black radish salad with jerusalem artichoke over cold salmon

Back in university my room-mate and I used to love playing a game we called survivor. I went to school in Montreal and it would get crazy cold in the winter to the point where it was totally unbearable to go outside. This was when the game really started to get intense. In this game we would see how long we could go with out buying groceries. We used the most random ingredients mostly whatever we had left in the fridge freezer or pantry and try and make something delicious or at least tolerable  before buying new groceries. This game has taught me tons, and has definitely made me a more resourceful chef. Now  I love buying a bunch of fresh local fruits and vegetables and then seeing how creative I can get with new flavors and textures. Sometimes all it takes to create a new recipe is cutting something differently. I happened to stumble upon this recipe, and I'm sure glad I did - It was delish, and easy because it tastes even better cold. You will require a mandolin or  carrot peeler, the veggies can also be finely julienned if you have super knife skills. 
Black radish salad with jerusalem artichoke over cold salmon INGREDIENTS:
small black radish - ribbons
3 jerusalem artichokes - ribbons
celery sticks - prefferably the hearts (center pieces) - bite sized
1 clove garlic - finely chopped
white balsamic vinegar - splash
olive oil - drizzle
mint - handful chopped or chiffonade
salt & pepper
salmon - baked or grilled then chilled. 
SALAD: Add all ingredients in bowl and mix together with oil and vinegar. 
SALMON: salt pepper rub some garlic and lemon zest & olive oil before cooking. Let sit until room temp then serve, or refrigerate overnight. 
SERVE: Salad on top of room temp fish - it's delish!

Restaurant review Trimurti - Indian Cuisine

I'm not exactly sure what goes on when Indian food is prepared, but i'm convinced they put drugs as a secret ingredient. Indian food is addictive, delicious and very filling. Many people are afraid of this type of cuisine, they think it's all spicy or they don't like curry, or they have some other dumb excuse as to why they don't like it. But truth be told most of the time they have no clue what they are talking about, or maybe they are just nervous to try something new, or ask about the dishes. I'm a real chatty Cathy when it comes to food. I love asking lots of questions, and learning about what I'm eating. It really helps to understand flavors and cooking methods and also makes me a better cook. I wanted to tell you all about one of my favorite Indian restaurants in my hood. While I can't vouch for the service, I can tell you everything is good. Saturday night feast with friends we ordered in from Trimurti 


RECOMMENDED: Tamatar Ka Shorba (tomato soup), Saag paneer, mutter paneer, butter chicken (for the beginners) Subzi Ka Pakoras,  Subzi Samosas,  Seekh Kebab, Tarka Dal, chicken Jalfrezie. Tandoori Naan and Muttar Pilau. 
To break down some of these terms: 
Paneer - Indian cottage cheese
Saag: Spinach
Mutter: green peas
Subzi - vegetarian
Pakora - fried patty 
Seekh Kebab - lamb or beef 
Dal - lentils
Naan - bread made in clay oven
Pilau - rice
The food is excellent, not overly oily like some Indian restaurants. I've never had the i'm going to die food coma feeling after eating their food. Portions are generous and the price is pretty inexpensive. Another plus is their quick delivery time, and free papadums which are delicious. I give this place an A! And as you can tell from the photo so do the diners. They couldn't tear themselves away from the food to smile for a picture. 

Roasted root vegetable mash with horseradish

This is dish is vibrant and delicious. A great substitute for boring mashed potatoes. Roasted root mash INGREDIENTS: 
2 carrots
1 parsnip
2 beets - red
1/2 large rutabaga or 1 whole small
2 tbs horseradish
olive oil
Prep: Peel and roughly chop everything. 

Cook: roast everything at 350 for 45 mins. Let cool, then mash by hand in ricer, or throw it in the blender with a bit of water (or stock)  which is what I did. Add salt and pepper to taste. For a kick add 2 tbs of horseradish, or just enjoy the simplicity of this mash. 

Chocolate Craving Dessert Muffins

Sometimes you just need chocolate, I mean NEED! like nothing will make me feel better then a mouth full of rich deep dark chocolate deliciousness.  It's usually once a month or more depending on the Tomato Snob at hand. This recipe is still being perfected but many agree it's a satisfying solution to dessert or breakfast depending on what time of day the craving strikes. I've made these muffins with a combination of buckwheat flour  and matzo meal  you can substitute the matzo meal for any whole wheat flour I'm just trying to use up what I have left over from passover. 
Chocolate Craving Dessert Muffins INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup whole wheat matzo meal
1/2 + 1/4 cup of buckwheat flour
pinch fine salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch cinnamon
3/4 cups cocoa
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 bananas - mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
3/4 cup non fat yogurt - or cup of milk
4 tbs butter
1 tbs oil
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Icing sugar - optional
PRE HEAT: 350
PREP: Grease 12 mold muffin pan or line with paper. In two separate bowl - wet & dry. Combine dry ingredients including chocolate chips and mix with fingers. Then combine eggs sugar extracts bananas butter oil and yogurt. Spoon mixture into tray but do not fill any to the top.
BAKE: place banana chip onto mixture after 10 minutes. 25 minutes on 350 (check after 20 mix tooth pick)
GARNISH: dust tops of muffins with icing sugar.

Good Morning Carrot muffins

Something I was always deprived of as a kid was muffins. My mother was really strict about what we ate, and all I have to say is sorry mom it did us no good! Muffins can be healthy and satisfying  especially when you make them yourself - they are also great way to curb a sweet tooth. When baking I always try and create a recipe that is healthy as well as tasty. I use ingredients like whole wheat flour, or unbleached cane sugar or honey instead of white sugar. In fact we have cut out all white flour and sugar all together. We eat free range eggs and organic products as much as we can - but this is all besides the point. MMMmmmmmuffins are a great start to the day. These muffins have lots of fiber and vitamin c and other good things.  I made mine with purple carrots but any carrot will work just fine. My dear friend Molly was my sous chef for the day. She loves coming over and baking, and she is an excellent helper, not only with the grunt work but with recipe writing as well. I'm so lucky to have such a great friend and sous chef. Good Morning Carrot Muffins INGREDIENTS:
4 carrots - shredded
1 + 1/4 cup flour - whole wheat
1 cup sugar - raw cane sugar
1 tsp cinnamon 
1/4 tsp nutmeg 
1 tsp baking powder 
1tsp baking soda 
pinch salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil 
2 tsp vanilla extract 
1/4 cup coconut 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts 
1/2 cup yogurt - fat free
PREP: Combine all dry ingredients including nuts and coconut. Wet ingredients: combined eggs sugars and extracts. Add carrots then oil and finally the yogurt. Fold dry to wet ingredients in small batches. 
GARNISH: thinly slice carrots and place on top of muffins 1/2 way through cooking. 
BAKE: 350 for 30 minutes. 

Roasted Love Soup

This soup is stunning, and a real treat! And a great  easy way to eat your fruits and veggies. Unfortunately I have no recipe, but I can tell you what went into this fabulous soup eaten hot or cold. I roasted a few beets, an apple and a pear, sweat off a sweet onion and blended everything together. The soup is garnished with a horse radish creme fresh. I have to admit I preferred this soup cold with the bite from the horseradish against the sweetness of the apple and pear - delish!

Barley risotto with artichokes and baby kale

I've been meaning to write this recipe out for a long time. My friend Molly got the leftovers from this meal, and she just went wild for pearl barley. Love risotto? Try making it with pearl barley  for a healthy twist on a classic Italian favorite. Risotto can be an easy vegetarian meal, personally I like to use chicken stock, but if you're kosher cooking just note most risotto's are made with animal stock, this means no butter to brown your rice, and no parmesan for the velvety texture.  Veggies stock works just as well, but go a bit heavier on the other herbs and spices. You can use red of white wine making your risottos this one uses white dry chardonnay. Barley risotto with artichokes andbaby kale INGREDIENTS: pearl barley - 1 cup soak for 10 mins in water
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1 shallot - finely chopped
1 cup white wine - dry
3 1/2 (or more) cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts (or 4 large ones) - thin slices
bunch baby kale
bunch parsley - finely chopped
butter
parmesan cheese - shredded
PREP: Chop garlic, shallot, parsley, kale, artichokes. Keep everything separate.
Cook: brown the barley in butter with shalot and garlic, and add wine slowly add stock 1/2 cup at a time... until barley has softened. * You may need to add more stock. Add kale artichokes cook 1 minute before adding parmesan and parsley last.
Eat this dish hot, risotto tends to become like cement when it cools.

Arugula salad with tuna and avocado tarragon vinaigrette

Not your average salad Niçoise. 
I love taking my classic favorite dishes and
putting my own spin on them. The key is 
to use similar flavour profiles. This delicious 
dinner salad mimics the famousFrench salad Niçoise. 
A leafy salad with tuna, egg, black olives, and french beans. 
Sometimes you will have small potatoes or capers or 
anchovies or other salad accoutrement. My version of salad 
Niçoise is an Arugula salad with tuna and avocado tarragon vinaigrette 
INGREDIENTS: arugula lettuce
moroccan dries olives
olive oil packed calipo tuna - any tuna will do though
hard boiled eggs.
PREP: boil eggs before hand.
TOSS: tuna with lettuce olives and dressing.
GARNISH: Eggs and avocado


Tarragon is a delicious herb - look forward to my post about 
it in herb lesson 1. Tarragon vinaigrette INGREDIENTS:
bunch taragon -
1 clove garlic
1/2 white onion
splash lemon juice
1 avocado - 1/2 sliced for garnish, other 1/2 for dressing
splash white wine vinegar - adjust to taste
olive oil
pinch salt
fresh ground pepper
PREP: add all ingredients to mini chopper (or finely chop everything place 
in glass jar and shake until combined)

This bread is bananas! Healthy-ish Banana walnut bread

There is nothing I love more then a satisfying slice of banana bread especially if I know the bread has been made with passion love and whole wheat flower. So many things that should be healthy are actually just a pile of crap. Mediocre ingredients, bleached processed flour, sugar antibiotic filled butter you name it. Of course there are a lot of bakeries and shops that put a premium on their products and use the best but until I know for sure i'll stick to my own cooking. Here's my recipe for a delicious moist sweet treat. 
This bread is bananas INGREDIENTS: 
4 over ripe bananas - mashed TIP: keep them in the freezer until ready to use
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1tsp baking soda 
1/4 tsp cardamom 
1/2 tsp fine salt
3/4 cup unbleached cane sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil - canola or other preferred 
3 tbs sour cream 
1 tsp vanilla
1tsp almond extract 
2/3 cup chopped walnuts 
PRE HEAT: oven 350
PREP: In two separate bowls: Sift all dry ingredients together. And add eggs sugar and extracts until light - sugar has mostly dissolved. Add oil sour cream and mashed bananas into mixture. Add chopped walnuts into flour and slowly add the dry to the wet ingredients. Grease loaf pan with butter or use non stick, then pour in batter. 
BAKE: at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Test with long skewer.  
GARNISH: For a nicer presentation dust the top of bread with powdered sugar. 

It's not you, It's me!

Dear sweet Tomato Snobs,
I must apologize for neglecting you this past two weeks. I do have an exiting excuse though, I'm ENGAGED!!!!!! Amazing... I'm so excited, but I'm very sorry to leave you in the lurch through all these new changes. I've also been evicted - not quite as exciting but definitely an emotional experience none the less. So i've been terribly busy trying to co-ordinate events, parties and packing - all sorts of fun and not so fun things. I just wanted you all to know I have not forgotten about chowing and cooking and criticizing culinary offerings all around town. I've just needed a few days to get myself re adjusted to the real world again and now with a ring on my finger... I still can't believe it.  I hope everyone is keeping to their diet-s or binges or whatever else is going on in your kitchens and lives. I have a great post to follow this evening. For those of you who like banana bread this one is the absolute ultimate so stay tuned!