So it’s cold outside. Like freezing cold. Too cold to go out and play cold. Pipes freezing kinda cold….(if you live in a rental with really crap pipes). It’s the kind of day, where all day long I think about what warm comforting meal I want to sit down and eat tonight with the ones I love. Well this is it. This is the meal I wish I still had. Sadly we ate it all two nights ago and all I have left are these pictures. Oh and did I mention we have almost no groceries in the fridge! ya…it was too cold to do that too. Guess it’s pea soup and toast for my family tonight. That being said, if you happen to have these ingredients in your home, I highly suggest this is what you warm your tummy with tonight. Recipe adapted from MadelineLu.

Serves 4

Squash bake:

• 3 medium potato, cut into approx 1/2 inch cubes
• 2-3 cups butternut squash, or squash of choice, cut into approx 1/2 inch cubes
• 4 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large cooking onion
• 3 cloves of garlic,minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 generous handful fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for cooking; safflower, olive or coconut

Dill yogurt sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 tbsp fresh dill
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Mix all of the above together and you’re done.

To make:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil squash and potato for about 10 minutes or until just about cooked ( you don’t want them mushy)
3. Heat a couple tbsp of oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven (as I used)….or any oven-proof frying pan for that matter.
4. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft.
5. Once the potatoes and squash have finished cooking, drain them then toss them in over med-high heat.
6. Add the spices and cook until slightly browned. Stir every so often so they don’t burn to the bottom of the pan. Add a little more oil or broth if needed. This should take about 5 minutes.
7. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes or until everything is cooked through (keeping in mind you don’t want a pot of mush). Continue to stir every so often.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Stir in the parsley.
10. Break the eggs over the mixture and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. A few minutes more if you like your eggs really cooked and a little less if you want super runny.
11. Remove from oven and sprinkle with a little more paprika and pepper.
12. Serve topped with the dill yogurt sauce and a side of wild rice and lentils or a nice crispy baguette.
13. Enjoy!

Today Toronto was hit with a ton of snow. It was one of those days where you just want to curl up under a nice fuzzy blanket and read a book or watch your  favourite Christmas movie. Sadly I, like so many others, had to travel a fair bit on public transit this afternoon taking far more time than it normally would have. While I stood outside waiting for the streetcar with the snow soaking through my hat and boots simultaneously I couldn’t help but dream of getting home for supper and sitting down to eat this super comforting bowl of stew…..and that is exactly what I did.

Recipe adapted from Deborah Madison

serves 6-8

• 2 tbsp safflower oil or any other neutral tasting oil
• 2 onion, diced
• 6 medium russet potatoes, chopped into bite sized chunks, about 1 inch thick
• 1 package of sausage, about 6, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 4.5oz can chopped green chillies
• 2 cans of whole yellow tomato
• 1 L low sodium vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. While you do this, in a separate pan cook the sausage. I cooked them over med high heat for about 10 minutes in 1/4 cup of water. First make a few slits on each sausage and then cover. Flip half way. When finished drain and chop. Set aside. Back to the onions….now that they have softened add the spices, garlic, potato and chillies. Give them a stir and cook, stirring frequently for about 7 minutes. At this point you can add the salt, I used about half a tsp but feel free to use more or less. Add the tomato, sausage and broth. Using a wooden spoon quickly break up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Season with more salt and pepper. Before serving give the stew a quick couple of pulses with an immersion blender to make sure you don’t have any super large chunks of tomato in there, this will also help thicken the broth up a bit. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt and some fresh flat leaf parsley. Enjoy!

I don’t cook with acorn squash all that often…I don’t know why, I just don’t. I guess I go through phases with my preferred squash but for the most part I am a butternut girl or Kabocha but I can never seem to get my hands on them. I had this acorn squash given to me and decided to try roasting it a little different from how I normally would (Sliced in half and seeded) I did it in thin slices because I wanted the soup to have more of that yummy roasted flavour. I was quite happy with how it turned out and so were my dinner guests.

Serves 6

• 1 acorn squash, cut in half, seeded and then cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 onion, skin removed and halved
• 2 potato, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tsp cumin
• heavy pinch of chipotle chili powder
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup whole milk or cream (leave this out if you want to keep this dish vegan)
• pepper to taste
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• safflower oil

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut and slice the squash, potato and onion. Toss with safflower oil and lay on baking sheet. Take the garlic and remove the excess layers of skin. Chop about 1/4 inch off the top of the bulb. Drizzle the top with a little oil then wrap in foil and place on the baking sheet. Let everything bake for 30 minutes flipping half way (obviously you do not have to flip the wrapped garlic). Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for a minute. Peel off the skin from the squash. In a large pot over medium heat, add the spices and stir them around for about 1 minute. Add the broth, squash, potato, onion and the roasted cloves of garlic. Now using an immersion blender, pulse everything until smooth. Add the chickpeas and give a few more quick pulses with the blender, making sure to not fully blend all the chickpeas. Allow to simmer for a few minutes then stir in the cider vinegar and lemon juice. Remove from heat and add the cream. At this point do a final taste test and see if you think it needs a little more salt or pepper, if so sprinkle it in then serve topped with some fresh parsley. Enjoy!

So this sandwich is the s***. I have always been a huge fan of sandwiches but due to a sluggish metabolism I can’t eat nearly as many as I would like. I can however dream…..and that is what this beauty started as. I eat roasted veg every week. I love roasted vegetables and toss them in with most of my weekly dishes. Because I eat so many roasted vegetables I’m always thinking of new ways to incorporate them into my meals. The idea of this sandwich was just too good not to bring to life. Enjoy. serves 4

• 1 large head of cauliflower, sliced in slabs (remove the leaves, then leaving the core intact cut into 1/2 inch slices)
• 2 large red peppers, sliced
• 2 cooking onions, sliced in rounds
• 1 head of broccolini
• 2 small zucchini, sliced length ways
• 2 avocado, sliced
• 8 slices of jalapeño havarti cheese
• 8 slices of light rye bread
• safflower oil

Spice mix for veggies:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 smoked paprika
• 1/2 – 1 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

For the sauce:

• 4 tbsp mayonnaise or vegenaise
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp sriracha, adjust to taste
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• splash of worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp honey (more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

To make -

1. preheat oven to 425.
2. brush oil on both sides of the sliced veggies (minus the onions and red peppers)
3. season both sides with spice blend.
4. lay on baking sheet. Bake for 25 -35 minutes flipping half way through (the broccolini and zucchini will cook a little faster, remove when nicely charred)
5. while the vegetables are baking drizzle some oil in the bottom of a medium sized pan and toss in the onions and peppers. Cook on med-high until caramelized, about the same amount of time as your other vegetables will be roasting for. Stir often.
6. make your sauce. Toss all of the sauce ingredients in your food processor and pulse until fully combined. set aside.
7. when your roasted veggies are done, remove from oven and set aside.
8. place your bread directly on the rack of your oven. 4 of those slices should have 2 slices of havarti each. remove from oven when toast begins to brown and cheese is beautiful and bubbly.

Assemble - first cover the bottom of the non cheesy rye with cauliflower. Now place in layers the zucchini, broccolini, peppers and onions and avocado. Slather the cheese covered rye with a generous amount of sauce and sandwich those beauties together. Devour.

While I was feeding Poppy her lunch yesterday I heard something on the radio that stopped me dead in my tracks….”HAPPY NATIONAL HOT DOG DAY” Whaaaaat?!! How did I not know it was national hot dog day?! Lucky for me being the wonderful wife that I am, I had bought Kegan the most amazing book on hot dogs for fathers day. I quickly flipped through the book for inspiration and before I knew it the “wiener and bean dog” was born!

• plain and simple, nothing fancy hot dogs
• classic white buns
• baked beans in tomato sauce
• bbq sauce, see recipe below
• shredded cheddar cheese

BBQ SAUCE

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid smoke ( if you don’t like a smokey sauce skip this step )
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup white onion, minced
• 1  clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of chipotle chili powder
• pepper to taste

Toss all of the above into a medium pot and simmer over medium heat for 40-45 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened. BBQ sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.

ASSEMBLY

in your skillet over med-high heat add a small knob of butter and cook the hot dogs for about 3 minutes, turning so they brown on all sides. Toast the buns. On the toasted bun sprinkle some cheese, add the dog, top with baked beans and bbq sauce. Enjoy!

Caitlin is my oldest friend. We grew up on the same street and were pretty much inseparable for much of our childhood. We lost touch after high school but reunited by chance years later. Since then we have remained close.

Last year Caitlin moved to the UK with her partner Owen. This past Christmas to my delight they came home for a visit. I decided to take advantage of the little time we had and asked Caitlin if she would come cook with me.

Caitlin is a life long vegetarian and a wonderful cook; I was more than eager to learn one of her regular dishes. The night Caitlin was supposed to come cook with me just so happened to be one of the coldest days this winter has offered us here in Toronto – so of course our pipes decided it was as good a time as any to freeze. Thankfully Danie lives next door and graciously offered her home for us to cook. In the end it worked out to my advantage – I got my cooking lesson and enjoyed an amazing meal along with great company, minus the clean up and dishes! Thank you Caitlin (and Danie) for such a wonderful night.

6 large portions 

1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee

2 medium onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tbsp curry paste, hot or mild depending on how much heat you like.

1 tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 tsp garam masala

1 can of diced tomato, with juice

2/3 cup water or veg broth

2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the curry paste, coriander, cumin, cumin seeds and garam masala. Cook the onion mixture with the spices for a few minutes then add the tomatoes with the juices making sure to scrape up any bits that may be sticking to the skillet. Now add the water or veg broth and chickpeas. Simmer for 30-45 min, the longer the better.You may need to add a little more water or broth, depending on simmer time ( don't let it dry out )

Rice, cook according to package

Topping:

2 ripe tomato, chopped

1 red onion, diced

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 lemon, juice of

salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl mix together the tomato, onion, cilantro, lemon, salt and pepper.

To serve, On a plate add some rice, dish up the channa and top with a heaping spoonful of tomato, onion and cilantro. Finish it off with a dollop of organic plain yogurt. Oh and don't forget the super easy to make and delisious naan bread! Enjoy.

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.

These are so yummy and so easy. I LOVE them as is or you can add a little meat for the carnivores at the table. I have made them with sausage and the last time I made them I added some fish and they were devoured ( one very hungry man ate about 8 of them ). I had to stop myself at 3 but if it wasn’t for being uncomfortably full I would have kept going and going.

• 2 sweet potatos, washed and cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large cooking onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pickled jalapeno peppers
• corn tortillas
• cilantro
• plain lowfat yogurt
• hot sauce
• *optional: avocado, cheese, chopped red and green peppers, lettuce, salsa

taco seasoning

• 2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp  black pepper

-mix together and store in an air tight container.

Preheat the oven to 400. Wash and cut the potatoes into bite sized pieces. chop the onion. drain and rinse the beans. Dump the potato, onion and beans into a large bowl with a tight fitting lid. Add 3 tbsp of the taco seasoning and 1 tbsp olive oil. put the lid on the bowl and shake, shake, shake until everything is mixed together nicely.

spread the contents of the bowl in a large baking sheet ( or 2 if needed ) and bake for aproximately 35 min, turning half way through. remove from oven and set aside.

warm the tortillas for a couple of min in the oven.

To serve top tortillas with yogurt, black bean and sweet potato mix, jalapano peppers and some fresh cilantro…for those of you that like the heat I like a little drizzle of sriracha hot sauce to finish it off. Enjoy!