010 is under full swing and this dish is perfect for watching the matches. My husband is a HUGE football fan (played semi-pro) and he will be glued to the television Saturday afternoon when England plays the US. For more World Cup recipes, check out BBC Good Food. Makes about 25 piecesrecipe…

Pilaf, according to the Oxford Companion to Food, is a Middle Eastern method of cooking rice so that every grain remains separate.  Beetroot, also known as beets, are an excellent source of folate and manganese.  They also offer protection against heart disease.  Turmeric is what colors the rice yellow and has long been used as…

Want to add a touch of sunshine to your meal? This dessert is so easy to make and its irresistible taste will have you and your family begging for more! One of the simplest of desserts, a fool is puréed fruit folded into cream. Mangoes, known as the ‘king of fruit’, have been cultivated in…

Panzanella, a popular bread salad in Tuscany, gets a bit of a make up with the blue cheese dressing. It’s a perfect salad to make on a hot summer day. The smoky notes from the grilled bread lead perfectly with the arugula, tomatoes, and olives. Rocket is very low in calories and is high in…

This marinated grilled shrimp recipe is so easy to prepare you will wonder why you don’t barbecue shrimp more often. Shrimp is a nutritious alternative to meat proteins as it is low in calories and saturated fat.  It is an excellent source of selenium and unusually low-fat, low-calorie protein. Many people are confused about the…

Asparagus is now in season here and what a difference local food makes to a dish! Asparagus comes in different grades (large, standard, small) and colors (green, white and purple). Green asparagus, the most common, ranges from pencil-thin to very thick. White asparagus, due to sunlight-deprived stalks, are a little milder and more delicate in…

Move over rhubarb pie!  Rhubarb is a plant that was used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes as far back as 2700BC and showed up in North America around the early 1800’s. Its culinary usage is relatively new compared to its medicinal application. Rhubarb season is in the Spring and I grew up with my…

This is a perfect dish for easy entertaining as it can be prepared ahead of time before your family and friends arrive.  Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, and a good source of vitamin A and K.  Eggplant features a host of vitamins and minerals. The skin of an eggplant is a potent…

My husband and I enjoy using the barbecue all year round and especially love grilling bread on it. Commercially produced pizza can be high in salt, fat and calories but if you prepare your own, you can make it according to your dietary needs. A vegetable pizza with just a little cheese can be healthy…

A cabbage roll consists of a cooked cabbage leaf wrapped around a filling, usually meat, and is cooked in a sauce. It’s a common cuisine of Europe and Western Asia as well as being popular in North America by early settlers from Eastern Europe.  I have fond memories of my great grandmother making her cabbage…