I was at Costco and saw these cute little small eggplants and I had to buy them. I was cruising Tastespotting, as I so often do, and I stumbled across these miso-glazed eggplant. If you all know me, you know my obsession with miso- I made these that night for dinner! It was delicious.

I cooked these on a sil-pat on a baking tray, and the glaze that ran off the eggplant and on to the sil-pat was just pure candy- it was soo sweet and delicious. I think that when …

I had a brand new package of organic bulgur that had been sitting in my pantry for way to long. I wanted to make something other than the traditional tabbouleh with it (don’t get me wrong though, I enjoy tabbouleh!) I found a fantastic recipe from Bittersweet and as soon as I saw it had miso in it, I was sold! I was so impressed with this recipe, it sounds so simple but simple really is best here. My mom and I have been enjoying this over the past couple …

My garden’s lettuce box has been growing like crazy and we have an abundance of arugula, salad bowl lettuce, mesclun green, and romaine. I love love love our romaine- it’s sooo crisp and fresh and you can’t get more local than your very own backyard. I decided to make a caesar salad, because it was a perfect way to showcase this lovely lettuce. My friend was over for dinner and she couldn’t get over how good the salad tasted- she was sure it was the homegrown lettuce! This is a …

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 …

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 …

Here we are, already setting the clocks ahead and getting ready for Spring! We’ve been having unusually sunny weather here in Vancouver for most of February and then suddenly got snow this week, and now the sun is back, trying to make an appearance! Strange strange strange. Regardless of the weather, I decided to make a light, refreshing and healthy pea soup. Anything to do with peas just tastes like Spring to me- the flavour is so fresh! This made a pretty big batch, but I’ll definitely be freezing it …

Earlier in the week, in one of my culinary classes, we were all asked to bring in a dish that represents comfort food for us. We then headed to the kitchen and go to explain the dish we brought, and then share it with the class. One of my favourites was what my Chef brought in. He is from the Middle East, and he made beautiful, soft, homemade pita bread with hummus, a fava bean dish called Fool Meudane, and wonderful falafel. I was so impressed and inspired that I …

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 …

I love eating salads, but I often add some protein in the form of seafood to them. I recently had a great salad made with lettuce, cherry tomatoes, about half of an avocado, goat cheese, and these orange-chipotle shrimp. I think these shrimp would make a great filling for shrimp tacos, as well! There really aren’t exact amounts of each ingredient for this recipe. Just use however much shrimp you want, and make sure there is enough marinade to coat them all!
Orange-Chipotle Shrimp

about 2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce
juice …

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 …