Just this, right now. A bunch of peeled apples, quite a bit of time cooking, a bit of immersion blending, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, and a bit of maple syrup made by friends of ours… It makes the house smell amazing. I’m so grateful for apples, especially local apples, and everything to do with…
Category: Zesty Kitchen
Foodiness, recipes, tip-sharing, cook-y moments…
Instant Pot Moroccan Lentils with Sweet Potatoes – Gratitude Day 5
Tonight – and every night that we eat it – I’m super-grateful for this recipe for Moroccan Lentils. The version we make is based on a recipe by Gena Hamshaw from her book Power Plates. Her version is available online at acouplecooks.com. Ours is adjusted according to our tastes and to be oil-free. We were…
Oil-Free Vegan Basil Pesto
One of my favourite things ever is basil pesto. For some reason, however, I don’t often think to make it. Probably because I feel like I should only make it when it’s “buy fresh basil by the bushel” season. I’ve eaten it even more rarely since Sean and I started following (most of the time)…
Butterbeer Recipes to Complete Your Gryffindor Evening
Here’s one way to spice up a chilly, post-holiday evening in January that might otherwise be a bit melancholy: BUTTERBEER. It’s all part of this complete Gryffindor Evening that you, too, can have for just one monthly instalment of candles and squashy pillows. Let your Harry Potter geek flag fly. I’m not trying to make…
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – Two-Minute Book Review
Title: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – A Year of Food Life Author: Barbara Kingsolver, with Stephen L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver Other works: (by Barbara) The Poisonwood Bible, Prodigal Summer, Small Wonder, The Lacuna, The Bean Trees, etc. Recommended by: Book Club! I also find that Kingsolver’s work recommends more of itself to be read. Genre: Non-fiction/Cooking/Poetry…
100 Happy Days – Day 30: Pumpkin Waffles
As I mentioned, we had a pumpkin that needed to be eaten, starting with the seeds. Here’s what I did with the rest of it, using Adam’s recipe. (Adam is the author of the Intimidating Liège Waffle Recipe I tried during my Waffle Odyssey. He’s also a very interesting guy and a good sport, as it turns…
100 Happy Days – Day 25: Black Lentils
I’ll be honest. This day was a hectic, somewhat crappy day. One of those days when my kids are simultaneously screaming before 8:30 a.m.; also, one of those days when I asked myself, “Why did I become a teacher again?” Sigh. BUT. There was this bag of mysterious legumes I’d accidentally bought months ago, thinking they were…
100 Happy Days – Day 24: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Our pie pumpkin was frozen on the doorstep after the first snows. Time to toast seeds! I followed this advice for getting them plump and salty, and then golden-brown. MMMMMmmmmm! SO TASTY. (Plus: antioxidants, mineral nutrients – especially zinc, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.) *** [ad name=”Med Rec”] ***
Black Raspberry Cobbler: Summer with a Spoon
This week, in Southwestern Ontario, has been that magical time of year when strawberries and raspberries overlap in their ripening. Last Tuesday, I finally got to pick black raspberries at our local berry farm. Just to clarify: black raspberries are not to be confused with blackberries, which look similar but A) are not raspberries, B)…
What to Feed the Vegetarians at your Holiday Gathering
I’ve been to my fair share of holiday gatherings as the lone vegetarian. I know people get really excited about their turkey/ham/roast/whathaveyou, and spend a lot of time and energy – and money too – to make it fantastic. And I can relate, to a certain extent; even though I’ve been a vegetarian since the…