I spent the second half of my childhood on the island of Maui. First in the old whaling town and tourist Mecca of Lahaina and later in the scorching hot seaside sprawl of Kihei. When my parents bought their house in Kihei, my mother was eager to start a garden. She had grown up on…
Tag: healthy
Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Dukkah
So For me, the flavours of the Middle East and Africa are the most unfamiliar and exotic. My grandparents raised me on Eastern European and British Irish comfort food. I also encountered all kinds of Asian food growing up in the Pacific Northwest and later Hawaii, so those cuisines feel like comfort food to me…
Wilted Collard Green Salad with Peanuts and Black Eyed Peas
This recipe caught my eye because it reminded me of the Palaver recipe that my sister posted long ago. That is a very good stew, but this salad is easier to carry to work for lunch. The classic African combination of peanuts, collards and black-eyed peas is so tasty and fortifying. This recipe makes enough for two…
Pumpkin Walnut Soup
I have been very attracted lately to soup recipes that are made rich by the addition of nuts rather than cream. Last winter I made two soups that were enriched with cashew cream (curried broccoli soup and cream of mushroom soup). I have plans to try a hazelnut mushroom soup and potato almond soup in…
Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnuts and Pickled Celery
When I was about 9 years old I received as a gift a beautiful set of Nijinsky and Pavlova paper dolls which depicted all of their costumes from the Ballet Russe. I was so taken with these costumes that I did research about the life of Anna Pavlova at the library. I learned that she…
Carrot Ginger Cupcakes (Gluten-Free or Not/ Dairy-Free or Not)
This gluten free carrot cake recipe was inspired by the classic carrot cake recipe that I grew up eating in the late 70’s and early 80’s. My family favoured the super moist carrot cake topped with a not very sweet creme cheese icing (or no icing at all) from Susan Mendelson’s excellent cookbook Mama Never…
Braised Red Cabbage with Fruit and Fennel Seed
Last summer a dear friend of my parent’s let me go through his recipe note-book. I have written about this family friend before because he has been a food hero of mine since my childhood. For a story about the time that Keith served me quiche on his boat when I was little click…
Creamed Parsnip and Apple Soup with Mushroom Dill Garnish
I am a lover of parsnips. They are sweet and have a lovely smooth texture when cooked. I just learned that they have similar nutritional value to potatoes but do not require very good soil. They are a humble, overlooked, industrious vegetable. This soothing, fortifying soup is simple to make and really captures the…
Bittersweet Side Dish- Broccoli Rabe and Roasted Yams
I have been a little distracted by the storms hitting New York City lately. However I wrote this post a while back and never got a round to publishing it. Enjoy! I crave bittersweetness…..dark chocolate, chinotto soda, Seville Orange Marmalade, Italian aperitif, very strong black tea with milk and sugar. It may all…
Gluten-Free Dark Sour Bread (Inspired by Estonian Leib)
My sister and I went to Estonia to last June to learn about the country where our grandparents grew up. Estonia has very delicious dark sourdough rye bread called Leib. Our grandmother used to make it, and although I have had other dark sourdough breads (Russian mostly) none of them ever tasted quite as…
Big Sis Little Dish 