food :: favourites

1. ::Tomato:: The glorious tomato. My favorite is raw. Picked right off the vine. Sliced, sprinkled with salt and pepper is just fine. The cherry variety is also good. No slicing involved just straight into your mouth. I *love* tomatoes. Tomatoes alone, tomato sauce, on sandwiches or salads, grilled and tomato soup. Then there is the Tomato & Mozzarella salad, or insalata caprese. What else is there to say except these two foods are simply two of the best. Especially together. It is imperative that the tomatoes are sweet, juicy and fresh with good colour and the mozzarella is the same, fresh. Of course, it wouldn't be quite right without the basil atop. Mmhhh...........yummy. Thinking about it makes me want some.

2. ::Potatoes Mash & Gravy:: Can you say comfort food? Now when I say mash I mean creamy, thick mash made with full cream milk(heavy cream),butter and cream cheese. Yep. That's right no low-cal ingredients. I don't think there is a bad way to prepare potatoes but mashed definitely takes top honors for me. I'm even a fan of other ingredients being thrown into the mix. Garlic and spring onion are really good.

3. ::Curry:: I pretty much enjoy anything curried. I especially love curry sauce/gravy soaked into rice. Chips (french fries) with curry. Ohhh yum! I've also been known to make curried egg salad, chicken salad, mayonnaise and anything else I might feel like spicing-up. I do prefer Indian and Japanese curries. Thai style curries are equally delicious but tend to be sweeter.

4. ::Avocado:: My favourite way to eat avocado is right out of the skin with salt, pepper and a spoon. It is the healthiest food on the planet, I believe. I cringe when people are worried about the fat content of an avocado. They honestly have no idea that this is the fat your body wants and needs, not to mention all of the other nutritional elements of the avocado. I really can't think of anything that doesn't taste nice with avocado.

5. ::Pesto:: Basil, sweet basil oh how I love thee. This stuff is packed full of flavor, easy to make and nutritious. I love it with pasta, chicken, fish, bread and veggies. The truth is that I could eat it with a spoon. I think pesto and the tomato are the bride and groom.

6. ::Sauerkraut, Pork & Dumplings:: I grew up with this dish. This was one of my grandmother's specialties. I do think it's an acquired taste, as many cringe at the thought of sauerkraut (I can't understand why? and people you are missing out!). I remember it cooking all day in a large roasting dish (of which my mother now has), the smell throughout the house and my grandmother preparing the dumplings last. The pork was tender and soft. I always had extra sauerkraut. We use to eat the left over dumplings for breakfast. I liked cinnamon and sugar on mine.

7. ::Carnitas:: OK. Not the healthiest of choices but certainly not lacking in taste. I do love the stuff. There's really only one way to eat it, and that's with Mexican rice, pinto beans, tortillas, chopped onion and cilantro and salsa of course. That's after you've eaten the whole basket of chips and salsa.

8. ::Eggs Benedict:: I love poached eggs and oh how I love hollandaise sauce. A combo made in heaven if you ask me. There seem to be a lot of variations of this dish. Swapping the Canadian bacon for salmon, spinach, bacon(american style), etc. Have you ever heard of swapping out the bread for avocado? I recently saw a recipe for this. A new variation I think I will love.

9. ::Filet Mignon:: "Medium please." "Wrapped in bacon?" "Yes that would be lovely." To make it even more sinful I like to order a side of Bernaise to dip each carefully cut piece into. If I really feel like splurging I order it with lobster. What a treat. I know there are many wonderful cuts of meat but this one is my favourite. I favour the Filet.

10. ::Spinach:: Raw as a salad is the way I usually eat spinach. Bleu cheese crumbles, green apple slices, caramelized pecans, poached chicken and crumbled bacon served with bacon dressing. There are so many foods that go well with spinach as a salad. Cooked is also nice. Of course, I go for the nice, rich dish of creamed spinach. Sinful I know, and calories? Who's counting?

11. ::Almonds:: I like raw almonds because they are such an easy snack food and so good for you. Have you ever made your own almond milk? If you are not a milk drinker and want a healthy and tasty alternative, almond milk is great. Soak raw almonds in water overnight in your refrigerator. Pour almonds and water into a blender or food processor. Blend on high until you have a creamy, smooth mix. You will need to add more water as it is blending. Add the amount desired, depending on how thin/thick you desire. When finished you will need to strain the almond puree and reserve the milk. There you have it! Almond milk. I love this stuff and it is so yummy. Go ahead, you know you want to try some. You can also use the leftover almond bits as an exfoliator if you are not keen on eating it.

12. ::Hummus:: Garbonzo beans or chick peas, as they are known, make up this wonderful stuff. I'm a big fan of Middle Eastern foods in general and hummus is such a great food with so many things. Of course I like it with toasted pita bread but it's also good with veggies. It's also really easy to make, not to mention healthy and nutritious. A winner in my book.

13. ::Capsicum:: Called bell peppers here in the US. I love them all. The red, green, orange and yellow varieties. Raw or cooked. They go with most everything. They are especially yummy sautéed with onion and garlic. ( I also *heart* onions & garlic and the smell of them cooking in the house) How about in pasta, on pizza, tossed in a salad or just sliced up to nibble on?


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