The Food Obsessive

Breakfast Banana Bread with Cardamom and Cocoa Nibs (Simply Nigella)

For months, I followed Nigella as she worked on her new cookbook, so when it finally went to print, I made sure to order a copy for the release. I had hoped to catch her in Edinburgh for her book signing, with the release of her book, but sadly it conflicted with a family holiday –…

Malibu Snowballs (Coconut Rum Balls)

These all started after I saw the pictures of Christmas baking, from my amazing cousin back in Canada. One picture which stood out (as truthfully, there were many) was of rum balls. Now, this is a typical Canadian item found at Christmas time. And if you are not all that familiar with it, and not…

Arancini (Risotto Balls)

Like most parents, I am on a perpetual quest to find food my children will eat. Not just food out of a tin or bags from the freezer, but food which is healthy and I feel I would like to eat. I cannot tell you how many recipes I have slaved over only to find…

Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Tart

Tart or pie? By some definitions this is clearly a pie. For me it is a tart. I always went with the rule that if it doesn’t have a pastry lid then it was a tart. Although… my argument quickly falls short when you look at Pecan Pie or Pumpkin pie! Regardless, I have made…

Sweet Potato Bakes

My first memory of eating sweet potatoes was of my father making this dish. I could see my father was excited about these. He was talking a lot and telling us about how sweet they were. He was smiling the entire time and we were just not that interested – this was clearly before the foodie…

Aquafaba (Chickpea Liquid)

Really? Yes, I am writing about the liquid 99% of you dump down the drain when you open up a tin of chickpeas. Until a few months ago, I too would be scratching my head about this. This all changed when a dear friend of ours had us over for dinner… We had an amazing…

Chickpea Kale Hotpot (Soup)

This is really very similar to my Chickpea and Spinach soup, however this one is completely vegetarian. I often do make the other one without the Chorizo, but I wanted to make one specifically without chorizo and which still had that same depth of flavour. Changing around the spinach for Cavalo Nero Kale was a…

Harak Osba’o (Sami Tamimi ‘s Damascus-Style Lentil Noodle Stew)

Ever since a chance encounter with the amazing Ottolenghi deli/restaurant in London, a few years back, I have been a little obsessed with the duo behind it, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I don’t know if it has anything to do with my Mediterranean background or just my love for great food. I have several…

Death by Chocolate (Chocolate Terrine with Raspberry Sauce)

Long before the restaurant and the subsequent cookbooks of the same name, there was a talented chef, Lesley Stowe, who made desserts for some of the finest restaurants in Vancouver. This particular dessert was created for Bishops Restaurant, which for over thirty years has been one of the best, if not the best, restaurants in the…

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Biscuits (Pumpkin Cookies)

A few years ago, my husband had an American colleague who kindly passed along this recipe from his childhood. We had bonded on our respective Thanksgiving festivities and traditions, and more importantly over the food served up over this time. My favourites are still pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake – although I am open to…

Purple Protein Açai Bowl

When I was in New York earlier this year, I was amazed at the vast selection of healthy food shops! Dotted all over the place are fabulous juice and smoothie bars, deli’s and salad shops. I got to eat some amazing food and was particularly influenced by the types of açai bowls I could find. I…

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin spice was almost unheard of before Starbucks introduced their Pumpkin Spice Lattes here in the UK. Buying Pumpkin itself was a near impossible feat unless you went to an American Food stockist in some remote part of the city (Loopy Pintos comes to mind here in Edinburgh). Thankfully, you can now find tinned pumpkin…