Coconut Butter

Coconuts and coconut oil have had its fair share of bad press in the last few decades. It’s still a common misconception that the saturated fat in coconut oil raises cholesterol.

There are no scientific studies which have been published, that indicate the consumption of coconut oil increases blood cholesterol or leads to heart disease. There have however, been numerous reports [1-6] that have shown that coconut oil cannot be held responsible for the development of coronary heart disease. Other studies have pin-pointed populations that regularly consume coconuts, such as Polynesia and Sri Lanka and show that “dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity" [7-9].

Fresh Fruit Cobbler

I love Summer! Not only because of the long warm days, but because of the fresh fruit available at that time of the year. I’m like a child excited at the window of a sweet (candy) shop, when I do my grocery shopping during Summer.

Last Summer, we made an effort to barbeque every weekend. For dessert, I’d usually make either a fruit cobbler or clafoutis.

Tomato & Rice Soup

This soup may sound a tad odd, but it’s barely any different from a minestrone soup minus the vegetables, and instead of pasta, there’s rice. It’s actually a pretty good soup. J had his wisdom teeth pulled and I had to find a way of feeding him enough fruit and vegetables, the easiest way was with soup.

I recall Nigella Lawson jabbering on about tomato & rice soup on one of her BBC series. I don’t remember the exact details, as she's a very slapdash cook, but the idea seemed pretty neat. Using the following recipe, and feeding 2 people, each serving gives 5 portions of fruit and 400 calories.

Prawn Dumplings

An excellent way of judging how good a dim sum restaurant is to try their har gow. You know… those translucent prawn (shrimp) dumplings that everyone is so fond of. If you’ve even been to yum cha, there’s no doubt that you’ve tried them. The quality of the har gow, is a pivotal point on whether the other dim sum items are going to be good or not. It takes many many years for a dim sum chef to master these dumplings, and if those are good, the other items are going to be excellent!

Cheese Sables

I made these cheese sables on Valentine’s Day and received the best compliment from J. He said “these taste just like my Uncle’s….” Now, this may not mean much to most people, but J’s uncle used to own a patisserie in the Netherlands for many many years.

These cheese sables are buttery, cheesy, crispy and delicate, suitable for general snacking, nibbles before dinner, or with an aperitif.

Pork & Cabbage Jiaozi

Jiaozi, gyoza, potstickers or in Cantonese, gow gee are all the same thing. They're an East Asian dumpling with a filling of minced (ground) meat and/or vegetables, which is encased in a thin, chewy skin.

The version I have made is with minced (ground) pork with Chinese leaf (napa cabbage). I have also made the recipe with chicken thighs, where I’ve home-minced (ground) it in a food processor. The resulting jiaozi are pretty good, and I often use them in a Szechuan noodle soup.

Brown Butter Blondies

We had guests over during the Winter Olympics. I had no idea of their eating habits, but had planned many of the meals in advance. We rarely have desserts on a day-to-day basis, so when we do have guests, it’s a real treat - blondies were on the menu.

Blondies are one of those things I never heard of until I moved to the US. Brownies yes, but blondies no. Blondies are apparently like brownies, but without the chocolate – I say, what’s the fun in that?

Succulent Steak & Gravy Pie

This savory pie is extremely indulgent for us to eat on an every-day basis, so I save it for special meals.

This steak pie is full of tender, succulent steak, surrounded by a thick and flavorsome (flavorful) gravy, which is encased in a rich and buttery pastry (crust). It’s a true delight!

Gluten-Free Vanilla & Strawberry Sponge Cake

This cake was a mish-mash of two recipes I've used before. It uses a modified version of the gluten-free chocolate cake and the tofu “cream” – yofu recipes, both of which are equally delicious. I decided to top the cake with a thin layer of strawberries, but was far too lazy to make a glaze for them because I was impatient and wanted to eat it.

The tofu "cream" and strawberries top this wonderfully light-mousse-like-sponge-cake really well. It's incredibly light, packed full of protein, and is gluten and dairy-free.

Avocado, Orange & Almond Salad

I’ve always been a little dubious about odd sounding salads. That was until I tried this one.


All of the ingredients alone are truly delicious, but when put together, you get an amazing burst of flavor and textures that’s indescribable.