Good food is a thing with me. I refuse to eat at certain places in this city because their food has no flavour. I’d do just as well eating cardboard, the meals are just that good. Perhaps the packaging the food came in would be better. Because I am living with a man who grew up here and therefore was not given a palate (you mostly get those when you leave the island… it’s like a parting gift), used to smoke, grew up in a household of smokers and whose mother learned how to cook from her mother who was an army cook… well, you see where this is going. I have determined he doesn’t actually like food.

There are many (ridiculous) examples:

He does not like tomatoes, but will happily eat salsa, tomato sauce, pizza with tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and tomato soup.

He does not like avocado but loves my guacamole (which is avocado, mashed up with some salt and lime juice. THAT’s ALL.)

He will not eat certain greens unless we grow them ourselves (which, ok, I kinda get this, but if you can explain to me the difference between swiss chard I grew myself and swiss chard that comes from the farm down the street, that would be helpful)

He prefers to put yellow mustard on practically everything, BBQ sauce on a perfectly seasoned steak and drowns his salads in Golden Italian Dressing.

My conclusion: he likes condiments, not food.

This is part of the reason I get a little excited when he goes to work out of town: I get to cook “weird” stuff. My plan for the upcoming week? Some deliciousness from The Tastes of Ayurveda by Amrita Sondhi:

Poet’s Split Pea Soup (I’m not a huge fan of traditional split pea soup, so I hope this one tastes better… it’s already got better stuff in it)

Refreshing Vegetable  & Yu Choy Miso Soup

Curried Whole Green Mung Dal with Chapatis

Baked Falafel

Amrita’s Rajma with Vegetables

Mountain High Quesadilla Pie

Mary’s Bodacious Bean Burritos

West Bay Biriani

Spicy Paneer Bean Pilau

Fit for a Wedding Feast Biriani

… I could go on.  The Tastes of Ayurveda and her first book, The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook are fantastic. Beautifully written, it feels like Amrita is in the kitchen with you as you work through her recipes, and stuffed full of fantastic colour photographs, it’s impossible not to cook from these books!  If you’re new to Ayurvedic cooking, Amrita explains the doshas, offers quizzes to find your dosha and then explains what all that means. In the Tastes book, she offers a chapter on eating for the seasons, menu plans and cleanses as well as some tips on balcony gardening and food guidelines for basic constitutional types. In Modern Ayurvedic, she offers information on alternate ayurvedic therapies and the yoga poses for each dosha is in both books. Amrita lives on Bowen Island, BC  and is a certified yoga instructor and Ayurvedic cooking teacher. Partial proceeds from both of her books benefit the Pamoja Foundation, dedicated to helping people find their way from poverty to financial self-sufficiency.

These are two books that will remain in my cookbook library for a LONG time to come. Go get yourself both of them today – they’re seriously delicious.

**Edited to Add: Sorry for the snark over Vancouver Island palates. I know there are a lot of smart, ‘tasty’ folk around. I’m just mighty frustrated by the dearth of places to choose from here. The flirty foodie girls and I will need to compare notes and start going out to try places!!

The Summer Olympics is coming to a close, which is as a good a reason as any to throw a party. Grab a few friends and watch the closing ceremonies together! Feed them the following:

 

Pomegranate Lap Snap

2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup white wine such as Redwood Creek or Turning Leaf
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon original Tabasco® brand pepper sauce
Crushed ice
1/2 cup ginger ale, chilled
Lime peel twists for garnish

Combine pomegranate juice, white wine, lime juice, and Tabasco sauce.  Place ice in two tall glasses; add juice mixture.  Top with ginger ale; garnish with lime peel twists.  Serves 2.

 

Go for the Gold Tea

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lemon-lime carbonated beverage
1 tablespoon light rum
1 tablespoon tequila
1 tablespoon vodka
1 tablespoon gin
3 drops Original Tabasco® brand Pepper Sauce

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 12-ounce highball glass filled with ice; stir. If desired, garnish glass with a wedge of pineapple or lime. Serves 1.

 

Hummus of Olympic Proportions

2 (19oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic
4 teaspoons Tabasco®
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Toasted pita triangles & raw vegetables, such as baby carrots, cucumber sticks of bell pepper strips

Combine garbanzo beans, water, lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, Tabasco sauce, cumin and salt in food processor or blender. Transfer to serving bowl; sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve spread with toasted pita triangles and raw vegetables. Makes about 4 cups.

 

Judges Favorite Protein Bites

1 (2 lbs.) flank steak
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2 scallions, minced
2 teaspoons horseradish
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Toasted French bread rounds

Sliced scallions for garnish

Preheat grill or broiler. Grill steak for 15 minutes or until desired tenderness. Let stand for 5 minutes and thinly slice. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, scallions, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, garlic powder and salt in medium sized bowl; stir to mix well. To serve, spoon some cream cheese mixture onto each bread round. Top with sliced steak. Garnish with scallions. Makes 6 servings.

 

Zesty Swimming Cap-Onata

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped pitted black olives
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon original Tabasco® pepper sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant and cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. With slotted spoon, transfer to medium bowl.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, along with onion, green and red peppers, celery, and garlic. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes with their liquid, olives, vinegar, Tabasco sauce, oregano, salt and cooked eggplant. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring to blend flavors. Serve warm or cool. Makes 6 servings.

 

Floor Routine’s Spring Mix Salad

Salad:

2 ears fresh corn
1 cup green beans, each cut in half
1 cup wax beans, each cut in half
1 orange or red bell pepper, cut into slivers
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, diced
Arugula leaves, optional

Chipotle Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh snipped chives
2 teaspoons Tabasco® brand chipotle pepper sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil

Cut corn kernels from cob. With enough water to cover, heat corn kernels, green beans and wax beans in medium saucepan over high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Prepare vinaigrette. Combine cider vinegar, chives, Tabasco sauce, and mustard in large bowl; whisk in olive oil until blended.

Stir cooked vegetable, bell pepper, cucumber and red onion into vinaigrette. Toss to mix well.

Line large platter with arugula leaves, if desired, and spoon salad onto leaves. Makes 6 servings.

Bacon, Lettuce and Team *Insert Your Country Here* Sandwiches

Chipotle Mayo

2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce

Sandwich

2 large tomatoes, cored and cut into 4 thick slices
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon Tabasco® chipotle pepper sauce
8 slices Applewood bacon, cooked
8 slices rustic Italian bread, about 1/2-inch thick
1 cup Boston lettuce or arugula leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat grill to high.*

Prepare chipotle mayo: Combine mayonnaise and Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce in small bowl. Set aside.

Place tomatoes on grill rack. Brush with olive oil and Tabasco chipotle pepper sauce. Cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes are browned, turning once.

Assemble sandwich: Place bread slices on work surface; spread each with a scant tablespoon of the chipotle mayo. (Reserve remaining mixture to serve with grilled sandwiches.) Place roasted tomatoes on 4 bread slices; top each with 2 bacon slices, cutting to fit if necessary. Top each with some lettuce and remaining bread slices.

Brush both sides of bread with olive oil. Place sandwiches on grill, pressing lightly with the back of a spatula. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning carefully.  Remove from heat. Cut sandwiches in half. Serve immediately with reserved chipotle mayo. Makes 4 servings.

*To cook indoors: Preheat oven to 450º F. Place tomatoes on small cookie sheet.  Roast 10 minutes or until tomatoes are browned and tender, turning once. Prepare sandwiches as above. Cook 2 sandwiches at a time as above in 12-inch skillet or panini grill, over medium heat, until golden.