Recently a good friend of ours gave us a slow cooker for the office. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as this Fall we are publishing the sixth book in Eric Akis’s Everyone Can Cook series: Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals!

Yesterday, the Whitecapettes and I—all nine of us—decided to try out our first recipe from the book. We chose the Vegetable Tikka Masala because of its (relatively) short cook time (and because one of us is vegetarian). Everyone brought in two ingredients, stone soup style, and in the morning we threw it all in the cooker and let it sit.

The tikka masala turned out great and left the whole Whitecap office smelling amazing all day. Thanks to Phil for the slow cooker and Eric for the recipe!

Group Shot, slow cooker meal

Did you know?: “Tikka” means “chunks of chicken” in Hindi.

Vegetable Tikka Masala

Makes 6 servings

This is a vegetarian version of a dish made famous in Britain. It’s usually made with chicken. The whipping cream in the curry-laced sauce in which the vegetables are cooked gives it a silky texture and, of course, a divinely rich taste. I like to serve this dish with slices of cumin seed flatbread (see Eric’s Options for Rosemary Flatbread in Everyone Can Cook Slow Cooker Meals).

1 cup (250 mL) tomato sauce
1 cup (250 mL) vegetable stock or water
1 cup (250 mL) whipping (35%) cream
2–3 Tbsp (30–45 mL) mild, medium or hot curry powder
1 tsp (5 mL) cornstarch
18 small to medium cauliflower florets
10–12 miniature red-skinned potatoes, each quartered
1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and sliced on the bias
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) peeled, chopped fresh ginger (see About Fresh Ginger on page 30)
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas
Salt to taste
3 Tbsp (45 mL) chopped fresh cilantro or sliced green onion

Place the tomato sauce, stock, cream, curry powder and cornstarch in your slow cooker and whisk to combine. Mix in the cauliflower, potatoes, carrot, bell pepper, onion, ginger and garlic. The mixture will look thick, but moisture will seep out of the vegetables as they cook, so don’t be tempted to add extra liquid. Push down on the potatoes to ensure they are submerged in the liquid. Cover and cook on the low setting for 5 to 6 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. Mix in the peas, cover and cook for 10 minutes more, or just until the peas are heated through. Season the tikka masala with salt. Sprinkle servings with chopped cilantro or sliced green onion.

For last week’s long weekend (BC Day for us BCers) I went on a road trip to Portland, Oregon. The drive ended up being much longer than we had initially anticipated (curse you long weekend border lineups!) but Portland definitely made up for the extended trek. 

Portland has so much to offer foodwise. But what would you expect from a city whose tourist attractions include street food and “that awesome donut place”? Whether I was enjoying a huge $5 Korean burrito from a street vendor or a tasty organic breakfast at Bijou Cafe, my taste buds were always pleased and my stomach was always full.

Portland Street Food

One non-food-related attraction that is not to be missed in Portland is Powell’s Books. This three-storied, nine-roomed trove of books is unlike anything I have experienced. I could have spent an entire day in Powell’s, if not for my less enthusiastic travel companions (apparently there are other things to see in Portland than shelves upon shelves of books). Powell’s gave me a chance to think about something other than food for a while, until of course I ended up in the cookbook section. I snapped a quick picture (see below) of a Whitecap book on a Powell’s shelf and couldn’t stop myself from asking if they had my personal favourite title from last season, Quinoa 365. They were sold out and awaiting the forthcoming second printing!

The Food of Morocco at Powell's

Summer has finally arrived on the West Coast! The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and I have been spending my afternoons and evening reading at the beach. There is absolutely nothing like summer to make a boring workday into a mini-vacation!

I don’t know about you, but in the summer all I want to eat is fruit. This season is often the best time to get your favourite produce at its peak. Whether you’re biting into a fresh Gala apple or popping a handful of juicy green grapes in your mouth, fruit makes the perfect easy and refreshing summer snack.

If you’re looking for an interesting way to serve fruit this summer you have to check out the Watermelon and Watercress Salad (just reading that made my mouth “water”—groan) from Tony de Luca’s Simply in Season.

You can use cubes of melon or stamp out shapes from slices of melon with a fluted cookie cutter. While using both red and yellow watermelons adds a “wow” factor to this dish, choosing only the ripest fruit is more important, as this will dictate whether the salad is remarkable or leaves diners wondering, “What was Tony thinking?”

Serves 6

1/3 cup (80 mL) olive oil

1/3 cup (80 mL) aged sherry vinegar

2 Tbsp (30 mL) honey

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 red onions, cut crosswise into thin rings

2 bunches watercress, washed, dried, and stems removed

kosher salt and black pepper to taste

8 cups (2 L) cubed watermelon (1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)

additional olive oil for garnish

fleur de sel for garnish

2 Tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped basil (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, and shallot. Add the red onions and watercress, season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well.

To serve, arrange the watermelon and salad on 6 dinner plates. Drizzle each plate with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel. Garnish with chopped basil if desired.

Tomorrow is Canada Day and what better way to celebrate than with food? This year Canada turns the big 1-4-3 and if you’re heading to a birthday celebration for this beautifully scenic country don’t forget this Strawberry Shortcake from Rose Murray’s A Taste of Canada:

The beloved Canadian author, Edna Staebler, made Mennonite country cooking famous in Food that Really Schmecks (1968 and commemorative edition, 2007). From that book comes this “old-fashioned biscuit-dough shortcake recipe” that remains a favourite because it is so quick and easy. You can update it with fancy creams or add interesting flavours to the fruit, but the shortcake itself is delicious. When Edna was well enough to travel, we would visit friends on a farm near Owen Sound each year during peach season. Edna would make her shortcake and take along a lovely basket of Niagara peaches from the farmers’ market. For years I have made it for my Canada birthday parties to which Edna would always come wearing her red and white Capri pants! So, partly in her unique prose, here is the shortcake that I will continue to make (although I do like to split it and add whipped cream with the fruit).

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar (approx)
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup shortening
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk or sour milk*           

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix just enough to make sure the dry part is moistened. Spread the dough out in a greased 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) pan—“quite a large flat one—or you can use half the recipe and put the batter into a 9- x 9-inch (2.5 L) square one.” Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake in the centre of a 400°F (200°C) oven until a tester inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 20 minutes. “Serve warm and smothered with sugared berries or sliced peaches. You don’t need to split it and butter it or slather it with whipped cream.” Makes 12 servings.

*In Mennonite country cooking, nothing was wasted, and if the milk was past its prime, it was used in the recipe. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can sour milk by placing a tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice or white vinegar in a glass measure; fill it with milk to the 1 cup (250 mL) mark and let it stand for 15 minutes.

Last week I had the privilege of driving around Wendy Turnbull, author of Gems of Gluten-Free Baking. Wendy was in Vancouver to promote her new book, on the fifth stop of a six-city Canadian book tour! To see one of the many interviews that Wendy did while she was in town, click here.

The secret to Wendy’s baking success is in her gluten-free flour blend, GEMS flour. With this flour blend (recipe included in the book), Wendy shows you how to make moist delicious baked goods that no one will be able to tell are gluten free.

While Wendy was in town I did a lot of gluten-free eating! The best part about escorting authors on their media tours is getting to try out all the demo food. My favourite treat from the tour is definitely the Chocolate Fudge Brownie. With no eggs, no dairy, and no wheat, this brownie is not only gluten-free, it’s vegan, too! And speaking as the gluten-loving omnivore that I am, these brownies were delicious.

Chocolate lovers will be in heaven when they taste these delicious treats.

Yield: 20 small squares

1 cup GEMS flour
1⁄3 cup cocoa
11/2 tsp baking powder
2⁄3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, ground
1/2 tsp guar gum
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup chopped walnuts or
chopped dried sour cherries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 8- x 8-inch pan.

In mixing bowl combine GEMS flour, cocoa, baking powder, sugar, salt, ground chocolate chips and guar gum.

In separate bowl combine water and cornstarch. Add oil, maple syrup and vanilla and mix to blend.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat until blended. Stir in walnuts or dried cherries.

Spread mixture evenly into pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.