Oh hi! 2016, hey? What a year! I bring cookies to celebrate the end of a true garbage year. Cookies are not going to make everything better, but it’s butter and sugar and cardamom and lemon zest and those are all good things at the moment. I’ll take cheerfulness and kindness in cookie form and they’re easy enough to bake and share with friends and family. I made these last week for a visiting friend from Seattle who loves most things cardamom-related and they turned out really well. They’re very Christmassy and a perfect biscuit to eat with a cup of tea and a good friend. Buttery, spiced and not too sweet.

I posted these cookies on instagram and a few people requested the recipe so here I am. It’s a little funny being back. I had to remind myself how to format the recipe and reacquaint myself with writing down words once more. It’s harder than I remembered and I’m feeling a little rusty dusty! I don’t really know where to begin, so let’s make a list because I’m pretty good with those…

Here are some random things that made my life better this year:

• The Longest Mixtape. This 1000 song mixtape playlist by the band Caribou is full of serious gems. I skipped through much of the house music tracks, but there is so much undiscovered (at least by me) joy to be found in this amazing mixtape.
• Seeing La Sagrada Familia in person. Cornelius and I went to Barcelona (and Paris!) in September and walking through Gaudi’s cathedral was a dream come true.
• Good tv, like Search Party, One Mississippi, Fleabag
• Not being crippled by anxiety. I don’t know what happened – maybe it was to stop making assumptions or not googling every ache or maybe it was yoga and taking long walks. Whatever it was, I’m feeling normal again!
• Consumer purchases, like a new waterproof winter coat, and some skin care stuff
• Seeing lots of great art, theatre & music – from seeing the Black Mountain College exhibition at the Hammer Gallery in LA, the Louis Stettner exhibit at Centre Pompidou, Veda Hille’s Onegin musical production in Vancouver, and seeing Cate Le Bon perform live on a quiet summer night in Vancouver.

Well, that wasn’t so hard. A post and some cookies to boot. Have a wonderful Christmas and let’s all work together to make the world a much nicer and better place. Onwards, 2017!

cardamom slice & bake cookies
I prefer these cookies on the lighter side, so take them out at 20 minutes and see if they need more time in the oven.

2.5 c all-purpose flour
2 t ground cardamom
1/4 t freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 t kosher salt
1 c butter, room temperature
1 c icing/confectioners sugar
1 large egg
1 T vanilla
1 t lemon zest, finely grated
1/2 c toasted almonds, finely chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cardamom, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In another larger bowl, beat the butter and confectioners sugar together. Add in the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and blend until well mixed. Pour in the flour mixture and blend until just mixed. Divide the dough in two equal clumps on 2 sheets of parchment or plastic wrap and using the parchment, roll out each dough ball into a log shape. Wrap tightly and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325F. Unwrap your dough logs and let them rest for a few minutes to warm up on the counter. Scatter the finely chopped toasted almonds onto each sheet of parchment and roll the logs with firm pressure so that the logs are completely covered in nuts. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and place on a parchment covered or silpat covered cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly golden on the bottom and just starting to colour around the edges, about 20-25 minutes. Cool cookies on wire racks and then store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 cookies.

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I’ve had my foot surgery (a tricorrectional osteotomy if you want to know more) and I’m in the midst of convalescing. The surgery went well despite having a highly advanced case of hallux rigidus. I wore a cast for 2 weeks and had to elevate my leg above my heart (toes to nose is a common phrase). Last week the cast came off but keeping my leg elevated is still part of the recovery process – otherwise my right foot and leg swells and the pressure and tightness feels downright awful. Soon I’ll be able to put some light pressure on my toe but since a wedge of bone was removed from my foot, I’ll still have to take it easy for a few more weeks. Did I mention that the recovery process is a slow journey? It’s not very fun. I’m dreaming of when I can bake again or make a complete meal. Or, you know, leave my house and go for a walk. Couch Life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

But one thing I can do now with a bit of an adjustment in work flow is make a salad. A slaw even! There’s a downtown sandwich joint that serves up a very similar coleslaw. I’m not enamoured by their sandwiches, but their coleslaw is pretty interesting. It has coconut and mint and contains no oil. They called it a “clean” coleslaw but that just feels judgy & privileged to me, so I wanted to play with the concept and came up with this tasty, summery slaw. It has oil in it because I felt it needed some body, along with lime juice for the sour, maple syrup and dates for sweetness, coconut for tropical flair and mint to freshen things up. Salt and pepper and a few dried cranberries and this salad was good to go. I made it for several times before my surgery and I couldn’t wait to get back to making it post-op. It’s good, no judging required.

sweet and sour coconut mint coleslaw
You’ll spot a green onion in the photos, but I’d actually skip this. Let this be a mellow slaw – well, as mellow as a lime-punched slaw can be.

1/4 green cabbage + 1/4 purple cabbage, cored, sliced thinly & then chopped again
juice of 1 lime (start with 1/2 a lime and add more if necessary – I lean heavily towards more lime)
1/4 c shredded unsweetened coconut
4 dates, sliced and finely chopped
2 T dried cranberries, cherries or currants
a handful of finely chopped mint leaves
2 T olive oil
1 t maple syrup
kosher salt & freshly grated pepper

Add shredded cabbage to a large bowl. Toss in the coconut, dates, cranberries and mint. In a small jar, combine the lime juice, olive oil, maple syrup, along with a good pinch of salt & a good grind of pepper. Shake to combine and taste to see if any adjustments need to be made. Pour over slaw, tossing well to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.

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Vancouver has had summer weather since April! That’s pretty much unheard of in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Climate change is real, y’alls. Right now, though, we’re going through a cloudy patch and I’m choosing to welcome it with a flavourful stew that’s inexpensive to make (cupboard ingredients to the rescue) and a cinch to whip up on a weeknight. We eat a lot of lentils in this house and this meal is a keeper.

I love Japanese sweet potatoes (they’re white, not bright orange, and a bit dryer in texture) and I used them here. But if you have orange ones lying around, by all means, use those vibrant vitamin-packed taters. The sweetness is a nice contrast to the Mexican spices. It’s not the most picturesque dish, but it’s so delicious! Plus, topped with salsa, yogurt and green onions and it becomes much more attractive.

I haven’t tried freezing this stew, but I will be doing just that as part of my freezer stock up for Foot Operation 2016 coming up in a few weeks. If you have any other great healthy freezer recipes, send them my way!

mexican-spiced lentils with sweet potatoes
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 green or red sweet pepper, diced (optional)
1/2 t aleppo pepper (or 1/4 t cayenne)
1 t ground cumin
large pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle powder
1 large sweet potato or yam, diced
1/2 c green or brown lentils (not red)
2 c (approximate) vegetable stock
sour cream or yogurt, salsa and chopped green onions for serving (optional, but worth it)

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and let everything mingle and sweat. In go the spices along with the green pepper, sweet potato and lentils, giving everything a good stir. Pour in stock, cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to a simmer, stirring things occasionally for 30-40 minutes or until tender and much of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve in bowls and top with salsa, sour cream and a sprinkle of green onion. Serves 3-4.

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I made this cake way back in the first week of March and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. We were invited to a friend’s house for dinner and I said I’d bring dessert. I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d make but this recipe called out to me with it’s almond-y goodness and my love of sour cherries sealed the deal. It’s a very good cake. And it’s pretty easy to whip up on a sunny afternoon.

And as you can see from the photos, it’s also easily transportable by bike as long as you’ve got a nice basket set up and a cute vintage cake tin!

Now the weather is sunnier and warmer and more frequent bike rides with stops on sunny patios are calling my name. Last month I spent a week in sunny LA and have been living on the tropical bougainvillea fumes ever since. I can’t really complain though because ever since we’ve returned to Vancouver, we’ve been given an early summer with sandals, picnics in parks and balcony layouts. It’s a nice breather because in June I’m scheduled for foot surgery (arthritis in both my big toes) and I’m pretty scared about it all. My only surgery experience involved tonsils and I was in kindergarten at the time, so it’s kind of a big deal. Also the fact that I’ll need another surgery on my other foot when this one heals up isn’t exactly Netflix and chill time. I guess it’s good that I’ve been attending Sunday afternoon yoga classes at a local studio to help ease my mind and body.

Oh yeah, and there’s cake. Let’s never forget about cake.

I should also let you all know that I’ll be at the always awesome Got Craft? market this May 7 + 8. Say hello, wish me a happy birthday on the Sunday and stay for all the amazing local crafters! I’ll be selling my cards and there will be tons of amazing talent and lots of local yummy food vendors too!

sour cherry almond yogurt cake
(adapted from The Kitchn)
I used sour cherries that I had frozen from last summer, but I think most any fruit would work here – strawberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, blackberries or blueberries would all be fine choices. Now that rhubarb is in the market, lay some length-wise sliced stalks in a lovely pattern on the bottom of the cake pan. Now that would be delicious! I don’t have a spring-form cake pan but if you do have one at your disposal, please use that instead as it prevents the double flip at the end of the recipe. Just un-collar the pan and you’re ready to let the cake cool. 

3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan and parchment
2 c all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
1/3 c almond flour
2 1/2 c fresh or frozen sour cherries (if using sweet cherries, pit and half them)
1 1/4 c plus 2 T sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 t almond extract
1 1/2 t finely grated lemon zest
3/4 c yogurt
1/4 c milk
Powdered sugar
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9″ cake pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit into the bottom of the pan and butter that. Dust the pan with flour, tapping out any excess. Add the cherries (frozen is fine) to the bottom of the cake pan in an even layer. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Whisk together the ap flour, almond flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, add in butter and sugar and beat together until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the almond extract and lemon zest. Combine the milk and the yogurt together and set aside. Add in the flour and alternate with the yogurt mixture, until you’ve ended with the flour. Pour the batter over the cherries in the cake pan and smooth out the top.

Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and let the cake cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake pan and invert the cake onto the baking rack and then quickly invert again against your serving plate so that the cake rests on the bottom while the cherries are on top. Let cake cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar and a sprinkle of toasted almonds.

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Thank you for such an overwhelming response to my last post. You really know how to make a girl feel special, really. Please have no fear that this site will disappear because it won’t. Most likely new posts will continue at their lackadaisical pace and I feel good about that. I should be making you a cake, but this soup will have to do.

This humble soup is a bit of a mish mash of everything. A little while ago, I made a vegetarian chowder and my soup-hating husband loved it so I wondered if using a couple of potatoes and some frozen corn, I could turn a lentil soup into something akin to chowder. The answer to this, of course, is yes. Red lentils cook down to an almost creamy texture and there’s lots of chowder textures and flavours with the potatoes, carrots and corn. The coconut milk adds a luscious, silky quality.

There’s curry paste which you’d expect in a curried lentil soup but also a curious addition of asian chili garlic sauce and a very southwestern chili powder – yup, like the kind you add in a big Texas chili. This is a very cosmopolitan lentil soup chowder! It might read as a bit of an oddball on paper, but this soup was delicious. It leans more towards the curry flavours than the southwest, but I do like thinking of this as a chowder so I’m sticking with the name. I went back for a second bowl and the husband thought it was quite tasty, so success! The leftovers that I ate today for lunch were, I think, even better. Not bad for such a wacky seeming soup. A definite bright spot for the end of February.

southwest curry chowder
It’s weird because I was out of onion and normally I’d add at least a half of one to a soup like this. So if you want to add an onion, please go ahead. I probably will do the same when I make it next time. But the really pleasing thing was, this soup tasted amazing without it. Who knew?

2 T coconut oil
2 fat cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 c red lentils
1 t chili powder
1 T (heaping) curry paste (I use Patak’s madras paste)
water or stock (I used chicken stock)
1 T chili garlic sauce (optional)
1 can of light coconut milk
1 c frozen corn
salt & pepper

In a medium-large soup pot, heat coconut oil and add in garlic, carrot, and potatoes and let things sweat it out for a minute or two. Add in lentils, chili powder and curry paste and stir things around so everything is coated. Pour water or stock over everything, covering the vegetables and lentils by about 1 inch or so. Stir in chili garlic sauce, if using. Put on lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils and vegetables are nearly tender. Pour in coconut milk and corn and cook for another 10-15 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serves about 4.

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Here it is 2016 and I’ve made a resolution to make a resolution about my blog (to post or not to post, that is the question). But it’s already nearing the end of the month, late going as usual, I guess. Within the past year or so, I’ve been getting nudges and questions via email and in person….what’s going on with your blog? Can you post more regularly? Are you quitting? And honestly, I have no idea. I’ve thought about letting this site go and just keeping it as is, an online archive of my recipes and life for the past 11 years or so (yes, eleven freaking years). Blogging isn’t as interesting to me as it once was. Readership is down, people don’t comment on blogs, and if you’re jonesing for comments, you have to be a social media rockstar or take a helluva great photograph or be an amazing wordsmith (and that’s just not me or my skillset). Instagram and Facebook and SnapChat are where people communicate and have conversations online and who knows what new social media outlet will come next to grab everyone’s attention. I’m not saying that blogs have become antiquated, but the atmosphere has certainly changed a lot in the past 3 or 4 years. There’s not a lot of commenting going on in the comment section. It’s chirp city and I get it, I do. I’m not on Facebook (publicly) or SnapChat but Instagram has picked up the online conversation for me. So it’s left me to wonder what’s up with this space anyway? Do people care if I update? And more importantly, what am I getting out of this little corner of the online universe? I can certainly point out all the things that this site has given me, from an ego boost and recognition to some seriously amazing lasting friendships. Not a bad haul, really. So will I continue hobbling along? Who knows, maybe! I still have things to share every at least for the time being.

In the meantime, I have a recipe to share….this is a food blog after all! The best thing is that the inspiration for this recipe comes from one of my long-time blog readers and friend who I follow on Instagram. Way back in December she made a stew with potatoes, carrots, peas and dill and I was intrigued. And when the excess of Christmas was over and I needed something comforting and a little austere, I thought about this dish.

The thing that stood out for me was the use of frozen peas. You don’t toss them in at the end to add pops of brightness. Instead, you cook them down with the potatoes and carrots to get stewy and oh-so-flavourful. They do not turn into mush. They remain peas, but darker, softer orbs of delightful pea-ness (that’s a good thing). I fed myself for several days with this dish (my husband wasn’t as keen as I was) and I was happy with every single bowl.

As you can see from the photo above, there’s a lot of liquid and after sending a message or two to Joanne during cooking, I decided to scoop up about 1/2 a cups worth of liquid (I drank it like a savoury tomatoey tea). You can play around with the liquid and go for something very saucey or more reduced. I wanted something more akin to stew, not soup. Your call.

Thanks Joanne!

greek vegetable stew with dill
Joanne’s version is a bit different than mine – she adds a quarter cup of olive oil to sauté the onions and then simmers the potatoes first in water before adding the rest of the ingredients. Here, I use less oil, add in garlic, add in some dried herbs, and use stock instead of water. You can add more or less of most anything….this is rustic and simple cooking. The leftovers reheat well.

2 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 large potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 carrots, sliced into coins
1 c of diced or broken up canned tomatoes (use your hands to really smoosh them up)
2 c frozen peas
1/2 t kosher salt
2 t dried dill
1 t dried oregano
2-3 c vegetable stock or water
several sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
fresh black pepper, a few good grinds
feta, as a topping (optional)

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and add in the onion. Let it sweat for a few minutes, do not let it turn brown. Add in the garlic and let that cook for a minute before adding in the potatoes and carrots and tomatoes. Give everything a big stir and then add in the peas, salt, dried dill, oregano and stock or water. Stir again, gently and cover. Simmer over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding in more water or stock if needed or leave the lid off if you need to reduce the sauce further. You may want a more saucey stew or something with more body. Remove from heat when vegetables are tender. Add fresh dill, a hammer of black pepper and give the mixture a final stir before serving into deep bowls. Top with crumbled feta and have plenty of crusty bread on hand.

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In October we went to San Diego and I’m still dreaming of sunny hot weather and swimming in the ocean. It’s now ten days into December and I really should be thinking of what to bake, what to buy and how to survive the holidays in once piece. This weekend I’ll be at Got Craft, a craft fair I regularly take part in because it’s just so much fun. But it’s also so much work. There’s a lot of prep and stress and trust me you don’t want to see our apartment right now. It’s a big ol’ pile of mess. But I know by Saturday night when I’ve got my feet up and there’s some take-out thai food in front of me, I’ll be ready to think about the baking and making and friendly merriment.

But first, let’s get this out of the way. A recipe! Bowl food is my kind of food. And the colours here are nice enough to provide some cheer when it’s dark and dreary outside. I’m not sure what it’s like where you are, but here in Vancouver it’s been DARK, DARK, and more DARK. Of course there are endless rainy days too. And wind. And storms. It’s not pretty and it sure isn’t pleasant out. But make it pleasant on the inside and whip up this tasty dish of roasted yams, fresh baby kale (or spinach) that sits on a bed of brown basmati rice (or you know, whatever grain you like best). The best part is the tahini-miso dressing. I’m a big fan of throwing tahini over things but adding miso paste gives this dressing a bit of an earthy difference. Miso also lasts for ages in the fridge, so it’s always there to add an extra dimension to your salads, chicken, stir fries or veggie bowls. So you know, watch some good tv (right now, it’s London Spy but maybe stop watching after episode 3) and create your own cozy.

I also have been thinking about putting together a gift guide this year. Here’s my small list of tried and true things that I want to share with you.

1. A buckwheat pillow. I have a love/hate relationship with my buckwheat pillow. It’s not the comfortable, cloud-soft pillow of my dreams, but for someone who has suffered from a stiff neck for decades, this pillow has amazing neck support and for the first time in years I’ve been stiff-neck free! I bought it locally at Dream Designs (the wool version). Beware, this thing is HEAVY.

2. Books! Here are 3 books I really enjoyed reading this year. They Left Us Everything: A Memoir by Plum Johnson. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant?: A Memoir by Roz Chast. Note: Amazon links applied.

3. GIR: Get It Right Lids. It seems every year I get something from GIR which is pretty awesome and this year they sent me some square & rectangle silicone lids. I love them and use them all the time (I got round ones last year). They are great to replace a dirty pot lid, or as a replacement for plastic wrap in the fridge or microwave or to keep a dish warm when you’re heading out to a pot luck. Plus they look great. Note: Amazon links applied.

4. A bundle of eucalyptus leaves. Maybe you live in an area where you can pick sticky bundles of the stuff, if so, I’m envious. For me, I just head to my local florist and select a bunch of branches, along with other bits of colour and make a bundle and stick it in a vase. If you’re handy, make a wreath! Makes a great gift to yourself or to anyone who needs an bump of holiday smell and colour. Cheap and cheerful and a lift to anyone’s spirits!

I hope to see some of you Vancouverites at Got Craft this weekend in North Vancouver! Free parking, easy transit, beautiful building, food trucks! There will be over 80 local vendors selling handmade goods (shop small! shop local!) and I’ll be selling Christmas cards, birthday calendars, notepads, gift tags and every other kind of card. Stop by my table and say hello!! If you can’t make it, you can also check out my etsy shop!

roasted yam bowl with fresh greens & a tahini-miso dressing

1 c brown basmati rice (or use your favourite grain!)

Cook rice according to package directions.

2 small-medium sized yams, peeled & diced into 1 inch cubes
1 T olive oil
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t aleppo pepper (or a pinch of cayenne)
large pinch kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425F. Toss the yam cubes along with oil, salt and spices. Roast on a silpat or parchment lined baking tray. Roast until the insides are tender and the outsides are lightly toasted, about 25 minutes, making sure to flip the yams using a spatula at the halfway mark.

4 large handfuls of baby spinach or kale, rinsed. No need to cook, let’s keep these fresh. (To keep things easy, I just buy a large bag of organic baby kale or spinach).

2 T white miso
2 T tahini
1 t minced fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 t maple syrup (or use an alternate sweetener)
2 T lemon juice
2 T rice vinegar
1 t soy sauce
a few drops of toasted sesame oil
a few drops of sriracha (optional)
1 T olive oil
2 T cold water
a grind of black pepper, if needed

While the yams are roasting, prep your greens and make the dressing. I mix all the dressing ingredients in a large 2-cup measuring cup and use a small whisk or a fork to mix the ingredients. Taste to adjust the flavours – you may want a sweeter dressing, a spicier version or a less tangy one. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon more of water at a time.

Assemble the bowls by adding grains in the bottom, then a large handful of fresh greens. Top with the roasted yams and drizzle heavily with the dressing. If you have toasted sesame seeds I think that would make a nice addition for crunch & visuals. You might have leftover dressing which is delicious on any leftovers or on a green salad.

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Every Halloween, we invite friends over to carve pumpkins and watch scary movies. There’s always plenty of treats on hand and I usually try to make something special like salted honey caramel apples or a batch of candied pretzel nutty popcorn. This time a Martha Stewart recipe caught my eye and the blondies were even better than I hoped they would be. The thing is, because of the molasses, they look a lot like chocolate brownies. One of my friends thought it was a rum flavoured brownie! Nope, that would be the strong flavour of molasses in the batter. Anyway, it was a perfect treat to grab as a distraction to the movie we were watching, the diabolically fun You’re Next. No, I wasn’t covering my eyeballs from the blood and gore, I was just grabbing another blondie, thank you very much.

Trust me, you don’t need to eat these as a distraction. You don’t need any excuse at all. Bake up a batch now and you won’t regret it. But if you need a little push, these are chewy and the edges are crispy and the white chocolate might seem like too much, but it’s not. White chocolate is the right thing here. I added walnuts for crunch because I love adding nuts to baked goods and they added a wonderful texture here. They make a lovely accompaniment to a cup of tea and I can speak from personal experience that they are delicious with a coffee at breakfast.

I think it’s time to whip up another batch!

white chocolate gingerbread blondies
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart
These were wonderful as is, but next time I’ll add some chopped candied ginger to make these bars extra gingery.

2 3/4 c plus 1 T all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 1/4 t salt
1 1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 T ground ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
1 c unsalted butter, room temperature (+ additional for buttering parchment)
1 1/4 c light-brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
1 1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1/3 c unsulfured molasses
10 ounces good quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used white discs so I didn’t chop them)
1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and butter the paper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Add in the vanilla and molasses and beat well. Add in the flour in 2 additions mixing well between each addition. Stir in the white chocolate and walnuts.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepped baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in pan before using the sides of the parchment to remove the blondies onto a cutting board. Cut into squares. Blondies can be stored in a covered container for up to a week, but they won’t last that long.

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Please ignore the bad photos because they do not convey the deliciousness contained within! Bowl eating is my kind of food. A bunch of stuff, usually a mix of vegetables and grains, get mixed into a bowl and covered in a tasty dressing. It’s not fancy, but it’s pretty much how we eat most often around here. I love this bowl dinner because it contains a mix of both roasted and raw vegetables and would be easy to add your own spin based on what you had available.

It’s like an elevated salad that totally works for dinner. If you wanted to throw in leftover chicken, tofu or salmon, go right ahead! The dressing is a lemony tasting tahini version with the addition of nutritional yeast. It makes plenty that you’ll have enough leftovers, which is a good thing, as it’s delicious on a green salad too.

chickpea veggie bowl with lemon tahini dressing
1 T olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/2 onion, large dice
1 t aleppo pepper
1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 t cumin
kosher salt
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 red pepper, diced

your favourite cooked grains: I used farro & brown rice

lemon tahini dressing
Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

1/4 c tahini
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves
3-5 T water

Preheat oven 400F.

Cook  the grain of your choice, if using.

Add diced sweet potato and onion onto a silpat-covered baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with aleppo pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss and add in broccoli and chickpeas. Sprinkle with a little more olive oil, if needed, and some kosher salt and cumin. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until sweet potato is tender.

Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients into a food processor until combined and smooth. Add additional water if needed.

In a bowl, add in your cooked grains and top with the vegetable chickpea mixture along with some cucumber and red pepper. Drizzle with tahini lemon sauce and serve with hot sauce, if needed. Serves 4, with additional sauce to be used throughout the week on your favourite salads.

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I’ve always been a little afraid of banana bread – too banana-y, too sickly sweet. But I’ve made some killer loaves, ones with chocolate chips and cinnamon topping, one flavoured with rum, a vegan version with cocoa and coconut, another with espresso, and one with candied ginger. But I’ve never made just plain ol’ banana bread. Something to let the warmth of banana shine. So when it rained all day yesterday and the sky was grey and dark, it seemed like a good time to experiment.

My husband, who loves all things banana, loved this loaf. A lot. And so did I. A banana hater yes, but a banana bread lover most definitely! This is exactly what you want on a rainy night and it plays so nicely with a cup of coffee on a cool September morning. Yes, this is my new favourite banana bread and I hope it becomes yours too.

my favorite banana bread
You could easily substitute chocolate chips for the walnuts, but I love the crunch the walnuts provide and how there’s no distraction – just pure, unadulterated banana bread deliciousness.

3 very ripe bananas*
1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
3/4 c lightly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c plain yogurt
1 t vanilla
2 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 c chopped walnuts (if you lightly toast the walnuts beforehand, they’re even better)

*I use frozen bananas – bananas that get to ugly and brown get tossed in the freezer whole – so when I want banana bread, I just slice off the ends and peel off the skin with a knife. Slice the frozen banana into coins into a bowl and then let them soften on the counter or in a microwave until mushy – give them a good stir to get rid of any lumps. If you’re using over-ripe fresh bananas, just peel and mash them into a puree with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a standard size loaf tin and line with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the edge. Lightly oil the parchment too and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the melted butter with the brown sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until well blended. Add in the mashed bananas and stir. Whisk in the eggs, yogurt and vanilla. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt and walnuts and lightly stir until just blended – be careful not to over mix!

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 65-75 minutes or until the top of the loaf cracks and a cake tester inserted comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan (use the parchment to pull the banana bread from the tin). Cool on the wire rack.

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