Tag: Cooking

Dairy-free Dark Chocolate, Apricot and Granola Muffins

[Dairy-Free] Dark Chocolate Granola Muffins with Honey and Apricots

February 28, 2013 by EmmaEats

It’s been a muffin-eating frenzy here lately. We don’t normally eat muffins very often. Many years ago, I had a failed attempt at making them (imagine mini boulders) and was scarred by the outcome. Now suddenly these little babies saunter into our kitchen and have been utterly irresistible to all members of our household. Emma even requested them for her snack day at school. Unbeknownst to her, these muffins are little fibre powerhouses. Between the whole wheat and spelt flours, […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Apricot, baking, Baking and Confections, Breakfast, Brunch, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dried fruit, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Granola, Homemade, Honey, Kid-friendly, Muffin, Nigella Lawson, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Whole wheat flour

Roasted Turkey and Mushroom Soup

February 21, 2013 by EmmaEats

Do you get a chance to get away during the winter? We’ve been making an effort to do so and this year was no exception. Only with the extremes we’ve seen lately, it’s hard to believe that it’s been just over a week since we were in the sunshine. I’m mildly envious of those people that embrace winter – the skiiers, skaters, snowboarders. You know the ones. They’re energized by the cold temperatures and freshly fallen snow. They don’t mind […]

Categories: Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, Cooking, dairy-free, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Mushroom, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipe, 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

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

Candy Cane Fudge

January 17, 2013 by EmmaEats

New Year’s resolutions are so overrated. This is the time of year where everyone feels the pressure to get fit, eat well and forego all extravagances after a month of indulgence. Many choose to go cold turkey – me, I prefer a more moderate approach. We eat more healthy foods, we work to get more active, we try to get more sleep and we still enjoy some treats. We’ve enjoyed a version of this fudge before – as Fudgey S’mores. […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Cooking, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Gift-giving, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Macaroons, Ginger Spice Cake and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

Homemade for the Holidays – Coconut Macaroons and Crispy Mint Chocolate Bark

December 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Here’s a little gift to you – from our house to yours. Hope you and your families are having a wonderful holiday filled with much love, health, happiness and joy! Coconut Snowballs adapted from Diamonds for Dessert: Frosty the Snowman (makes 24 1 1/2″ snowballs) 3 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 3/4 cup vanilla sugar pinch of ground kosher salt 3 egg whites (from large eggs) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract a few squares of dark chocolate Line a baking sheet […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Baking and Confections, Candy cane, Chocolate, Christmas, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, Rice Krispies

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

Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cherry Bites

December 6, 2012 by EmmaEats

It can’t be so. Cookies with no nuts, no butter and no eggs and entirely irresistible. Well, it is indeed so. These incredibly flavourful cookies are definite crowd-pleasers and even diehard non-vegans won’t even notice that these tasty morsels are in fact without the butter, egg and nut triumvirate. Emma picked these for her school snack day awhile back and the platter came back clean. Empty. As were the bowls of them at her birthday party. As was the tray […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks, Vegan • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cherry, Chocolate, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Dried fruit, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Vegan

Ginger and Spice Cake

November 29, 2012 by EmmaEats

Not all cakes have to be frilly, frosted and fantastical in nature to knock your socks off. We’re heading into the holiday season and this cake is the perfect way to kick it off. It doesn’t sparkle. It’s not iced. It isn’t fancy in any sense of the word. But what it lacks in wow factor at first sight, it makes up for with the first bite. We’ve been eating it ever since the coolness of autumn started to roll […]

Categories: Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes • Tags: Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Brunch, Christmas, Cinnamon, coconut oil, Cooking, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Ginger, Gingerbread, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, spelt, Spice Cake, Whole wheat flour, Winter 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

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

Ein Prosit — Whole Wheat and Honey Dairy-Free Pretzel Bites

October 18, 2012 by EmmaEats

Oktoberfest is here. Or at least it was here until earlier this month. Years ago, living in Waterloo, we celebrated with the locals at the second largest Oktoberfest celebration in the world. There was lots of warm, comforting and filling Bavarian food including bratwurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel and pretzels. Things have changed since then — now that we are parents, the only biergarten we occasionally see is the one at the German pavilion at Disney’s Epcot. Thankfully, they have good pretzels! […]

Categories: Appetizers, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Sides, Super School Snacks • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Germany, healthy, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, Oktoberfest, Pretzel, Recipes, Whole wheat flour

One-pot Mac ‘n Cheese with Ham ‘n Peas

October 11, 2012 by EmmaEats

Boxed macaroni and cheese is my shame food. There, I’ve said it. Shame food = food one is embarrassed and ashamed to admit they really, really like. I’ve convinced myself that it isn’t so bad because I fancy it up with sour cream, smoked salmon and peas. To make matters worse, Emma has adopted my shame food as a favourite too. She doesn’t see it as a bad thing, but I know that the food colouring, mystery cheese powder and […]

Categories: Recipes • Tags: Cheese, Cooking, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Macaroni & Cheese, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes

Winter is Coming — Apple Spice Layer Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Frosting [Dairy-Free]

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. I am thankful that although winter is coming, it is not quite here. Thankfully, it’s still months away! We’re just being greeted by Autumn — with her cool evenings, sunny days and breathtaking colours. It also means apple season is here and it’s time to take advantage of something else Autumn has brought us. Crisp, fresh and flavourful apples. This apple cake was inspired by many attempts to make the right apple cake over past […]

Categories: Desserts, Recipes • Tags: apple season, Autumn Recipes, baking, Baking and Confections, Cinnamon, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, desserts, Fall recipes, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes, royal gala apples, spelt, spelt flour

Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes on fresh fruit skewers

I can make it on time — Whole Wheat Banana Flax Baked Pancakes

September 27, 2012 by EmmaEats

There is no longer any reason to start your morning without pancakes. Even when you’re running late. Like you, I try to do my best to provide a well-rounded healthy breakfast for my kids. Even though it only takes a few minutes to scramble an egg in the microwave/make toast/have a half a banana, somehow, that is too much to coordinate some mornings. Overhearing Emma’s teacher asking the children what they had for breakfast one morning got me thinking. Nearly […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Lunch, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, banana bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Chocolate chip, coconut oil, Cooking, dairy-free, Dessert, Family-friendly, Flax, Food, food-photography, Homemade, Kid-friendly, Maple syrup, nut-free, Pancake, quick and easy, Recipes, School Snacks, Whole wheat flour

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

Here comes the sun – Granola and Berry Breakfast Parfaits

September 11, 2012 by EmmaEats

Some mornings, we’re in a rush. Maybe I should say many mornings we’re in a rush. Ok, perhaps most mornings. Are your mornings the same? Happy back-to-school – hopefully it’s been a good start to the year for you all. We’ve had a fantastic start which means although it is a 3-minute walk door-to-door to Emma’s school, we’ve only had to run out the door to get there on time once. For us, that’s stellar! I attribute our new found […]

Categories: Breakfast, Brunch, Desserts, Really Yum Yum, Recipes, Super School Snacks • Tags: Breakfast, Brunch, Cooking, Cranberry, Dessert, Family-friendly, Food, food-photography, Granola, Homemade, Kid-friendly, nut-free, quick and easy, Recipes