For the first time in about 2 months, my partner and I have our first weekend off with zero commitments/obligations, so I am keeping this week’s edition short and sweet! A little gardening is in order (so many of the hydrangeas got pelted by rain and just snapped/fell down) along with all the usual weekend life maintenance of laundry, cleaning, grocery stocking etc. I’m hoping to step out for a nice coffee at RPM Bakehouse, take the dogs for a hike, and to find a pair of shoes to wear to a wedding next week 😅

Also, starting this week I’ll be sharing 5 seasonal recipes with every Saturday Sun edition. I used to share this as meal plan-style inspiration on Instagram stories. In general, I just prefer sharing any type of content that I can on my website as it provides more of a permanent home. Hopefully the new feature can inspire your weekly cooking with the seasonal bounty!

Have a lovely weekend! be well and take care.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Pamela Anderson in Better Homes & Gardens
2. Vox’s new series How Factory Farming Ends
3. Sound baths offer tranquility and health benefits for devotees, even if science can’t explain it
4. The delight — and power — of your neighborhood’s unplanned green spaces
5. On my nightstand: ALL FOURS by Miranda July

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. The Woman Who Helps Athletes Sleep on Diary of a CEO
2. Frankies 357 Calabrian Chili Oil
3. Canadian heritage moment at the Olympics: Maple syrup shots for all!
4. Making a vegan version of this Juicy Tomatoes with Parmesan-Olive Bread Crumbs as soon as possible. I’ll just use some nutritional yeast and a little extra olive oil. You can watch a video here.
5. Got a copy of Peaceful Kitchen and it’s so great! I do love Catherine’s cooking style.

5 Questions:

1. I have so many cherry tomatoes in the garden right now. Any recipes that use up a lot?
   Making a cherry tomato sauce is the easiest way to use up a full pound. I have a great one included as part of this recipe with Romano beans. Of course you can cook the whole recipe with the beans, but it’s also excellent with pasta, vegan meatballs, on pizza etc.
2. What are some of your least favourite foods or ingredients?
   The only vegetables that I don’t particularly enjoy are rutabaga/swede and sometimes cooked parsnips. With parsnips, it really depends on the dish because sometimes I do really enjoy them–especially chopped ultra fine in this apple kale salad. With rutabagas, there’s just an aftertaste there that I’ve never really liked despite trying plenty of cooking methods and flavour combinations. I also don’t love seitan because I find it to be too close to the texture of meat, which really freaks me out haha. Same goes for the “tech meat” like Beyond, Impossible etc. Sometimes I have a bite and it’s fine and sometimes I just can’t handle it. Also a majority of the store bought vegan cheese and yogurt replacements in stores I find to be mostly unpalatable. Of course there’s exceptions to this! 
3. Any suggestions for modifications to mustard-heavy recipes?
   I would outright avoid recipes with mustard as a primary flavour–ie maple mustard salad dressing or anything with a mustard-forward sauce. There’s just no replacing mustard when it’s a focal point. If it’s used in a small amount (like a teaspoon or so) in a salad dressing/sauce/soup, you can try replacing it with prepared horseradish, vegan Worcestershire sauce, Wasabi, or even hot sauce, depending on the recipe. If you’re strictly replacing it as an emulsifier, vegan mayo is a great option!
4. How has food blogging changed since you started?
   Almost every single thing has changed since I started in 2011! The emphasis on social media content, moving away from personal narratives over to more SEO-friendly writing, and also the push for video. One thing that seems to endure though is original, intentional, and well-tested recipes that are photographed nicely. I still try to focus on those core things all these years later.
5. Any tips for keeping tender leafy greens longer? The container always goes bad before I can use it all up.
   When I open a container of leafy greens, baby spinach, spring mix, arugula etc from the store, I will place a clean kitchen towel or doubled up paper towel in the container on top of the greens and then close the lid up and place it back in the fridge. Since I’ve started doing this, I’ve never had greens go bad on me.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Pasta with Creamy Eggplant-Walnut Pasta Sauce
2. Braised Romano Beans with Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce & Lemony Ground Walnuts
3. Smoky Vegan Corn Chowder with Potatoes
4. Crispy Peanut Tofu with Green Beans
5. 30 Minute Tomato Orzo with Balsamic Broccolini