Author: Melissa

Easy Cauliflower Gratin

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Cauliflower is all the rage these days and can be seen in everything from rice to pasta to pizza. While I love that this vegetable is so versatile and can be transformed into these low-carb options, my favourite way to eat cauliflower is in this Cauliflower Gratin. Topped with Parmesan cheese, panko breadcrumbs, and a bit of butter, this dish is sure to satisfy everyone! Plus, now that this cruciferous vegetable has now come into season (and will be around until December!), a great way to celebrate it is at Easter dinner! Just look at all those spring vibes! The Gratin Technique This is by far, the easiest gratin you will ever make. If you have never heard of a gratin before, it is simply a French culinary technique whereby a dish is topped with breadcrumbs and some type of cheese. The breadcrumbs and cheese become crispy when baked and offer a crunchy texture to the dish. Typically, gratins are made with thinly sliced potatoes that become softened during the baking process. Rather than taking …

Quiche Florentine

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No matter what time of day, quiche is always a good idea. You can serve it for breakfast or brunch as a protein-packed way to start the day. You can serve it as a light lunch or dinner with a side salad. Or you can just eat a slice for a snack! No matter what, it will always be satisfying and will taste delicious…especially if you use my recipe for Quiche Florentine! The Meaning of ‘Florentine’ If you have had anything in a ‘Florentine’ style before, you will know that spinach is going to be involved in the recipe. This ‘Florentine’ style comes from France where recipes were served on a bed of spinach. Who knew? Of course, this Quiche Florentine is packed full of spinach (about 8 cups worth) along with some other tasty ingredients including shallots, eggs and cheese. Crust is Necessary One if the beauties of quiche is that you can modify the filling however you please, but ALWAYS make it with a crust! I feel that it’s the proper way to …

Lemon & Herb Salmon Burgers

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As you may have recently seen on my Instagram, I have collaborated with my good friend Liisa (@Essential_oil_health) to give away a few of my favourite essential oils. Not only are essential oils great for diffusing into the air and making your home smell amazing, you can actually use them in cooking (in small amounts of course)! This month, we are giving away a bottles of essential oil from DoTERRA: Lemon and Lime. We thought that these oils would be perfect for spring since they are so uplifting and refreshing, and can be used in tons of recipes, like this one for Lemon & Herb Salmon Burgers! There is not a can of salmon in sight with this recipe—it is made with fresh salmon fillet. I really prefer fresh salmon as opposed to canned salmon since it’s often less pungent and less cat food-y…if you know what I mean. I like to cook with sockeye salmon, but when it is out of season, it can be quite expensive. As an alternative, I like to cook …

Radish Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Spring has officially sprung! Now that we have made it through winter and there are nothing but warmer days ahead, there are so many fun activities…and fresh new foods to look forward to! To kick off the spring, I am featuring a recipe with the quintessential veggie of season: the radish. Radishes are incredibly refreshing and light. They are a great alternative to heavy winter veggies that we have been eating for the past 6 months or so. I particularly enjoy the crunchiness and peppery taste of radishes. Plus, radishes come in so many varieties and colours that they are just beautiful to look at! 10/10 refreshing… In this recipe for Radishes with Lemon Vinaigrette, traditional red radishes are thinly sliced and are combined with creamy white beans, chopped dill, and parsley. Everything is tossed together in a beautiful refreshing lemon vinaigrette. This salad gets better over time, but don’t let it sit too long or else the radishes will get mushy… I say 1-2 days tops. But it won’t last that long anyways…it’s that …

Magic Green Sauce

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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! While people may be out celebrating with pints of green coloured beer, I’m celebrating with something a bit healthier. This Magic Green Sauce is healthy and 100% vegan– and it’s truly magical! So never mind that imaginary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This Magic Green Sauce is for real and anyone can enjoy it on just about anything! Creamy, fresh and a tad spicy- this Magic Green Sauce is great on anything! The Magical Ingredient(s) The magical ingredient in this Magic Green Sauce is…avocado! Everyone goes head-over-heels for this delectable fruit because it is so creamy. I use that to my advantage in this Magic Green Sauce to make the sauce super smooth. The avocado is also relatively neutral in flavour, so it can hold up to all the flavour that some key herbs are packing. I use the dynamic duo of parsley and cilantro to bring tons of flavour and vibrant green colour to this sauce. A little bit of jalapeño and garlic adds a nice …

A Guide to Asian Sauces (Part 1): Soy Sauce & Spicy Sauces

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I have been cooking and experimenting with a lot of Asian dishes lately, and I’ve been getting lots of questions on the different types of ingredients I use (especially via my Instagram). While I think that Asian dishes are made best by using the freshest, local and seasonal ingredients, I think that sauces play a huge component in making an Asian dish truly delicious! So I’m giving you the “sauce” this week on the blog– focusing on Soy Sauce and Spicy Asian sauces! There are tons more Asian sauces that I also want to mention, so look out for part 2 of this mini informative series next week! Keep reading below to learn about some staple Asian ingredients you should have in your pantry, how they’re made, what they taste like, and what to cook with them! The most beautiful family portrait <3 Soy Sauces Background: Soy sauce is probably the most widely recognized Asian sauce in the world. Its salty flavour makes it an extremely versatile sauce that can be used in a variety …

Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger and Honey

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I have been going through my previous posts and I noticed that I haven’t posted a breakfast recipe in a while! Shame on me! I know that breakfast can vary throughout the week–from a quick bowl of granola or a smoothie on a weekday to an elegant spread of pancakes or perhaps some smoked salmon bagels on the weekend. There’s a lot of in between! One great breakfast dish that is suitable for either a weekday or a weekend is this recipe for Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger and Honey. It has a beautiful presentation and it can be made in just a few minutes, which is perfect for those busy weekday mornings! Seasonal and local ingredients As with most of my recipes, I like to focus on seasonal and local ingredients. While we unfortunately cannot grow grapefruits here, I opted to use them since they are in season right now. Actually, they are close to being out of season, which means spring is coming!!! I used the ruby red variety for the beautiful bright pink …

Chocolate Ganache Tart

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Love is sweet. Love is salty. Love is this Chocolate Ganache Tart. If there is one thing that I must have every Valentine’s Day, it’s got to be a chocolate dessert. And when I say chocolate dessert, I mean pure chocolate. No chocolate covered fruit or anything like that– chocolate must be the star! This year, I would have to say that I hit it out of the park with this sinfully rich Chocolate Ganache Tart! This tart is so decadent (thanks to two kinds of chocolate and some whipping cream) that you only need to eat a small slice to get that chocolate fix. This is great since this tart can be shared amongst a large group of people, or enjoyed over the course of a few days by you and your loved one! 😉 Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate There are two basic elements to this Chocolate Ganache Tart. First is the chocolate tart base that gets its chocolate flavour from unsweetened cocoa powder. The second (and arguably the most impressive) is the …

Homemade Hot Chocolate

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If you’re fed up with all snow and the cold weather we have been having lately, a cup of Homemade Hot Chocolate is just what you need. Rather than buying a pre-made hot chocolate mix that is full of preservatives and unnecessary ingredients, I encourage you to make your own. Not only is it super easy, you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry! Pantry Staples & Fancy Additions Simply combine some unsweetened cocoa powder, granulated white sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a pot of warm milk and you will have a rich and creamy hot chocolate in under 10 minutes! You can use whatever milk you like, but my favourite is 2% milk from our local BC dairy farmers! While this is a basic recipe, you can also go all out and add whatever toppings you like. I like to keep it pretty simple with whipped cream and maybe a sprinkle of chocolate chips. But if you want to take it up a notch you can add chocolate shavings, a cinnamon stick, …

Dine Around Victoria 2019

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Dine Around Victoria is one of the most anticipated foodie events of the year. During late January to mid-February, restaurants across the city are on their A-game, showcasing their best dishes for us hungry customers. This year, a total of 57 restaurants took part in this event, and offered set-price, three course menus at various price points ranging from $20-$50.  While I wish I could have gone to many more restaurants this Dine Around season, I managed to get out to two fabulous local restaurants. With the festival all wrapped up for 2019, I thought I would tell you about the great experience I had and to hopefully inspire you to get out and enjoy this event next year! Disclaimer: I am not interested in writing restaurant reviews, and by no means is this one. I just want to share my experiences (that both happened to be fantastic) during Dine Around Victoria. Little Jumbo Little Jumbo is Victoria’s best kept secret. This restaurant serves up some of the best local West Coast/Canadian casual cuisine that I’ve …