Wordless Wednesday #111: Supper Club, Vanessa

Olive-Oil Poached Halibut - parsley-fennel-vermouth broth, pickled asparagus,
braised leek, spicy walnut crumble

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Coconut Quinoa Granola

I'm always on the lookout for a new granola recipe in order to jazz up my morning yogurt. And I find that it's the perfect kitchen project on a lazy Sunday when I'm trying to get other chores done around the apartment. It comes together so quickly, and soon enough, my place is filled with the enticing smells of spices and nuts.

My latest muse this past Sunday was this fantastic Coconut Quinoa Granola. Along with the old-fashioned rolled oats, raw quinoa and wheat germ were added to the mixture. The quinoa added some incredible nutty flavours to the granola, as well as a super crunchy texture.

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Almond Butter Blondies

You know when you have that love-at-first-bite moment? You tell yourself you're going to have just one piece. And then you (quietly) go back for a second. And before you know it, you want to hoard the whole pan all to yourself. Yeah...I had that moment when I made these Almond Butter Blondies. Thankfully, I did NOT hoard the whole pan (although I did keep a few extra slices for myself), because these blondies are definitely worth sharing with others.

Throughout my January detox, I wasn't allowed sugar. Or carbs. And that meant no baking for me. Which is totally fine post-holidays, after I had spent the previous month and half baking non-stop. But after three weeks of salads, raw vegetables, and green smoothies, I was more than ready to bring out my mixer and turn on the oven again. I had this recipe flagged for some time, as they came highly recommended by a coworker, and I thought a gluten-free baked good would be a great reintroduction to sweet treats.

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Twelve Days of Christmas, #5: Almond-Orange Biscotti

I often like making two to three kinds of biscotti during the holidays. One, because I do have a soft spot for biscotti. Two, they keep very well so that I can make them ahead of time and know that they'll still taste great days later.

Day Five of my Twelve Days of Christmas Treats: Almond-Orange Biscotti.

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French Fridays with Dorie: Beggar's Spaghetti

Now, I love Dorie Greenspan. I have great admiration and love for her, and am such a big fan of her books and her recipes. All the recipes that I have tried so far from her latest book, Around My French Table, have turned out wonderfully.

So I had my doubts when I was reading through the latest "French Friday" recipe, Beggar's Linguine Nuts, dried fruit...and pasta? I do like all those elements individually, but I had a hard time trying to conceptualize all of them together in my head.

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A Tale of Two Desserts

Close your eyes and imagine this.

A layer of chocolate génoise. A layer of chestnut cream. A layer of chocolate almond crunch. Another layer of chestnut cream. Repeat.

The result: a Chocolate Chestnut Crunch Cake.

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