All posts filed under: Dinner

Cedar Plank Salmon Burgers

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This Canada Day, I am grilling up the perfect west coast Canadian recipe: Cedar Plank Salmon Burgers! On the west coast of Canada, we love to eat fresh, wild salmon. While there are many species of salmon available, my favourite has to be sockeye salmon. It’s deep rich orange flesh is so succulent, full of omegas, and is always juicy– there’s nothing else like it! Buying Salmon Fillets I picked up my salmon fillets from my favourite seafood store in Victoria, Finest at Sea. They always have a great selection of seafood available and it is always fresh! Not only is their seafood fantastic, I love that they tell you exactly where the seafood was harvested along the coast of B.C.– and even what fishing vessel caught it! Bringing this awareness to the customer is amazing and really makes me appreciate my seafood every time I get it! While I used sockeye salmon in this recipe, you can use whatever variety of salmon you prefer– pink, spring, coho, you name it! Just make sure that …

Maltese Stuffed Artichokes

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Of all the delicious spring vegetables that are in season right now, the gorgeous globe artichoke is one of my favourites. Not only do they taste amazing when cooked, I love the springy, flower-like look of them in general. When uncooked, the tightly packed, overlapping leaves on the artichoke looks like a budding flower, and then when it’s all cooked, the leaves open up and it looks like it has magically bloomed. So cute! Every Rose Has It’s Thorns If you have ever heard the saying “every rose has it’s thorns”, this definitely applies to the artichoke…almost literally. The most prized part of the artichoke is the heart. When cooked, it is soft, creamy and meaty and is definitely the reward of the vegetable. But to get to the heart, you have to get passed the prickly leaves and spiny thistle inside of it. At the center of the artichoke, there is a thistle called the “choke”. While you probably won’t actually choke if you ate it, it would definitely be very uncomfortable to swallow …

Thai Red Curry Noodles

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While we may have lots of time at home these days to cook and experiment with new recipes while staying at home, sometimes you just want a quick and easy meal made with just a few ingredients. Or even better, a quick and easy meal made with ingredients that you already have in your fridge and pantry!  These Thai Red Curry Noodles are super simple and come together in under 20 minutes. Plus this recipe can be easily adapted to use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge as well as to any vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian diet.  Exploring the Fridge and Pantry If you take a look in your fridge and pantry, I guarantee that you will find a few ingredients that you’ve had in there for a long time. In the fridge, my condiment drawers on the door of my fridge is the main culprit, as it often has a mix of frequently used condiments and sauces, or really old ones that have only been used one or twice. Similarly, when I dive …

Sausage, Kale & White Bean Soup

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Recipe developed by Melissa (@seasonserveblog) and Amy (@figscheeseandchampignon) in collaboration with Amelia (@tastingvictoria). Words and photos by Melissa (@seasonserveblog) Today, I am sharing a one-pot recipe for Sausage, Kale and White Bean Soup. This recipe is simple to make and uses fresh and local ingredients. Plus, it comes together in less than one hour, so this is a perfect meal for any night of the week! A Traditional Italian Soup with a West Coast Spin White bean soup is a classic Italian recipe that I grew up eating for most of my life. Originating in Tuscany, this thick and hearty soup is known as ‘Ribollita’ (i.e. ‘reboiled’) and is made with white beans and any leftover vegetables and bread that one may have on hand.  The beauty of this soup is that it changes based on the seasons, what is locally available, and the chef’s own taste, so there are various recipes and adaptations of this original soup recipe.  But today, I’m taking this recipe and adopting it for the west coast with locally made …

Gochujang Chicken Thighs

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Now that it is dark outside super early, I am finding that I want quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes even more. But as the cold weather moves in, I want something more than meat and potatoes or soup. I want to enjoy something spicy, aromatic and lively during these dull times, and this recipe for Gochujang Chicken Thighs does the trick! What is Gochujang? Gochujang is a spicy, savoury and slightly sweet chili paste from Korea. It has s complex flavour, but works well in a wide range of Korean dishes, especially savoury ones. This paste is extremely thick as it is made from glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and dried red chilies and comes in a paste form. Gochujang can also vary in terms of spice levels, ranging from mild to hot. Since I love spicy foods, I always go for the ‘hot’ spice level for my recipes! Not sure if you’ve had gochujang before? Well, if you’ve ever had any Korean food (Korean Fried Chicken, Kimchi Jiggae, and even kimchi itself), it is …

Squid Ink Arancini

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Happy Halloween, everyone! I know I am a day early, but I had to post this haunting recipe so that you can make it to celebrate to spookiest day of the year! This year, I came up with terrifying (yet delicious) Squid Ink Arancini– and they’re perfect for serving at any Halloween party you may be hosting or attending! A Spooky Twist on an Italian Classic Arancini are simply deep fried rice balls. They are made of risotto (often leftovers from a previous meal) and are typically deep fried and served with marinara or another similar tomato sauce. They are a classic Italian appetizer recipe as they are a small 2-3 bites in size, but they can sometimes be large enough to be served as a main dish as well. Of course, since rice is a blank canvas, there are so many flavours that you can add to the risotto itself! Mushroom, squash, or even my Spring Veggie Risotto are all delicious and classic risotto flavours. However, in this recipe, I opted to keep it …

Traditional Thanksgiving Menu 2019

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Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! This year, I went all out and cooked a delicious Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate the holiday. I mean, do I never not go all out for holiday cooking?! Our dinner consisted of two appetizers, three side dishes, one main, and one dessert. Now I know you must be thinking that that’s a lot of food for just David and I, but this year we had some help from a few special family members that were visiting us on Vancouver Island. Plus, we ate leftovers for about 4 days afterwards! If you are curious as to what we ate, and to get some ideas for your Thanksgiving dinner (especially my American friends), read on down below OR watch my YouTube video to see how to make these recipes and get some helpful entertaining tips! Appetizers Miso-Kabocha Squash Dip Apart from being vegan and gluten-free, this appetizer was absolutely delicious! The combination of the sweet squash and salty miso are a perfect pairing–especially this time of year. I served this …

Summer Tomato & Rosemary Focaccia

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One of the best ways to tell that summer is here (other than the heat) is all the fresh garden produce that is available. I’m so happy to see fresh cucumber, zucchini, beans, figs, and my all time favourite: tomatoes! You can’t beat sweet, juicy and incredibly flavourful, summer tomatoes! Whether they are red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green tomatoes, or fancy heirloom tomatoes, you have to gorge yourself on them while they are in season! Plus, since they are so easy to grow and have a high crop yield, they end up being dirt cheap at the grocery stores during the summer! I’m all for that! Tomatoes are an incredibly versatile fruit and can be prepared in many ways. You can simply eat them fresh with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper, make them into tomato sauce to serve with pasta, or even dry them out to make sundried tomatoes. The possibilities are literally endless with tomatoes! But no matter which way you prepare them, they will always pair perfectly …

Cedar Plank Salmon

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This Canada Day, I am grilling up the perfect west coast Canadian recipe: Cedar Planked Salmon. On the west coast of Canada, we love to eat fresh, wild salmon. While there are many species of salmon available, my favourite has to be sockeye salmon. It’s deep rich orange flesh is so succulent, full of omegas, and is always juicy– there’s nothing else like it! I picked up my salmon fillets from my favourite seafood store in Victoria, Finest at Sea. They always have a great selection of seafood available and it is always fresh! Not only is their seafood fantastic, I love that they tell you exactly where the seafood was harvested along the coast of B.C.– and even what fishing vessel caught it! Bringing this awareness to the customer is amazing and really makes me appreciate my seafood every time I get it! While I used sockeye salmon in this recipe, you can use whatever variety of salmon you prefer– pink, spring, coho, you name it! Just make sure that it is fresh and …

Cumin Lamb Skewers

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As the days get hotter, I am preparing to send BBQ season into full swing! While I love hamburgers, veggies, and chicken on the grill, I sometimes like to treat myself with something special, like these delicious Cumin Lamb Skewers. These Cumin Lamb Skewers were inspired by the delicious variety of skewers at one of my favourite barbecue restaurants in Vancouver: Happy Tree House BBQ. While the name of the restaurant may be a little crazy, the food is totally on point! They have a variety of skewers available (that come pre-BBQd) including beef, chicken, seafood, chicken skin, and lamb. Spice Up Your BBQ this Summer! Since it’s a northern Chinese restaurant, that means the food is seasoned with lots of spices to give it amazing flavour. All their skewers come with this amazing cumin and chili spice on them. It’s spicy and smoky and just makes you want to keep eating them! Since I haven’t been to Vancouver in a while, I’ve been missing them and decided to recreate them at home! I bought …