1. Simply add dry and wet ingredients to two separate bowls. Mix each to evenly combine.

2. Add wet ingredients to dry.

3. Whisk together until just until evenly combined. 

This granola recipe is something I return to again and again. It’s delicious, simple, and adaptable. My go-to combination seems to be almonds and dehydrated strawberries, but feel free to use your favourite fruit and nut combination.

The granola is sweetened with maple syrup, and I love the addition of cinnamon and cardamom. It’s one of my favourite breakfasts served with yogurt and fresh fruit. I especially like it with frozen blueberries somehow. I thaw them for 30 seconds in the microwave, turning them into berries thawed enough to eat but still cold and just the tiniest bit icy, a perfect start to a warm summer morning.

Strawberry Granola  
For whatever reason making my granola recipe during strawberry season has become a ritual. 2 pints of strawberries sliced and spread out onto the four trays that fit in my dehydrator is the right amount for this recipe. I will let them dehydrate for a few hours then I start checking on them. Inevitably some (the thinner ones) are ready first. They should be chewy and pliable when ready. 

Of course, you can use whatever dried fruit you want! 

To dehydrate my strawberries, I sliced 2 pints put them in my dehydrator at 140F. After 3 hours some of them were ready. However, some of the thicker ones took 4 times longer. I just keep checking every couple hours and removing any that are ready. For the record, dehydrated strawberries taste like candy, but are definitely a lot better for you!

If you haven't heard of bolani, it is a simple Afghan flatbread made from dough stuffed with potato and leek (although the fillings can vary), then fried in oil until golden and crisp.

Bolani is humble fare, but it is addictively good. When I first had it at a restaurant, it was served with a tomato sauce with a hint of warm spice, particularly cinnamon. I liked it enough to recreate at home, but the chef in me suspected there was something I would enjoy even more.

So I went looking for inspiration and came across an Afghan green chutney on Pick Up Limes. I made it once, then again, tweaking it along the way until it landed exactly where I wanted it. The result is a bright, fresh condiment made with cilantro, parsley and jalapeño, blitzed with toasted walnuts, white pickling vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. And because I couldn't resist borrowing a little inspiration from the cinnamon-spiced tomato sauce I'd had at Ca'Miri, I added just a hint of cinnamon and cumin.
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The combination is everything I wanted alongside the bolani: fresh, tangy, herby and a little spicy, with enough richness from the walnuts to balance the crisp, golden potato-filled dough.

I  took a trip to Spain in December 2022. I spent several months prior day dreaming about all of the Spanish food I would discover.  No trip to Spain would be complete without experiencing authentic paella, patatas bravas, or Pan Con Tomate. I am happy to report that I did indeed enjoy those dishes in Spain. What I couldn't have imagined, was that I would go to Spain and fall in love with flavours from Afghanistan. That however, is precisely what happened. 

I ate in restaurants almost daily during my two week stay in Valencia. Much of my time was spent in Old Town, which is a beautiful and vibrant part of the city. It's mainly a pedestrian area, so be sure to put on a pair of comfortable shoes, as you'll undoubtedly be wandering through the narrow, winding cobble stone streets for hours. It's full of great restaurants, shopping, Central Market & so much more. I also wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself lingering in an alleyway taking in the graffiti that stretches across every spare inch of empty wall space. The spray painted murals and art are a striking juxtaposition to the medieval fortification I passed through to enter into the area every day. The Serranos Towers were originally a defensive structure at one of the cities busiest gates, and is now a historical point of interest for tourists and a popular location for special events in the city.  If you do visit Valencia, my suggestion would be to spend at least a few days in Old Town, but then be sure to venture elsewhere because there is lots to explore outside that area. I honestly think you could spend every day of your life wandering around Valencia trying new restaurants, and you wouldn't be able to try them all.

One night without a plan, I was wandering around the city in an area I hadn't seen before, called Benimaclet. It is a vibrant, multicultural area in Valencia that is a bit off the beaten path, so there aren't as many tourists wandering around. It was about 7pm, I was hungry, and hoping to find something with vegan options. After walking around for what I'm sure was an hour, I stumbled upon an Afghan restaurant called Ca'Miri. I was definitely keen, and not only because I was tired and ready for food! In my experience with globally inspired food and menus, it's common to see offerings centered around humble whole food ingredients. Pulses, legumes, rice, vegetables and delicious spices are common in the Middle East, and I love all of it. 

I walked into the restaurant on a quieter night, Bob Marley playing in the background. First, I enjoyed a spread of several smaller dishes including rice, beans, lentils & salad. All of it was delicious and the kind of food I could eat every day of my life. What really inspired me however, was what came next. It was called "Bolon" on their menu, "Bolani" seems to be more common if you search online. Either way, it's incredibly delicious, I was instantly obsessed and knew I would be making some version of it as soon as I arrived back in Canada. ​

1. Make The Dough
I have tried a version of bolani dough without yeast, and with a small amount of yeast. I think I prefer the yeasted version, but it is worth noting both variations seem to exist. I couldn't resist adding a little bit of turmeric powder to my dough, I am obsessed with the gorgeous yellow colour it lends, though I can't speak to authenticity. 

The dough comes together simply either by hand or in a stand mixer or even a food processor. A batch of dough will give you four Bolani, enough to feed four people a light meal with a salad along side. The idea is to roll the dough quite thin into a circular shape. No thicker than a tortilla. 

2. Prepare The Leek and Potato Filling
The filling is simply mashed potatoes mixed softened buttery leeks, olive oil and salt and pepper.  It's addictively good on its own, and would make a lovely side dish as is. 

First cook washed, peeled and chunked russet potatoes in salted boiling water. While they are cooking, soften leeks in a pan with as much extra virgin olive oil as needed (a generous glug), along with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Strain cooked potatoes, then dump them back into the pot. Mash in cooked leeks, more olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

I developed this recipe because I needed something I could quickly grab to help fuel my work days. I'll often pair a couple of these with a quick fruit and protein powder smoothie and call it breakfast. I love how soft and chewy they are, almost like a dense muffin top. They are gluten free, vegan, and come together in 10 minutes, and in 1 bowl. 

I use dark chocolate chips in my breakfast cookies, and top them with vegan marshmallows. This clearly turns them into a bit of a treat, which I am ok with. (3 tiny marshmallows per cookie seems pretty reasonable to me.) The cookies themselves aren't very sweet, and I also think they look kinda cute squished on top. You could easily swap out the chocolate and marshmallow for dried fruit, or chopped nuts, if you wish.

What is in these cookies? Answer: mostly simple whole food ingredients

• whole rolled oats
• natural peanut butter
• unsweetened apple sauce
• gluten free flour
• baking powder
• ground flax seeds (mixed with water for to make a "flax egg")
• maple syrup
• ​vanilla
• sea salt
• add ins : chocolate chips & mini marshmallows 

I love this recipe for coconut bacon. It's smoky, sweet and adds great texture. It's fair to say that it's the most challenging part of the entire recipe. The steps are simple, but it takes patience and your undivided attention. I've made this recipe dozens of times, and have outlined everything I can think of. **The coconut bacon recipe is adapted from Avant Garde Vegan. 

Shredded Coconut
This recipe calls for unsweetened shredded coconut. Where I live, I have only ever seen the large flaked variety at Sobeys. You want large flaked shredded coconut. I haven't tried this recipe with the finer types but I suspect they would burn more easily. My go to source is the Bulk Barn, I buy it in bulk specifically for this recipe.

Prep
The coconut bacon is sweet, smoky, salty. I don't hold back while adding it to my salad. I like lots, the salad wants lots. If you think you think you have added enough, you probably didn't. To prep the coconut bacon, you just toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl, spread it onto a lined baking sheet, and then bake. When it cools the bacon will crisp up. 

Cooking Tips 
To bake the coconut bacon, you need to keep it in an even thin layer but also keep the shape tight together if that makes sense. No straggly bits of coconut hanging out by their lonesome along the edges. The edges burn easily so compacting it as much as possible without being a thick layer is the idea. When I toss it a few times while it's cooking, I form it back into this shape. Again, this is to prevent the pieces from burning along the edges, although the edges will darken first.

Taste
I want to mention that when I taste the coconut bacon right off the pan I don't love it. Not much of an endorsement, I realize, but my final judgement of this coconut bacon isn't from just eating it alone. I love it when it is mixed into this salad. I also often make a double batch for sprinkling in other random salads, too. The recipe calls for a ridiculous amount of liquid smoke, I am aware. It is potent, but again, mixed into the salad it just works for me. 

Piling a bunch of squidgy, olive oil-coated ingredients onto toasted sourdough is one of my favourite things. This recipe feels elevated, but it's actually very simple to prepare.

Leeks and sun-dried tomatoes give the dish real oomph. The white beans are a creamy, neutral base that carries all of those delicious flavours, while the kale adds colour along with slightly earthy, pleasantly bitter notes. Everything gets tossed with more olive oil than you might instinctively use. Think of the olive oil less as a garnish and more as a sauce that coats every ingredient and seeps into the toast.

I finish the mélange with a splash of balsamic vinegar and, if needed, a little maple syrup for balance. Whether I add maple depends on the balsamic. Pricier bottles tend to be naturally sweeter, while more affordable ones are often sharper and more acidic. The last time I made this, I skipped the maple altogether and used a little balsamic from a really nice bottle for sweetness, then added a splash of my cheaper balsamic for acidity.

Leeks:  Leeks make it special. There's something addictively good about a toast that includes them in the mix. They get buttery soft and have a sweet onion flavour that's to die for. If you want to add a splash of white wine while the leeks are cooking, it's a nice option too. I don't drink so it's not something I keep on hand, but it's definitely good and the alcohol will cook off in case that's a concern. 

Sundried Tomatoes: In the right context, sundried tomatoes are an incredibly flavourful ingredient that you might not even realize you enjoy. I can eat them right out of the jar, but to understand them properly--try them in a dish like this. The flavour complements instead of taking over. Briny, rich and bright. A decent substitute would be olives. If you want to try it with fresh tomato I think it would still be good!

​Bread: Choose a good quality sourdough loaf for this recipe. I often buy Ace Bakery Sourdough loaf. It comes pre sliced. The slices are large and oblong and I can get about four toasts out of this recipe, but it just depends how large the slices are that you are piling the filling onto. 

Cilantro: This is something I've started garnishing these toasts with whenever I have it on hand, even though I haven't listed it as an ingredient in the recipe. It isn't the first herb I would think to use here, but one day I tried it, and it just works. I love the fresh, citrusy lift it brings to the rich marinated ingredients.  

White Miso Paste
I wanted to create a tomato noodle recipe that was brothy and flavourful, but didn't require spending a lot of time prepping. White miso paste is an easy way to achieve that. It is typically around 6-8 dollars for a tub, but it lasts a long time and it really is one of my favourite ingredients. I've even been known to simply stir a heaping spoonful into boiling water and sip away on a cold afternoon. It's that good. The label might also say "Soy Bean Paste" when you are shopping, so keep an eye out for that.

Kala Namak & MSG
You'll notice I also use kala namak and msg in this recipe. I use very little of each, to the point where you might wonder if it does anything. You could probably leave them out, but I tried the soup before the kala namak and after, and for me it makes a difference. In Chinese cuisine, egg is often times paired with tomato, and kala namak (black sulpheric salt) lends that eggy taste. The MSG - just a couple of pinches, for seasoning. 

Kala Namak is available online, or sometimes in the international section of grocery stores. It's used in Indian cooking, so look where you see other spices. It will last a really long time if you decide to buy it, and I find it irreplicable in many dishes. I use it in tofu scrambles, fried rice dishes, smashed chickpea salad for sandwiches, vegan breakfast sandwiches, and in many Indian inspired recipes. 

Tomatoes
When I am buying canned tomatoes, I always look for whole, peeled organic tomatoes without any added seasonings. They aren't necessarily the most cost effective tomatoes, but I always keep an eye out for a sale, and stock up when I can. 

Noodles
​Look for a thin Chinese Wheat Noodle for this recipe. I experimented with other noodles too.  Soba noodles, a thick cut ramen noodle, and even chow mein noodles. The thin Chinese Wheat Noodles were the best. I haven't tried rice noodles, but that would keep the dish gluten free - I can't speak to whether or not I like them in this context, though. 

2. Meanwhile dissolve miso paste in hot water.
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GARNISH
I like to garnish my noodles with a few drizzles of this Szechuan Oil. I suppose it is optional, but for me this dish all about the layering of flavours. Everything works together to make this one of my favourite easy meals. This Szechuan oil does require some forethought if you want to make these tomato noodles, but it is something I personally always have on hand. The good news is, a batch will last a really long time, at least for me. A must have condiment for adding depth to all sorts of Asian inspired noodle, rice and vegetable dishes.

LEFTOVERS
When I want to reheat some for dinner, I just put some of the noodles into a bowl, pop them in the microwave, and heat a portion of my tomato broth to pour over top. I love it for meal prep to get me through the work week. 

I love this salad. Perfectly cooked thin skinned baby potatoes, green lentils, tender french green beans, red onion, radish, and arugula tossed with a bright red wine vinaigrette. I always add handfuls of fresh mint and most importantly, dill. This is just one variation, however. Sometimes I use asparagus and tarragon, and I even enjoy a variation with apple and walnuts. Start with potatoes and lentils, then feel free to use your imagination. The vinaigrette will work with a variety of ingredients. A bit punchy from Dijon and red wine vinegar with a touch of sweetness from the maple. 

How to serve & eat
This salad is undeniably best served after marinating in the fridge for several hours, but I'm not opposed to eating it straight away. If you are putting it in the fridge for later, it's nice when it isn't fridge cold. I like to let it sit out of the fridge for a bit before I eat it. It's also best to add nuts (if using) and to fold in greens or arugula right before serving. 

Vegan Sausage & Bread Thoughts
If I had to pick something to go along with this potato and lentil salad, it would be grilled plant based sausages. The dressing is quite bright and punchy and having nibbles of something fattier brings balance. I'm a bit fan of onion jam or some other kind of sweet savory condiment. I think something like that would pair well with the sausage and salad too. Instead of eating the sausage on a bun, I like a good quality crusty bread, it's how they serve street sausages in Switzerland (which I ate many times before being vegan). Then if there is any vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl, you can soak it up with the bread, or just eat it with bites of sausage.

​Texture
You definitely want to pay attention to the final texture of the cooked items in this recipe.

1. Make sure you cook the asparagus or green beans until they are JUST done. Super soft veg won't be appealing here. A good trick, as mentioned in the recipe below, is to watch the colour of the veg when you drop them into boiling water. There will be a small window of time where they turn vibrant green, that is a good sign that they are ready or almost ready. Eventually they will lose that vibrant colour and turn a dark unappealing green colour. Ideally you strain the veg and shock it water with lots of ice. 

2. I want the lentils to still have some texture. They shouldn't be hard and impossible to eat, but definitely not mushy and soft. I just taste them as they are cooking, then strain and rinse in cold water when they are done to my liking. 

3. Potatoes. There's nothing worse than an undercooked potato in a salad. It has happened to me on occasion, simply not paying enough attention and straining them too soon. My trick for correcting that, if it happens to you, is to pop them into the microwave for as long as needed to soften. Ideally you get it right the first time, though. When they can be pierced easily with a knife, they are ready.  Make sure you cook them in water seasoned with salt for best flavour. ​