2015 Food

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

Some of the food I’ve made (or grown) so far this year…

Baked steel-cut oats with blueberries
Some kind of white bean spread…tasty, but the best part was the mini naan bread I spread it on.
Kale and broccoli from my garden plots
Vegetarian “risotto”…Arborio rice, but no parmesan, no wine, and vegetarian broth. Still quite delicious though, esp. with the sun-dried tomatoes.
Miso soup with egg
Another version of miso soup, this time with salmon, potato and kale. Also, rice vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, maple syrup, hot pepper flakes
Frittata with potato, goat cheese, ham, red pepper, corn – delicious combo
Shredded Brussels sprouts with onion, garlic, pancetta, egg and potatoes. Mmmn…
I don’t really count oatmeal as “cooking” but I eat an awful lot of it. This version with goldenberries, blueberries, apple-banana, peanut-butter and maple syrup!
Energy bars made with dried cranberries and mango, walnuts and cashews, medjool dates and rolled oats. Raw and vegan – not words I use to describe my food too often (especially the first).
Avocado with goat cheese and sun-dried tomato. Indulgent, but also kinda healthy
Jumping the gun on berry season – couldn’t resist at Granville Island.

The year that was in food

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

I wanted to cook more in 2014. I did. Here’s the food I made or grew and remembered to photograph…

Savoury oatmeal. This version with a soft-poached egg, grated cheddar and green onions. My new favourite breakfast, still.
Matzoh ball soup – first recipe of the year.
Slow cooker carmelized onions
Greens and eggs for breakfast. This became a theme.
Tomato soup with carmelized onions
More greens and eggs for brekkie, this time with chicken.
Oatmeal with peanut butter and fruit – another favourite breakfast.
Slow-cooker steel cut oats of some sort, with jam on top.
Yellow dahl: a potluck staple
Berry cobbler: a favourite summer dessert
Cream of mushroom soup: an old favourite
Veggie pate with cranberry mayo and green onions
Raisin pudding: so sweet, so delicious
Exception to the rule. Didn’t make this one, but it is the best latte art I had all year.
I ate these later, so they count as food.
Kimchi Yaki Udon
Selkirk Bannock
July 1 potluck picnic in Stanley Park
Tomato cobbler: Mark Bittman recipe
Garden work party potluck
Blueberry, peach and raspberry fruit salad . Love this combo.
Quince paste, made with quinces from Strathcona Community Garden, on toast. Worth the trouble.
July 3 – first raspberries from my garden
My own tomatoes and basil here
Some of my August harvest.
A kale smoothie, because I said I’d try it.
Steak and spinach salad, topped with Boursin cheese
Rice pudding
Chocolate cupcakes
Hmmn, not sure…some kind of green eggs, sans ham. Probably pesto.
Steel cut oats, soft-poached egg, arugula sauteed in bacon fat
Another delicious savoury oatmeal variation. Egg, bacon, blue cheese, green onion.
Two kinds of chia pudding. Surprisingly good. One was chocolate peanut butter, the other blueberry peach (I think).

Success! Kimchi Yaki Udon

Posted on by Karen Sawatzky

I’ve been wanting to make kimchi yaki udon since a friend introduced me to Zakkushi‘s version of the dish several months ago. Being unfamiliar with cooking Japanese or Korean food, I assumed that recreating this dish would involve tricky procedures and a long list of ingredients. Happily, not so. It’s easy, unless cod roe makes you squeamish. Fujiya is a good place to get the ingredients. I used this recipe from a local food blogger, which turned out great.

Kimchi Yaki UdonHow does it taste? Buttery, almost cheesy – I guess that’s from the roe. I thought there might be some mayonnaise in the recipe, and one of the versions linked below does call for that, but not the one I made. It’s not hot, despite the kimchi. I’d say a bit tangy. Delicious. I’ll definitely make it again.

Alternate recipes here and here.