This dish came about one night as I was craving risotto but didn’t want white rice or to fuss over trying to create a risotto dinner with the wild rice blend I had. It turned out exactly as I had hoped. The flavours are rich and comforting without being overly heavy. I was told it would be a great date night dish….Valentine’s Day perhaps?

Rice-

• 6 servings of rice of choice, I used lundberg wild rice blend
• 1 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp herbamare, feel free to add less or skip this if you are watching your sodium intake
• 2 cloves garlic

Mushroom sausage blend-

• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 package of sausage, chopped
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 cup good quality parmesan cheese

For topping-

• Parsley
• Fresh diced tomato
• Pine nuts
• Fresh grated parmesan

Make-

1. Cook rice according to package….with a few alterations, use broth instead of water and replace 1 1/4 cup of the broth with white wine. Toss in 2 whole crushed cloves of garlic and salt.
2. While the rice is cooking work on the mushrooms and sausage. In a large pan over medium heat cook the onions in 2 tbsp of butter for about 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook stirring occasionally, for 13 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
5. Add the sausage and thyme, stirring occasionally until the sausage has cooked through, about 9-11 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan loosening the brown bits.
6. Add the tomato, soy sauce and white wine, cook until the wine has been absorbed.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Stir in the 1/4 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
9. Once the rice has finished cooking mix with the mushrooms and sausage.
10. If you want you can season with salt and pepper.
11. Serve topped with fresh parsley, tomato and pine nuts.
12. Enjoy.

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.

These are so good. They are more of a treat than a healthy snack but that hasn’t stopped them from disappearing from my kitchen in less than 2 days! Every time I turn my head another muffin goes missing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Recipe adapted from Food52.

Makes 20 muffins

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (if you don’t have buttermilk use just under 1/2 cup milk+1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp dark spiced rum
• 1/2 cup raisins, *soak in rum/vanilla for 1 hour before using
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1 tbsp brown sugar+1 tsp cinnamon for topping

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. in a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
3. in a medium bowl whisk together the egg, pumpkin, sugar, coconut oil, molasses and buttermilk.
4. combine the wet ingredients with the dry.
5. add the candied ginger and raisins.
6. stir until just combined. Do not over mix.
7. distribute the batter evenly amongst 2 muffin tins making 20 muffins.
8. sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture.
9. bake for 30-33 minutes.

*Note: If you want to make this recipe into a loaf simply add an extra 2 tbsp coconut oil and bake in a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Thanks to Antiques on Queen  for the beautiful dishes used in this post.

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!

I made rugelach for the first time a few months ago. Since then I haven’t  been able to stop thinking of  all the delicious fillings you could make them with. This time I used pumpkin, spices, pepitas and raisins. They were so good. Not overly sweet….although if that’s what you are going for you could easily toss in some extra sugar.

The Dough

• 4oz cold cream cheese, cut into tbsp sized pats
• 1/2 cup of cold unsalted butter, cut into tbsp sized pats
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• confectioners sugar for dusting table

The Filling

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2tbsp sugar
• 2tbsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup of raisins
• 1/4 cup pepitas, whole or chopped

Egg Wash

• 1 egg, beaten + 1 tbsp water

To make the dough-

1. remove the butter and cream cheese from the fridge. Let stand for 10-15 minutes or so.
2. add the flour and salt to your for processor and give a quick pulse.
3. add the cream cheese and butter. Pulse just enough to incorporate the ingredients, you want large crumbly chunks. Do not over do it!
4. divide the dough into 2 balls. flatten into disks, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper.
5. refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

To assemble-

1. when the dough has chilled, remove the first disk from the refrigerator and let sit for a few minutes.
2. dust the work area with confectioners sugar then roll out the dough into a 12 inch circle.
3. spread half of the pumpkin mixture evenly over the dough.
4. mix together the sugar, spices and salt.
5. sprinkle with a little less than half of the sugar/spice mixture.
6. top with half of the raisins and pepitas.
7. using a knife or pastry cutter, cut the dough into 16 triangles.
8. roll up each triangle, starting with the wide end of the triangle.
9. place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
11. repeat with the second disk of dough.
12. preheat the oven to 350.
13. brush the cookies with the egg wash.
14. sprinkle with the remaining sugar/spice mixture.
15. bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

*tip-to prevent the bottoms from browning too quickly I like to double up my baking sheets!

Alternative fillings-

• favourite jam(not too runny),nuts of choice
• caramel, chocolate chips and shredded coconut
• chocolate hazelnut spread and toasted nuts
• apricot jam, almonds and mixed dried fruit
• butterscotch, raisins and pecans

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!

This recipe is adapted (barely) from one of my favourite new cookbooks Thug Kitchen. I love every recipe in this book and have been obsessively cooking and eating my way through it.

• 2 cups wild rice blend or brown rice
• 2 tsp safflower oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• 1/2 cup green chilies, diced. Can use canned or fresh
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 ripe mango, in bite sized pieces
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• fresh cilantro to top

Rinse the rice. In a medium pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender about 3 minutes. Stir in the ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, keep stirring every so often. Add the coconut milk, broth, salt, and chili powder. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer. Give another quick stir then cover and reduce heat to low (you want it to be at a low simmer) cook for 30-40 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed. When the rice has finished coking fold in the chillies, beans, mango, lime zest and juice. Let it all cook for another minute then serve topped with cilantro….and maybe a little sriracha.

Where’s the meat? If you are one of those people who don’t think dinner is complete without some meat, this dish would be great paired with chicken or a white fish such as tilapia, halibut, hake, haddock, sole, cod or flounder

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.

Hello October! If you need me you can find me at the bottom of  the never-ending pots of delicious homemade soup that have taken over my kitchen! I know these pictures are a bit blurry but trust me this soup looks and tastes crazy good. Give it a try. You won’t be sorry. This particular soup has now been added to my list of favourites. Serves 6-8

• Safflower oil, for frying
• 5 pieces of naturally smoked bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 cups green cabbage, chopped
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch or two of chipotle chili powder ( more or less depending on how much heat you want in your soup )
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1 red skinned potato, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can white kidney beans
• 4 cups veg broth
• 1/3 cup mixture of parmesan and asiago
• salt and pepper to taste
• additional bacon and cheese to top ( optional )

Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes, letting it brown. Add a couple more tbsp of oil along with the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally. Add the spices, carrots, celery and potato. Cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomato, beans and broth. Feel free to add a little salt and pepper if you like. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30-40 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan/asiago. Using an immersion blender, pulse until desired consistency. Spoon into bowls and top with a bacon bits and a sprinkle of parmesan. Enjoy!