THE GRINNING BELLY

Meet Chef Rachel

A woman with curly hair, wearing a black top, smiling while preparing vegetables in a kitchen. There are tomatoes, a cucumber, and a carrot on a cutting board in front of her, along with a yellow pot and a purple container.

Rachel Globensky is a Red-Seal certified chef whose love for food started young, experimenting in the kitchen and eventually mastering the art of “clean as you go.” Over the past 20 years, she’s cooked everywhere from bush camps and bakeries to retirement homes and even a Michelin Star restaurant, and ran her own catering company, Grinning Belly, which was the inspiration behind her food column.

Since The Walleye’s earliest issues, Rachel has been sharing her recipes—and signature wit—in “The Grinning Belly,” her monthly column.

Explore Rachel’s recipes below to stay inspired in the kitchen each month with the arrival of something new to cook up!

Featured
Chicken Soup for Cold Nights and Long Weeks
Chicken Soup for Cold Nights and Long Weeks

Enter Ciorbă Rădăuțeană (say: “CHOR-buh ruh-dah-oo-TSEH-ah-nah”). A creamy chicken (or turkey) soup made with shredded meat, blended veggies, and a splash of white wine vinegar, it’s perfect for being snowed in during Alberta clippers, polar vortexes, and other ridiculous January weather.

Season’s Eatings!
Season’s Eatings!

With the busy holiday season about to clobber us, it’s the perfect time to treat yourself to some new appie recipes, whether you’re toting them to a friend’s or staying in for a cosy night. These two are easy, tasty, and tick all the aforementioned boxes.

In My Za’atar Era
In My Za’atar Era

Tossed with chicken and potatoes on a sheet pan, this za'atar-y dinner is absolutely one to try this week. I’m not even a potato person, but this dish is the George Costanza of dinners, telling a zinger and leaving, but without the awkward pause.

Pumpkin, Spice, and Everything Nice
Pumpkin, Spice, and Everything Nice

Pumpkin pie baked oatmeal is where dessert loaf meets breakfast oats. It’s serving pumpkin spice comfort and giving main character breakfast energy. Baked oats are also a meal prep game-changer. Fall is busy, so make a pan on the weekend, and you’ve got breakfast in the bag all week.

Spiralling, But Make It Pretty
Spiralling, But Make It Pretty

Here is a tomato–zucchini tart featuring summer produce and a good amount of Parmesan. If you garden around here, chances are you’ve got more zucchini and tomatoes than you know what to do with—and the neighbours have stopped appreciating “surprise” porch deliveries. This is an easy, good-looking way to use them up.