Recipe adapted from IT’S ALL GOOD

This week Poppy and I are staying with Granny and Grandad at a beautiful cottage they rented on Baptiste lake near Bancroft. We are loving every second of it. Since we were lucky enough to have been invited to join them for this week I thought it was only right that I offer to make at least a few of the meals. I decided on this dish for two reasons, number one being that I was craving a vegetarian dish, my mom cooks with meat a lot more than I am used to…not that there is anything wrong with that. I love my mom’s cooking. Number two being that I brought with me two of my newest cookbooks, The Vibrant Table and IT’S ALL GOOD. This recipe was inspired from it’s all good.

Serves 4

• 2 cups dark green lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1 heaping tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 heaping tbsp whole grain mustard
• juice of 1 medium lemon
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• coarse sea salt ( any salt will do )
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 2 large field tomatoes, diced or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• handful of radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

In a medium bowl whisk together the mustards, lemon juice, vinegar, oil and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Set aside on the kitchen counter for a min of 30 minutes.

To serve: You can eat this alone or if you want it to be a more substantial meal serve over mixed greens and top with a poached egg and a side of country bread. Enjoy!

recipe adapted from a house in the hills

I love meals like this. It is such a versatile dish that can be taken in so many delicious directions. I was running short on time…and groceries… so this time I didn’t add a ton to this hash. Regardless of the lack of toppings my guests devoured it.

serves 4

. 1 bunch asparagus

. 4 medium russet potatoes

. 5 green onions, chopped

. 1 large clove of garlic, minced

. salt and pepper to taste

. coconut or safflower oil for frying

. Feta for topping

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, snap off the bottoms of your asparagus spears ( discard the bottoms ) and cut the remaining asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Chop the green onions. Now that the water has come to a boil add the potatoes and cook for about 10-15  minutes or until just tender. Add the asparagus to the pot of potatoes and let boil for the last two minutes. Once the potatos and asparagus have cooked, drain them and give them a quick rinse with cold water. Set aside to cool. Chop the potatoes into bite sized pieces. In a large frying pan saute the green onions and garlic with about 1 tbsp of oil over medium-low heat. Turn heat to med and add a little more oil. Now add the potato, asparagus and a good pinch of salt and some fresh pepper. Saute, turning every 4 minutes making sure the bottoms are browning ( not burning ) If  the potatoes are sticking to the pan you can add a little more oil. Once the hash is looking good and golden remove from heat and serve! Top with a generous drizzle of chimichurri and a crumbling of Feta. Enjoy.

chimichurri

. 1/2 cup parsley

. 3/4 cup cilantro

. 1 1/2 cloves of garlic

. 2 1/2 tbsp shallots

. 2-4 slices of pickled jalapano, add more or less depending on how much heat you like or you can skip the jalapano if you aren’t wanting the extra kick.

. 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

. 3/4 cups olive oil

. 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

. 3/8 tsp salt

To make: add all of the above to your food processor and pulse. Alternately, if you do not have a food processor you can finely chop everything and then mix together in a bowl.

Want to mix it up a bit? Try adding any of the following to your hash

. top with a poached egg

. shredded chicken 

. sliced sausage

. diced tomato

. can’t forget a drizzle of sriracha!

I woke up this morning with the intention to make these for our “Pancake Tuesday” breakfast but due to Poppy’s urgent desire for 100% of mommy’s attention I wound up making them for lunch instead, giving me a bit more time for morning snuggles.

*Warning these are extremly addictive.

1 1/2 cups of flour-reg. or whole wheat

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 egg

3 tbsp melted coconut oil

In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Make a hole in the center and pour in the milk, oil and egg. Mix. Cut banana into 1/4 inch slices. Dip the banana pieces into the batter and fry for about 3 minutes per side. You want them to be nice and crispy. I topped mine with a little sun seed butter and some coconut spread. Beyond yummy…enjoy!

*note-these are also fantastic alone or with a sprinkle of confectioners sugar.

Tip- you can freeze the finished product. Simply pop them in the toaster oven and serve!

Adapted from PLENTY

I recieved Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty for Christmas this year. When flipping through its beautiful pages this recipe immediately caught my eye and for good reason….it’s absolutely delicious!

I finally got around to making it last week. It was the perfect week for a comfort meal like this. Outside  was cold, fall on your bum more than once icy, and rainy! I spent the afternoon preparing it with my unbelievably patient Poppy entertaining herself with all the pots, pans and bowls she could reach.

When serving this to Poppy I spooned a bit of the mixture onto some rice and she devoured it. Kegan and I enjoyed ours with some hot crunchy white bread…after putting Poppy to bed.

Serves 4

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

3/4 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil – *note: because this was my first time making Shakshuka I followed this recipe to a T, however the next time I make this I will use far less oil.

2 large onions, sliced

2 red bell peppers, cut into strips

2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips

4 tsp muscovado sugar

2 bay leaves

6 thyme sprigs, leaves only, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, plus extra to garnish

6 ripe tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp saffron threads

pinch of cayenne pepper, or more depending on how much you enjoy the heat

salt and black pepper to taste

up to 1 1/8 cups of water -*note: I did not need the water when I made this. I also had to cook it longer to achieve the desired consistency before putting in the oven.

8 eggs or less if you only use one per cocotte

Over high heat; In a extra large pan, dry roast the cumin seeds for 2 minutes. Add the oil and onions and saute for 5 minutes. Now add the peppers, sugar, bay leaves, parsley, cilantro and thyme. Continue cooking over high heat for 5-10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, saffron, cayenne and a bit of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture becomes a thick pasta sauce consistency. If needed you can add bits of water during this period to make sure it does not dry out ( I did not need any water….maybe my tomatoes were super juicy? ) Taste and adjust the seasoning. You want a nice strong flavour.

Remove the bay leaves and devide the mixture amongst 4 mini round cocottes ( I had enough left overs for 2 more servings ) make sure the mixture is still hot. Now make a little hole in the middle of each serving of pepper mixture and carefully break an egg into each hole. Sprinkle with a little salt and cover with lids. Cook in the oven at 325 for about 12-14 minutes. Check after 10 min, you want the whites of the eggs to be completely set and the yolks beginning to thicken but not harden. Once the eggs have cooked, remove from the oven; sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve with a nice crunchy white loaf. Enjoy!

* You could also try topping with a little feta! so good.