Kumquat Honey 金桔蜂蜜

This is my first post in two months. Yes, it's been ages, and I'm sorry for not being in-site for a while. Life has been an adventure for me since last November. First, I was invited to work in the kitchen of Ma Station Café, and right after a busy reopening of the café, I received news that I had to go back to Taiwan to help with some family business. It was an overwhelming period for me, and right after I arrived in Taiwan, I got the flu. Thanks to my mom, who gave me the greatest care, I was able to recover in a week, but with the traveling, stress, and new job, everything has taken a toll on my health. I got very sick again right after my return to Quebec and on top of that, I had to fight my jet-lag for almost two weeks!

Pumpkin Brown Rice and Millet Congee with Shan Yao 南瓜山藥糙米與小米粥

Before the western style bakeries and American cereal boxes got popular, congee was definitely one of the breakfast staples in Taiwan. Not only did I grow up having it for breakfast regularly, but whenever my tummy was not well or when I got a cold, my mom would also make it for me. It can soothe the stomach and is easy to digest. Moreover, you can make it in your rice cooker without having to do much work! In fact, the congee recipe I made last year - Chinese Cabbage, Tomato, and Shiitake Congee, was something I made throughout a terrible flu! Since it's the cold season, I decided to do a new type of congee whose key ingredients are pumpkin and shan yao (山藥). Shan Yao is also called huai shan (淮山). It's a type of wild Chinese yam, that is very nourishing. It can be used to aide digestion, relieve a cough, boost the immune system, lower high blood pressure, and tonify the kidneys, among other things. In this recipe, I used puréed pumpkin, instead of pumpkin pieces, which gives a thick and creamy texture, as well as a beautiful orange fall colour! Make this congee when you're feeling a bit under the weather or when you need an easy, warming nutritious bowl!

Tofu & Acorn Squash Rice Casserole with Tomato Sauce 義式南瓜豆腐焗烤飯

When the leaves start falling, you know this is the time of the year that you begin to crave hot baked dishes. I love baked pasta, but I also enjoy making asian-inspired baked rice dishes like this one. 

Spiced Pumpkin & Apple Overnight Oat Smoothie 肉桂南瓜蘋果隔夜燕麥粥奶昔

My latest must-have has got to be overnight oat smoothies! I've been making overnight oats for many years now, but only recently did I think about blending it into a smoothie! The result is this luscious, thick texture, which I love, and it's much easier to eat and digest for your first meal of the day. For these reasons, it's great for both elderlies and kids, too. Besides the apple and pumpkin, there are plenty of other healthy ingredients such as turmeric, allspice, and nut butter. In addition, it's naturally sweetened by the apples, pumpkin, and dates without any sugar or sweeteners! If that weren't good enough, I also find that by using the combination of allspice and other spices, it almost achieves the taste of chai tea! Bringing more spices into our diet can be very beneficial for our health, too. So start your morning off with this yummy, nutritious smoothie, and taste all the comforting flavours of Fall!

Baked Pear & Ricotta Wonton Hand Pies with Rosemary and Chocolate 巧克力梨子奶油起司香酥派

Whenever I make Chinese wontons, I almost always have some extra wonton wrappers left. Of course, the simplest thing is to wrap them and store them in the freezer until the next use, but why not use them to make something completely different? Since pears abundant this time of the year, I thought they would make a perfect filling for the season. With the rosemary, it adds a fragrant woody aroma to make this dessert even more special, not to mention that it goes perfectly well with chocolate, too! There's no sugar, just a little maple syrup, and since it's not fried, you can pop as many as you wish without worrying about your health or feeling guilty. Next time you have some leftover wonton wrappers, turn them into this simple, yet sophisticated dessert!

Grilled Corn with Miso Butter, Scallions, and Nori 日式味噌烤玉米與海苔和七味粉

A few days ago I had a strange urge to make some miso grilled corn. Miso is one of the most used Japanese ingredients in my kitchen. Since it's salty, it always pairs well with something sweet. I know that there are quite a lot of variations on this recipe and most of them call for more butter than I personally would like. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE butter and I'm not vegan, but for health reasons, I generally try to cut it down as much as possible. I find that even with the small amount of butter I used here, the buttery flavour still comes though, and with the scallions, nori and a bit of Japanese spicy chili powder, it's absolutely scrumptious!

Sunny Peachy Ginger Smoothie 薑味桃子鮮果思慕昔

I love adding ginger to my drinks and to my cooking. The benefits of consuming ginger are many, such as reducing inflammation, boosting your immune system, maintaining normal blood circulation, helping nausea or indigestion, and more. There are just so many good reasons to not leave it out of your diet. The fresh ginger gives the drink a little zing to pick you up, while blending perfectly with the sweet peach.

Grilled Peach & Avocado Toast with Cheddar Cheese 焗烤酪梨桃子與巧達起司三明治

If you ask me what my favourite snack is of the season, I'll probably have to give it to this one! It's one of those recipes that was created when my fridge was sort of empty with a few left-over ingredients. You know how sometimes you're craving a snack during the day, but there's not much around to snack on, so you get really creative and throw anything you've got together? This was one of those cases! But it was so good that I've been making this every end of summer during the peach season, and now, you'll also be able to make it. It's slightly sweet and savoury at the same time, which makes a healthy and delicious snack or even breakfast. And because of that, kids will love it, too!

Grape & Olive Tea Sandwich with Dill 葡萄青橄欖與羊乳酪抹醬英式三明治

This recipe was the first time I tried this combination of toppings on bread, and just like the Strawberry & Radish Tea Sandwich, everyone seemed to really love it at our party! I used local Ontario blue grapes that I found here in season. They're a little smaller than regular grapes, which I thought would be kind of cute, but you can always substitute with regular grapes. With the lemony goat cheese spread and some dill on top, it was the perfect combination of salty-sweet.

Strawberry & Radish Tea Sandwich 草莓櫻桃蘿蔔與羊乳酪抹醬英式三明治

I made this sandwich when I had a little party a few weeks ago and it was very well-received! Not only does it look elegant, it's very simple and delicious at the same time! The creamy spread gives a little hint of lemon and goat cheese flavour, and it blends perfectly with the sweet strawberries and radishes!

Creamy Lemony Goat Cheese Spread 檸檬羊乳酪麵包抹醬

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to host a little going away party for my dear friend. I could've made several big dishes and had everyone serve themselves, but I thought, why not make it an event that everyone would remember! I've always believed in expressing love and making lasting memories for others through food. It was my mom's cooking that taught me that. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, it kind of grew on me later.

La Crêperie de Josselin | 巴黎 - Josselin可麗餅餐廳

One of the foods that you must have when you go to France is crêpes! I've tried some when I was there in the past, but they weren't anything special, so I kind of gave up on it. However, I decided to make it my "mission" to find a good crêperie this time, and one of the places I came across in my research that looked worth trying was La Crêperie de Josselin.