All posts filed under: Dinner

Vegan Kabocha Squash Curry

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Seasonal squash gets a spicy twist in this recipe for Vegan Kabocha Squash Curry. Kabocha squash is simmered in a flavourful Thai Red Curry sauce with other fresh vegetables. Served with freshly steamed rice, and you have a spicy vegan recipe that is perfect for fall and winter! What is Kabocha Squash? Kabocha is a type of winter squash that is in season during the fall months. It grows through the summer in a long trailing vine (just like a pumpkin) and produces gorgeous green-skinned squash by September. If stored in a cool and dark place, it will keep throughout the winter months, so you can enjoy the squash even in the cold months of February. Although kabocha is green on the outside, if you cut one open, you will see that the flesh is a beautiful golden orange colour. The overall flavour of kabocha squash is almost like a chestnut with lots of nutty notes. It also has a dense texture, very similar to a taro root. Plus, the skin is actually edible and …

Smoked Gouda, Garlic & Cauliflower Soup

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Soup season is here! With the days getting darker and colder, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up and have a delicious bowl of hearty soup. This Smoked Gouda, Garlic & Cauliflower Soup is comforting fall recipe in itself. However, it gets a refreshing bite with the addition of a fresh herb and crunchy garlic garnish.  Read on down below on how to make this tasty soup recipe! Recipe in collaboration with Red Barn Market.

Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops

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If you’re looking for a recipe with ALL the flavours of fall, these Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops are it! Pork chops are stewed in fresh apples and onions that get nice and soft and tender. Plus to add a bit more zip, I add black pepper, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar. Local honey rounds out this entire recipe making it slightly sweet and bringing all these delicious fall flavours together! Honeycrisp: The Apple of Choice For these Apple Cider & Honey Pork Chops, my apple of choice is the Honeycrisp apple. This is probably one of my favourite apples to eat during the fall since they are sweet and tangy. They’re also called ‘Honeycrisp‘ for a reason as they are incredibly crunchy and juicy! When cooked, Honeycrisp apples also retain their shape fairly well and have a nice soft texture. Honeycrisp apples are a beautiful red colour with yellow underneath. Inside, the flesh is a nice firm texture and is a very light yellow, almost white, in colour. When buying Honeycrisp apples, …

3 Cozy Fall Meal Prep Recipes – Perfect for Back to School

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Fall is upon us and that means eating lots of cozy and comforting meals! Today, I’m sharing three fall recipes: Traditional Shepherd’s Pie, Garden Tomato Soup, and Butternut Squash & Sage Pasta! While some of these recipes may take a bit of time, it’s nothing a little meal prepping can’t solve! I love to meal prep this time fo year since I’m often really busy and it helps me make good choices, especially when it comes to dinner. If you have not tried meal prepping before, give it a go with these recipes! This way, you can enjoy these three comforting fall recipes any time this season! 🍂 🍁 Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Shepherd’s Pie is the comfort food of all comfort foods! I went super traditional and used ground lamb in this recipe, but if you aren’t a fan of lamb, you can substitute it with ground beef. I think this recipe is super comforting because it has all the elements of a traditional Sunday dinner– just in pie form. You have your meat, your …

Corn Cheese Fritters

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If you have ever had the pleasure of eating a dish called “corn cheese” at a Korean restaurant, you will know exactly what these Corn Cheese Fritters taste like! I was inspired by this popular Korean BBQ recipe and decided to make it into mini corn fritters. These Cheese Corn Fritters are sweet, cheesy, and creamy, just like the original recipe! A Hybrid Corn Creation The first time that I had corn cheese at a Korean BBQ restaurant, my mind was blown! I did not know that something so simple as corn could taste even better than it already does. In the traditional Korean recipe, corn kernels are tossed with mayo, scallions, and sometimes peppers before being placed into a buttered cast-iron skillet and topped with mozzarella cheese. The cheese melts and becomes all stringy and gooey, which you can scoop up and eat with BBQ meats (or on it’s own). I have not had this recipe since moving to Victoria, BC and I was really craving it, so I decided to make a slightly …

Healthy Summer Meal Ideas

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Out of all the seasons, I believe summer is the easiest one to eat super healthy, delicious foods. Over the past few months, I have admittedly gained some extra pounds from stress about all the things going on in the world, having to re-plan our wedding due to COVID-19, and from an unforeseen basement renovation! Crazy times! If you were in a similar situation or just looking to get healthy, I have a selection of healthy and easy summer recipe ideas to help you shed a few pounds before fall arrives. 4 Healthy Summer Recipes Greek Chicken Bowl This Greek Chicken Bowl is super healthy and gives you a variety of vegetables, protein and fats in one meal! This recipe is great warm as well as cold, and is perfect for meal prep! Steamed Fish This Steamed Fish is delicious and healthy! Made with ginger, garlic, scallions and soy sauce, this recipe will transport you to Asia in just one bite! This recipe is very lean but is incredible flavourful and surprisingly filling! Bruschetta Chicken …

Gochujang Chicken Wings

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If you can’t decide between spicy or sweet chicken wings, these Gochujang Chicken Wings are the best of both worlds! This recipe uses delicious Korean Gochujang paste, local honey, and a few other simple ingredients. These Gochujang Chicken Wings are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed at any occasion including a fancy cocktail party, on game day, or even on a weeknight! A Healthier Version of Korean Fried Chicken This recipe for Gochujang Chicken Wings are inspired by the spicy yangnyeom chicken that you get at Korean fried chicken restaurants. If you have not had yangnyeom Korean fried chicken yet, you have to try it! You can get it at Chicken 649, Chimac Korean Fried Chicken, and Thunderbird Korean Fried Chicken in Victoria.  But instead of the chicken being battered and deep-fried as they do at Korean Fried Chicken restaurants, these chicken wings get a healthier twist by being baked until crispy and then brushed in a delicious spicy and sweet sauce. These wings are also incredibly easy to make and you only need six …

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 …