Toronto Eats: Lunch at Salsas

Nestled in Kensington Market, Salsas is not an upscale restaurant. There’s a TV in the corner, sparse decorations, and the food is served in plastic baskets with a sheet of waxed paper to minimize cleanup. This minimal atmosphere however, means that all focus is put on the quality of the food– just the way it should be. Donatello […]

Beach Street Cajun Barbecued Shrimp

Beach Street Cajun Barbecued Shrimp, Kiku Corner

Now that it’s warm, it’s barbecue season! Tomiko, Donatello, Karlos, Ryan and I had a seafood party, and this was one dish that I made. I have had Susan Branch’s The Summer Book for years, but only made a handful of recipes from it, since I don’t eat meat. However, with four seafood-lovers to feed, I jumped […]

Six-Minute Vegan Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes

First off, this cake is amazing. I’m not a fan of vegan baking in general, since the texture often seems gummy or rubbery. This cake, however, is the exception. It is chocolately, light, has a superb texture, and the cleanup is easy peasy, since the whole thing is mixed in its baking pan, literally taking […]

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Tomiko and I agreed to bake some treats for our friend’s Earth Day fundraising bake sale, so this was my contribution! I made these Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, adapted from a Nigella Lawson recipe. The small amount of cocoa surprisingly makes a big impact in these moist muffins. If you make a batch for […]

Skinny Spinach Dip

Although hot spinach or artichoke dips are quite common, the first one I tried was while visiting some family friends in Abu Dhabi. My folks and I promptly devoured a whole baguette working our way through this dip. We loved the cheesiness, the hot meltiness, plus the briny tang of artichokes. Only later did I […]