Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a new column by Susan Hollis, Sea to Sky-based food connoisseur, focusing on the food scene. It will appear every other week in the Lifestyle section of The Chief.
A close friend of mine has four kids and hates to cook. Her go-to dish is stir-fry and even that pushes the limits of her culinary interest. I pity her in the most non-condescending of ways.
Despite being an activity critical to existence — one that is unavoidable no matter what your situation — daily food prep is a burden to many.
I like to cook, love to bake, and I regularly get stuck for inspiration (yes, I know how to Google uses for the soggy veggies in my crisper drawer but it still gets boring).
I used to blame my kitchen road blocks on availability, but Squamish has it all, including grocery stores that, for the most part, source and identify local produce and products seasonally and respond quickly to requests for items.
Grocery stores have a strange effect on me (pretty sure it’s called marketing): I walk the aisles daydreaming of the incredible dishes I will create with the curly suey choy and elephant garlic in my cart. The daydream is never specific — the dishes are hazy, delicious, and often candlelit until I get home and unpack my loot into the fridge, where it stays until close-to-expiration point and then gets www.allrecipes.com-ed onto my table, with various levels of success and never by candlelight.
I know I am not alone. Like most things that demand daily attention (kids, chores, dogs, husbands, wives, partners, fitness, work, Facebook), a love-exasperation relationship tends to follow. The plan here is to talk about all things edible, and to move a daily obligation into the this-is-really-nice category.
My first suggestion follows — this dressing is good on almost everything. I serve it on rice, veggies (raw or cooked), chicken or tofu. It lasts about seven to 10 days in the fridge.
Whitewater Cooks
Glory Bowl dressing
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c water
1/3 c tamari or soy sauce
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 cups veg oil
2 Tbsp tahini paste
Combine everything in a blender/food processor (adding oil in a steady stream until blended. I’ve used natural peanut butter instead of tahini in a pinch and it was great. The grade/darkness of the soy really affects the flavour.
