Sides on Bruce loves to cook

Braised red cabbage

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Cabbage is a comforting side dish on a cool, dark evening. It pairs nicely with schnitzel, sausage, roasts, and dumplings.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 small red cabbage, sliced thin, about 565 g (1¼ lb)
80 ml (⅓ cup) water
60 ml (¼ cup) red wine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste
2 tbsp white sugar
Pinch of caraway seeds
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Halve the cabbage. Make an angled cut at the base of each half to trim out the core and the thick white ribs. Flip each half to the cut side and slice into thin ribbons; the exact thickness doesn’t matter as long as the cut is consistent, so it all cooks at the same rate.

Bruce’s quick fried black beans

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Fried black beans are a perfect base for nachos, quick burritos, beans and rice, and other quick food hacks.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, diced
2–3 garlic cloves (or 1 tsp granulated garlic, or both)
1–2 tsp cumin
½ tsp ground chilies (or 1 tsp cayenne)
1–2 jalapeños, diced (seeds removed, if you like)
1 can (540 ml / 19 oz) black beans, drained
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste (a few grinds)
½–1 cup chopped cilantro leaves (optional)
½ lime, juiced (plus some zest for extra zing)

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium until it shimmers. Sauté the onion until translucent, 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and chilies and cook until fragrant, another 1–2 minutes.

Candied cranberries (sugared cranberries)

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tart and sweet, frosted like snow, with a pop when you bite in. Good on a charcuterie board, as a dessert topping, or in a dish to add colour to a table or buffet.

Hot Buffalo chicken dip

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a classic chicken dip, mildly spicy, tangy, and tasty.

In 2023, Ann stayed in Calgary to house/dog sit for cousin Rachael, and during that trip, also had a visit with Auntie Diane who always spoils me when I’m visiting. She made this dip and I insisted on the recipe which she forwarded from Pinterest. It took over a year for me to finally make it, for Jay & Taylor’s Back Home Wedding Celebration, and it was a huge success which means it gets added to our family recipes!

Oven-roasted corn

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This recipe works for most vegetables, though corn is a slightly special case as it needs a bit longer than most veg. It sounds simple (and is), but the trick is to get the corn to brown and char a bit, for those summer roasting flavours.

Spinach mushroom flatbread

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a quick flatbread, similar to the Trader Joe’s mushroom and truffle flatbread (but without the truffle oil).

Ingredients

2 flatbreads or naans, about 20 cm (8 in)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup grated Swiss or Emmental

Topping

1 tbsp unsalted butter (or olive oil)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (cremini work)
1 cup frozen spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp MSG, for punch
salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until they release their water, then until browning. Add the spinach and cook until the water is gone. Add the garlic and cook until softened but not browned. Stir in the lemon juice, thyme, coriander, MSG, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.

Stuffed mushroom caps

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mushroom caps stuffed with Boursin, hummus, and finely minced pepper and onion, then baked.

Grandma Rempel (Ann’s Mom) used to make stuffed mushroom caps for special occasions. I never had a taste for them, but then one day, I realized I was missing out. There was no real recipe for these, and my mom just told me how she whipped them up and this is how I’ve been making them since. The ingredients can be altered/adjusted based on the number and size of mushrooms and you are welcome to add or change to your taste preferences. I’m basing this recipe on 8 large white mushrooms so alter as required.

Arroz rojo (Mexican red rice)

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A good side for any Tex-Mex-style meal, and a filler for leftover burritos.

Ingredients

185 g long-grain white rice (1 cup)
2 tablespoons neutral oil
2 Roma tomatoes
¼ onion
1 garlic clove (optional)
1 serrano or jalapeño (optional)
Small pinch of cilantro (optional)
480 ml hot water (2 cups)
1½ tablespoons Knorr chicken bouillon powder

Garnish

¼ onion, finely sliced (optional)
1 jalapeño, halved (optional)
Chopped cilantro, to finish (optional)

Method

Wash the rice thoroughly in hot water, then finish with a cold rinse, until the water runs mostly clear. Spread it out and let it dry briefly.

Garlic broccoli

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Classic takeout garlic broccoli is very simple, and delicious.

Ingredients

400 g broccoli (about 4 cups), cut into florets
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
250 ml vegetable stock, chicken stock, or dashi
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon cold water, combined into a slurry

Method

Heat a wok over high until smoking. Add the oil and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant and just starting to colour, about 30 seconds.

Ramen eggs (ajitsuke tamago)

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

These savoury and jammy eggs are a perfect topping for ramen.

Mechanic

The 1:1:½:½:½ marinade ratio (water : sake : soy : mirin : sugar) produces a mildly sweet, balanced brine. The eggs are shocked in ice water and go into a cool marinade, so they don’t cook further: the 7-minute boil sets the jammy yolk.

Onion bhaji

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

These are delicious fritters, best served with coriander-mint and tangy tamarind date chutney.

Mechanic

Bhajis are a spiced onion fritter bound with egg and gram flour. The potato adds body and absorbs some oil. Keep the batter loose rather than thick: tight batter produces stodgy centres. The salted onions release liquid that wets the batter; if the batter ends up too loose, add the extra flour before anything else. The frying oil does double duty: spent oil is fragrant and makes a good base for curries like [[Base curry gravy]].