Slurp-worthy rice noodles in a creamy, flavourful broth, this easy THAI RED CURRY NOODLE SOUP WITH SHRIMP BALLS is the kind of tasty and nutritious meal to put into your recipe rotation immediately.

Any morel lovers out there?! I am so pleased to partner with Green Peace Canada on this blog post to raise awareness about the Boreal forest by way of this wildly delicious Cauliflower Gnocchi with Morel Mushrooms recipe! Easy to make two-ingredient cauliflower gnocchi are tossed simply with sauteed morels, shallots and garlic, and finished with chives and a wee drizzle of nice balsamic vinegar to brighten everything up. This is an elevated dish fit for royalty! Or at least your most favorite dinner guests. The ones who bring very nice wine! ;)

This Kefir Gin Fizz is light and refreshing, with notes of citrus from Meyer lemon juice and orange blossom water, and an ethereal effervescence that dances on your tongue with each sip. But wait…kefir? As in, the probiotic tangy drink next to the yogurts at the grocery store, kefir? Yep, that’s the one. I expect this might sound vile to some of you. Until you try it! It is the best. The creaminess and tang of yogurt or kefir adds amazing body and flavor dimensions to cocktails. Search “yogurt cocktail” or “kefir cocktail” and you will see many variations. People have been imbibing on them for years. However, in this case, my inspiration for this cocktail goes way back to the OG creamy cocktail of my youth...

SPOILER ALERT: This dairy-free and vegan chocolate mousse involves NO tofu, NO avocado, NO aquafaba and NO praying that the coconut cream will whip up properly. It is luxuriously rich with that dreamy fluffiness of traditional mousse. It is SUBLIME.

When I set out to make a dairy-free and vegan chocolate mousse, I deep-dived Google and Pinterest and came across a multitude of recipes using one of the four aforementioned ingredients: avocado, silken tofu, aquafaba (brine from canned chickpeas) and whipped up coconut cream. But I really, really wanted to create a version that steered clear of all of them. I wanted a recipe that uses more conventional dessert ingredients AND a fool-proof method, while still achieving a mousse that delivers the same intense chocolate flavor with a billowy texture that slightly melts on the tongue. No compromise.

When talented baker, mama, and fellow Canadian blogger Fanny sent me a copy of her new debut cookbook Oh Sweet Day! A Celebration Cookbook of Edible Gifts, Party Treats and Festive Desserts to review, I could not have been more delighted! Fanny and I have been following each other on Instagram for a few years. Her IG posts torture me (in the best way hehe) with elegantly executed desserts that inevitably awaken the dessert monster inside me! So much so, I have already made two of Fanny’s recipes, not including this delectable meringue treat (which we will get to in a beat, I promise). One such recipe was her Pecan Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies which was published in the 2017 Holiday issue of the Bake From Scratch Cookie Magazine, an issue full of featured recipes from a handful of the most elite baking bloggers. I made the Pecan Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies to include in my annual holiday cookie boxes for giving away, and hers turned out to be my personal favorite (by far) of the season. I was tempted to keep them all for myself.

This cake is studded throughout with bits of soft apples and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice - aka all the distinctive notes of Fall. Moreover, it has such a wonderfully light and tender crumb! As someone who bakes gluten-free regularly, texture is a major measure of success. And everyone who had a piece of this cake said it didn’t taste like a gluten-free cake at all. Woot! It always feels like a bit of wizardry to get results as good as, or even better, than conventional cakes made with all-purpose flour. Even for people who are not gluten-sensitive, this cake is a win-win because it is lower in carbs and higher in nutrition (especially protein) than cakes made with all-purpose flour. I think everyone will enjoy it. Let me know if you agree!

Autumn seems to be everybody’s favorite season, doesn’t it? We have long Winters here and some of the allure of Autumn, for me anyways, is how fleeting it is before it gives way to the bitter cold. Ugh, I hate the cold. Apart from that, there is something almost ineffable about the beauty of Autumn. The cool, crisp air. The scent of earthiness and wood-burning fires. Leaves in the most splendid array of rich, vibrant colors. ASMR-inducing crunch-crunch-crunch of fallen, dry leaves underfoot. And as for taste, we crave the return of comfort foods after a summer of lighter fare. Foods that feel like a cozy hug for a hungry tummy, like this Lobster and Truffle Oil Mac + Cheese with Crunchy Chickpea Crumbs.

A pavlova always makes a grand impression. This PEACH + PASSIONFRUIT PAVLOVA is probably my all time favourite version of the dessert! The sublime combination of juicy peaches and tart-sweet passionfruit, billowy whipped cream and chewy-crisp meringue, is certain to make you swoon.

It's mid August which means Toronto is bursting with summer produce. Our local farmer's market is, to me, almost like a candy store to a child. Tables are piled high with an abundance of fresh and colorful fruits and vegetables hitting their peak. I am in heaven!  In particular, tomatoes are having their long-awaited moment in the sun, literally and figuratively. :) 

Whenever stone fruit season rolls around, Marian Burro's infamous plum torte seems to pop up everywhere on my Instagram feed.  You may have missed it ... if you live under a rock ;) She wrote this iconic recipe for the New York Times in the 80s and they claim it is one of their most requested recipes.  I never did get around to making her original recipe but this grain-free adaptation of her plum torte is so dang good I don't think I ever actually will!?  

Remember when I said cauliflower has superpowers? I still stand by that. Especially after this pretty incredible Cauliflower Steak Salad I made. I've made this dish three times in the past 2 weeks and I have had no regrets about it. Not a one. Actually I do have one regret which is that I'm only discovering Sambal Matah now and not sooner. Such a crying shame!

Hot on the heels of my last post for Perfect Gluten-Free Choux Puffs, I now give you this most essential follow-up recipe: Profiteroles with Lilac-Vanilla Lemon Curd Ripple Ice Cream.  Basically, the most refreshing, tart and creamy dessert perfect for the summer months ahead.   

I'll just come right out and say it. These gluten-free choux puffs are legit. Very legit. The kind of legit when someone may not even notice they are gluten-free!   And with a few tips and loads of images for visual cues I share in this post, they're quite easy to make.

Years ago, a friend gave me a jar of Rooibos loose leaf tea to try.  She told me it is an non-caffeinated tea with health benefits aplenty.  I later read that Rooibos is high in antioxidants, helps lower high blood pressure, aids in cancer-prevention and digestion health, bone health and more.  Seems like I should be drinking this stuff like water!  Instead, it sat in my pantry untouched for months, or closer to a year.  When it comes to hot beveraging, I can't help but choose an Americano, a matcha latte or for so many years, my top choice was English Breakfast tea with a splash of milk (a reflection of my British-influenced Hong Kong ties). 

Tea in desserts, on the other hand, I dig!  A LOT.  Like these earl grey cookies or the earl grey ice cream I made for pear frangipane tart.  Heaven.  So it is no surprise this Rooibos Chai Panna Cotta Tart with Honeyed Strawberry Rhubarb Compote is totally my jam.  The only surprise is why I didn't think of it sooner.  Everyone I served it to thoroughly enjoyed it too!  Weeell if I'm being honest, everyone except my 4 year old who ate only the tart crust and "saved" the panna cotta part for her mama.  But I can't blame her for loving the crust - it's so dope.

I made a lip-smacking, finger-licking, killer sandwich!  I borrowed the flavors of Korean bulgogi to create this meatless version featuring that quintessential combo of soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and ginger.  Instead of marinaded meat, I've used the bulgogi sauce on tofu and loads of mushrooms, two ingredients that soak up all that tastiness.   

To state that we are a granola-loving family would be an understatement.  I have two Granola Monsters here.  Apart from the year when we were following a modified Paleo diet where grains like oats and quinoa are disallowed, granola is a mainstay here because it is such a healthy and convenient option for breakfast.  Not to mention totally addictive.

This recipe was inspired by our recent trip to Miami, Florida. The hotel we stayed at was beyond gorgeous and the weather was even more so, especially after months living in the tundra known as winter in Toronto.  Guys, it was a real difficult winter.  So our escape down south was well anticipated.  Except it didn't turn out to be the vacation I pictured...

Pavlovas don't normally come to mind in the winter since they are generally regarded as a summer dessert.  I always questioned the sense in that though?  High humidity is the serial murderer of pavlovas.  Sure there are other factors that could undermine your pavlova, such as whites contaminated with yolks or grease / water in the mixing bowl, but I assert that weather is public enemy number one since it is not a factor you get to control. 

Does it seem like I went to crazy town with this one?  Yes, I made a filling out of salt-cured egg yolks and peanut butter and sweetened it with maple syrup.  I stuffed it inside a dough made with glutinous rice flour (aka 'sweet rice flour' not to be confused with 'rice flour'!), coated them in peanut crumble and pan-fried them.  They turned out suuper addictive!  We could not stop munching on this warm, chewy, salty-sweet snack!  So the lunacy was justified...hence I urge you to continue reading.  Plus also there's a giveaway I want you to know about :)   

I think there is a certain consensus among those of us who are living through Winter right now that citrus fruits are basically the best part about it.  The other features of our winter - air so cold it hurts any exposed skin, shoveling and de-icing all the things all the time, extremities that are always cold even while INDOORS, plus a few other things that make you swear under your breath - I can live without!