Classic Steamed Crab

We prefer steaming over boiling because it prevents fresh crab from becoming waterlogged—and adding ingredients such as herbs, garlic and citrus during cooking enhances the crustacean's natural sweetness.

West Coast 3 C's Quiche

I love brunch. This is my favourite meal by far, and I love the ease of having something like a quiche already prepared. The flavours are always richer and more enhanced after the quiche has had a chance to sit overnight as well, which is another benefit to advanced preparation. I thought about my favourite Canadian ingredients and it really has to include crab, chanterelles, and corn. There is just something about the sweetness of the crab, the burst in your mouth juiciness of corn, and the earthiness of sauteed chantrelles with garlic that is just plain perfect. The gouda I love is from Gort's Gouda in Salmon Arm B.C., where my mom lives. It's organic and is outstanding. While the crab and the chanterelles are definitely the bell ringers on this grocery bill, the other ingredients are low cost. I buy my crab and fresh B.C. chanterelles at my local Costco for under $25 combined, which makes it even more affordable. I made this with a potato crust as I can't eat gluten, but a pastry crust would work just as well. I'd pair this with a tangy raspberry hazelnut vinaigrette mixed with fresh, tender leafy greens to round out the meal.

Cornish Game Hen with Maple, Ginger and Cranberries

This recipe is an homage to slow cooking, fine Canadian ingredients and a nod towards the 100 km diet. On a fall or winter's afternoon, I love braising so that my house is redolent that my guests know that they are in for a mouth-watering treat when they walk through the front door. Although this recipe calls for Cornish hens, chicken breasts or legs may be substituted. This dish and sauce makes a great companion with mashed potatoes or wild rice and a vegetable. Green beans with either crumbled goat cheese or toasted slivered almonds makes a great side dish. I have an excellent side dish, Shiitakes and Manitoba wild rice that I would love to submit along with the Cornish hens. However your contest only permits one entry per contestant. For a stunning presentation, plate on either a white or light coloured dish. Garnish with fresh herbs (like thyme used in the recipe or minced flat leaf parsley). This can go easily well with either a white or red wine (e.g. an oaked Chardonnay, or lighter red - both Canadian, of course).

Mocha Mousse Cake

This fantastic dessert should stay refrigerated until serving. Use a hot knife, wiping it clean after each cut to get pristine edges.

Burrata with Grilled Vegetables & Fruit

Chocolate Pear Frangipane Tartlets with Sugar Crackle

These pretty tartlets are brimming with a rich almond-flavoured filling. You can tell Forelle pears apart from other types because of their small size and pale green and red-spotted skin. Create a pear-shaped design on top of your tartlets by fanning out the sliced pears, skin side facing away from the centre, in a symmetrical fashion.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin With Apple Stuffing And Cider Gravy

My inspiration for this dish was actually my boyfriend. He swore up and down that he absolutely hated pork tenderloin after his first time having it, so I set out to change that. I knew that he loves stuffing and gravy, as well as pork chops with apple sauce. This gave me the idea to incorporate all those flavors together to make something that would change his mind about pork tenderloin. When he came home from work he took one look at the final product and he immediately wanted to try it, and when he did he LOVED it! He gushed all night about how delicious it was and it has become a staple recipe in my house.

Porto-Style Tripe

Citizens of Porto are known throughout Portugal (and, indeed, Europe) as “tripe eaters.” Porto was home to the Portuguese navy and, for most of the 18th century, an important port for the British navy. Porto supplied the ships with huge quantities of salt beef, leaving the city with only the trimmings and innards, which evolved into this famous dish. The ingredient list might look daunting, but it's actually easy to prepare – it just requires lots of time and lots of pots. You can simplify it by eliminating some of the traditional meat ingredients. You can also substitute the calf's or cow's foot with veal shank. Tripe lovers will probably want to increase the tripe by up to double the amount. Porto-Style Tripe is always served with white rice.

Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake

Crunchy meringue, silky mousse, moist chocolate cake and decadent ganache give flavour and texture to this ultimate cake, which is well worth the effort to make. You'll find already skinned roasted hazelnuts in some supermarkets. If not, just follow the tip, below.

Canadian Bison Burgers with Spicy Yukon Gold Oven Fries and Caesar salad

This is an elegant, health-wise version of a Canadian favourite that shows you don't have to sacrifice big taste for health. Bison is a red meat alternative that is becoming increasingly popular due to it's lower fat content and because it is naturally raised, hormone-free, nutrient-dense and tastes wonderfully flavourful. Alberta raises some of the best bison on earth, providing Canadians with a local source of this amazing food. Last year, I made a commitment to myself to live healthier and lose weight. So far, I have lost nearly 80 lbs, and attribute much of my success to being creative and finding healthy alternatives to higher-calorie favourites. In many cases, like with these bison burgers and oven fries, I find that the healthy version tastes even better than the original! I use Yukon Gold potatoes as they give the best result for oven fries, but they are also an inherently Canadian ingredient, being "invented" at the University of Guelph and produced locally all over Canada, including a farm not 5km from my residence here in BC. I love being able to buy local produce, and am often inspired by our delicious, full-flavoured local produce.The salad that accompanies this meal is a low-fat version of the traditional Caesar that is a fraction of the calories and offers a fresh, clean taste.


This entire meal is 598 calories, 20g fat, 43g protein, 71g carbs. Compare this to a conservative estimate of a typical restaurant-style 1/4 lb cheeseburger, fries with herbed mayo, and ceasar salad at 1200 calories and 77g of fat, and you can see that it's a pretty amazing reduction! As well, this meal tastes fresher, more flavourful and delicious than any from a restaurant...it's a win win!