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Posts from the ‘Salads’ Category

Jun 6

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Copper River Salmon and Bread Salad

This main course salad can, of course, be made with any kind of fresh salmon, but during the very short season of Copper River salmon (approximately mid-May to mid-June), this is a perfect time to use it and Seafood City at Granville Island Market is where this came from. The Copper River flows in Alaska and is almost 300 miles in length, challenging the salmon by its length and its strong, cold rapids. Therefore, Copper River salmon are strong and contain healthy stores of natural oils (Omega-3’s) and body fat, making the salmon extremely rich, flavourful and nutritious.  Read more

Apr 17

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A Tribute to Spring

Spring Flowers

Guacamole with Tortilla Chips, Pistachios
Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon and Parmesan
Roasted Halibut with Gingered Tomato Mango Salsa
Mini Potatoes Anna
Mixed Berry Gratin
Chocolate Cookies

Gardens are bursting with colour and markets here in Vancouver are selling gorgeous fresh halibut, asparagus and berries. OK, the asparagus and berries are not exactly local yet, they are from California, but they do taste more like the real deal at this time of the year. This menu is a tribute to my favourite season, Spring: full of colour, new growth, and promise. I hope this menu lives up to your spring expectations! Read more

Feb 26

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Moroccan Dinner for 6

Assorted homemade or purchased appetizers: hummus, baba ghanoush, olives, grilled flatbread or crackers, pistachios
Orange and Grated Radish Salad with Orange Blossom Water
Moroccan Chicken
Couscous with Tomato and Onion
Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini Sauce and Za’atar
Tarte Tatin with Apples, Raisins and Orange Blossom Water

While testing recipes using preserved lemons and preparing a dinner menu, I began with the main dish, Moroccan chicken, a recipe recently given to me by my cousin, Daphne. I then drew inspiration from two wonderful cookbooks: Paula Wolfert”s “The Food of Morocco” and Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s “Jerusalem, a Cookbook”. I simplified the menu by purchasing the hummus and baba ghanoush, and serving them with olives and sesame crackers. Read more

Jan 13

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A January Menu for 6

Baba Ghanoush & Crackers
Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Christmas Salad
Red Wine Braised Duck Legs
Fennel, Celery Root and Potato Purée
Arugula Salad
Grand Marnier Soufflée with Crème Anglaise

With busy schedules it is difficult to find the time to entertain friends at home, but with this menu plan you can spread the work out over several days. Following each recipe here you will find suggestions for advance preparation and at the end I have added shopping lists. I hope you enjoy this winter menu and time to relax with your guests. Read more

Jul 17

Nancy’s Chopped Salad with Grilled Pita Bread


This main course salad, compliments of Nancy Silverton again, is Nutrition and Summer on a plate. I served it for the two of us for a weeknight dinner recently, accompanied with grilled pita bread with Za’atar…

…and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day. This salad can be adapted in so many ways, by adding or subtracting ingredients. Chop whatever vegetables you have on hand, and add any cheese or salami. I followed the recipe exactly, including the overnight soaking, then cooking the chickpeas (which imparts more flavour into them) but you can always use a can of drained ones instead. I used home-made pita bread, a recipe I will share another time, but store-bought would also be fine. Read more

Jul 3

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Italian Dinner for 6

Mixed Mushroom and Gorgonzola Crostini
Arugula and Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta
Duck Ragù with Potato Gnocchi
Grilled Asparagus and Raddichio
Vanilla Bean Gelato, Chocolate Madeleines and Strawberries

The cookbook that I am currently enamoured with is Nancy Silverton’s The Mozza Cookbook, which brings to the home cook some of the specialties from her popular restaurants in Los Angeles. She writes that she “wanted the recipes to include all the information the reader would need to successfully replicate our food at home”. With this goal in mind, she and her team painstakingly adjusted the recipes so that they work in a home kitchen. Her attention to detail which has contributed to making her such a successful chef, restaurant owner and writer, is reflected throughout the book.

I used this book to guide me in producing an Italian dinner recently, with the duck ragù and potato gnocchi as the centrepiece. Read more

Jul 3

Arugula and Mint Salad with Watermelon and Feta

This salad is based on Ina Garten’s version. I have made a few minor changes to it, namely to use grapeseed oil instead of olive oil which allows the tastes of the other ingredients to shine through, and to increase the amount of mint which I think makes the salad even more refreshing. Read more

Jun 20

Quinoa Salad with Broccoli, Feta and Pine Nuts

Deciding what to cook these days is tricky here in Vancouver. One day I’m feeling like a hearty lentil soup, the next day it may be something cold and refreshing. But, regardless of the weather forecast, I am now declaring it time to bring out the salads and the barbecue and will begin today with a refreshing, healthy (quinoa and broccoli are both high in protein, calcium and iron) and satisfying salad, to be served on its own or perhaps accompanied by barbecued salmon or chicken. Read more

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