Bulgur Salad with Cannellini Beans, Feta & Mint

Whenever I feel as though we’ve eaten too much red meat, we take a break and consume loads of veggies and ancient grains such as bulgur.  It’s this sort of balance that keeps us healthy…I can’t recall the last time I had a cold or the flu.  Bulgur is made from precooked wheat berries.  It’s…

Read More

Roasted Tomato & Garlic Crostini with Truffle Sea Salt

roasted tomato & garlic crostini

If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating a truffle the next best thing, in my humble opinion, is truffle oil.  That was until I sampled white truffle sea salt!  John and I were food shopping and we never pass the cheese section of Whole Foods without buying…well almost never.  We asked what was new…

Read More

Fresh Mozzarella and Roasted Tomatoes

Fresh Mozzarella and Roasted Tomatoes

I finally got the chance to make my first batch of fresh mozzarella!  Beecher’s in the Flatiron District sell kits from Urban Cheesecraft and it was in the summer that I picked one up but never got around to trying it until now.  Their deluxe DIY Cheese Kit allows you to make mozzarella, chèvre, paneer,…

Read More

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I never enjoyed Brussels sprouts when I was a kid but thankfully my taste buds grew up and became educated!  Perhaps they were a bit too soft for my liking or maybe I just didn’t like the taste.  After experimenting with different ways to enjoy this cruciferous veggie, Brussels sprouts are amazingly good for your…

Read More

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Cumin

I was making a center piece for the table on Sunday which involved removing the seeds from a pumpkin.  As I was doing this, I thought I would roast the seeds.  I’ve heard their nutritional content as being very good.  I pulled out the seeds along with the attached fleshy strings of the pumpkin.  This…

Read More

Roasted Cauliflower

After a five day visit to Canada’s Ocean Playground, I was happy to get back into my kitchen and cook!  Don’t get me wrong, the meals we had at Bicycle Thief, Sushi Nami, Seasons, Woody’s Bar-B-Q and La Perla were scrumptious but 5 days of dining out morning, noon and night had a toll on…

Read More

roasted tomato & mozzarella salad

This recipe knows no time.  It’s just as perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner.  With an introduction like that, it’s a winner to serve any time of the day!  This dish is from her latest cookbook Fast, Fresh, Simple.  I became an instant fan of Donna Hay with her book, The New Cook back in…

Read More

Quinoa & Avocado with Dried Fruit & Lemon-Cumin Vinaigrette

Quinoa (keen-wa) is one of those grains that I love to use and it’s so versatile.  I first used this ancient grain back in 2007 and since then its been a staple in my cupboard.  Nutritionally, these grains are supercharged!  Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rank high in nutrient richness and quinoa provides over twice the amount…

Read More