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!

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!

Serves 4

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds, roasted

1 large clove of garlic

2 tsp capers

1/2 cup of fresh italian parsley

1/2 cup fresh basil

3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 325. Evenly distribute the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool. Add all of the above to your food processor and mix until fully blended and smooth.

Pasta 

4 servings Pasta of choice, I used vegetable pasta

2 peaches, pitted and sliced

1 med zucchini, sliced in half moons

Feta, for topping

Cook 4 servings of desired pasta. While the pasta is cooking grill the peaches and zucchini. First take a ziplock bag and add the raw zucchini and peaches. Add 1 tbsp olive oil or safflower oil. Seal the bag and give a little shake making sure to coat everything. Place the zucchini and peaches on a grill over medium heat for about 3-5 min per side. You want them to be tender but not falling appart.

To serve: Toss the pasta with desired amount of pesto. Gently mix in the zucchini and peaches. Top with feta and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*Note: Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

For some reason or another, last week Kegan and I managed to skip our weekly grocery shop. Luckily we had done a large shop the week before so I was able to just barely scrape by. This was one of the last meals I made that week, putting good use to the final remans of our refrigerator. Sometimes all you need is a little push to get your kitchen creativity flowing. This dish was a hit! I am happy to say Poppy and Kegan devoured it.

*Please use this recipe as a guideline. It doesn’t have to be exact. I honestly just tossed it together… I’m sure you could use all sorts of yummy veg in this dish….maybe even toss in a little fresh arugala! Yum. or try switching up the cheese maybe add a little aged white cheddar to the mix?

Serves 4-6

2 cups peas

olive oil

2 cups red cabbage, shredded

2 cups brussel sprouts, shredded

rice pasta, 4-6 servings ( you could also try this with brown or wild rice )

Lemon cream sauce:

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2-2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk, heated. I used whole milk ( or 1 cup milk one cup cream )

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup parmesan, grated

1 lemon

salt and pepper

Fill a small pot  about 1/2 of the way with water. Bring to a boil, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes or until just tender ( if the peas are frozen cook for 3 minutes ) Rinse with cold water and strain. Set aside.

In a medium pan over medium high heat add a little olive oil, add the cabbage and brussel sprouts and cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottoms begin to brown. Stir and cook for anouther 3 minutes, until tender. Remove from heat.

Cook the pasta according to package. Set aside.

In a medium pan over medium heat add 2 tbsp butter, let melt. Add the flour and whisk until you have a smooth paste. Add the milk and garlic. Whisk until the sauce begins to boil and is smooth and has thickened. Add the cheese and stir until combined. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl toss everything together. Top with a little freshly grated parm. Serve. 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.

• serves: 4
• 2tbsp Earth Balance butter, room temperature ( you can use regular butter if you prefer )
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce- feel free to use as much or as little as you like.
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 bunch asparagus – I used one bunch but wish I had used two.
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 med vine tomatoes, diced
• 4 eggs
• more Tabasco sauce to taste

First make the Tabasco butter. Whip the butter until it is light and creamy. Add the Tabasco sauce, lemon juice and salt, whip some more. If you want a bit more kick add more hot sauce.

To cook the asparagus, first snap the bottoms off of the spears. Brush with a little oil ( canola or olive ) and fry for a few minutes turning regularly until it begins to soften and brown a bit, I used a Skillet. Once the asparagus has cooked remove from skillet or pan. Set aside.

In the same pan quickly fry up the white kidney beans in a little oil, salt and pepper until slightly browned. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Cook quinoa according to package. Once quinoa has cooked, mix with Tabasco, lemon butter. Serve with asparagus on the side or chopped up and mixed with the quinoa. Add some kidney beans and freshly chopped tomato. Top it off with a poached egg and a little more Tabasco. Enjoy!

This also tastes great with a little lemon zest sprinkled on top or some freshly shaved parmesan.

*Recipe adapted from http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tabasco-asparagus-quinoa-recipe.html