Category Archives: Dinner

Warm Moroccan Quinoa Salad

February 14, 2013 by EmmaEats

Another quinoa recipe? Oh, this must be good. And it is. Cozy and complex, not only is it delicious for the grownups, it’s a fantastic way to introduce Moroccan flavours to the kids. We stumbled upon this combination by accident — I was making the Mexican-style Quinoa and made way too much quinoa. The girls have been enjoying lots of dried fruits lately with our homemade granola and we happened to have Moroccan seasoning on hand from making this Chicken Tagine. Quinoa […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Brunch, dairy-free, Dried fruit, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, quinoa, Recipes, Winter recipes

Mexican-Style Quinoa with Pulled Pork

February 7, 2013 by EmmaEats

Where did January go? And why does it seem that it felt like the end of winter and the beginning of spring? Because, you know, it’s not. We still have more than a month before spring is here. Since winter is still here (and we started to feel it again last weekend — so long balmy, rainy days, welcome back snow, wind and ice), we may as well make the best of it. Enjoy the Sunday afternoon skating, the marshmallows […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Brunch, Cooking, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Pulled Pork, quinoa, Recipes, Winter recipes

Trout Wellington

January 31, 2013 by EmmaEats

Chocolates, sweet tarts, and cinnamon hearts. Although two members of our household wouldn’t argue about sweets on Valentine’s Day, there is someone who would prefer something less sugary. Fear not, we will have sweet treats too but alas, chocolates, sweet tarts, and cinnamon hearts do not a dinner make, even if it is for Valentine’s Day. These personal-sized Trout Wellingtons look impressive, are simple to make, and once in the oven, are effortless. If you’re having your Valentine’s Day dinner at […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Puff pastry, quick and easy, Recipes, salmon, trout, Trout Wellington, Valentine, Valentine's Day, Winter recipes

Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup, 2 ways

January 24, 2013 by EmmaEats

We’re in the thick of it now. Winter. Absolutely-frigid-toes-frozen-huddled-under-a-blanket winter. In my last post on fudge, foregoing all extravagances cold turkey as part of a New Year’s resolution was excessive. Moderation is the key and this sweet potato and carrot soup tastes indulgent, but really isn’t. G and I have been eating versions of this for years. My old favourite is made with butternut squash. After enjoying this version a few times, it’s climbed into top spot. It’s straight-forward and simple […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Butternut squash, Cinnamon, Cooking, dairy-free, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Sweet potato, Winter recipes

Crown Roast of Pork – Revisited

December 13, 2012 by EmmaEats

[I originally posted this Crown Roast of Pork nearly a year ago, but finally have a picture to add and some additional tips and details. It is such a fantastic and impactful addition to your holiday table, it seemed that it warrants this revisit as we prepare for the holiday season!] It’s always a good thing to have that recipe in your back pocket – you know the one – the one that you’ve made so many times that you could […]

Categories: Dinner, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Cooking, Crown Roast of Pork, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Pork, Recipes

Chicken Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo

November 22, 2012 by EmmaEats

Gumbo. Creole. Etouffee. Jambalaya. Mmmmmm. Emma has a bit of a love affair with New Orleans. After reading some Princess and the Frog books (she hasn’t watched the movie yet — how will she react to the Shadow Man and his compatriots?!) and hearing about Princess Tiana enjoying her father’s gumbo, she became intrigued with it. Here we go again: she shows the interest and I’m all too happy to introduce her to something new. This isn’t gumbo the truest […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Cooking, dairy-free, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gumbo, Homemade, Kid-friendly, New Orleans, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Winter recipes

Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives

November 8, 2012 by EmmaEats

I’m not ready for cold weather but I am ready for more warm food. This kind of food. Emma’s first exposure to Moroccan food was at Epcot in the Moroccan pavilion. She loved the music and the dancing. G and I loved the food. She thought of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. We thought of warm complex spices, flavourful sweet dates and preserved lemons. With Emma’s love for “all things Moroccan”, we couldn’t let this opportunity pass to introduce some Moroccan […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Brunch, Chicken Tagine, Cooking, dairy-free, Emile Henry, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Moroccan cuisine, nut-free, Olive, Olive oil, Preserved lemon, Princess Jasmine, Recipes, Tajine

Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash, Pancetta and Mushrooms

October 31, 2012 by EmmaEats

And so it begins. It’s the season where we’re all cold until Spring. Whether it’s raining or snowing, windy or cloudy, or because the days are now so short, we all crave comfort and warmth at this time of year – deeply breathing in the hot steam rolling off of a morning coffee, pulling a scarf higher as you step outside or reaching for a warm blanket when tucking into that novel as the wind howls outside the window. We used […]

Categories: Appetizers, Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Monthly Mingle, Recipes, Sides • Tags: Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Recipes

Lucky Ducky Dhal

October 26, 2012 by EmmaEats

On a typical evening, everyone has the same dinner in our household. We don’t make a habit of preparing foods explicitly for the kids versus the adults. On a few occasions though, things happen to work out that we can do this easily and everyone benefits from the effort. Recently, we had pizza for dinner and there were leftovers for the following evening. It was a particularly wet and tiring day and I was craving some (healthy) comfort food. Seemed […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Sides, Vegan • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Cooking, dairy-free, Dal, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Indian cuisine, Kid-friendly, Lentil, quick and easy, Recipes, Vegan

Flank Steak Roulade on the Big Green Egg

Kiss of Fire — Flank Steak Roulade

September 20, 2012 by EmmaEats

Back when Katie was a mere 4 weeks old, an old friend came to stay with us for a few days. We hadn’t seen him in years and hoped it would be a good visit – one where we’d have an enjoyable time reconnecting. We also hoped we could somehow manage to feed, water and entertain our houseguest while simultaneously caring for our kids. And we really hoped we would not send him screaming after being exposed our new insanity. […]

Categories: Brunch, Dinner, Lunch, Monthly Mingle, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Barbecue, bbq, BGE, Big Green Egg, Cooking, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Flank steak, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Olive oil, quick and easy, Recipes

In the heat – Summer Salad Rolls

August 2, 2012 by EmmaEats

Healthy and light. Warm or cold. Saucy or not. Something for everyone. Hopefully, you’ve all been finding some solace during these toasty summer days we’ve been experiencing. The girls have actually been loving it — visits to the cottage, runs through the sprinkler, countless trips with friends to nearby splash pads and even a trip to a water park. When I put it that way, I’ve been loving it too! With the girls off playing, there are only so many times […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Prawn, quick and easy, Recipes, Rice paper, Rice vermicelli, Shrimp, Spring roll, Summer Food

That’s Amore – Spelt Crust Pizza Buns

May 18, 2012 by EmmaEats

Every day, one of the students in Emma’s junior kindergarden takes snacks for the entire class. The snacks are expected to be healthy, low in sugar, nut-free and easy to eat. On most days, crackers, cheese, fruits and/or veggies tend to be the norm but occasionally, there’s a little something switched up to give the children a change. Emma tells me what she’d like to take in for her class and sometimes picks the standard fare too. There have been […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: appetizers, baking, Cheese, Cooking, Dough, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mozzarella, nut-free, Pizza, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Whole wheat flour

We say ay caramba – Emma’s Chicken Enchiladas

April 26, 2012 by EmmaEats

We’ve been somewhat fortunate compared to some of our friends with children. Emma’s always enjoyed flavorful foods without much persuasion. Don’t get me wrong, she has her moments. In fact, one of her beloved dishes is pasta with peas, a splash of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan. But, she’s also willing to delve into some adventurous territory too – Japanese beef curry, sushi, chicken paprikash, and this dish, which I affectionately refer to Emma’s Enchiladas. Technically, they’re not actually enchiladas and […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Brunch, Chicken, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mexican, quick and easy, Recipes, Spicy Food

Remind Me – Mixed Vegetable and Bacon Pancakes

April 19, 2012 by EmmaEats

My father made the best potato pancakes for my brother and I when we were kids. I can still picture him standing next to the sink in our then avocado green kitchen, peeling potatoes one by one and then shredding them with a box grater into a colander in the sink. He didn’t cook often but when he did, I’m quite certain it was appreciated by my mother who normally handled the meal preparation for our family. We loved those potato pancakes. […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Vegetarian • Tags: appetizers, bacon, Brunch, carrots, corn, Dinner, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, grains, healthy, Kid-friendly, latkes, nut-free, Pancake, peas, Potato pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, spring, Whole wheat flour, zucchini

On top of spaghetti (or not) – Baked Chicken Meatballs

April 5, 2012 by EmmaEats

A favourite Emma outing is a run to the Ontario Science Centre. She could spend days there playing with her friends, visiting the various exhibits, staring at the stars in the planetarium and wandering outside in their courtyards. All that activity leads to her developing a major appetite and her go-to treat in their cafeteria is spaghetti and meatballs. The last few times we’ve visited has been after the cafeteria has closed for the day unfortunately. And so, to make […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: appetizers, baking, Chicken, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Hors d'oeuvres, Kid-friendly, Meatball, nut-free, Ontario Science Centre, quick and easy, Recipes

Green eggs and…ribs – Succulent and Smoky Grilled Pork Ribs

March 22, 2012 by EmmaEats

The Big Green Egg (aka the BGE) has revolutionized our kitchen. I am no longer the sole cook in our house. G cooks often and he likes it! And more importantly, Emma loves it! We grill year round and have always made sure that the barbecue was within easy access of our kitchen door. Since acquiring the BGE, one of the first places we clear after a big snow is the path to it. Salmon, trout, cod, lamb chops, steak, chicken, pork […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Barbecue, bbq, BGE, Big Green Egg, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, gluten-free, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Pork ribs, Recipes, summer recipes

Paprikas Csirke Gombaval - Chicken Paprikash w Mushrooms

Hickety pickety, my paprikash hen…Chicken and Mushroom Paprikash

March 1, 2012 by EmmaEats

We’re back from our trip to Florida and it is suddenly cold here. I know you probably aren’t feeling too sympathetic to my complaint especially since we were warm and basking in the Florida sunshine merely days ago. But now we are cold, have finally seen some snow (which turned to freezing rain and then melted again) and are being treated to a not-so-nice few days forecasted ahead. Emma’s take on things here: “Mummy, our garden looks terrible. It really needs […]

Categories: Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Chicken, Chicken paprikash, comfort food, Cooking, Dumpling, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, nut-free, Paprika, quick and easy, Recipes, Winter cooking

Crown Roast of Pork

January 19, 2012 by EmmaEats

[Update Dec 2012: There are some slight updates to this recipe now available at: Crown Roast of Pork – Revisited] It’s always a good thing to have that recipe in your back pocket – you know the one – the one that you’ve made so many times that you could do it in your sleep and the one that everyone raves about each time you serve it. In our house, that go to recipe elicits cheers from Emma. Probably appeals […]

Categories: Dinner, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Christmas, Cooking, Crown Roast of Pork, Family-friendly, Food, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Pork, Recipes, roast