Creamless Zucchini Soup

As the summer winds down (sigh), we are reminded that this is also the season of amazing squash! With zucchini galore, I have found myself trying to preserve the flavours or summer by turning this bounty of zucchini into soup to enjoy all winter long.

My almost 2 year old daughter just adores soups, and this one is no exception. Using very few ingredients, this soup's flavour really speaks to the season, with the taste of fresh zucchini really shining here. It's easy to make in huge batches, so you can enjoy some now and freeze for later, when your body and soul are craving a little taste of summer!

Ellie's Pineapple Salsa

I was introduced to this amazing salsa about a year ago. My friend Ellie brought it over as a part of a potluck playdate we were having and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind!

I have made it several times since then, usually opting to serve it as a variation of chips and salsa with corn tortilla chips, but have also served it alongside baked white fish fillets and have it on my list to try in fish tacos too.

Whether served to my family or to guests, this salsa has definitely been a crowd pleaser. It is a unique and flavourful alternative to regular chips and salsa or accompaniment to fish or grilled chicken. Regardless of the season, this salsa is guaranteed to please your palate! Thanks Ellie for introducing me to this one :)

Meaty Coconut Kale Soup

Our daughter loves soup. Particularly pureed soups. But today I decided to take a chance on a chunky, meaty soup with chopped kale.

I was fairly certain that she would spit out the kale. Even chopped relatively small, it has a particular texture that doesn't fare well with 18 month old children. The other thing I wasn't sure about was the ground meat in the soup. Our daughter likes meat, but I wasn't sure she would like having to chew a lot while eating the soup. Lastly, the red pepper flakes. Our daughter loves food with good flavour, and I wanted to add enough to bring good depth of flavour without actually making the soup spicy. (If it was just me eating it however, I would have added more).

On the other hand, I knew the chunks of potato would be a hit. And the rich and creamy coconut milk I figured would be a no brainer.

Given all of this though, I really wasn't sure how this soup would be received in our household. So I made the soup, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

Festive Cranberry Orange Cream Cheese Dip

So, as you can see, I have been missing in action for the last few months. Doesn't mean I haven't been cooking, but it means that life has been crazy!

But, here I am, ready to post this fantastic, very festive appetizer. It's festive because of the cranberries so would be a great addition to an Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas menu, but really, you could serve it all year round :)

It's so easy to make and it just gets better with age, so make it ahead of time and take the stress out of entertaining! The flavours are so fresh, but the ginger, jalepeno, cilantro and citrus juices just give this appetizer extra depth. Oh, and served alongside a block of cream cheese? To die for!

Creamy Sockeye Salmon Orechiette

I realize that I have been missing in action for a while. It's not that I haven't been cooking. It's just that between looking after our active 11 month old, the never ending house projects, and of course, enjoying the summer, I haven't had time to sit down and share.  But don't worry. I'm here. And I've got a really good one for you.

This pasta is so quick and easy and uses ingredients that most of us have regularly in our pantries and fridges. As summer comes to an end (sigh....), the days get shorter, and we get back in the hustle and bustle of work, school, daycare etc, quick no-fuss meals are in high demand. And this is one of them. It is also sure to please as it doesn't skim on flavor, and it contains some kid favorites-- pasta, peas and a creamy sauce. Yum yum!

Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup

It's almost that time again!

As the weather heats up, chilled soups make the perfect light meal or starter. They are refreshing, flavorful and so easy to make. Especially because you can make them in advance. If you are entertaining, you can serve chilled soups family style in a large soup tureen with a ladle (already prepared in the fridge) or you can dish the soup into small bowls before your guests even arrive.

This chilled cucumber and avocado soup combines the coolness of the cucumber with the creamy avocado to make an awesome soup summer soup! You will never just think of soup as a winter dish ever again!

Split Pea Soup

When time is an issue, soups really are the way to go. It takes very little effort to make a large pot and then you have a bunch of meals taken care of! I know a lot of people who regularly prepare a huge batch of their favorite soup to enjoy for lunches or dinners throughout a busy working week.

Soup is also healthy and I swear it gets tastier as the week goes on. And if you don't want to eat the same soup over and over? No problem! Make a big batch anyway and freeze it in portions. You never know when it might come in handy as a quick meal.

Split pea is a soup that my mom used to make for us, but for some reason, I have never really made myself. I have no idea why. I absolutely love it. If it is the "soup of the day" at a restaurant, I will usually order it. I even found that you can buy pretty good tasting ones in tetra packs in the super market. That being said, it is so easy to make, there isn't any reason why I shouldn't just be making it. 

Steamed Five Spice Pork Buns

For a lot of us, the fall is a time for foraging, harvesting, and preparing for winter. For me, the fall included stocking my freezer full of meals to get me through the first few months with my newborn. And today is one of the days in which I enjoyed the fruits of my labour from the fall.

I had been running around all morning tending to a 3 month old baby's every need, and before I knew it, my stomach was grumbling. Even though I pride myself in having a fully stocked fridge and pantry most of the time, I also pride myself in staying away from most process foods and making things from scratch. So of course, when I opened my fridge, I had lots of fruits and veggies that would need to be broken down (which is difficult with one arm holding a baby) and in my pantry, lots of dry ingredients waiting to be made into bread and muffins, or needing to be cooked (like legumes and grains). So, freezer it was. Oh, and there were so many choices! Thank goodness for that fall preparation.

Cornmeal Buttermilk Freezer Biscuits

As you may already know, I gave birth to an amazing, beautiful baby girl 8 weeks ago! Wow, people were not kidding when they said that time would fly with a newborn. It certainly has! 

My day's priorities are now determined by my daughter. Despite my "to-do" lists and "need to try" recipe spreadsheet, even if the only thing I accomplish during the day is keeping my daughter happy, healthy and active, that is enough.

But, here's the catch. A girl's got to eat at some point. And it's not the eating that's the problem. It's the "what to eat" that is. For me anyways. I mean, there are times when I learn to settle with a pile of cheese and crackers, or even just a pile of crackers, but a girl can only last so long on the basics. Especially someone like me that strives to make every meal healthy, fresh and tasty. And really, that boils down to homemade. Not store bought or pre-packaged or take away. Homemade.

Yup, homemade is hard to do when you are juggling a newborn on one arm and trying to brush your teeth with your free hand. Or, try doing the dishes with one hand. Yes, it's possible, but takes about four times as long to do. So, if I had to cook and bake everyday? Would not happen.

Don't get me wrong. I still cook and bake. But I do it on her time, not mine. That means that when I finally get her down in her crib for a nap, I frantically cut veggies, cook quinoa, make bread dough and do as much as I possibly can. And the thing is, I never know if that time I have is 5 minutes, or 2 hours. I just use every minute-- every second-- and do as much as I can.

And then there are the days when I can't do anything extra. My daughter won't nap, is extremely hungry, and needs me to hold her and rock her from morning until night. Those are the days when I am thankful for my organization and "to-do" lists. The ones that reminded me everyday in the last 2 months that I was pregnant to make meals ahead and freeze them. The ones that convinced me to make these cornmeal freezer biscuits so that one day, when I didn't have time to make a batch of fresh biscuits (which at the time I could not fathom-- I mean, after all, there is always time to cook or bake, isn't there?), that I could reach into the freezer, pop a few of my homemade frozen biscuits onto a tray, bake them, and enjoy them.

Yes, I am able to enjoy fresh, homemade biscuits with a newborn! 

Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers (Mini Sweet Peppers, Mushrooms or Squash)

It's that time when we need to start thinking about bite sized appetizers for holiday entertaining (or hockey night entertaining, or just plain entertaining).

And, as always, the best entertaining dishes are the ones that you can prepare a majority of in advance so that you can spend your time entertaining rather than running around frantically in the kitchen! These stuffed peppers work well because you can prep them in advance then just pop them in the oven. 

Oh, and did I mention that they are also super versatile... You can use jalapeno peppers if you like the kick, or if you are looking for something a little more conservative, you can stuff mini sweet peppers instead. You could even stuff mini squash or mushroom caps with this mixture! Wait a minute! Did I say "or"?? You don't have to choose. Stuff all of the above and assemble a beautiful platter of stuffed veggies using the same tasty filling!

Quinoa Zucchini Cakes with Sriracha Aioli

Yesterday, we pulled out all of our zucchini plants and turned over the beds. Sigh... as the weather cools down, it seems to be the end of the growing season for me. I can't really complain though. As a first time gardener this year, I was very fortunate to get a huge crop of veggies throughout the season. Some of the veggies were more successful than others, but overall, it was definitely worth the hard work.

So, as I turned over a majority of our beds last night in preparation for perhaps a little bit of fall/winter gardening but mostly to prep for spring, I reflected on what the growing season looked like for us and all the great recipes that came out of it.

Fortunately, before calling it a season, I was able to get a few more zucchini out of the plants and thus able to make one more great garden fresh meal.

Stuffed Summer Squash (Ground Beef, Lentil & Brown Rice Stuffing)

One of the greatest things about summer are the farmer's markets. Today I walked down to one and as always, found an amazing selection of seasonal and local summer fruits and vegetables. blueberries, raspberries, cherries, beets, potatoes... but what really caught my eye were the beautiful round summer squash.

I have lots of squash bursting out of my garden these days, but none that are this shape. So of course, I had to get some!! 

Summer Risotto with Peas, Mint, Lemon and Parmesan

Gotta love the summer! Especially as the hard work of the spring pays off in the garden. I am a little late posting this... probably because I was too busy gardening, picking and eating my early spring veg, but this recipe is good all year round, garden or no garden!  It is however made just that much better with some amazing summer fresh peas and garden fresh mint!

This is actually my first year having a full blown garden. Previous to this, I lived in places with balconies, so my gardening was restricted to containers. You can do a lot in containers, but you have to make serious choices because space is prime.

This year we are in our new house with a yard, and in the spring, we built 5 beautiful raised cedar beds. Perfect for experimenting with the veg I love the most! So, I went crazy and planted everything I every wanted in my garden... potatoes, tomatoes, peas, beans, herbs, beets, carrots, squash, garlic, radishes... the list goes on and on. Perhaps it's actually too long of a list as some of my beds have become a tad overcrowded as the seeds have sprouted and the plans have grown! I suppose I wasn't sure of my success rates with seeds so I went a little nuts. But now I know for next year what works and what doesn't, and how many seeds I actually need to plant!

Wild Rice Salad

I love summer. Sunshine, music, farmers markets, bbqs....What could be better than that?

In Vancouver, this weather lasts just a few months, but it's these few months that propel us through the rainy and grey days during the rest of the year. Then, when the warmth and sunshine returns, we somehow quickly forget about those cold, wet days and become happy and social again!

So, to take advantage of the sunshine, I am spending as much time outside as I possibly can, trolling farmers markets, working in the garden, and of course, enjoying summertime meals. For this summer evening meal, I combined some farm fresh ingredients with some hearty wild rice, feta and dried cranberries to create this amazing salad that I really think I could eat all year long!

Kale Caesar Salad (and other great uses for Caesar Salad Dressing)

Who doesn't like caesar salad? Even if you aren't an anchovy fan, the rich and creamy taste of caesar dressing is just addictive!

I used the Rebar Caesar Salad Dressing Recipe, which is absolutely fantastic and flavorful, made even better with roasted garlic, capers, and dijon. Then I made it a little healthier by using non-fat yogurt in place of some of the oil.

Besides having a great dressing, having fresh salad ingredients is also important. I personally love to make caesar salads with chopped kale. I find that it makes the salad heartier and the salad stays crisp and crunchy. In the picture above, you can see I used a mix of kale and romaine. Or of course, you could use the classic romaine if you wish (or really any other salad green you like).

Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken Wings

Everything seems to taste better on the grill. And chicken wings, although fantastic baked in the oven until sticky, are no exception.

What I love even more about this recipe is that there aren't piles of dishes to clean up afterwards, and on a hot summer day, the house doesn't get heated up with the oven. Oh, and did I mention that the grill just intensifies the amazing flavour of the marinade while keeping the wings nice and juicy?

You can marinade these wings for as little as an hour or overnight. Just take them out of the fridge for about 30-45 minutes before cooking so that they come up to a more ambient temperature (you should do this for everything you put on the grill or in the oven for even cooking).

And one more thing... make sure you have a ton of napkins or wet wipes to clean yourself up after devouring a pile of these!

Fresh & Filling Asian Lettuce Wraps

As the warmer weather hits, I am always looking for delicious recipes that are filling and fresh. I have lots, but most of them are some form of salad. Here are some of my favorites in case you missed them...

Blue Cheese, Walnut & Quinoa Chopped Salad

Panzanella Salad (Italian Bread Salad)

Couscous Salad

Chicken Waldorf Salad

Four Bean Salad

Kale Salad with Dried Cranberries, Walnuts and Boursin

Summer Quinoa Salad with Chicken and Apple

Chunky Greek Style Pasta Salad

Lentil & Chickpea Salad with Dried Cherries and Creamy Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Anyway, as much as I love summer salads, this time, I wanted to do something different. And I have found the perfect recipe--- Asian Lettuce Wraps.

Homemade Chicken (or Turkey) Noodle Soup

The ultimate comfort food. Who doesn't like Chicken Noodle Soup?

I was  sitting in my office at work the other day when one of my staff walked into my office with a cup of instant chicken noodle soup. The smell was so comforting and I instantly wanted some.  So on the weekend, I went to the grocery store and wandered down the soup isle until I found the cup-a-soup. But I just couldn't bring myself to buying it. I knew if I wanted tasty, satisfying Chicken Noodle Soup, that I would need to make it myself.

As I was buying all the ingredients, I noticed that there were turkey parts available in the poultry section, so I thought I would put a little twist on the classic, but of course, you could make it with a whole chicken or chicken parts as I usually do.

The result was so delicious, and honestly, it is quite simple to make. You could make a whole stock pot and then freeze the stock for later use as well.

Stirfried Crab with Ginger and Green Onion

So here's the thing. I was craving stirfried crab. And the thing about me is that once I get something into my head, especially with regards to food, I just have to have it.

Now, it would have been easy if I was craving pizza or pasta or fruit. But crab? Asian style? Go figure.

For anyone that loves crab, you know that it is darn expensive to have in a restaurant. So, I decided to see if I could make it myself.  I went to my local grocery store where I remembered seeing fresh crab and lobster tanks, and sure enough, my memory did not fail me. However, when I asked if they could kill it for me, they said they couldn't and also reminded me that it would taste far better if I did it myself right before cooking. Yikes!

So, with plastic bag containing crawling giant crab in hand, I headed home. First thing I had to do was figure out how I was going to kill it. According to sources on google, putting the live crab in the freezer for about 20 minutes stuns the crab and it doesn't move as much, so I tried that. 20 minutes later, the crab was still moving, I almost think more than it was before!

Manakeesh with Zaatar and Cheese (Middle Eastern Flatbread with Thyme and Cheese)

Some of my favorite memories from living in the Middle East involve food. Particularly in Syria where the people were so hospitable and the food was so fresh and delicious.

When walking down the street, you often pass bakeries with a variety of amazing baked goods, including these little mini "pizzas" with a variety of toppings. They are called Manakeesh and they are a typical quick lunch or snack. But you don't just find them in the city. Go for a drive in the country, open your windows and you will smell these delicious flat bread baking in the stone, tandoor type ovens long before you even see them. 

Manakeesh can have a wide variety of toppings and they can be filled and folded over, kind of like a calzone. My favorites are the classic Zaatar with Cheese or the folded over Spinach Manakeesh.  Zaatar is a spice combo involving dried thyme, sesame seeds, salt, and the middle eastern spice, sumac. (Sumac is a spice made from red berries that are ground into a powder. It gives a subtle lemony flavor and is used a lot in middle eastern cooking. If you can't find it, you could substitute some lemon zest.) Alternatively, you could find already mixed Zaater in middle eastern grocery stores. Add some olive oil to form a paste, and eat it with Arabic bread, cheese and olives for a very typical middle eastern breakfast. Or use that paste on top of your Manakeesh!