Lime and Black Pepper Spaghetti Squash

Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes, parmesan, rosemary nuts and fresh basil

This recipe was inspired by a bag of chips I bought recently that were lime and black pepper flavoured. They were delicious and I quickly decided that I love anything with lime and black pepper.

Deep Dish Salted Butter Caramel Apple Pie

These are Cortland apples -very crunchy and not too sweet

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to teach a cooking class to two wonderful little girls.  They wanted to learn the technique for making one of their favourite deserts - apple pie.  

Smoked Trout Rillettes

Serve with a little spicy red pepper jelly

Following our wonderful road trip - we decided to buy a smoker!

The goal of our trip to Gaspésie was to rediscover what our wonderful province and its people have to offer in the way of food, beauty and inspiration.

We were not disappointed and find ourselves now richer with a knowledge and better understanding of a simple rural way of life that in no way limits, but rather inspires, great food and products.

Vegan Bridal Shower: Plum Tomato and Watermelon Bites, Fig and Mixed Olive Tapenade, Fennel and Basil Veganaise Dip, Carrot Cake, Mixed Berries with Vanilla Sugar

Plum tomato and Watermelon bites

As the big day approaches for Sarah and Kevin , it is time to begin the celebrations.  

One of the greatest things about an upcoming wedding is the opportunities it affords us to reconnect and catch up with people who have been and important part of Sarah and Kevin's lives.   Last weekend, my mother-in-law,  and Kat hosted a wonderful bridal shower for the future bride.  It was a beautiful event held on a beautiful day.  The theme was a traditional tea party and the ladies wore hats!  

Île d'Orléans, Charlevoix, Tadoussac

The views here are spectacular!

Absolute highlight so far - watching the whales surface repeatedly in the Bay in Tadoussac!


This region is rich with beautiful landscapes and kind, smiling people.  We have discovered some very good regional products here so far, with the most intriguing being the Emu.  Described a cross between goose and beef in taste, these large birds were brought in from Australia and are raised in St-Urbain in the Charlevoix region.  I have to admit I am a bit surprised but excited to try a few recipe ideas with this new ingredient - who knew - Emu from Québec!  We bought the Emu terrine and were guaranteed that this appetizer would be a surprising, resounding success:  cracker, cream cheese, Emu terrine, pepper jelly (or jelly of your choice), top with a local strawberry, raspberry or blueberry.  

Québec City - Quartier Petit Champlain

Summer Festival Festival d'été:  11-day music festival!

Beautiful first stop for the road trip!  We stayed in the wonderful Quartier Petit Champlain in a beautiful boutique hotel called Le 71.  They offer bikes (with baskets) to the guests for touring and the decor is beautiful.  Great spot to start from to see this beautiful city. We really love Québec City - 

Québec Maritime and Gaspé Region - Terroir and People

Roché Percé - Gaspésie

It has been almost 2 years since we returned to our native Québec - time flies!

Our time in Europe was nothing short of fabulous - and we learned so much about ourselves as a family and individuals.

It took some courage to leave what we knew and loved and venture off into different cultures and ways of life that we were unfamiliar with and were told - could be difficult.   To visit a country on vacation is one thing, but to live there is something else entirely.  Although, there were a few times that proved to be a little challenging, the many good/great moments far outweighed the few bad ones.  

Delicious Bowls: Lebanese Raheb Salad, Mushroom, Halloumi and Pine Nut Ragout

Sometimes, you can find the best and most interesting restaurants in the most random places.  This certainly is true for our newest find.

Delicious Bowls: Marinated Sirloin Tips with Sweet Potato Rosti (Chipotle Mayo and Pecans)

Stack the disks of  sweet potato rosti, drizzle with the chipotle mayo and sprinkle with toasted pecans (torn basil and tarragon as garnish)

Add some roasted mushrooms and vine tomatoes - fresh tarragon and basil- This was a really great dinner - and low carb!

Brush with the same marinade as the meat before roasting

When we were living in New York City (in the late 80's) we discovered a wonderful restaurant called Trixie's.  It was the first time we had sweet potato fries and we loved them.  The Trixie's fries were topped with mayonnaise and sprinkled with walnuts.  

Delicious Bowls: Sweet Pea, Halloumi, Smoked Pancetta and Almond Salad (Fig and Black Olive Tapenade)

These two ingredients make a wonderfully balanced tapenade

This is an easy weekday meal that I make often - leftovers are great for lunch!  With the summer just around the corner, it is great to bring to a pot luck or for a barbecue.  I added grilled portobello mushrooms to make this a heartier meal but they are completely optional.  The salad is great on its own and completely low carb.

Delicious Bowls - Rosemary Nut Crusted Halibut with Fennel Orange Salad (Tarragon, Relish Tartar)

Tastes like Spring!

It has been a while since I posted recipes and that is because I am in a bit of a transition process.  I am currently experimenting with a low carb diet.   I have had success in the past with eating low carb and with Spring just around the corner, thought it might be a good time to put it to the test once again.  So far so good! - I feel great!

Cauliflower Cream with Roasted Fennel and Onion

Vegan - Coconut Sugar Oat Cookies

These shortbread textured oat cookies are made with coconut oil and coconut sugar which makes them not only delicious but healthy too.  I love coconut sugar these days because of its low glycemic index (35)  and butter caramel taste.  It seems that everywhere I look I also notice articles on the benefits of coconut oil (apparently great for weight control - who knew!).  We are not big desert or cookie eaters, but these work great in the morning when we are pressed for time or need a quick snack on the run that tides us over for a while.  You can add raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and nuts for additional texture and flavour.  You'll be shocked by the rich taste of butter and caramel (but there is no butter). A little treat for my beautiful vegan family and friends!