A savoury dish that features cardamom? Count me in. My first bites of this pilaf with beef were at a friend’s house. When she told me that there were no other spices used besides cardamom, I could hardly believe it. So I remembered her description of how to make it. This recipe would be a delicious new way to stretch the locally raised beef and … Continue reading Cardamom-Scented Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas and Lamb
What better way to enjoy a three day weekend than watching a movie trilogy? Tonight we’re wrapping up the last of the new Batman movies. And it so seems fitting that I made BAT kebabs today. These are a superbly simple appetizer, much like last month’s pesto shrimp salad bites. Today is Victoria Day here in Canada, which means most people have the day off. For … Continue reading Bacon Avocado Tomato Kebabs
Because of their versatility, these noodles are an excellent springboard toward a simple meal. Chickpeas were the star this time, though other variations of this flavorful Asian-inspired recipe include tofu, shrimp, chicken, and pork. In one form or another, these saucy noodles appear at least every other week in my menu plan. And meatless or otherwise, this entree revels in its perfectly balanced sauce. Whatever tweaking … Continue reading Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry with Chickpeas or Tofu
These petite hors d’Oeuvres are refreshing, flavorful (thanks to the citrus-spiked pesto), and so simple to make. Once you have pesto sauce made, you need only three ingredients. Another variation on this theme is to add some salad greens to create an entrée salad. The pesto sauce, with a little more olive oil added, serves as the salad dressing. Recipe for Pesto Shrimp Salad Bites … Continue reading Pesto Shrimp Salad Bites
When I see a compelling recipe, I tend to make some version of it as soon as I can (hence the tagline of this blog). The very next day day after seeing this pistachio pesto at 5 and Spice, I was happily blending up some aromatic green sauce of my own. Sadly, it had been more than a year since I had made pesto at … Continue reading Rice Vermicelli with Cilantro Pesto Sauce: A Gluten Free, Dairy Free Recipe
A strong contender for the ultimate spring salad, here we have a simple trifecta of crab, avocado, and asparagus. With surprisingly affordable ingredients, one taste proves that you can indulge in fine fare without paying steep prices. If you happen to be a crab connoisseur, you could opt to splurge on jumbo lumb crab meat for this. However, as a landlocked frugalista, I chose the … Continue reading Crab and Asparagus Salad with Avocado
Swirls and Spice 