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Baked Brie

A few weeks ago, a friend invited me over for baked Brie and I readily accepted. The Brie was incredibly simple and enormously delicious. I couldn't stop eating it even though I knew that there were two more courses coming, and while we ate it, we talked about how to eat all of the baked Brie at a party without seeming like you were eating all of the baked Brie at the party.

Baked Brie

6-inch round Brie cheese
1/3 cup raspberry (or other) jam
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place Brie in an oven proof bowl and top with jam and nuts.
3. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Turn up heat to 375F and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
4. Serve with sliced baguette and rice crackers.

Lunch At Famosa

The other day, my parents and I had lunch at a new pizza place in Edmonton called Famosa Neopolitan Pizzeria (11750 Jasper Avenue). My parents had already been there and swore that they had experienced authentic Italian food (my parents also went to Italy last summer and also fell in love with the simple and delicious cuisine). After eating there with them, I am inclined to agree.

The menu is simple: 6 salads, 3 appetizers (all flatbread based), 15 pizzas and 2 sandwiches. They have both pizzas rossas (with tomato sauce) and pizzas biancas (without tomato sauce). This is not a good place for celiacs, although our gluten-free friends could still take part in the many flavours of gelato offered at the restaurant. There are only three vegetarian main dishes on the menu (two pizzas and one salad), but there are many items that could be made deliciously vegetarian by simply omitting an item or two. Vegans: they have veganrella soy cheese!

The atmosphere of the place speaks quietly of a chain restaurant, with posters made specifically for Famosa and subtly over-stylized decor. Nonetheless, the small restaurant is cute and the service was good. And the food. Oh, the food!

The three of us shared the Primavera Pizza ($13.50) and the Gorgonzola Walnut Salad ($9). (My parents also shared a non-veg pizza, and this was more than enough food for us three).

The salad (pictured at the top of this post) was a simple version of a classic nut and blue cheese salad: romaine lettuce, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese and chopped walnuts in a light dressing. The freshness and quality of the ingredients combined with an adept execution to make this simple salad quite delicious. The dressing tasted homemade and did not overpower the other ingredients, and the dried cranberries were plump and tasty. My only complaint is that the gorgonzola was too soft to crumble properly, which made it difficult to take small bites and combine it with the other ingredients. Famosa would be better off using a drier blue cheese (like a Stilton), but maybe it's worth it to get to say "Gorgonzola". As it was, we spread the cheese on the provided slices of flatbread, and found that to be a delicious alternative.

The Primavera Pizza (pictured at the bottom of this post) left me with no complaints at all. Topped with roasted red pepper, mushrooms, olives, caramelized onions and artichoke hearts, this pizza was not overpowered by the fresh mozzarella and smoked gouda that were melted through the other ingredients. The mushrooms and onions were both sauteed to bring out their complex flavours and the olives were of high quality (no canned olives or mushrooms here!). The homemade crust was fresh and thin, but not too crispy like some thin crusts. Instead, it had the chewy texture of fresh bread.

This was a pizza bianca, meaning that the crust was seasoned with olive oil, herbs and garlic rather than the tomato sauce that we are more used to in North America. I was skeptical at first, but I did not miss the tomato sauce at all once the pizza arrived and I got to enjoy the subtle ways in which the flavours of veggies, cheese and herbs combined.

In conclusion, Famosa is highly recommended. My specific recommendation? Go with a friend and order a salad and a pizza and split both. Do it now.

Roasted Garlic Asparagus and Greek Salad

Sometimes it's the simplest, most often made made things that are the most delightful. Enter one of each: roasted asparagus in the simple category and greek salad as the most often made. Asparagus is back at the Farmer's Market here and I'm swooning. I often just steam it and toss it in lemon juice, but tonight I wanted something different - something garlicky. Served with greek salad and whole wheat spaghetti in premade vodka sauce, it was perfection!


Roasted Garlic Asparagus
1 lb. fresh asparagus
4 cloves garlic, minced (try using even more, if you're into it)
1 Tbsp. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Wash asparagus and snap off tough bottoms.
3. Toss in olive oil and garlic to coat.
4. Bake 20 minutes, turning once.



Greek Salad

2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup goat feta, crumbled
(or substitute 1/2 cup firm tofu marinated in red wine vinegar)
1/2 cup fresh basil, torn (or 1 tsp. dried basil)
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried dill)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1. Dice vegetables and crumble feta.
2. Toss together with oil, vinegar and herbs.

I Love My Steamer!

Time for a new feature of "Mind Your Peas and Cukes" - Gadget Reviews! In my life, I have bought many a kitchen gadget and small appliance. Some are good, some are bad. Today I threatened to throw my food processor off the balcony - but that's a different story, for a different gadget review.

My steamer is pretty much the best gadget I have. It steams vegetables, grains (including rice), and just about anything else - it even makes hard cooked eggs for you non-vegans in the crowd. Best of all, it can be left alone with the responsibility of cooking for you. Unlike many rice cookers, whose heating element sits close to the metal bowl that holds the rice, this steamer steams the rice in a bowl held away from the heating element so that it never burns. This is also more convenient post-eating, since it makes the steamer easier to clean.

As you can see in the picture to the left, my steamer is a double decker steamer that can steam multiple things at a time. I paid an extra $10 for this feature, and now regret it since the only time I want to steam things separately is if they take different amounts of time to cook - and then trying to add one basket mid-steam generally leads to burns and other unpleasantness.

This appliance is named the Black and Decker Flavor Scenter Steamer, because it allegedly has a place that you can put herbs so that they will flavour the food as it steams. I have never tried this since I generally plan to do something with the steamed vegetables post-cooking, but it sounds lovely.

In Canada, the Flavor Scenter Steamer is generally available for $30 - $40 depending on size and number of tiers. I recommend it highly.

Caprese Salad

My partner and I went to Italy last November where we fell in love with the simple pleasure of bread, fresh tomatoes and cheese. In Italy, you can get Caprese salads, pizzas or sandwiches, which just means that the main constituents of these dishes are tomatoes, boconccini and fresh basil. Boconccini is fresh mozzarella, which comes in little balls and can be found at Italian grocery stores and some supermarkets. If you live in Edmonton, the best place to buy boconccini is at the Italian Centre Shop (10878 - 95 St. or 5028 - 104 A St.). In fact, all of the cheeses at the Italian Centre Shop are the freshest and tastiest cheeses you've ever had, and they are cheaper than most mainstream grocery stores. Paddy's Cheese Market (12509 - 102 Ave) stocks a wide variety of fresh and tasty cheeses, but they are not as cheap.

If you want to turn this salad into an appetizer, thinly slice and toast a baguette and arrange a tomato with boconccini, basil and dressing on each one. Serve immediately so that the toasts don't get soggy.

Caprese Salad
Serves 2 as a side. Can easily be doubled/tripled/etc. to serve more.

1 roma tomato, sliced
1/3 cup medium boconccini, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into thirds
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate.
2. Arrange basil leaves and boconccini on tomatoes.
3. Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over salad, and grind pepper directly onto salad.


P.S. Like most Italian food, this recipe is simple and relies on good fresh ingredients. Farmer's market tomatoes are highly recommended.

Fried Tofu with Wasabi Mayonnaise

I used to live in a house with five other people and we would compete with each other for the ultimate fried tofu recipe. This is mine, although I have to admit that it's a little different every time. Play around with the spices until you find what suits you. If you can't find nutritional yeast, substitute flour and increase the spices.


Fried Tofu

1 lb. tofu, cut into thin strips
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (or additional soy sauce)
1/4 tsp. Sriracha or other hot sauce
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground peppers
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1. Heat the olive oil in a good large non-stick pan. Add the tofu in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. If it won't fit, cook the tofu in batches because it needs to be touching the bottom of the pan to absorb all of the flavour.
2. When the tofu starts sizzling, add the soy sauce, Worcestershire (if using) and hot sauce. Flip the tofu several times to let it absorb the liquid on each side.
3. When the liquid is absorbed, add the spices and flip the tofu until the spices stick.
4. Serve immediately. This recipe is good as a side dish, a snack, or on salad. (If you are using it for salad, cut the tofu into cubes instead of slices).

Wasabi Mayonnaise
So good. So easy to make.

1/4 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise
1/2 tsp. prepared wasabi

1. Mix the mayonnaise with the wasabi. It's just that simple. Reduce the wasabi if you are going to let the mayo sit for awhile since the flavour will grow.

Slow Cooked Freezer Beans

I like beans in dips, with rice, in burritos, on salads, in soups and pretty much anywhere else, except in cans. Canned beans annoy me because they often leave me with random amounts of beans sitting in my fridge, going bad before I can think of something to do with them. Not to mention the extra salt from the canning process, or the rinsing, or the wasted packaging.

My solution? Slow-cooked freezer beans. I buy dried beans in bulk and then cook them in my crockpot. My particular appliance cooks hot enough that I don't have to soak the beans and can cook them in about 2 hours on high. You may need to experiment to see what works best for you. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can always cook the beans in a pot (see tips below). Once the beans are cooked, I drain them, cool them and freeze them in a large ziplock bag. They occasionally stick together and need to be broken apart. Taking a hammer to them while they are still in the sealed bag seems to work pretty well. The beans will stick together less if they are slightly undercooked. When you want to use them, you can measure out what you need and thaw them by pouring boiling water over them (in a pot or Pyrex bowl), or by boiling them for a minute or two in a pot. (Let's just get it out now: I don't use microwaves. I don't know how they work and they scare me. So you are on your own for microwave instructions).

The advantages of frozen beans are many. First, many gourmands claim that reconstituted dried beans are tastier and healthier than canned beans. Second, you always have beans on hand and can use as few or as many as you need, without having leftovers in your fridge. Finally, it's cheaper and there is much less wasted packaging as compared to canned beans.

So that's that. I will leave you now with some handy bean cooking tips:

1. Always rinse your beans before you cook them. This gets rid of some of the sugars that cause flatulence, and can rinse away some of the colour of darker beans so that your slow cooker (or pot) doesn't get stained.

2. Don't add salt or acidic foods (like tomatoes) to the cooking water. Add these things after cooking since they can make the beans tough, and keep them from cooking no matter how long you leave them in the pot.

3. Beans expand by two or three times when you cook them, so you need to add at least 3 cups of cooking water for every 1 cup of beans.

4. To cook beans in a pot, soak them for at least 8 hours. Drain them and rinse them. In a large pot, bring water to a boil (at least 3 cups of water for every cup of dried beans) and simmer the beans (the water has to be bubbling the whole time) for 1 - 2 hours, or until cooked. Lentils and split peas do not have to be soaked and only cook for 20 - 30 minutes, but they do not freeze well.

Hello Blogosphere!

Well, hello there. My name is Emily and this is my blog, "Mind Your Peas and Cukes." It is a blog about vegetarian cooking and eating, which will one day include recipes, photos, restaurant reviews, cookbook reviews and commentary about food ethics for a small world. I hope that you will enjoy it, and that I will enjoy writing it. Thanks for stopping by!