Boiled tofu and condiments

When we were in Japan, I had a bit of a revelation. I really like tofu. It’s not that I disliked it before, it’s that what I had over there was so good I would actually crave tofu.

The tipping point was the first breakfast we had while staying at Yachiyo Ryokan in Kyoto. Boiled tofu has never sounded appetizing to me, in fact, it sounds borderline disgusting. I think it has something to do with a friend of mine talking about boiled chicken once upon a time, and now anything with “boiled” preceding it just sounds tasteless and slimy.

The first morning we get to our table, and we have tofu sitting in a clay pot, just waiting to be boiled. We sit and awaited the towels, and we’re amazed at the spread that is brought out for breakfast. (more…)

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Breakfast, World traveller by Courtney

This salad is great for a light dinner. The smoked duck seems filling, but it’s a salad with a with a with a vinaigrette, so it seems light at the same time. My recipe was born from trying to figure out what I should do with the smoked duck breast I bought from Fabrique Delices. Their booth at the Campbell Farmer’s Market is always full of yummy meats, such as merguez sausages, various types of duck, and pates. (more…)

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Dairy free, Dinner, Drink Time, Gluten free, Gourmet, Quick and Easy, Wine pairings by Courtney

If you want a chili that’s full of chili flavor, then look no further. With some chipotle, chili powders, dried chili soaked in water, and green chili, your taste buds are sure to be dancing with flavor.

This recipe combines some of my favorite ingredients to make a good chili. A bit of beer, water that has been flavored with dried chili, and cocoa powder. Trust me on the last one — it gives good color and a tad bit of bitter flavor.

This dish is quick on prep time, because you only have an onion and garlic to chop before getting the cooking started. The chilis can be chopped while cooking, and after everything is combined (which happens within 10 minutes), you just let it simmer with the occasional stir until ready. Have I convinced you that you need the recipe? (more…)

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Chili, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Quick and Easy, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

As soon as I saw this recipe on Food In Jars, I knew I had to make it. I had quite a few roma tomatoes, and while I initially had set them aside to make massive amounts of pizza and pasta sauce, I was really, really dreading peeling that many tomatoes.

Enter the Tomato Jam recipe. Tomatoes, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and red pepper. Those ingredients alone sounded too good to be true. But the kicker was definitely this line, which was like poetry to my ears: “It needs the skin and seeds, to keep things interesting. Don’t take them out.” (more…)

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Appetizers, Condiments, In the Garden, Prep for Later Use, Vegetarian by Courtney

With the return of Monday night football comes yummy, cheesy, not-good-for-you foods. And to begin the season, I decided to break out one of my recently pickled batches of jalapenos and make a plate of these guys.

I saw this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen many moons ago, and I immediately had to make it. Fast forward a year, and silly me hadn’t saved the recipe. While the nachos part itself I could remember, I couldn’t remember the recipe for the guacamole, which is one of the best I’ve ever had. Recently, I found the recipe again, as a download to promote the America’s Test Kitchen cookbook. Luckily I saved it this time, because it looks like its already gone again. (more…)

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Appetizers, Comfort food, Gluten free, Vegetarian by Courtney