by on April 2, 2020   •   1 Comment Cooking School

How to Build Power Bowls

Recipes and tips for cooking nourishing power bowls at home.

With a little creativity and a lot of flexibility, nourishing power bowls are a fantastic family dinner plan.

They are great use of leftovers, feature pantry ingredients and can be customized to suit the different taste preferences around the table.

Sure, macaroni and cheese is great, but we can’t eat it all the time! In a recent interview with the National Post, I shared some of my favourite isolation meals, including a big rice bowl topped with kimchi, chili oil and a fried egg. So simple and yet so comforting.

Today’s post looks at how to build power bowls in your own kitchen. I share my best ideas for building block ingredients and power bowl ‘themes’. Oh and plenty of recipes, too!

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by on February 19, 2020   •   17 Comments Cooking School

10 Kitchen Rules to Cook By

Even after years of practice, it still can be challenging to get a home-cooked meal on the table.

Today’s post reviews a list of reminders for achieving this goal, day after day. Most well-established kitchen habits or ‘rules’ have stood the test of time, but others have shifted with the changing years.

For example, a few mantras, such as ‘clean-as-you-go’, have been replaced by zero-waste efforts and eco-conscious movements. Mindful eating is more important than ever.

We’ve also realized that sitting down for dinner is about being present, rather than perfect. And I think we’ve given ourselves permission to simplify it all.

With that in mind, here are ten kitchen rules to cook by for the modern home chef.

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by on May 14, 2019   •   Leave a Comment Cooking School

Meal Prep 101: How to Freeze Grains

My mother instilled a love of whole grains in me from a very early age, back on our original homestead in the Yukon.

I can still picture the orange oval cast iron pot that she would set in the middle of the table at meal time when the six of us were gathered. That pot of rice or barley or millet rounded out most of our meals, filling the corners in the tummies with comfort.

Nowadays grains of all kind fill my pantry – red quinoa, basmati rice, wheat berries and farro, in addition to my childhood favourites. I add them to everything from citrus salads to quick stir-fried dinners.

You all know that meal prep is key for helping me to get organized for dinner and I’m also a long-time believer in batch cooking. Freezing big batches of grains checks both those boxes and makes my life a little bit easier; here’s how I do it.

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by on July 5, 2017   •   6 Comments Cooking School

9 culinary lessons learned in London (for the home cook)

One cannot expect to immerse oneself in a foreign food culture for five days straight and not have an epiphany or two afterward.

Not surprisingly, our trip to London in May was almost exclusively about the food. I observed and absorbed everything from their café culture to street market and restaurant trends. I ate and walked and ate again. I stocked up on UK food magazines for the plane ride home to continue my education.

Why? Well, while research and culinary inspiration were strong motivations for my exploration, I was also genuinely curious about what the Brits were still into (scones and clotted cream, Sunday roast), obsessing over (toast, cider), trend watching (whole bowls, ferments) and doing really well (sausage rolls, cake).

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by on March 1, 2017   •   14 Comments Cooking School

How to use preserved lemons in cooking and baking (recipe round-up)

I get asked so often how to use preserved lemons in cooking and baking, that I decided to expand my usual response into a post.

From what I have noticed, home cooks tend to purchase a jar of preserved lemons for a specific recipe – and then stuff the remainder in the back of the fridge for a year or two. Others get fired up over a DIY recipe, like my Spiced Preserved Lemons, but then don’t know what on earth to do with them afterward.

I use preserved lemons in practically everything. I should state from the beginning that I am a longtime devotee to preserved lemons and always have a jar or two in my refrigerator. Hopefully by the end of this post you are both inspired to stock your pantry permanently with preserved lemons and feel confident adding them to your cooking and baking.

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