eat your veggies

If you're like me, you are always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to serve vegetables. Perhaps you fancy yourself something of a French woman in training. Or maybe you identify as a whole foods enthusiast. Or a part-time vegan, for that matter. You may be a mom looking to pack nutrients into little kids' diets. Or a First Lady hoping to inspire a nation to eat well (with a hip-hop album!). Or maybe you just happen to believe, as I do, that vegetables are the answer to most problems in life.

Whatever the case may be, when it comes to greens, I'm guessing we can all agree that more is probably better. 

But finding ways to actually get the 7-10 servings a day that we're all encouraged to eat is another matter entirely. And so I am always pleased when I find a yummy veg recipe that works at any meal. 

Zucchini pancakes, friends, are just that. These delicious jack-of-all-trades are a hit at breakfast, as a side dish for eggs. They are magnificent eaten cold at lunch, with a simple beet or carrot salad. And they are equally lovely at dinner, warm with a dollop of sour cream and a crisp green salad. Zucchini fritters are great for picnics and potlucks and road trips, but I have to say that they are especially nice served at sunset summer suppers. As you place a platter of these veggie-packed bad boys on the table, feel free let your guests know that Mrs. Obama would approve. 

Zucchini Pancakes
Adapted from allrecipe.com
Makes 20 pancakes

2 cups of grated zucchini
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons of chopped green onions
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 punch of dried oregano
vegetable oil for frying

1. Grate zucchini and then press into a colander to squeeze out excess liquid. Dab with paper towels. The more moisture you get out, the crispier your pancakes will be.
2. Mix together the zucchini, eggs and green onions.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cheese, baking powder, salt and oregano.
4. Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. It is important to get the pan good and hot. Drop spoonfuls of batter into oil. Fry on each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and serve. 

cooking for a crowd

I tend to do my best cooking alone in the kitchen, with nothing on my mind other than a quiet solo dinner. I listen to CBC radio as I putter, or perhaps some Drake or Lauryn Hill, and a sense of contentment steals over me. Chop, stir, muse, taste. There is nobody to please but myself. From this serenity, flavours emerge. As the wonderful food writer Tamar Adler might put it: lettuce and salad dressing join forces harmoniously; noodles embrace sauce; cheeses melt beautifully, oozing gratitude. A relaxed state of mind encourages food to become its best self. 

Unfortunately – and I have learned this the hard way, folks – the reverse is also true. If I am scattered or pressed for time or even slightly anxious, the results are never good. Dishes that I have cooked a dozen times take on alien tastes or consistencies. They resent the lack of attention; they refuse to cooperate. 

And here's the thing: when a bunch of people come to dinner, I am never particularly relaxed. They are at my table and I want to feed them well, but this wanting to feed them well gets in the way of actually doing so. Add to that: they understandably want to talk to me when they arrive. But I can't seem to be able to be present for my lovely guests and give my demanding little dishes the focus they require.

So I no longer try to do both. These days, for dinner parties, I serve things that are ridiculously reliable, super simple and can be made ahead – slowly, quietly, thoughtfully. Like this lasagna. It is straightforward, yields enough to feed a party and is so delicious that I now field regular requests for it. Add an easy peasy green salad, a platter of cut tomatoes strewn with buffalo mozzarella and drizzled with oil and balsamic vinegar and a basket of good bread, and bob's your uncle, you have a satisfying spread.

Next time you entertain, do yourself a favour and have this lasagna bubbling in the oven before your charming friends come knocking on your door.

Easy does it lasagna
Adapted from Chatelaine magazine
Makes 8 servings

1 lb ground beef
double batch of Life-Changing Tomato Sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
handful of basil leaves, chopped
3/4 box of oven-ready lasagna noodles
475g container ricotta cheese
340g package of pre-shredded Italian cheese (I swear by the President's Choice version, which has mozzarella, parmesan and provolone)

1. Preheat oven to 500F. 
2. Lightly brown beef in saucepan, breaking up meat, for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sauce. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add basil.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with layer of noodles. Using a tablespoon, drop half of ricotta evenly over noodles. (Do not spread.)  Spoon half of remaining sauce on top. Sprinkle with handful of cheese. 
4. Add another layer of noodles, ricotta, sauce (reserving a few spoons, as this will help the top from drying out) and cheese. 
5. Top with a layer of noodles and reserved sauce. Gently press noodles into sauce. Evenly sprinkle with remaining cheese. 
6. Lay a piece of foil overtop. Seal shut. Place lasagna in centre of oven and reduce heat to 400F. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until lasagna is hot in centre, from 20 to 30 more minutes.
7. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting, as you make sparkling conversation. 

life-changing tomato sauce

I am of the opinion that if you have a good tomato sauce recipe in your repertoire, you are well on your way to becoming a decent home cook. If you have mastered that, after all, you can make winning pastas and lasagnas and pizzas and all manner of sloppy sandwiches. Moreover, you have glimpsed the reality that all things are possible.

This recipe is the first tomato sauce I ever tried and also happens to be the best.

There is nothing in the world like the smell of garlic sizzling in olive oil, and, minutes later, the taste of a rich, hearty tomato sauce. It’s the epitome of comfort.

Also: enormously handy in a pinch. When I am on a budget, I make this sauce. When I get home from work at nine o’clock, famished, and have nothing in the fridge, I make this sauce. When I have friends coming over for dinner on a weeknight (what was I thinking?), I make this sauce. I wouldn’t even dream of ordering takeout. Why would I?

This recipe is happily available online, and I have taken to recommending it to people frequently. I can’t tell you how many have made their first forays in the kitchen with it. I converted all of my non-cooking family and friends – and then I was forced to branch out. 

Recently I was getting my face made up when I sung its praises to the makeup artist, who until then had only ever used jarred sauces. The next time that I arrived in her chair, she greeted me with an enormous hug and raved about how the sauce had changed her life. Then she took extra long on my makeup. So you'd be surprised what a humble little tomato sauce can do for you.

Magic Tomato Sauce

Adapted from David Rocco's Dolce Vita (one of my fave cookbooks)

Serves 4

3 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, put through garlic press

pinch of chili flakes

796 ml can of roma tomatoes (no extra seasoning)

salt, to taste

1. Rinse tomatoes under water to get rid of seeds. Place in bowl with juice. Break up tomatoes with your hands. Set aside.

2. Pour olive oil into frying pan and add garlic and chili flakes. Heat over medium heat until garlic is fragrant but not browned.

3. Add tomatoes. Simmer and allow to reduce for 20-30 minutes, depending on the consistency you like.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta of your choosing.

Note: this recipe is a wonderful foundation for all sorts of pasta dishes. Feel free to add grated Parmesan cheese, cracked black pepper, chopped basil or Italian flat-leaf parsley, capers, black olives or even walnuts.

in defense of dinner

I'm a sucker for an easy recipe. Give me a handful of ingredients and a couple of easy steps to follow and I am automatically intrigued. I want recipes to be quick and reliable – and to yield food so delicious that you crave it for days after it's all eaten up. And if it looks insanely appetizing on top of all that? Forget about it. 

Pretty sure that this was how home cooks operated for hundreds of years, before we went and made things all complicated for ourselves. Before takeout and prepared foods and restaurants on every block, before the mass exodus from kitchens across North America, people made the same food week after week, year after year. So it had to be fast. And it had to easy. And it had to taste darn good. 

Being the sentimental soul that I am, I often get nostalgic for the days when dinner reigned supreme. In my home growing up, my mother cooked every night and we all sat down together. Her wholesome repertoire – a mix of rustic French country cooking, proper British fare and hippie health food – was the backdrop of our lives. The delicate bacon quiches and the creamy cauliflower soups, the rich shepherd's pies and egg custards, the tasty whole wheat pizzas and sprouted salads, it all infused the mundane routines of daily life with pleasure and comfort and beauty. 

All of this is why I am determined to follow her lead. And what better way to do that than with her recipes? My mother's macaroni and cheese recipe was handed down from her mum – a wonderful home cook – and now she is passing it on to me. This dish is a firm favorite with the family, and it's super simple to throw together. I like to serve it with a fresh salad. Here's the easiest one I know. 

This is humble home food and so one might be reluctant to serve it to guests. But you know what? If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it's that we are all starved for a little humble home food. So I'm never surprised when friends see this on the table and breathe a nice long sigh of relief.  


Mum's mac & cheese
Serves 4 small portions

2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup of milk
1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping 
1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
chopped parsley, to taste
grated parmesan cheese, to taste
breadcrumbs, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Place a pot of salted water on to boil.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in separate saucepan and then stir in flour slowly, stirring. Brown slightly and take off heat. Stir in milk gradually. 
3. Return to heat and stir continuously until it thickens into a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in cup of cheese. (By the way, for this dish, it's worth shelling out for top quality cheese.)
4. Cook pasta following directions on package, drain and stir in cheese sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a baking dish. 
5. Top with bread crumbs, extra cheddar, parmesan and parsley and place under broiler to melt until cheese bubbles and browns.

Insalata verde a.k.a. the easiest salad you'll ever make
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Rome: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World by Chuck Williams
Serves 4

5 cups of lettuce
3 green onions, white parts only, thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Wash and dry greens.
2. Place onions in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add vinegar, then oil.
3. Lay greens on top of dressing and sprinkle with a little more salt. Leave salad for an hour or so while you prepare the rest of the meal.
4. Just before serving, toss the salad well, making sure the leaves are coated in oil. 

paradise for plant-eating pals

Sometimes things are just so right. Like when you put on a new album, and within seconds of when the beat drops you know that it's going to be everything you'd hoped for. You know that you will forget that you are listening to music at all, in fact, and instead just experience the vastness of life. You know? Or when you pick up a new book and just a few pages in, you have to stop and sigh in contentment because you have absolute confidence that you're in good hands. You know that the story is going to draw you in and allow you to lose yourself in the wonder of it all.

I love that feeling. I love it when people make beautiful things and then send them out into the world to give others joy. 

That's exactly what I thought about when I took the first bite of this dish. A friend had recommended Alice Hart's gorgeous cookbook Vegetarian and this was the first recipe I tried. Insanely delicious, my friends. The flavour was so good it was almost shocking, each element in perfect harmony with the others. 

People are eating a lot less meat these days, so I am always looking for inventive vegetarian recipes to feed friends. If you have any plant-eating pals hanging around, feeling slightly forlorn about the steady diet of veggie burgers and tomato pastas they get served in restaurants, feel free to knock their socks off with this.

Warm couscous salad with preserved lemon & charmoula
Slightly adapted from Vegetarian by Alice Hart
Serves 4

4 young parsnips
3 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 preserved lemons, quartered
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 batch of charmoula (recipe to follow)
juice of 1 lemon
one small bunch of cilantro, leaves only
3/4 cup of Greek yogurt
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 
2. Slice the parsnips lengthwise into halves or quarters depending on their size. Place in a roasting pan with the red peppers and coat with the olive oil and honey. Season with salt and pepper and roast for about 35 minutes, until caramelized. 
3. Slice the flesh from the preserved lemons and discard. Cut peel into strips.
4. Cook Israeli couscous according to instructions on package.
5. Combine the roasted parsnips and peppers with the cooked couscous and add 1 tablespoon of the charmoula, along with the preserved lemon peel, lemon juice and most of the cilantro.
6. Ripple the remaining charmoula through the yogurt and serve spooned onto the salad. Garnish with the rest of the cilantro.  

Charmoula
1 small bunch cilantro
1 small bunch parsley
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, toasted
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon paprika
pepper, to taste

1. Finely chop cilantro and parley. 
2. Combine with the rest of ingredients. If it seems too thick, add extra olive oil. Season with pepper, to taste. 
3. Keeps, covered in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks. 

OMG polenta

Something happened last night that has never happened before. I improvised a recipe – and it kinda worked! I have always been the type of home cook who follows recipes, making changes here and there to tailor dishes to my palate. I cook this way because I have to. Up until very recently, if I went off book it spelled disaster. (I'm not being modest. Actual gong shows have occurred and were then plated and served to unsuspecting family and friends.) Anyway, for years now, I have accepted the fact that in the kitchen I must do as I'm told. The backbone of what I cook must come from someone else.

Not to make too big a deal out of this (watch me do it anyway), but lately something has shifted. I've been trying new things and the wheels aren't coming off the bus. Maybe it's that I've been shopping more at local, outdoor markets and really focusing on gathering exquisite ingredients and pondering how these flavours and textures could play off each other. Maybe it's that I have spent years in the kitchen and all those hours of experience are finally starting to mean something. Maybe it's that I own a ridiculous number of cookbooks and spend a good portion of my time studying them. (Osmosis, anyone?) Who knows what exactly it is, but the point is that I came up with a new dish tonight. And it actually tasted halfway decent. 

I started by following the instructions on the package of corn grits and then let a combination of what I was craving and what was in my fridge guide me from there. When I sat down to eat, I felt unbelievably amped. Like a cross between Jay-Z (best rapper alive) and Martha Stewart (if she was slightly more emotive). As for the below, you're welcome.

Breakthrough polenta
Serves 2 (with leftover plain polenta for lunches)
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup organic corn grits
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/2 mildly spicy smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup frozen fava or edamame beans, cooked according to instructions on package
1/3 cup good quality pesto
1 teaspoon of flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1. Set a large saucepan of water on medium heat, add salt. When the water is boiling, pour in the corn grits and stir, almost continuously, until polenta is very thick (about 25-30 minutes). If polenta gets lumpy or too thick, whisk vigorously and add hot water until consistency is creamy and smooth.
2. In the meantime, pour oil in frying pan and set over medium heat. When hot, add diced onion.
3. When onions are translucent, add mushroom and sausage. 
4. When mushrooms and sausage have browned, add edamame or fava beans and allow flavours to mingle for 2 minutes.
5. When polenta is done, stir in parmesan and butter.
6. To plate, create a bed of polenta and top with onions, sausage, mushrooms and beans. Drizzle pesto on dish and garnish with parsley. Feel inordinately pleased with yourself and immediately text your foodie friends with photos.

soup for all seasons

For many years, I did not know how to cook. It was a sad state of affairs. I desperately wanted to learn, but I had no idea where to start. I would walk down the aisles at the local market and stare longingly at jars of rustic soup. I had fantasies of stirring bubbling pots that would fill my home with mouth-watering aromas. 

If only I'd known how easy cooking was. How I learned to cook is a story for another day – but today I want to assure all you anxious newbies out there that homemade soup is very much within your reach. Seriously. Even if you have never set foot in a kitchen before, I am confident that you can make this. 

This is one of the simplest soups I know. I throw it together often in the winter, but really it's just as good in any other season. The backbone is from Mark Bittman's Food Matters. His book makes the argument that eating vegan some of the time (specifically until 6 p.m. every day) is better for your waistline, your overall health, the planet – and, not insignificantly, your pocketbook. In keeping with that spirit, I make it vegan sometimes and not others. 

This dish is brilliant in how adaptable it is. You can make it with water, chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water and a vegetable bouillon cube. You can add canned beans or chickpeas. Canned tomatoes or fresh both yield delicious results. Chili flakes give it some spice. Cooked sausage or grated parmesan dress it up, especially on day two or three when you may be getting bored of it. Cooked potatoes give it heartiness. Cooked macaroni instantly transforms it into comfort food. Parsley lends it a springtime freshness. You get the idea. You have loads of options here, so feel free to choose your own adventure.

Basic Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Food Matters
Serves 4-6
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced or put through garlic press
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups of water or stock
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or one can of roma tomatoes with juices
4 to 6 cups of quick-cooking vegetables (such as zucchini, green beans, corn, kale ect.)
1/2 cup of boiled, chopped potatoes
1/2 cup of chopped parsley

 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and then add the garlic. When the garlic starts to smell fragrant, add the onion, carrot and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 7 minutes.
2. Add the stock, tomato and remaining veg; bring to a boil then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the veg are very tender, 15 to 20 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve, ideally with a loaf of crusty bread.

no-fuss supper (after a fancy weekend)

I don't know about you, but nine times out of ten I prefer home food to restaurant food. It tends to be healthier, cheaper and more delicious. It's nourishing and comforting and uncomplicated. Plus, for me, it usually includes vegetables, which I suspect are the answer to every problem in life. 


Still, the social world is not conducted in my kitchen, and so every now and then (read: at least once a week) I find myself donning a dress and marching off to the hot spot du jour to sample award-winning cheese plates and handmade donuts. I relish these outings. I like the energy, the excitement, the polish of the patrons, the boisterous table talk. And, occasionally, one even winds up getting served superb food. Last night, for instance, during a long dinner on a breezy patio, I drank pink lemonade and ate the juiciest burger I've ever had, with salty fries and a tiny little salad designed to make me feel better about the fries. Followed by two decadent desserts. 


But after such brazen indulgence, I am back to craving home food. Tonight I wanted something refreshing and light. Preferably requiring only one pot, because it's Sunday and I sure as heck don't feel like doing dishes.


I came across this Gourmet magazine recipe while looking for a way to recreate my favorite Whole Foods orzo salad. The first time I made this dish was something of a revelation. As in: really?! I defy you to find anything more lovely than lemon rind marinated in olive oil. And the way the fresh dill compliments the buttery orzo? Forget about it. You can serve this over a bed of spinach, or, if that feels like too much trouble, eat it plain. It's best enjoyed on the couch watching Chelsea Lately. 


Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup orzo
1 and 1/2 cups crumbled feta (6 ounces)
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, zest, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large serving bowl.
2. Let stand 10 minutes. Breathe in the seductive citrus scent and daydream about lemon orchards in Italy.
3. Meanwhile, cook the orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until al dente.
4. Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again. 
5. Send me silent blessings for introducing you to this recipe.