Years ago, I had the pleasure of teaching for three semesters at Toronto’s renowned Ontario College of Art and Design (affectionately known as OCAD–or, when I taught there back in the Paleolithic, pre-“Design” era, simply “OCA”). I loved teaching at a place so much the antithesis of the college I’m now at, with its focus on technology, science […]
recipes
Dolmades, Deconstructed (Mediterranean Rice Casserole)
Back when I was an undergraduate at the University of Windsor, my first boyfriend and I (hiya, Mark! How’s tricks?) would regularly venture across the Ambassador bridge to the Greektown in Detroit (quite literally, a stone’s throw away). That’s where I first tasted saganaki–kefalotyri cheese (like an aristocratic feta) doused in brandy and set aflame in the pan, right by your table, […]
Swiss “Cheese” in a Mosaic Salad
When it comes right down to it, (and like most Canadians), I’m pretty happy living in this country. Oh, sure, I complain about the health care system and the excessive taxes, but secretly I’m proud. When I went to Europe, I openly displayed a Maple Leaf on my backpack (in those days, only actual Canadians did […]
Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free French Toast Souffle with Summer Berries
In my mind, here’s the perfect way to wake up on a Sunday morning: Outside, the weather is balmy. A mild breeze whispers through the slightly opened window, curtains undulating softly with each invisible breath. The sun makes its presence known through the diaphanous curtain as it tickles the pillows of our bed with little sparkles of laughing light. […]
Close Encounters with Cookies from Another Planet
[Unretouched photo of unidentified, disk-like objects, hovering in the air over my kitchen table] Before I metthe HH, I’d read exactly one science fiction novel (Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End, when I was about twelve) and seen only the standard TV shows or movies, such as Star Trek (in all its incarnations–though Deep Space really was […]
Easy Millet and Red Pepper Pilaf
Well, it’s certainly been a poster week for “Beginning of the Summer Semester” at the college: long lineups outside the Chair’s office (but really, doesn’t it sound better as “Office Chairs”?), students transferring from one class to the next, questions, emails; scheduling changes so speedy that students barely have time to check their timetables before they’re registered in […]
Polish Lemon Cake*
*Okay, so it’s not really Polish. But the topping reminded me of a German Chocolate Cake topping, and since (half) my ancestry is Polish, I thought I’d just use the same concept for this cake’s name. Did you hear the one about the (half) Polish woman who wanted to bake a cake? Just kidding. […]
Cultured Vegetables
Well, seems I’m on a raw kick this week–here’s a second raw recipe in a row (and also a tongue-twister using “R” words!). As promised, I’m going to offer the recipe for “Cultured Vegetables” from my Total Health course. Every time I utter the name of this recipe, I can’t help thinking, “As opposed to what? Crass, […]
Something’s Fishy: Raw Nori Rolls
In my short stint as a raw foodist (very different from an “in-the-raw” foodist, which, for obvious reasons, I’d never do) I was determined to try out every variation of living foods imaginable. This meant foods I’d otherwise probably never eat, such as raw fennel (basically just don’t like it); raw cashews (okay, but too bland on their own […]
Caramelized Baby Bok Choy with Cashews and Sesame Seeds
While I am an avid fan of most types of Asian cuisine, I have always been rather underwhelmed by bok choy. Perhaps it’s the similarity in color and texture to celery, another vegetable I dislike; perhaps it’s that I can’t help but note how its bulbous bottom and fan-leaf top bears an eery resemblance to the comic strip Dilbert‘s eponymous character; […]