Japanese Chicken Curry

The Flavour Principle: Enticing Your Senses With Food And Drink contains recipes from around the world, focuses on the fundamentals of flavor and suggests pairings to complement the unique tastes of each dish.  This Japanese curry recipe which balances sweet and spicy flavors for a wonderful, balanced taste, and has become a staff favorite.From the Author: "You can buy Japanese curry powder but it’s just as easy to make your own with our recipe. Serve the curry with rice or udon noodles and Japanese pickles (recipes follow). The grated apple gives sweetness to the sauce.This curry powder gets its traditional deep yellow colour from the turmeric. It is not a hot curry; it is more textured, with layered flavour."

Learn more

Lentil Loaf with Awesome Sauce

I've made this recipe for lentil loaf a million times. It is a go-to dish that keeps coming back around. Why? It's true the loaf is moist and flavorful, healthy, and satisfying. It's true that you can make it with just about any assortment of seasonal vegetables and spices. But the real reason is that the sauce is AWESOME. Seriously. For a family that loves to experiment with new dishes, the fact that we keep coming back to this recipe is a testament to its greatness.Credit goes to The Simple Veganista and her perfectly proportioned recipe for The Ultimate Vegetable Lentil Loaf. We've barely adapted it here. For our tastes, the secret is in the sauce, a simple blend of balsamic vinegar, ketchup and maple syrup, that pairs perfectly with all manner of flavors in the loaf. For this recipe I made it with New Mexico Chili Powder and our new Garlic Salt, but Sassy Steak Spice and Creole Seasoning also work well.

Learn more

Mayan Cocoa Pumpkin Bark

It's no secret that nuts and chocolate are a delicious pairing, and we never tire of finding new ways to combine them. In this pumpkin bark, toasted pumpkin seeds take center stage with dark chocolate, Mayan Cocoa and Cinnamon Toast Spice. The hints of allspice and chile are delightful alongside three varieties of cinnamon and the toasty crunch of the nuts. We chose to top the bark with sea salt, too. This treat comes together quickly and travels well, so make a round for afternoon snacks or your next gathering.

Learn more

Chicken Fried Chicken

I'll to drive over an hour for chicken fried steak - it's a weakness - and this chicken fried chicken would be equally worth the trip. Fortunately, it's an easy home-made comfort food meal so you don't have to get in the car. The chicken breasts, pounded flat into even-cooking cutlets, are delicious and the gravy... OH, the gravy is sensationally seasoned with our Cascade Mushroom Mix and Voodoo. Serve it up with garlic mashed potatoes and a green vegetable for the perfect plate.

Learn more

Black Cardamom Pastries

Eastern European cuisine doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should Enter Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, by Olia Hercules! We always love to see an under-appreciated or rarely used spice get some time in the spotlight, as is the case in this recipe for Ukranian Verhuny fried pastries with Black Cardamom. This unique spice has the sharp camphor of green cardamom along side a musty, earthy flavor that complements these pastries exquisitely. A fantastic recipe! From the Author: "These are Ukrainian “angel wing” pastry crisps. Originally, they used to be fried in lard (think of Portuguese pastel de nata lard pastry). I add some ground black cardamom seeds to the sugar, but feel free to use vanilla sugar instead. "

Learn more

Baked Quince

We do love some good quince. It's an underused fruit, and the firm flesh lends itself quite well to baking or poaching. In Olia Hercules' Ukranian cookbook,  Mamushka: Recipes from Ukraine and Eastern Europe, this recipe piqued our interest. You don't often see juniper used in desserts, and this was absolutely delicious!From the Author: "My uncle had a quince tree in his garden and I have always had an overwhelming love for this fruit. We even used to eat it raw (yes, crazy, I know!) or chop it and turn it into jam. I do love it roasted or poached whole, though. Add some sea salt flakes and black pepper, remove the vanilla, and halve the quantity of sugar to make a delicious addition to roast duck."

Learn more

Pickle Jar

It's easy to fall in love with a delicious recipe, and doubly so when that recipe is versatile and easy to make. Such is the case with this recipe Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, by Maureen Abood. This versatile mixed pickle jar, can easily accommodate whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.  From the Author: "Mixing vegetables in one jar is a great way to make use of a variety of vegetables you may have on hand, and they look just great in the jar. The tops of the peppers sliced off and placed strategically to face out from the jar look like little flowers—so pretty that you hardly want to disrupt the jar to pull out the pickles to eat!"

Learn more

Fresh Herb Falafel

Truly well executed falafel is a revelation to the palate, and this recipe from Rose Water & Orange Blossoms by Maureen Abood provides exactly that. You can also make the falafel mix a day ahead, as well. For more delicious Lebanese recipes, be sure to check out this cookbook - you will want to make every recipe! From the Author: "What a fantastic discovery homemade falafel is! Completely fresh and such a difference from falafel in restaurants, because of the copious fresh herbs and balance of spices. We’ve never cooked with cumin in my extended Lebanese family, but here you can add a pinch if you like."

Learn more

Vegetable Pasta Bake

For summer gatherings, this healthy pasta bake offers an easy way to keep a large group fed and get in some vegetables along with the burgers and brats. Using a medley of fresh summer vegetables, this dinner option is hearty, but still light. The version below is Greek inspired with our El Greco herbal blend and feta cheese but you can mix is up and use Fine Herbes or Provencal Seasoned Salt and goat cheese if you're feeling joie de vivre!

Learn more