If you’re among the many who by choice or out of necessity eat gluten free, you know that the bread options are often very sad. Cardboard-like in both taste and texture, suitable only for toasting, many gluten free breads can leave a lot to be desired. Despair no more! There’s a game-changing recipe and it’s guaranteed to make eating a gluten-free OR a low-carb diet a whole lot happier.
We often think of candles, music, or wine as being essential when setting the table for a romantic evening, but what you serve can have a big impact too. Research has proven that some of the delicious foods we associate with romance do, in fact, have an ... ahem .... stimulating effect. Check out these seven delicious options for the next time you want to put seduction on your menu.
Put your hand up if you have a secret chocolate stash. Desk drawer? Highest kitchen cupboard? Bedside table? On the rare occasion that my kids would find my hidden chocolate, I’d usually shamelessly look them in the eye and say something like, “oh, you wouldn’t like that chocolate. It’s too strong/spicy/fruity.”
Pesto is one of my favourite things to make because it’s so versatile and delicious. I’m a big fan of traditional basil pesto, but I also love it made with sun dried tomatoes, garlic scapes, or roasted red peppers. I love making big batches of various kinds of pesto then freezing them in small containers. It thaws quickly and I use it to stuff mushroom caps, add creaminess to salad dressings and even to give a soups a big flavour perk-up.
If you’ve ever been to a resort in the Caribbean, you’ve probably experienced the delicious awesomeness that is flambéed bananas. Halved bananas cooked in a buttery, sugary sauce with a generous splash of rum – it’s one of my favourite desserts ever. Sometimes called Bananas Foster, I was thinking about ways to present the same flavours in a new dish and realized that they would be fantastic in egg roll form.
Every year, I try to do something different and creative for each of my family member’s birthdays. Plastic worms crawling out of a dirt-coloured cake? Done that. Purple purse cake with blue licorice handles? Yup. Playmobil rock climbers using candy handholds on a cake resembling an upright slab of granite? Check.
I often think about the geniuses who came up with combinations like peanut butter and chocolate, baked potatoes and sour cream, popcorn and butter or Buffalo wings and ranch dressing. Taking two great things and putting them together is just brilliant.
Miso soup is one of the quintessential Japanese comfort foods, and is making its way into the mainstream elsewhere because it’s both delicious and incredibly nutritious. Most miso soup recipes call for a collection of hard-to-find ingredients like kombu and dashi but this version delivers all the flavour with more common elements. Look for miso at your local farmers’ market or health food store; you can store it, tightly sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 18 months.
Nothing’s more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup. For me, it conjures up happy childhood memories while also making me feel very good about using up odds and ends of food in my freezer. I’ve been known to eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it’s one of the most-requested dishes I provide to friends, especially when they’re under the weather. Many of my creations don’t follow a specific recipe; I’m often a ‘handful of this, handful of that’ cook when it comes to soup.
I remember when I first started hosting dinner parties, I had a huge new respect for my mother. I was struggling to prepare a simple meat-starch-vegetable meal for four people and I couldn’t seem to get everything coordinated so all three elements would be ready at the same time.
I don’t want to get all Grinchy about fruitcake, but seriously, the gorgeous weather in September shoved all thoughts of starting Christmas food preparations way back then completely out of my mind. I do love the flavour of traditional fruitcake (I’m a light cake lover, definitely NOT dark fruitcake), but just cannot get my act together to spend months on an expensive dish that might be underappreciated by some to whom it gets served.
One of my biggest sanity savers is keeping a few basic party supplies on hand at all times. That way, if I want to be spontaneous and either invite people over on the spur of the moment, or accept an invitation where I know I’ll be expected to contribute food, I don’t have to panic. The three recipes below are made primarily from fridge, freezer or shelf-stable foods, making it easy to whip them up on short notice. Not only are they a cinch to make, they’re all gluten free!
While I’m not one to turn on my outdoor Christmas lights until December 1st, I will confess that ‘eggnog season’ starts for me as soon as I see the first blooms on my Christmas cacti. Lucky for me, these low-maintenance plants began blooming in abundance in early November this year. Bring on the ‘nog! The tricky thing is that I’m the only one in my family who likes the stuff, so I have a dilemma: buy a bottle of the good stuff and over-indulge, or get a carton of the grocery store stuff, drink one glass, and let the rest spoil in the fridge.
There are so many sweet treats associated with the holiday season that I occasionally like to come up with some less-sugary options. These pretzel bites are so easy – they’re the perfect kid-friendly project. It’s easy to find gluten-free pretzels at large supermarkets or health food stores. Use your favourite dried fruit, or a combination of several for a more intriguing flavour; you can also use mint chocolate chips if that’s an appealing taste.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase "collect memories, not things." In my opinion, family travel is one of the very best ways to accumulate a collection of unforgettable memories. A special trip is truly the gift that keeps on giving and something to consider instead of disposable items that can’t possibly be as cherished as much as a shared adventure can be.
Tourtière, the classic French-Canadian meat pie, is a holiday favourite of many Canadians, including those with and without French roots. Part of a traditional reveillon – a long dinner held on Christmas Eve – tourtière includes a combination of savoury and sweet spices that give it a distinctive and oh so appealing taste. For those who find a mostly-meat version a little on the heavy side, I’ve lightened up the texture a little in this recipe by adding in a lot of chopped vegetables.
Roasted nuts are always popular over the holidays, though I have to confess I love to make and eat them all year 'round. They're the perfect afternoon pick-me-up at work and keep me from reaching for chocolate or caffeine. They’re also fantastic gifts for hard-to-buy individuals; after all, who doesn’t appreciate a delicious, handmade treat prepared with love?
I’m often asked why my house frequently smells like freshly-baked cookies. The answer is simple—I always have homemade cookie dough in my freezer so I can quickly bake up sweet treats when cravings hit. Not only do freshly-baked cookies always taste (and smell!) the best, cookie dough stores beautifully in the freezer for several months. My friends and family have become so fond of my frozen cookie dough, they now ask for it as gifts! So, each year I try to come up with something new to surprise them.
When my cousin showed me a photo of this impressive-looking dish, I knew I had to figure out a way to replicate it. It’s the ideal way to make pasta look fancy without a whole lot of fuss. In fact, it would be the perfect thing to serve at a kids’ birthday party, because almost every kid I’ve ever met loves pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese.
These savoury delights are the perfect thing for people who don’t have a sweet tooth. Not as crisp as crackers, these spicy cheddar cookies have a nice texture and delicious flavour thanks to both the cheese and cayenne; they make lovely cocktail party nibbles or hostess gifts.
