Sun Dried Tomatoes packed in oil and herbs are bold, rich, sweet and savory. They give a whole new perspective to some of your favorite dish

INTROduction: I’m ADDICTED to shrimp! There! I said it! Shrimp is versatile and can be succulent, juicy and delicious. On the other hand, if not cooked properly, shrimp can be rubbery among other things. To give myself a little pat on the back (pat, pat), my method of cooking shrimp has improved over the years, especially in the past year or so. I hope to demonstrate these “techniques” with this blog and video below! Cook Well! Eat Well! BACKground: I used to add oil

Kickin' Cajun Seasoning - No MSG!

There is nothing like homemade beef stock. Fresh and healthy. This is one of the stocks I use in many of my recipes. In my opinion, the most important part of this recipe is the type of beef bones. I’ve tried bones with marrow and knuckle bones. The bones with marrow, well, gives a taste of marrow when cooked down. Although my dad would love this type of stock (flashback of him eating marrow out of the bones at dinner – ewww!), it is not my cup of tea. I found that knuck

INTROduction: “Don’t throw out the carcass!” Famous words from my mother. There were no carcasses going into our garbage - guaranteed. These gems help turn a basic pot of water into the most rich flavourful stock, and a perfect base for your Homemade Turkey Soup! BACKground: I’ve been intolerant to nitrates and gluten for years. That being said I make my own stocks which allows me to control what goes in them. In fact I make most anything I eat from scratch including sau

Salt-cured beef. Curing comes from the brining of the brisket with large grained rock salt, also known as "corns" of salt – hence the term “Corned Beef”. There you go - Now ya know! Warning - woot woot woot ! This recipe has a wee bit of “pink salt” or “curing salt”, which includes sodium nitrates. The pink salt gives the corned beef the bright red colour. You can adjust accordingly. You only need a little… The less pink salt, the less pink the meat. I'm intolerant to

When I get an idea I tend to go full speed ahead (my problem is I get too many ideas stuck in my head - just ask my family - yup!). I've been wanting a slow smoker for some time and dove in about 2 years ago. I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain Grill (no promotional benefits - hint hint - smiley face here). The smoker is fairly inexpensive and includes a water pan to help keep temperatures low (e.g. Smoked Salmon at 170'f - click here for my Peppery Smoked Salmon Recipe). Fast

We used to buy smoked salmon at our local grocery store. That was before I bought a slow smoker. My version of this spicy and peppery ocean delight turned out to be a favourite in our household, and with friends. When we are entertaining or being entertained, it tends to be served or given as a gift. There is nothing liked a few flakes of peppery smoked salmon on a crisp cracker (gluten free crackers = happy belly). Add a little smooth cream cheese and sweet jelly – yup!

This soup uses a clean chicken broth. The broth is made with 2 chicken breasts or a small chicken cut down into pieces, with the skin on. It also includes one onion only. The broth is clear and fresh, and complements the rich flavours of the lobster nicely. The key ingredient and star of the show is the fresh steamed lobster, chilled and removed from the shells. You can use frozen or canned lobster if fresh lobster is not available. I also make this soup with crab meat -

Why make your own stock? Easy! You control what goes into this delicious golden liquid. There are only good quality ingredients in this recipe and low salt. I purchase the chickens from our local butcher. They are fresh, antibiotic free and free range. I use my homemade stock in many recipes including soups and stir-frys. Here are a few of my recipes: - Hot and Sour Soup - Japanese Mushroom Soup with Green Onions - Singapore Noodles As with most standard stocks, the bas

Sun Dried Tomatoes have an intense, concentrated flavour, and are slightly salty. The flavour of these little gems combine perfectly with basil and parmesan cheese. Blended together into a pesto using the oils from the packed sun dried tomatoes, c'mon! Take It Ease! Ensure you buy good quality and fresh ingredients. There is nothing like imported Italian parmesan cheese, and fresh basil leaves. The aromas are amazing and flavours are intense. Add to your favorite pasta,

The key ingredient in this recipe is fresh ground Italian Sausages! The sausages I buy from our local butcher, I like to call them HEALTHY sausages, meaning no preservatives, no MSG, no fillers, no nitrates. Just pure goodness and flavourful. We're featuring kale and zucchini, however, you can add your favorite veggies or substitute with your favorite veggies. The end product will be delicious. Trust me! TIP: I like to use a combination of Hot Italian Sausages and Mild I

Mange! Mange! We're creating a healthy twist on meatballs slathered in our favourite Italian tomato sauce using lean ground turkey. You're gonna love this recipe! We're also using Chickapea Pasta for the noodles. Chickapea Pasta is made from 2 ingredients only - lentils and chickpeas. This recipe screams healthy and delicious! Preheat your oven to 350'F. You can also prepare the meatballs in advance and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Lightly coat baking sheet wi

I’ve been working on several oven roasted chicken recipes lately, including boneless stuffed chicken, which by the way is juicy, tender and delicious. Stay tuned for a blog post soon! The goal of this recipe is to replicate or create a flavour close to the "grocery store" or "restaurant" pre-roasted chickens, which are delicious. However, these cooked chickens can include MSG, excessive salt content, nitrates, etc. (which my belly doesn't like!) We're fortunate to have a l

Many years ago I gladly received an Asian Cookbook as a gift. At that time (early 20’s) I didn’t cook much, perhaps not at all. The recipes that caught my eye were Hot and Sour Soup, Won Ton Soup and Singapore Noodle Stir-Fry. Since then, I’ve been developing and learning recipes including recipes inspired by this book. Feel free to check out my previous post for the Hot and Sour Soup. I have had an intolerance to gluten for many years. That being said, most of the recip

Asian influenced dishes are probably my favourite. There is no shortage of ingredients to add and adjust to recipes. The Asian ingredients I love to cook with and add to many of my recipes include sambal olek, sesame oil, fish oil and soy sauce. These flavours are undeniable. If you prefer gluten free options, there are many new products available. For example, I use San-J Gluten Free Soy Sauce (aka Tamari Sauce) as a gluten free substitute. Combine garlic, ginger, honey,

My wife has been making this recipe for 25 years. I’m not sure what it is but when she makes it, it is tastier. I could use the exact ingredients, but hers just tastes better. Perhaps it is because she is half Italian! We like to use fresh gluten free Hot Italian Sausages from our local butcher. You can also use Mild Italian Sausages or a mix of both, depending on how spicy you would like the dish. We also use gluten free pasta. Side note: if you are going to use gluten