Whether you have fresh spinach sprouting in your garden or a frozen block in your freezer, this is a simple side dish recipe that's easy to throw together as part of a more complicated (or just as easy) meal. The dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness and the wine lets just … [Read more...] about Spinach with White Wine and Dried Cranberries
Vegetarian
Roasted Orange and Hazelnut Lentil Salad
Picnic fare? Gourmet vegan fare? Sunday soulfood? Call it what you want, but this recipe for tiny-bit-sweet braised lentils with savoury hazelnut oil is pure deliciousness. No, it's not just for vegans. And the best part is that it's ridiculously easy. No, I lied. The best … [Read more...] about Roasted Orange and Hazelnut Lentil Salad
Vegan Appetizers: Crunchy Spiced Tofu, Cucumber and Olives Canapés
I know, this sounds weird, but by baking the spiced tofu, it ends up crunchy – kind of like a thick chip – and it offsets the juicy cucumber and salty olive pieces. The best part is that non-vegans won't easily be able to tell that it's tofu, because it doesn't … [Read more...] about Vegan Appetizers: Crunchy Spiced Tofu, Cucumber and Olives Canapés
Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
"Rice, say the Italians, is born in water and dies in wine," writes author Margaret Visser in her book Much Depends on Dinner. Would that we could all be so lucky? Hmm...that makes me sound a bit like an alcoholic, when I really just meant that I like swimming... Point … [Read more...] about Vegetarian Wild Mushroom Risotto
Vegan Dinner Party: Balsamic-Braised Oyster Mushrooms on Pressure Caramelized Parsnip Purée with Bok Choy and Flame-Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Do you have that one vegan friend that you never invite to a dinner party? That's me. And I'm not even vegan! (Gluten and lactose intolerant, no pork, no beef, no tofu and the list goes on, generally FODMAPs at the moment.) It's a little annoying to not get invited to a lot of … [Read more...] about Vegan Dinner Party: Balsamic-Braised Oyster Mushrooms on Pressure Caramelized Parsnip Purée with Bok Choy and Flame-Toasted Sunflower Seeds
Perfect Grated Mashed Potatoes
I hate mashed potatoes. There, I said it. They're full of everything I can't eat - butter and cream and milk. But even years ago when I was eating those things and my mother put the extra effort into mashing potatoes (once a year or less. Probably less), I thought it was a … [Read more...] about Perfect Grated Mashed Potatoes
This Year’s Sauerkraut: Three Ways
Why would you make one batch of sauerkraut when you could make three? That was the theory behind this year's non-spicy cabbage fermentation binge. In addition to the annual kimchi fest, I invited friends over to make less fiery ferments (speaking of that, it's a great … [Read more...] about This Year’s Sauerkraut: Three Ways
Pecorino, Potato and Anchovy Flatbread Pizza with Lemon Zest on a Gluten free Crust
I know, I know. I'm lactose intolerant. Why am I writing about a recipe with Italian sheep's milk cheese? Because life's too short. And just a little bit won't kill me. So what if my digestion was unhappy for a few days? Worth it. I could blame Yotam Ottolenghi and his … [Read more...] about Pecorino, Potato and Anchovy Flatbread Pizza with Lemon Zest on a Gluten free Crust
How to Throw a Vegan Ethiopian Dinner Party and Make Your Friends Eat Off the Table
All I'd told my dinner party guests was that I'd be making an Ethiopian feast. Gluten free injera from scratch and a multitude of berbere-spiced stewed dishes. What I didn't tell them was that we were going to eat the meal with our hands...directly off of the table. Yes, I took … [Read more...] about How to Throw a Vegan Ethiopian Dinner Party and Make Your Friends Eat Off the Table
The 9th Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza: Sushi (and a Surprise!)
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you'll know that every year my family has a massive Christmas party in Newfoundland called an at-home, where friends and friends-of-friends drop by for a few hours in the afternoon on their way to other Christmas parties, most likely. … [Read more...] about The 9th Annual Volk/Watson Christmas Extravaganza: Sushi (and a Surprise!)