After months of preparation, this weekend we held a surprise wedding shower for my cousin’s wife-to-be. There was plenty of decorating, and of course, FOOD involved. I also made a wedding shower cake, and I will be making their wedding cake in a few weeks time, as well. I thought I would share with you a little of what was served that night.

The spread: curried asparagus bites, tapenade tomatoes, prosciutto-fig roll ups, stuffed mushrooms, goat cheese-peppercorn potatoes, asian noodle salad, mexican salad, spinach salad, orzo salad, roast beef bunwiches, tortellini skewers, chicken wings, smoked salmon crackers, shrimp on melba toast, tomato tart, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, and a big veggie platter

The cake was a white cake layered with raspberry curd and chocolate ganache, with plenty of white chocolate Italian Buttercream.

Inside shot:

Look how surprised the bride was when she turned that corner and we all shouted surprise! (She thought she was coming over for a BBQ with my brother and I)

And my mama and I:

I really wanted to try making a dish that I haven’t made before…in fact, I have never even liked dolmades- until I made these! I chose to make a completely vegan version and I was really happy with the results. Dolmades are basically a rice mixture (sometimes with ground meat, or vegetables) wrapped in grape leaves. You can find grape leaves at specialty grocery stores, but I was lucky enough to purchase them from this great little restaurant in Vancouver. I have been eating their awesome falafel wraps on pretty much a weekly basis lately, with my friend, as we attend bartending school (did I mention I was doing bar school!? It’s so much fun!!). They also happen to sell a few items like grape leaves, hummus, dates, etc. and I will definitely be doing a proper review on the restaurant in the next couple of weeks- they’re so nice and make such good food! When I picked up a jar of grape leaves to buy, the man at the till was so kind and he asked me what I was doing with them. I told him I was making vegetarian dolmades and he gave me all kinds of tips to make them just like his mom used to- how cool!! I took some liberty in making these though and probably used some unconventional ingredients, but it’s all about the end result You can definitely roll the dolmades a couple days ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you want to cook them.

Vegan Dolmades

• about 35 grape leaves, rinsed in warm water for about 30 minutes to wash off the brine, drained, and patted dry, and stems trimmed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1/2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 long grain white rice ( I used basmati…)
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1-2 tbsp tomato paste

Line a large saucepan with about 5 of your grape leaves (use the torn or damaged ones if you have any). Set aside.

In a skillet, heat a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the green onions, and cook, stirring once in awhile until soft. Add pine nuts and currants and stir, let cook for about 2 minutes. Add dill, mint, salt, and rice and cook for about a minute.

Add 3/4 cup of vegetable stock, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer about ten minutes. Stir in peas and turn off heat (keep covered).

Lay out a grape leaf (vein side up) and place one tbsp of the filling into the middle of the leaf.

Fold the bottom stem end up over the filling, fold in the sides and roll toward the top of the leaf. Repeat with all the remaining leaves. This is where you can stick them in the fridge for a couple days before cooking, if you so choose.

If you want to cook them now, put them in your large saucepan that you had previously lined with grape leaves in a single layer. ( I had some double layers because I’m a rebel)

Drizzle with a tsbp of olive oil and add the remaining vegetable stock, and the tomato paste into the pot. Add more vegetable stock if necessary so that the dolmades are pretty much covered. In case you’re wondering, that blob is my tomato paste….it was frozen.

Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer for about 1 hour, until the rice is tender. Lift them out of the pot and you can eat them warm, or cooled. I had them with tzatziki! Enjoy!!

This has to be one of the most delicious ways to eat kale. It’s such a simple preparation but I could munch away on these kale chips forever! Forget potato chips or chocolate- this is my kind of treat!

Kale is an amazing vegetable. Besides looking super cool, it is rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin C, and calcium. There’s about a bazillion other nutrients you get when you eat kale and all for extremely few calories. I’ll definitely be adding kale to my ‘to-grow’ list for my garden!

Baked Kale Chips

• 1 head of green kale
• a tbsp olive oil
• pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200 F. Wash the kale and dry it well. Tear the kale into smaller pieces (get rid of the tough middle stem). In a bowl, toss it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, remove and toss the kale, place in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, until dry and crisp. Enjoy!

This is a unique, and ultra creamy soup. The subtle chamomile flavours pokes through the dish just enough for one to taste it, but not identify it. The chamomile tea takes the place of any herbs and spices, and a nice pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper is all you need to enhance the lovely flavour of the soup. This soup took about 20 minutes to make- it was so simple. I love how the cauliflower is just so creamy and smooth, without the addition of any actual cream- or any dairy at all, for that matter. For a vegan soup, I think absolutely anyone would enjoy this.

Chamomile comes from a flowering plant of the daisy family. It has been used for centuries to help with insomnia, anxiety, skin conditions, headaches and stomach problems. The smell of chamomile just brings relaxation to mind. This soup is a great way to enjoy chamomile in a form other than tea.

Chamomile Cauliflower Soup (adapted from Cooking with Tea)

• 7 chamomile tea bags
• 3 cups water
• 1 head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• chopped frresh parsley, for garnish
• olive oil, for garnish

Boil the water and tea bags in a large saucepan for 5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and squeeze the excess liquid into the pan. Add the cauliflower to the tea, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid.

In a small saucepan, saute the shallot and celery in the olive oil until the shallot is clear. Put in a blender with the cauliflower, plenty of salt and pepper to taste, and a cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Blend until smooth and add more liquid if necessary until desired thickness is reached. Pour into bowls, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly chopped parsley, and enjoy!

So I have dabbled in a couple of raw food dishes, such as the raw cheesecake I tried in the summer. I’m feeling a bit less than myself lately and was sick over the past week or so. Because I am in pastry school, I find myself consuming a lot of sugar, and I basically went from a near zero sugar diet, to one where I’m bringing home cakes, pies, tarts, and bread several times a week, and while a lot gets shoved in the freezer right away, it’s the odd bites that catch up to us. I want to start cleansing my diet again, as my school winds down, and wean myself off the sugar once more. I thought a good place to start would be a raw food dish, and though I don’t necessarily think that having a completely raw diet is the best diet, I know that I can count on raw food recipes to provide light, healthy nourishment. I got the recipe from here and only slightly modified it. I really enjoyed the dressing and used it on several salads I had in the following day or two. This was a very nice lunch, and also a great side dish at dinner. Enjoy!

Raw Vegetable Pasta

Dressing:

• 1 inch ginger
• 3/4-1 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp sesame oil (toasted)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 tbsp mellow white miso
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• zest of one orange
• 1/3 cup water

Blend in a blender or food processor until creamy and emulsified.

Pasta:

• 1 large zucchini, sliced with a vegetable peeler
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced into matchsticks
• 1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks
• 1/2 small cucumber, grated
• Scallions or green onion to garnish
• Sprinkle of raw sliced nuts of your choice
• handful of cilantro, chopped

Prepare and mix all veggies, save the scallions or green onion. Toss them with 1/4 cup sauce, adding more if necessary, and sprinkle with scallions. Sprinkle with sliced nuts and cilantro.

I feel like it’s been longer than usual inbetween posts for me. I have had midterms all of last week, so I was a bit busy studying (or trying to….). Honestly, who can study with the excitement of the Olympics coming up in just under a week! I can’t wait to have some fun amidst all the chaos and hectic activities downtown. And now onto the food….

I really wanted to make something sort of unique, and cute. I decided on Herb & Feta Polenta with Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade. I had never made polenta before and I think I had only tried it once. I really like the look of these for appetizers- they are easy to make and can need to be made ahead of time. The polenta has a pretty neutral flavour with just a bit of feta in each bite-sized cake. The sun-dried tomato tapenade livens it up with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and black olives. Try these for some classy superbowl hors d’oeuvres

Herb & Feta Polenta with Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade (adapted from Vegetarian Food for Friends)

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp polenta or yellow cornmeal
• 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 tsp of dried dill
• sea salt and black pepper
• sliced black olives

• 2 oz sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar overnight
• 1/3 olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 tsp red chili flakes
• small handful of fresh basil

Polenta:

In a saucepan, combine butter, olive oil, garlic and scallions and cook until scallions are translucent- a couple minutes. Pour in boiling water, add polenta in a steady stream whisking the whole time to prevent lumps. Cook until polenta thickens and starts forming large bubbles. Stir in feta, dill, salt and pepper. Pour into a well-greased 8 inch square baking pan. Smooth the top of the polenta. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Cut out approximately 16 rounds with a 2-inch diameter cookie cutter. Top with a spoonful of tapenade and 2-3 slices of olive. Garnish with fresh dill or cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Tapenade:

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, and put in a blender with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, and basil. Process until fairly smooth, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Lately I have been wanting to create a recipe for healthier spring rolls. When I was younger I used to love eating spring rolls, dipped in plenty of plum sauce, but these days I rarely eat them. I thought about making spring rolls that were baked, instead of deep fried, and when one of my classmates in culinary school was offering up a package of spring roll wrappers, I jumped on the chance. They sat in my freezer for about a month- until tonight, that is. I have been trying to stay away from soy products (besides fermented soy, like miso, and soy sauce) but I can’t stand wasting food, so I decided to use up a pack of organic tofu I had in the fridge. I actually marinaded the tofu for about a day and I really liked how much flavour it took on. I could use a little practice on my spring roll wrapping technique, but this finished product was delicious. Instead of plum sauce, I made an almond butter sauce and it was wonderful paired with the rolls.

Baked Spring Rolls with Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

Tofu:

• 1 package extra firm organic tofu cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• pinch of red chili flakes
• 4 drops of stevia (or, of course a sprinkle of sugar or honey)

Combine all the ingredients in a shallow dish and let marinade for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, bake for 12 minutes.

Spring Rolls:

• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
• 1 can water chestnuts, diced
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• pinch of red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp each- minced garlic, ginger, lemon grass (I used a bottled paste of each of these, otherwise, sauté these together until garlic is cooked), sesame oil
• baked tofu, cut into thin strips
• 8 x 8 spring roll wrappers
• sesame oil, for brushing

Combine carrot, pepper, water chestnuts, scallions in a bowl with chili flakes, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and sesame oil. Take a spring roll wrapper in front of you so it looks like a diamond. Take a few strips of tofu, carrots, peppers, water chestnuts, and scallions, and place on the bottom end of the wrapper. Roll the bottom over the filling, tuck the sides of the wrapper in, and roll like a cigar. Place on a lined sheet pan, seam side down and brush with sesame oil. Repeat until all filling has been used (just eyeball the amounts!). Preheat the oven to 400 F and cook spring rolls for 8 minutes. Flip over, brush with oil and cook for 5 more minutes.

Almond Butter Dipping Sauce (Adapted from Rebar):

• 1/4 cup smooth almond butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp honey
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Blend all ingredients in food processor, or by hand, with a whisk.

I love Japanese food and I go out for Japanese food almost weekly. There are some great local sushi places that are super cheap and produce great food- I’m addicted. Some of my favourites are the crab miso soup, gomae (spinach in a peanut dressing), sunomono salad, california rolls, spider rolls (sushi with deep fried soft shell crab in it) and sesame broccoli salad. Instead of going out tonight (the Canucks are playing, I can’t miss that!) I decided to stay in and create a Japanese inspired meal of my own. I started with a Sunomono Salad straight out of the Cookbook of the Month, “Rebar”. It did not dissapoint! Though a different style than the ones I usually have, it was fantastic. I got to dust off the ol’ bottle of sake and use some ingredients I don’t use often. I realize that I love making Japanese food because the aesthetics of it are so key. It’s so much fun to make food and work extra hard to make it look beautiful.

Sunomono Salad (Adapted from Rebar Cookbook) Serves 2

• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tbsp honey (or use mirin if you want it completely vegan)
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• fresh lemon juice to taste
• 100 g rice vermicelli (the really skinny ones)

Bring the sake to a boil in a small pot. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the honey. Allow to cool a bit, and then add the rest of the liquid ingredients. Chill. When ready to use, add lemon juice to taste.

Cook the rice noodles according to the package. Drain and rinse very well under cold water. Split between two serving bowls.

Add the liquid until the noodles are almost submerged. Garnish the dish with avocados, thinly sliced lemon, cucumber, julienne carrots and white sesame seeds.

A few days ago my mom bought me a lovely piece of tuna and I was eager to use it. I did a bit of searching to find something fun that would go with my sunomono salad, and I decided on a dish from….”Dish”. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the show Dish on the food network, hosted by Trish Magwood, but she makes really simple and fun foods for various events for her clients. The tuna was originally supposed to be raw, but I thought a quick sear would make it better, as my tuna had spent some time in the freezer and I wanted to perk it up. I also used Vegenaise instead of mayonnaise, because frankly, I prefer the flavour and the fact there are no egg yolks in it.

Cucumber Tuna Rolls (Adapted from Dish)

• 1 English cucumber
• Enough tuna for how many rolls you need (about 1 lb  should do)
• 2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Wasabi
• 1/4 cup Vegenaise (or mayonnaise)
• 1/4 tsp Sambal Oelek (or hot chili paste)

Mix together the black sesame seeds, sesame oil, and freshly cracked pepper in a bowl.

Lightly oil a saute pan and heat to medium high heat. Season your tuna with salt and pepper, and place into pan. Sear for about 30 seconds one side and remove.

Dice tuna into a 1-inch dice and toss into sesame oil mixture. Reserve.

Use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to cut long strips from the cucumber.

Take a strip of cucumber, add a couple of pieces of diced tuna at one end, and a small dot of wasabi at the other end. Roll up the roll like sushi, and use the wasabi to secure the end. Repeat with the rest of tuna and cucumber.

Mix the Vegenaise and Sambal Oelek together and place a small dollop on top of each roll. Add black sesame seeds to garnish. Serve and enjoy!

All in all, this meal was a total winner, and I would love to recreate it sometime for friends. Try it yourself!

I love eating salad….what could be better than a big pile of vegetables in a delicious dressing. A few weeks ago I made a roasted beet salad and it was absolutely divine. The roasted beets are matched up with aspargus and blue cheese and amazing candied walnuts, all tied together in a super citrus-y orange vinaigrette. This is one of the best salads I’ve had in a long time…I definitely went back for seconds! This would be great to make for company, instead of a boring ceasar salad or green salad with the all-too-typical (yet tasty, don’t get me wrong!) balsamic vinaigrette.

Roasted Beet Salad (adapted from KCTS Cooks Salads)

• 4 medium beets, tops trimmed
• 1tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 8 cups mixed baby greens (these can be left out in order to just make a side dish with aspargus/beets/walnuts/etc)
• 1 apple (I used Graventstein from my apple tree)
• 1/2 cups walnuts
• 3 tbsp sugar ( I used organic unrefined cane sugar)
• 6-8 asparagus spears
• 1/4 cup blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss beets with olive oil, salt, pepper. Place in shallow baking dish and bake for 40-60 minutes (until tender). Cool beets slightly and then remove skins and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Wash and drain greens and cut apple into small chunks. Place sugar in a frying pan and heat until melted. Add walnuts and stir to coat. Turn nuts onto a lightly oiled dish to cool, then coarsely chop.

Wash and trim asparagus, then cut into pieces and blanch 1-2 minutes and then plunge into cold water. Drain.

Combine all elements together, drizzle with orange vinaigrette and sprinkle with blue cheese.

Orange Vinaigrette

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients and whisk in oil.

On another note…I start my full-time cooking school experience on Monday!!!!! (Before I was only taking one class). Now I really get to step into the kitchen and learn and I couldn’t be more excited….and slightly nervous! You may have noticed a new tab at the top of my blog, entitled ‘culinary’. By clicking this tab, you will be located to posts purely about my cooking school experience. I will continue to blog about food + recipes (of course!!!) but I hope you also will enjoy reading about the mayhem I will create for myself in cooking school bahahah. They don’t know what they’ve gotten themselves into!!

Yes…that is me as a young’n with who knows what on my face (let’s just hope it’s face paint). For some reason I always closed one eye in pictures when I was a kid….

When you’re in need of a light meal, salad seems to be the number one option. I say, why not add a little protein to boost your energy and make that small meal last. I love a good salad with some sort of seafood- prawns, crab, calamari. In this case, I chose a recipe for a spinach salad with scallops. The baby spinach is delicate enough to be used with scallops. A crunchy romaine would not go well with this. I also added in some arugula for it’s peppery taste. I love the glaze- it’s simple and has a great asian-influenced flavour.

Baby Spinach with Ginger-Glazed Scallops (adapted from Williams-Sonoma Salads)

• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 4 tsp grapeseed oil
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp peeled, grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• baby spinach and arugula
• 8 sea scallops (about 1/2 lb) (* If your scallops are frozen, make sure they are completely thawed and dried or the glaze will not stick.)

In a small saucepan combine the shallots and the orange juice and let stand for about 10 minutes. Add the lime and lemon juices and place pan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid has reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 1/2 tsp oil and 1/4 tsp salt.

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, ginger, honey, and mustard to make a glaze and set aside.

In a frying pan large enough for all the scallops, warm the remaining oil over medium high heat. Add the scallops and sear, turning once, until they are golden (about 30 seconds each side). Add the glaze and reduce heat to low. Turn the scallops in the mixture for about 45 seconds.

Place baby spinach and arugula on serving plates and drizzle with orange juice dressing. Top them with the glazed scallops. Add any remaining glaze from the pan on top. Enjoy!