black bean & tomato soup May 13, 2008

This is probably the easiest meal we put together in our kitchen on a fairly regular basis.  Its roots are found in the CPHA’s publication, The Basic Shelf Cookbook, which is something I feel every household should have a copy of.  I don’t actually own the book right now (and before you call me a hypocrite you should know that I’ve owned the book and given it away at least 7 times.)  The contents are brilliant on a fundamental level: simple meals comprised largely of ingredients with long shelf lives which focus on maintaining nutritional integrity.  It can be ordered here for CDN $7.50.

My recipe differs from the original by a couple of steps and ingredients but still maintains the inherent simplicity while stepping up the flavour quotient a couple of notches.  Oh, and it’s entirely vegan if you omit the cheese or replace it with a soy based cheese.

What you need:

1tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. coriander, ground

1 tsp. cumin, ground

1 medium sized cooking onion, finely chopped (vidalias and reds are my favourites for this soup)

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 cans of diced tomatoes (or jars if you do your own)

1 can of black beans (or soak the dried kind if you want to)

1 can of sweet or baby corn (or use leftovers if you’ve got ‘em)

2 cups of vegetable broth (or dissolve 2 cubes/packets of bouillon-esque stuff in your 2 cups of boiling water)

1 tbsp dried or 1/4 cup fresh oregano

1 tbsp dried or 1/4 cup fresh basil

A pretty, fresh herb and some cheese for garnish (I’ve got cilantro and cheddar in the pic above but parsley &/or basil are great alternatives to the cilantro if you don’t have any on hand.

Toast the spices in a large pot over medium-high heat until fragrant.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the tablespoon of olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, sweat the onions and garlic in it for 3-4 minutes or until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, corn, beans & stock.  Up the heat again to medium-high and keep it there, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a low boil.  Stir in the herbs.  Move to large bowls and garnish.

geeky gadget lust March 25, 2008

Oh my but I do need one of these. You can buy me one here.

On Rice & Words December 7, 2007

Quick! Go give Free Rice!

Expand your vocabulary and donate rice to needy countries!

Here’s what the Beeb has to say about it.

And just in case you’re not convinced, here’s what Snopes has to say about it.

There are plenty of other supporters out there too. Check it out. Don’t tell me it’s not addictive.

Mama loves her manhattans November 20, 2007

I’ve started this post a few times and each one seemed to become more long-winded than the one prior. Lesson learned is that it’s difficult to write about something so close to one’s heart, something a girl could feel so passionate about. So I’ll keep this v. 18.5 of my manhattan recipe short and sweet.

Without further ado, let me introduce to my three good friends; Martini Rosse, Danfield’s Private Reserve Rye Whiskey and Angostura’s (brilliant) Bitters.

They are the special ingredients in this favourite cocktail o’ mine. Next, meet Mr. Jigger:

I love my jigger almost as much as I love my manhattans. His two parts complete the whole. They’re essential to the overall balance.

Okay…here’s the recipe:

2 ice cubes

1.5 ounces Danfield’s

1 ounce Martini Rosso

6 shakes from the little bottle o’ bitters

Served in my favourite manhattan glass; a repurposed bottle of Maria’s mole sauce. Dunno what it is but there’s something about getting a noseful of manhattany vapours before reaching in to taste it which makes this glass perfect.

retail therapy September 17, 2007

I spent Saturday in an only slightly traumatic bridal gown hunt in North York’s Retail Outlet Alley on Orfus Road – not for myself but for a bride to be come June of 2008. As an act of retaliation we stopped into The Grande Cheese Factory Outlet and, Hark! The payday fairies graced me with a meager sum to spend on gastronomical idolatry of the primarily Italian Epicurean variety.

I was a good girl, though, and only came back with a few token items which are difficult to find in this fair city:

1. Pickled hot peppers. I almost went for the cheese filled ones but decided on these for their pizza adornment potential.
2. An olive oil and herb infusion for gussying up red sauces.
3. A grilling marinade for my favourite meats: eggplant and mushrooms.
4. Fig jam…with double creme brie on baguette? Need I say more?
5. Smoked provolone. I almost bought a whole round of this.
6. Hot sopressata calabrese. Though this stuff is a wonderful antipasto, I plan to experiment with its nutmeg and cinnamon flavours in a very inauthentic carbonara-esque sauce over the used-to-be-fresh pasta sitting in our freezer right now.
7. Balkan-style pistachio halva. By far the best candy in the world. I may have to hide it from the kids for a while.

I also came back with cheap gnocchi and a kilo of feta (which I’ll split with my shopping partners). I truly wish I had taken the camera to give you a glimpse of the variety of items in stock there – everything from bulk taralli to truffle oil. I fully intend to make the trip back to North York before Christmas so I may stuff my trademark goodie baskets with delights from this place for loved ones.

vacation eats and product endorsement July 10, 2007

It’s vacation time. In our world this basically consists of not being at work, tying up loose ends on the domestic front (I WILL get that bookshelf painted) and eating a lot of easy yummy foods.

15 minutes of prep time with everyone working for the better good produces a delicious breakfast of BBQ grilled tomato and mozarella sandwiches on pumpernickel and a simple spinach and blueberry salad.

Product Plug: Though ‘Asian Silk’ sounds more like something found in the boudoir, I’m happy to keep this stuff in my fridge. It’s a little spritzy bottle of salad dressing made by Hellmann’s and it’s pretty good stuff. All of the label lit is guaged in 10 squirt serving sizes but I’ve never needed to use that much and that it squirts rather than pours all over the place is genius as it gives coverage control and I’m notorious for getting distracted and over-pouring dressings.