15 articles Articles posted in matchmaking

Food Matchmaking: Sweet Potato Loves Coconut Oil

by on March 30, 2012, 0 comments

Do you cook with coconut oil?

My cousin recently got me into coconut oil as a health food. It’s full of good saturated fat (like avocado) and helps lower bad cholesterol. Plus, it has a lovely tropical fragrance. My favorite thing to make with it is baked sweet potatoes. I like to make sweet potato fries served alongside panko-crusted cod for a healthier version of fish ‘n’ chips. And, like my cousin, I’ve started adding a bit of coconut oil to baby food (E loves it!) — fat helps babies absorb the food’s nutrients better, and with coconut oil they also get the extra health benefits and lovely aroma.

Try substituting coconut oil for butter in desserts (use 25% less than what’s called for, since it has less water content). You can also apply it to your skin and hair as a moisturizer. Check out this NYT article for more information and ideas on how to use coconut oil. Make sure to get the unprocessed, extra virgin (and preferably organic) kind, since the partially hydrogenated kind contains trans fats, as the article points out.

Images from here and here.

Food Matchmaking: Avocado Loves Sugar

by on March 23, 2012, 1 comment

More often than not these days, I encounter avocado as a savory food — in guacamole, salads, or sandwiches. But I actually grew up eating avocado more like I would a fruit — that is, as something sweet, which I know some people find strange. It is still my favorite smoothie flavor. And, when I was a kid, my mom would make me this snack of avocado chunks in milk with a bit of sugar sprinkled over top, and I’d eat it up like cereal. Is that weird? :)

I guess to me avocado is kind of like butter — rich, creamy, and good both savory and sweet. I would love to see more avocado desserts — like this avocado pie!

How do you like your avocado?

Images from here and here.

Food Matchmaking: Mustard Loves Guinness

by on March 16, 2012, 0 comments

Do you ever come across foods that you didn’t think to put together but seem so natural after you try it? In the spirit of our blog name, we thought we’d start a new weekly “Food Matchmaking” series.

Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow, we’re kicking things off with Mustard Loves Guinness. We actually first had Guinness mustard at the Salt tasting room in Vancouver this past Christmas and immediately went home to try making it ourselves. A little Guinness mustard would be perfect with corned beef this weekend. You can find a quick recipe here.
Images from here and here.