Smoking Good

If it wasn't for Luke, I think that I would completely eliminate fish from my diet and become a true vegetarian. But since he loves fish so much, I have merely cut back on how much fish we eat. We try to eat sustainable and local fish and that's easier than you might think, especially because we live on Vancouver Island. 

Since today is his birthday, I've been making a lot of special fish meals to try and figure out his perfect birthday dinner. Because he has been talking about spending the day out on a boat, I needed a recipe that would quick to make and still special and delicious. 

I think I came up with the perfect dish, a Smoked Tuna Pasta with Preserved Lemon and Mint. 

Luck of the Irish

It's March 16 today and I bet a few of you are planning on celebrating St. Patrick's Day today. I bet some of you are looking for green food to whip up, some of you are looking for an easy and yummy meal to soak up some of the Irish brews you'll be enjoying later, and maybe a few of you are looking for a recipe you can make for a date. Whatever the case, I think that today's dish will bring the luck of the Irish to you.

Today's dish is green, easy to make and filling, and fanciest enough looking to be perfect to make for someone special. It's only fancy looking though, so don't get worried. It's not really fancy...

Read on for my take on a Veggie and Shrimp Barley Risotto. It's inspired by one from Food Network Canada. 

Awesome Veggie Sandwich Encore

The other day I shared a yummy sandwich with you and it got me thinking that the world needs more vegetarian sandwiches. So what could I do but create another amazingly yummy veggie sandwich. This one is filled to the brim with fresh flavours that I think you might normally associate with a farmer's market, so that's what I'm calling it - The Farmer's Market Sandwich. 

Now who wouldn't want a sandwich like this? 

Martha Madness

Even in Martha's darkness days, I was a fan. I was never I fan of what she did to get into those darkest days, but I was always a fan of her cooking because Martha makes good, honest food. 

I love Martha's Meatless cookbook. I have flagged a ton of recipes to try and I know that even if you're not keen in eating meatless everyday, that you'd love a lot of her recipes in Meatless too. 

Today I am sharing my spin on Martha's Arugula, Potato, and Green Bean Salad with Creamy Walnut Dressing. I've substituted asparagus for Martha's green beans and changed her dressing a little too by adding a little curry to the party with my Curried Citrus Yogurt Sauce, but both options are as tasty as can be. :) 

Trick of the Eyes

I love hollandaise sauce. It's rich, creamy, and decadent. It's a perfect accompaniment to breakfast or to dinner. And it's a treat because its not very good for you as it's made almost entirely of butter and eggs. 

All that being said, the sauce I'm about to share with you isn't a hollandaise. But, don't worry because I don't think you'll be disappointed after you taste it. It's a curried yogurt sauce that's sweetened with honey and citrus. Plus, it's takes only a small fraction of the time to make it that it would to make a hollandaise. 

Sweet and Spicy

Sweet and spicy flavours always seem to pair together really well and though I like to think I have a good memory, I am usually surprised at the success of dishes that are both sweet and spicy. 

Today's post is all about a great rub for salmon that you can whip up in a flash. I think the salmon pairs really well with a risotto, but you could serve it with whatever you like. 

I also think that serving a piece of salmon on top of a pile of risotto looks very restaurant worthy. Luke disagrees because he doesn't like to have to move his fish off his side dish to cut it. 

What do you prefer? Piled high in the sky presentation or side by side presentation? 

The Best of Bread

I enter a lot of recipe contests. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I make it into the finals, and sometimes I win. Honestly, most of the time I lose...

Last month I entered quite a few recipes into contests about bread and not one of the recipes I entered made it into the finals. That's ok, though, because you while I didn't win anything, I created a lot of yummy recipes that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise!

This week (and probably next week too) I'll be sharing all of my newest recipes I created when racking my brain to come up with entries for this last round of contests. Who knows, maybe you'll think one of them is a winner!

Here's the first of the bunch, Bread and Butter Fish - the new crispy "skinned" fish!

The Two Hundred!!

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate my 200th blog post than to share a recipe featuring bacon. 

You might think it's cheating because bacon tastes so good, but I don't think so. I think bacon could be seen as a main food group and I've really been neglecting it in the last few weeks. 

In fact, I think it's high time I've used bacon in a recipe and I am very sorry for not including it more often!

This potato salad is a delicious spring celebration of roasted asparagus, pesto, bacon, and and crunchy celery. Plus, we get to revisit a few of my favourite blog posts (if you want to make your own pesto and roast your asparagus). 

So, let's not wait any longer. I'm already drooling and wishing my last batch wasn't already gone; we've got to make some of this now!

Roasted and Toasted

I love winter cooking because it's full of comfort food. But that doesn't mean I don't miss summer food during the winter too. 

One of the things I especially miss is barbecuing. I love the smell of the grill and the taste of gently charred food. Only gently charred, and it's always done on purpose. :)

I know you're probably thinking that I mean steaks and burgers, but actually one of my favourite things to grill is asparagus. 

I know that sounds weird, but once you try it - you'll be hooked. I'll be sure to show you my tips when it gets warmer. 

Here's a way to make asparagus in your oven. It's sure to make your dreams of summer grilling come true. 

Creamy and Dreamy

I love asparagus. It's very versatile and equally tasty. 

You can steam it, BBQ it, roast it, pan fry it, and pretty much do anything you want to it. 

One way I had not tried asparagus was in a soup. I didn't think that the delicate veggie would stand up to be in a pot of hot soup long enough for me to finish eating it all. I thought it would fall apart and go mushy. 

But when my mom told how my Papa brought up a batch of creamy and delicious asparagus soup, I just knew I had to try it. And let me tell you, it was delicious. 

Before you read my recipe below, try and think of what you bet could be in it. Think hard and I bet there is one ingredient on the list that you won't name. It sure surprised me. 

So thanks for the soup recipe Papa, hopefully I can pass along a few more recipes your way too!