I have been feeling totally uninspired in the kitchen lately. It’s such a frustrating feeling. I LOVE food. I LOVE to cook. So what’s the problem? Why can’t  I just hop in the kitchen and that’d be that! I decided to spend my down time today searching for inspiration.  It wasn’t the most productive way to spend it (as I have a list a mile long of things I need to get done)  but it was exactly what I needed. Thank you to theminimalistbaker for helping inspire me to get back in the kitchen with a smile on my face.

serves 2, if you want two pieces of toast or 4, if you are satisfied with just one

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 small lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tsp tamari
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, add a little more if you like it sweeter
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• white pepper, to taste
• salt, to taste
• tomato for topping
• 4 pieces of double toasted rye
• arugula for topping

To Make:

1. drain and rinse the chickpeas
2. place the first 12 ingredients in a bowl and mash with the backside of a fork. Alternately you can use a food processor and give it a few good pulses just to incorporate everything. You want the mixture quite chunky not smooth.

Assemble:

1. lay the rye toast on 4 plates
2. top each with arugula then tomato
3. evenly distribute the chickpea mash to finish them off
4. if you are like me at this point you will add a nice drizzle of your favourite hot sauce. I topped mine with sriracha and it was perfect! minus getting it on the tip of my nose while trying to stuff this beauty in my mouth.
5. enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Canadian Living

Makes about 6-8 med large patties

Fish Cakes

• 1 rib of celery, coarsely chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 450g of tilapia or halibut
• 3/4 cup of bread crumbs ( I used 2 small pieces of gluten free bread )
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

In a food processor pulse together the celery, green onions and parsley until finely chopped. Scrape into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Now add the fish to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped making sure not to over pulse, you do not want the fish to be a puree. Add to the bowl. Tear up the bread and pulse in food processor until it has formed a crumbly consistency. Add the bread crumbs to the parsley bowl and mix in the egg, mustard and pepper. Divide into burger sized patties each about 1/2 inch thick. In a skillet heat the oil over medium heat; cook the patties for about 10 minutes or so turning once.

Mayo

• 1/3 cup Hellmans
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

Toppings

• Avocado
• gouda or cheese of choice
• lettuce

In a small bowl whisk together the mayo, lemon juice and chili powder.

To serve:

Toast bread or buns; I used gluten free bread. Place patty on a slice of bread, top with some gouda or cheese of choice. If you want it melted place under the grill for a min or so. Now add the fresh avocado, lettuce and a nice smear of lemon chili mayo and finally add the second piece of bread. Enjoy!!

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kittchen

A few weeks ago, while visiting my Dad, I offered to cook dinner for my family. I decided I was going to make a tomato tart. I had never made a savory tart before but for some reason I was obsessing over making the perfect tomato tart. Long story short at around 9:30pm when I finally pulled the tart out of the oven and took my first bite…to my horror…I had to spit it out. It was disgusting. The only way I can describe the texture is to say it was kind of the consistancy of egg jello with a little tomato and a under cooked crust. DISGUSTING. I hate spending a long time in the kitchen only to wind up starving with nothing to eat but a quick hotdog after having wasted so many ingrediants on such a huge fail of a meal. Since my first savory tart didn’t work out I was determined to redeem myself. This tart did exactly that and more. It is one of, if not the best tarts I have ever eaten. The flavours come together creating little ( or big ) bites of heaven in my mouth. I have had this recipe bookmarked for some time now and can not explain how happy I am that I finaly made it. Thank you Smitten Kitchen for yet another amazing recipe.

1 package butter puff pastry sheets ( usualy come with 2 in the package )

1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces

1 large onion, sliced

4 tbsp olive oil (this is just a guide, use as much or as little as you need )

1 heaping tbsp dijon mustard

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup light cream ( or full fat if you feel it nesessary )

7oz cream cheese, room temp and cut into 6 cubes

3 tbsp regular fat plain yogurt

1/3 cup parmesan, grated

1 cup gruyere, gouda or swiss cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425, making sure the rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Toss the chopped cauliflower with olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 40 min flipping half way through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Reduce oven temprature to 350.

Unroll your pastry and gently place one sheet in a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom making sure to press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides. Trim any excess. Line the crust with a sheet of tinfoil then fill with pie weights or if you are like me and do not have pie weights you can use dried beans ( I used chickpeas ) bake for about 20 min then remove the weights and foil and continue to bake for another 5 min or until the crust is golden. remove from oven and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add some olive oil and the onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for 40 minutes or so, stir ocasionaly to prevent burning. You will know the onions are done when they turn that beautiful golden brown. Remove from heat.

In a stand mixer on medium speed mix together the cream cheese, cream and yogurt. On low speed mix in the egg. Lastly, fold in the shredded cheese of choice. I  used gouda because that’s what my husband heard me ask for when I called him and  said “please pick up gruyere or swiss” on your way home.

Spread the dijon over the bottom and sides of the tart shell. cover with a thick layer of onions. cover with cauliflower. Pour cheese mixture over the cauliflower and top with parmesan cheese. Place the tart on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 min or until the center has set. I went for a run while the tart was baking. My husband says it neede about 48-50 min but I was not around to see the exact cooking time..so keep an eye on it near the end. Remove from oven and Transfer to a rack. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve with a heaping side of fresh green salad with a basic vinagrette. so good.

*Note – The origional recipe called for a few fancy ingredients I didn’t have and honestly dont think they will ever be regular ingredients in my kitchen. However if you happen to have gruyere and marscapone and truffel oil or salt sitting around please go to Smitten Kitchen and follow her recipe I know it will be amazing.

*Tip – Next time I will make my own crust as well as bake the cauliflower and carmalize the onions the day before. This will make the whole process far less time consuming, as making this tart took every second poppy was napping and a little more.

I have been dreaming of a cherry salad for the past few weeks. I LOVE cherries and the endless amount of delicious recipes to use them in. So often the recipes are for tarts and pies and crumbles and ice creams and popsicles etc etc. This time I thought I would try something different and I’m sooo happy I did. This salad is wonderful. Make it, I promise if you like cherries and you like asparagus, your mouth and tummy will love you for it. Oh and did I mention…it’s super good for you! You’re welcome.

• 1 bunch asparagus, grilled and cut into one inch pieces
• 2 cups cherries. pitted and sliced
• 2 cups quinoa, cooked
• mixed salad greens- as much as you like
• goats cheese
• Roasted almonds or walnuts, optional
• 1/2 lemon
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard, more or less depending on how much you like mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Once it has cooked set aside to cool. Wash and pit the cherries. Cut into quarters. Wash the asparagus. Toss with a little olive oil to coat then grill it. I used my square skillet grill from Le Creuset. I love the way asparagus tastes cooked on it. Once the asparagus has cooled, cut into one inch pieces. Toss together the quinoa, cherries and asparagus. Mix with most of the dressing. Mix the remaining dressing with your mixed greens. To serve: place a handful of lettuce on each plate top with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with goats cheese. You can also throw in some roasted almonds or walnuts. Enjoy!

For the dijon vinaigrette:

In a small bowl add the oil. Sprinkle in the salt and whisk together. Add the vinegar, lemon and Dijon, Whisk together. Pepper to taste.