All posts tagged: Winter

Soup Series: Beef Stew with Dumplings

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I couldn’t get through my #SoupSeries without including a meat-based soup. And while this isn’t a soup, I still think that this qualifies to be in the series since: 1) it’s warming, 2) contains rich broth and veggies and 3) makes you feel all cozy inside. So here it is, my recipe for Beef Stew with Dumplings. While soups and stews can contain both meat and veggies, they are a bit different. The main difference between a soup and a stew is consistency. Obviously a stew is thicker (i.e. not as watery) because it uses less stock or water in the recipe. Also, while others may not 100% agree with me on this, the size of the chunks of meat and veggies are much larger in a stew than a soup. I love biting into a big, tender piece of meat or carrot. It just makes it seem much more hearty, rich and filling! To make a great beef stew you need to build lots of flavour at the beginning when you are cooking the …

Soup Series: Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic Soup

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Just like I mentioned in my Fried Cauliflower with Coconut-Curry Dipping Sauce post, I can’t seem to get enough of cauliflower these days. I love the dense and hearty texture of this cruciferous vegetable in the late fall and early winter. It just seems to really fill you up and keep you warm. Speaking of keeping you warm, you wouldn’t suppose this yummy veggie would keep you EXTRA warm in soup form? Hey, I’m looking for any heat I can get- it is the rainy season after all! So there it is, in all its cauliflower and garlicky glory, Cauliflower and Roasted Garlic soup! My partner and I had a version of this soup last spring at Artisan Eats Cafe on Bowen Island. It was so warm and comforting on this cold day, and that view was really amazing! I however, could have done without the semi-burnt toast and tons of cream in the soup. But from the first spoonful, I knew I had to make this at home! And clearly it was a very memorable …

Soup Series: Homemade Congee

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Looks like the dreary rainy weather has finally set in here in Vancouver. Up to today, I have not seen the sun in two weeks, which is fairly typical for the southern coast of BC during this time of year, but caught a glimpse of it today for about three hours, before it got dark again. I really love the rain, I jut hate when it rains incessantly for months on end. Plus it is dark, cold and just not welcoming at all. But being the eternal optimist that I am, I am choosing to make the bet of this situation and look at the silver lining of these rain clouds. How, you ask? Through indulging in the most warming and comforting meal there is: SOUP! The beginnings of vegetable broth ❤ I could honestly eat soup every day for the rest of my life and never get bored of it. There are so many different variations of soup including bisques, chowder, broths, stews, chili, and so on. Plus, there are so many ingredients that …

Rosemary Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce

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Now, there’s nothing that says “I’m an adult” more than cooking yourself a roast beef. I mean- who does that besides moms and grandmas? Not any young adult I know! While cooking a roast beef can be a bit daunting, it is actually really easy as the oven does most of the work. Just follow these four tricks and you will have a nice, juicy roast- perfect for Sunday suppers! The first trick is to take the roast beef out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you want to cook it. Allowing the roast to warm up to room temperature ensures that it cooks much more evenly throughout. If the center of the roast is still cold, then it won’t cook evenly, leaving you with an overcooked outside and a rare middle. The second trick is to sear the roast before baking in the oven. After rubbing the beef with olive oil, seasoning with salt, pepper and dried rosemary, and stuffing it with garlic, I use a well-seasoned cast iron pan to sear the roast on …

Basic Betch-table Soup

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Today was another typical Sunday. I woke up, made a breakfast of egg white omelette and a smoothie, make a fresh press of Starbucks coffee, lit my Basalm-scented candle, and sat around in my leggings browsing Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube all day. The same content appears across all three of these platforms: food (of course), style, workout moves, puppies and kitties, DIYs, more food, travel, motivational quotes, you get the picture- there is a total basic betch vibe going on. I’ve only been called a basic betch once- by my friend Stephen, when I was making this soup. You see, Stephen was over and I was telling him how I wanted to shed a few pounds. I jokingly told Stephen that I was only going to drink vodka sodas, do Pilates, and eat this basic vegetable soup to do it. Stephen, being as witty as he is, laughed to himself then turned around and said “No, you mean you’re going to eat Basic Betch-table Soup“. I died. I loved it. The name was perfect. And hence, …

Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger and Honey

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Over the past few days, it has been very cold, but we finally have sun! Like so sunny to the point that there’s not a cloud in the sky- very peculiar for Vancouver winters. Despite the cold, these days have me reminiscing of those beautiful, warm, sunny days of summer at the beach… and how I would give anything to be back there again. While the sun is still around, I am going to take full advantage of it’s positive, happy, summery vibes. I’m even going to increase the happy summer vibes even more with my delicious and healthy breakfast of Broiled Grapefruit with Ginger and Honey. Not only is grapefruit a lovely bright fruit that just screams happiness and summer, it’s also in season! #CitrusSeason 😀 Obviously, we can’t grow grapefruit in BC, but we can definitely import it from warmer countries to enjoy while they are in season. I had this breakfast for the first time at a cute little B&B in Victoria, BC a few years ago and I have been making it ever since. I …

Winter Fruit Salad

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Nowadays, it’s typical for every fruit and vegetable in the grocery store to have a passport. In Canada, this makes sense as the majority of the country is frozen during our long winters, which makes it difficult to grow food (other than what can be grown in a greenhouse). In reality, our fruit season is relatively short- from June to late October- depending on where you are in Canada and what you are growing…so thank goodness for imports! During this time of year, many fruits that are sold in BC and throughout Canada are imported from warmer climates- particularly from California, Florida, and Mexico. While these fruits aren’t local, we still need to eat fruit to get our vitamins and to stay healthy. This Winter Fruit Salad combines the most flavourful fruits of the season from all over the world together in salad form. In my fruit salad, I used oranges (Florida, USA), clementines (Spain), kiwi (New Zealand), pomegranate (California, USA), pears (Italy), and good ol’ Canadian apples (Okanagan, BC). Wow- fruits from three continents! …