There is nothing like a big bowl of comfort. Quick easy and delicious. This will fill you up and make your tastebuds happy all at the same time!

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1/8 tsp savory

2 cups crimini mushrooms, chopped

3 cups green cabbage, chopped

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 19 ounce can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, with juice

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

fresh parmesan cheese, for serving

*additional ingredients: quinoa or brown rice, cook according to package

In a large pot heat the oil over med-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and savory. cook for about 5 minutes, stiring frequently until the onion has softened. Stir in the mushroom and cabbage and cook stirring frequently for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for 6 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, parsley and cilantro. Cover and simmer over med to med-low leat for 12 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve: Enjoy served over quinoa and topped with a generous grating of fresh parmesan. Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from smitten kitchen

This is so yummy, however I must warn that it is definitely not a quick meal to prepare. To save time you could prep your greens and do your measuring, chopping and slicing the day before; that way the following day all you will have to do is cook your roux, assemble and bake!

1/2 stick butter

1 large cooking onion, diced

2 large bunches of red chard, stemmed and chopped

2 cups organic 2% or whole milk, 

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp flour

2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds

4 medium russet potatoes, sliced into 1/8 inch thick rounds

1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cup grated cheese of choice, I used a mix of cheddar,  mozzarella and parmesan

Onions and Chard:

in a large pan cook onions with 2 tbsp of butter over medium-low heat until softened (making sure to stir often) about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and add the rainbow chard. Stir until the chard is wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a collander and using a dish towel press down on the chard to remove andy excess liquid.

Sauce:

In a small saucepan combine the milk and garlic; bring mixture to a simmer to keep it warm. In a medium saucepan melt 2 tbsp of butter over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue cooking the roux by whisking for one minute then while you continue to whisk slowly add the warm milk and garlic and bring to a boil. Whisk for about 1 minute more then season with salt and pepper. set aside.

Assemble:

Preheat the oven to 400. grease a 9×13 baking dish. Spread out half of the potatoes and half of the zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Spread half of your chard over the cheese, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Pour half of the roux over these layers then continue with the remaining potatoe and zucchini, salt and pepper, 1/4 of the herbs and 1/4 cup of cheese. Now top with the last of the chard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the remaining sauce over the gratin, making sure it is as evenly distributed as possible. Finally top it off with the last of the cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes to 1hr or until golden and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes and serve!

SQUASH:

1 spaghetti squash

Preheat oven to 375. Prick the spaghetti squash all over with a fork or knife making little holes/slits to allow for the steam to escape while it bakes (this will prevent a not so fun, super messy, squash explosion). Bake in a shallow baking sheet for 1 hour. Once the squash has cooled enough to handle, cut it length wise with a serrated knife. Remove the seeds and fibrous strings from the centre of the squash using a spoon. Once you have removed all the seeds, gently scrape the squash with a fork shredding the pulp into nice spaghetti looking strands. Set aside.

While the squash bakes make the sauce.

SAUCE:

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic

- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp chopped rosemary
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of organic vegetable broth

- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 280z can organic crushed tomatoes, with their juice
- chunk of good parmesan cheese, for grating

Warm the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and rosemarry. Cook over med-high heat for about 5 minutes, stir often. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth and cook until completely reduced, making sure to scrape the pan lifting any bits that may begin to stick. When the pan is dry mash the tomato paste into the mushroom, onion mixture. Add the canned tomatoes and the remaining 1/2 cup of vegetable broth. Turn heat to medium low and simmer for 30 or so minutes.

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS FOR THE LASAGNA:

- ricotta cheese
- bag of shredded cheddar and mozzarella or cheese of choice

 

Spread a generous amount of sauce covering the bottom of your roasting dish. Cover with a layer of spaghetti squash followed by another layer of sauce. Spread a layer of ricotta and cover with a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat the process one more time. Top it off with a layer of grated parm. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and bake for 3 minutes or until the top begins to brown and bubble. Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes before serving. 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.