Canadian Recipes

This recipe is so much better than take out! Serve it with homemade fried rice or plain rice. If you like spicy, just add more chili pepper flakes!

In the early 70's, a Greek restaurateur in the city of Halifax introduced the Donair. Within a few short years, virtually all pizzerias had added their version of the dish to their menus. Not to be confused with gyros, the Donair has a vastly different flavor. Originally the dish was made with ground lamb, but this proved too costly and ground beef was later substituted. Technically, this resulted in an aberration of sorts, as the final product was not what the originator had intended. What resulted, however, is the legendary East Coast Donair.

This simple, tasty recipe yields 12 to 16 cookies, but is so simple that it can be doubled (or tripled!) easily.

A classic French-Canadian sweet. Along with rice pudding and gelatin, this is one of the most commonly offered desserts in diners. Contrary to the usual recipe, this one uses milk for a more cake-like texture.

I came up with this recipe as I love maple and mustard. We wanted to add more flavor and not dry out the boneless loin chops. Spice rub marinade, lightly breaded with a maple-mustard glaze, and cooked in garlic-flavored oil - a great Canadian recipe! This is also great on the BBQ. Perfect with roasted potatoes and a coleslaw.

This recipe is great to prepare on Christmas Eve and bake on the morning of Christmas Day.

Rich and golden with a rich maple flavor.

This French Canadian meat pie is hearty, satisfying, and easy to make so it's a great choice for a holiday main course. Visually impressive, relatively affordable, and best served at room temperature, so a tourtiere doesn't require any kind of precise timing.

Though it translates to 'unemployed man's pudding,' pouding chomeur isn't cheap to make. The good news is you don't really need to eat this more than a few times a year anyway. It's the perfect dessert to pair with summer fruit or vanilla ice cream. If you use a bigger baking dish than I did, and pour over all the maple cream syrup, your cake should float over a pool of what will eventually be your sauce. If you just use a deep pie dish like I did, then just serve the extra sauce on the side.

I grew up in Nova Scotia where seafood was cheap. My Mom and grandmothers had some pretty inventive ways of making lobster 'not-boring!' Now, lobster is a treat and costs a fortune. I've paid over ten dollars for one of these lobster rolls in Cape Cod and it wasn't half as good or half as big as the ones my Mom taught me to make. This is a wonderful summer (or winter) treat and makes a fancy luncheon to impress your friends. (And no, I don't eat the green stuff in the lobster!)

Extremely popular recipe in Vancouver, BC. I have no idea where it originated or who named it, but it certainly is sinfully rich and delicious

I recently have discovered fiddlehead ferns. I could not find a recipe for them so, I made one up. These are so yummy that I can eat the whole dish in sitting! Great served with fish.

French Canadian Tourtiere. Contains pork, potatoes, onions and spices.

A delightfully simple fish recipe.

Being from the Easy Coast, I've tried a lot of different chowders; however, my Mom's takes the cake. She makes a huge pot of this chowder every Christmas Eve and all of it is gone by Christmas night. Although it is not very healthy, it is an awesome treat once in awhile for any of us that love seafood! I normally throw in a dash of garlic and onion powder. Enjoy!

A hot cross bun recipe for stand mixers, these are light and perfectly seasoned.

Light and fresh for a quick tasty appetizer.

Marinade for elk steak.

You can cook this classic Canadian shore lunch indoors all year round when you don't have the time or the luxury of getting out on the lake! Serve with lots of lemon wedges or vinegar.

Donairs are a delicacy prevalent in the Canadian east coast, and certainly centered on the City of Halifax, they are very simple to prepare and very delicious. Make a double batch of the meatloaf, and freeze the second loaf for later, in fact the second loaf will be better! When cold you can slice it thinner and fry up the slices in the frying pan as you need them.

This is a traditional, slightly sweet, spiced treat eaten during Lent and on Good Friday. Serve at room temperature or warm.

As the old joke goes, it takes a lot of time and effort to make poutine, but at least when you're finally done you get to eat soggy fries. And, what incredibly delicious, soggy fries they are. While I don't have any problem with you buying the cheese curds, or using frozen fries, I do hope you make the sauce from scratch. Use beef chuck, short rib, or brisket to achieve this marvelously meaty, super savory, ridiculously rich gravy that makes all the sogginess worth it.

This country fair award-winning recipe was perfected by my grandmother on the northern Canadian prairies. Sadie's advice - leave little chunks of lard the size of peas when cutting the flour in. Can be served at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

I went to a potluck and someone brought this dessert. A dense cake layer is topped with a rich blueberry and sour cream layer. This dessert is awesome! Serve with whipped cream and enjoy!