Yummy Roasted Carrots and Green Beans

Have you ever came home and looked in your refrigerator and wondered what the heck you were going to make for dinner? That was me a couple of days ago.... while my fridge was quite full I couldn't find inspiration anywhere and when this happens I usually turn to the amazing ability of roasting at high temperature, its pretty incredible how an oven can turn anything from stodgy potatoes to crispy crudites into amazing caramelized goodness. And that was exactly what happened. I stared at a bag of carrots and green beans, cleaned and chopped where necessary then tossed them with olive oil, a little butter salt and pepper and tossed them into a 400 degree oven until they were caramelized
and delicious. And they were! I pulled them out and sprinkled them with a little Parmesan cheese and voila amazing green bean and carrots!

I encourage you to get roasting - anything you like! Carrots, Beets, Potatoes, Cauliflower Anything! You just pop it in the oven, leave it alone and wait for the goodness!
What a great way to warm up on these cool and chilly nights!
Happy Roasting!

Love,
Tiff

Garlic Roasted Mushrooms

These would make a fabulous addition to any holiday table, I saw them a little while ago on Smitten Kitchen and since I haven't been eating any starch I have been eating a lot of mushrooms, there is something so satisfying about them, so delicious and these ones. Man. Oh. Man... I really wished that I could eat bread because the juices that were left at the bottom would have been so delicious enjoyed with some bread... however they were absolutely fantastic all by themselves though please feel free to top them onto Steak, Crostini, Chicken, Pasta anything you like!

I had some pretty huge mushrooms so I quartered them but you can halve them or leave them whole depending on the size you like. These were so simple, First I sprinkled them with salt and pepper then I drizzled them with a little bit of heavy cream, I then tossed them around so they were coated in the cream then I sprinkled them with chopped garlic and dotted the whole works with butter. Toss that into a 400 degree oven and roast until golden brown (I gave them a little stir around a couple of times to ensure even baking and that they were coated in garlic and butter and cream - pure decadence!)

Love,
Tiff

More treats from my garden: Beets!

This year I bought 3 different types of beets for my garden, red, yellow and candy stripe. I opened all 3 packets and mixed them up then planted them so it would be a surprise, it seems as though my slimy enemies the slugs preferred the yellow for some reason but I was still able to procure some of the others. And let me tell you - they are Be - A - Utiful!

I boiled them until they were tender and added them to some farmers market greens, red onions, Hungarian peppers, roasted red peppers and then added a little crumbled blue cheese and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. Simple perfection!

Savoury Stuffed Eggplants

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted a recipe. I am sorry, there really isn't a very good excuse. I haven't been cooking a lot and to be honest I haven't been feeling very inspired by life. I have been craving some ME time and it has me struggling with work and anything structured really. I just want to relax at the beach! Oh Wait! Maybe that is just Summer calling my name!!

Oddly enough I don't cook a lot despite the abundance of amazing produce around, I usually just eat a lot of fruit and what not in the summer. I did go to a market today though and soon I will share some photos of my garden which is slowly coming along.

This is a really easy and really tasty recipe that will make even the most skeptic people eggplant lovers!
Its kind of more of a method, as my measurements as you should know by now aren't the most accurate!

First I sliced 2 medium sized eggplants in half, then I sliced them into a cross hatch pattern through the flesh but leaving the skin intact (like you might cut an avocado before you scoop it out) then sprinkle in with salt and place it flesh side down on a cookie sheet for about 10 minutes. In the mean time dice a good sized onion fairly finely and begin to saute with some fresh thyme. A sprig or two, whatever suits you best! once the onion is softened add a diced tomato and reduce the heat add enough bread crumbs to hold this mixture together.  Before you add the tomatoes take the eggplants out of the oven and turn them over, let them roast with the squares facing up, this will allow them to open giving you lots of space to stuff the stuffing into, put back into the oven! Allow the stuffing to cool and add in about 100 grams of feta cheese crumbled (I bought a container that had 400 g, and I used about a quarter of it) You could add more or less if you like, then remove the eggplant from the oven once again and stuff the filling in to each nook and cranny and allow it to overfill, toss the whole lot back in the oven and allow the crumb mixture to get nice 'gratin-ed' and the eggplant to be nice and soft. All the flavors blend together and it is so good. I served it along side some 'raw' pasta aka julienne zucchini with pesto. 

Kale Chips

I had planned a yummy Cinco de Mayo post... but was to late, and while I will share with you the most delicious fish tacos right now I must share something else.

What is is that I am so amazed by...

Kale Chips!

I know! I thought 'Oh, those would make a really good healthy snack' and by healthy I was meaning 'not that great' but honestly I can't make these things fast enough. I made one bunch and had eaten the whole thing before I even took a picture. Then I made a second bunch and I had enough time to take a few pictures, but then I ate them all! I ate 2 bunches of Kale and thought 'wow what a good way to get your greens'

They do wilt down a little, but they get so crispy! And that deep green flavor adds something that a regular potato chip just can't compare too, while being so subtle and satisfying. I have seen these fluttering about the Internet for some time, and now I only wish that I had have tried them right away!

Here's the directions:

Cut the inner stems out of a bunch of Kale and cut them into chip size pieces. Wash and dry well. Lay the pieces on a baking sheet evenly. Drizzle with Olive Oil and sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Massage it all into the little crevices and then make sure it is laid out evenly (They will get crisper if they are not touching). I baked these in the oven for about 20 minutes. It all depends on the size of the chips so keep an eye on them. You want them to get crisp without being to brown.

I think I will try them out in the dehydrator to preserve nutrients.... but honestly I ate them so fast it might take to long!

Spanakopita Asparagus Rolls Ups

I love to roll my food up. There is just something so satisfying about being able to put everything together and create a perfect bite.

These guys were just that! Perfect bites, go on check 'em out!


This was the love child of my making spanakopitas for my lunches and my making sushi for dinner. I had been making veggie sushi for a quick dinner (which didn't turn out all that pretty, and didn't have a lot of time to be photographed as it went directly into my mouth after a particularity long day at work! But as I had some extra phyllo sheets I decided to turn up the creativity a little on a long time classic.

My spanakopita filling is very simple:

I use
1 package of frozen spinach (my grocery store now sells the frozen spinach in a bag, frozen into little 'pellets' of spinach - it thaws a lot faster and the package has a little more then the traditional box, I would think you may need about 2 boxes)
1 container (250 gs I think) of feta
2 eggs
nice big pinches of salt, pepper and nutmeg (mmmm.... nutmeg!)
about 1/4 c toasted pine nuts

You will also need:
Phyllo dough, melted butter and asparagus spears.

I just mix this all up until it is to my liking, sometimes I add more cheese, sometimes less, just do whatever you like, its not like the spanakopita police are going to come and get you!!

Begin by laying out one sheet of phyllo, brush with butter and add another sheet on top, brush the second sheet with butter and then cut the sheet in half, place one half on top of another so that there are 4 sheets stacked together.

I added two lightly steamed asparagus spears facing opposite directions so that the tips were just poking out for presentation and then topped it with a little of he filling, really just enough to hold it together; it should be about the crunchy asparagus. I rolled it up and put it on a baking sheet brushing with additional butter. Bake at about 375 until the tops are brown and the dough is crispy. (About 10 - 15 minutes) Let cool slightly before serving.

These would make a fantastic appetizer or snack. They are certainly elegant enough to serve to guests! (And fairly friendly on the pocket as you can really make the ingredients stretch!)

Sweet and Sour Veggie Ribbon Salad

I set out to make a simple salad using up a couple of veggie that I had in my fridge and was absolutely blown away by its simplicity, freshness and vibrant flavour. Honestly there is as much flavor in these carrots and zucchini as there is color! Lets have a look:

And an even closer look:

All that I did was use my vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrots and zucchini, I added some chopped green onions and then came the magic!

I added a third of a cup of rice wine vinegar to a small saucepan with a couple of table spoons of sugar (the same ratio as you would for making sushi rice) 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp white sugar and warm until the sugar melts, I poured some of that over the veggies and added some fresh cracked black pepper and a small drizzle of soy sauce and it was so surprisingly yummy!

I also have some great news! I am moving into a new house! With a real Kitchen! I can't wait to share the creations I make in there with you! I am so excited right now, I have a great new job, am getting a whole house with a yard for less rent then my current 1 bedroom apartment! (Its in a small town not in the city, but this small town is my home and right on a big beautiful lake!) and I just feel that this whole year is going to be fantastic!

I hope that this year is shaping up excellently for you too!

PS : Seriously try this when you are in a rush, or just feel like something light!

Cozy Cabbage Rolls

Here we are in the heart of fall; this time of year I always crave comfort food and what is more comforting then a warm meal that comes out of the oven? Mmmmm.... Cabbage Rolls. The epitomy of Ukrainian comfort food.


Often I find that people use too much ground meat and make them very large. So I went about an experiment. I made two different kinds of Cabbage Rolls, 1 that was made of ground meat and the other that was made of sauteed mushrooms. The both have the same ingredients other then the meat/ mushroom can you tell which is which:


They look very similar and oddly enough they didn't taste all that different either. I suggest mixing them up in a casserole dish if you are trying to cut down on red meat. I had to make both because of my meat eating partner. I enjoy meat too, but often opt to not partake and am always looking for ways to reduce meat with out having to substitute with a freaky soy product. These were both really good, even my meat eating partner had a hard time figuring out which was which! Here is the recipe:

1 large heat of cabbage
1/4 lb ground beef (the small package) or 1 lb mushrooms finely chopped and sauteed
1 carrot finely chopped
2 stalks of celery finely chopped
2 onions finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic
3 cups of cooked rice (whatever floats your boat)
2 eggs
medium pinch of rosemary
large pinch of salt & pep

1 jumbo or 2 - 3 regular cans of whole tomatoes

First pop a whole head of cabbage into a huge pot of boiling water. Martha says not to use an aluminum pot... I think that my pot is aluminum and they worked, but it could be something else. Feel free to take the risk if you must. Other people remove each leaf first and then boiled them separately. I just threw the whole thing in, accidentally forgot about it and them took it out. It was cooked through and the outer leaves weren't very pretty but the rest was great. Let it cool and then remove each leaf and set aside.

Then begin making rice. Just follow the package directions. Then move on to chopping the mushrooms (actually I ran them through a food pro until they were fairly finely chopped - you do need a little texture) and begin sauteing them with some Olive Oil and pepper (leave the salt out). In the meantime finely chop the celery, carrots, garlic and onions, again I used the food pro, if you choose to do this make sure that you do it in small batches, or else you will get a puree and you want more like pieces that are the size of rice grains, or a little bigger. Divide the chopped veggies into two bowls. Make sure the mushrooms are sauteed to the point that they have given up most of the water, then add them to one bowl and add the beef to another. Add one egg to each bowl and 1 cup of rice, mix it in and then decide if you want to add more rice. I went for it, but you might not want to and in the end you will be eating it so go ahead and do what you must!
This is how each looks, bad light I know but you get the idea!


Now you will want to empty your cans of tomatoes into a juice jug or bowl and whiz with a hand blender. I added a small handful of salt pepper, and a little less rosemary. Whiz until it is a smooth sauce.

Now assemble! Pour a little sauce into a casserole dish, take one cabbage leaf. If it is a big leaf, remove the bottom v shape of the stem, just the hard part so you end up with a small v out of your leaf. You can leave it in but it is trickier to roll. Just do whatever works for you. Add some filling to one side of the leaf and roll it up. Add to the dish and repeat until you are done. Top with a bit more of the sauce, cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.
I serve mine with sour cream. Yum!!

The Main Event: Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is something that I look forward to every year. It has become one of my favorite holidays because it is so simple. All you have to do is prepare a delicious meal for your friends and family and enjoy it! You don't have to find a costume or the perfect gift. Just cook, eat and enjoy the company of loved ones.

Yes it is easier said then done, but with a little prep the day before and the instructions that someone else bring dessert it can achieved fairly easily. This year I made as much ahead of time as possible. I spent the whole Saturday making stuffing, brining turkey, making cranberry sauce, chopping Brussels sprouts, chopping veggies and prepping appies. Lets start with my favourite thanksgiving side.

Cheesy Brussel Sprouts

The real secret to making these Brussels sprouts delicious and what has made my friend Jamie say 'I don't even like Brussels Sprouts, but I went back for seconds!' One of my best compliments. is simple onions, caramelized before roasting. For six cups of trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts I used one and 1/2 large soft ball sized yellow onion. I caramelized it in a pan with a little butter and then tossed with the Brussels spouts in a casserole dish. Top off with a few handfuls of shredded aged cheddar cheese and bake until the sprouts are golden brown. In a 350 degree oven this will take about 45 minutes. I like to make sure to give them plenty of time, even if I have to wrap them in foil and let them sit because I put them in early. If you do a bigger batch they can take up to an hour and a half and it is critical that they get to that golden brown stage or they will be bitter not melt in your mouth delicious!

I also prep the stuffing the day before, then when it comes to getting the turkey in the oven I can just stuff it and get it in!

My stuffing is basic and goes as follows:

8 cups of toasted bread chunks
8 links of maple breakfast sausages
3 heads of roasted garlic
2 stalks of celery
1 large onion
2 tbsp each parsley & sage
1 tbsp each rosemary & thyme
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 - 2 cups chicken stock

Normally I would used just a basic sausage but this year I brined my Turkey with an apple cider brine so I decided to go with the maple breakfast sausage, just to create some interest and to really showcase some autumn flavors. I begin by toasting bread. I used a basic whole wheat, mostly because I don't really eat white bread and I didn't want to complicate it with grains or seeds. This is stuffing for us humans, not chipmunks! I chop the celery and onion in a small dice, chop the herbs and add the seasonings and then add a splash of stock. I work the stuffing with my hands until the sausage is evenly distributed and add stock as is necessary until it all combines into one big for lack of a better word glop. I always make enough so that I can stuff the turkey and bake some in an extra dish for a friend of mine who doesn't like it in the bird. Also lets be honest: There just isn't enough room in the bird for as much stuffing as you need to feed hungry stuffing lovers.

This is how it looks before it is cooked aka glop stage:

Of course you must have mashed potatoes on any decent thanksgiving table and since I love garlic I always add roasted garlic. Lots of it. I like to add 1 head of garlic per 2 large potatoes. Feel free to use this ratio for making your current favourite mashed potato recipe. Its always hard to know how much butter and cream you will need to add to get the right consistency but the garlic will make them even dreamier - it will blow the regular garlic mashed potatoes that most people make right out of the water. I don't know how someone could add garlic powder to potatoes and still sleep at night!


And of course the turkey. I used a brine this year and it was amazing!! Since I haven't used one before I used a recipe for Apple Cider Brine that I found on Tasty Kitchen. It made the meat so juicy that it blew me away. The breast meat was by far the most flavorful, tender and succulent that I have ever tasted. And let me tell you when all 30 people had walked away there wasn't even enough turkey left to make soup! I seasoned the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper, stuffed it with the recipe above, rubbed it with butter above and underneath the skin, wrapped it in thick cut double smoked bacon and rested in on top of a 'rack' that I made with some carrots, celery, onions garlic, added a little chicken stock for moisture and then let them all get acquainted in a 350 degree oven until the skin is crispy and brown and the juices run clear. Oh yeah, put a lid on all of that! Since I was so busy enjoying the meal I didn't take a picture of it but I did make a smaller breast for blogging purposes and here it is:


Other recipes that I served were:

Honey and Lime Glazed Yams and Beets
Brussels Slaw
Orange Glazed Carrots
(Steam with some orange juice, then thicken like gravy with four, add salt, pepper and fresh thyme)
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
(I'll have to share another time)
Gravy - thicken the pan juices with flour and season as necessary.
And Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos as an appy.

Happy Cooking!!

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

Yesterday I was craving something cheesy but knew that with the holiday season coming up I should try to be good. I generally try to be good during the month of November (Here in Canada the holidays don't start until Dec) because I know that pretty much the whole month of December is going to be a write off. It always is, and I could fight it but I figure if I put in a little good behavior this month I can cut myself some slack later on.

These mushroom caps are perfect because they are luxurious yet very healthy. I was inspired by a spanikopita but was also enticed by the meaty-ness of a mushroom. Have you ever noticed how many food bloggers make up words. I am convinced that anything can be a word if hyphenated with a -ness at the end!

Here is the recipe:

A bunch of mushrooms, stems removed.
1 12 oz package of frozen spinach
1 small tub of feta cheese
2 cloves garlic
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper

Give the mushrooms a little rub down - they do grow in poo after all. Remove the stems with a pairing knife or by snapping them off whatever works best for you. My mushrooms weren't all that big so I used a knife. Arrange them alphabetically by name on a baking sheet. What you don't name your food? Well.. I guess you can arrange them any old way that you like.

In a food processor add the garlic and whiz, then add the spinach (make sure it is thawed and that you squeezed all of the water out. Whiz that up then add the rest of the ingredients, taste and season. Stuff the little mushroomies with the emerald green mixture and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the mushrooms have browned a bit and they look like you want to devour them all!

Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Soup

There is something so comforting about anything that is left to slow roast in the oven. Even if it is tomatoes and red peppers. Just allowing them to hang out and soften in caramelized goodness; it seems so luxurious. Even decadent.

Who knew throwing some veggies in the oven and forgetting about them could seem like so much effort?

Speaking of effortless, this soup actually came from a tomato sauce that I had already prepared.
It began with 4 - 5 cups of Cherry Tomatoes. Basically I had enough to cover my entire baking sheet. I added a head of garlic and drizzled the works with Extra Virgin, salt and pepper. Pop this into a 300 degree oven for about an hour or until they pop open and look like the tasty little gems below:

Have a peek at them from time to time and once you notice that they are almost there toss 1 fairly finely diced onion into a pot with a nice splash of Extra Virgin. Once the onion is soft add the tomatoes and garlic and puree with a hand mixer or in a food processor. I did mine like a country job and left the skins and seeds in but if you prefer something a little more smooth feel free to put it all through a sieve. Have a final taste to see if you need to adjust the seasoning. It all depends on your tomatoes, your taste and how much you added when roasting. That was it for the sauce, simple and basic but really nice with a sweet, homey tomato flavor.

For the Soup I just roasted up about 3 red peppers. You can do this a few different ways, you can put the whole peppers onto the gas flame of a stove, you can toss them under a broiler, or roast them slowly. Should you choose one of the first two methods, which are the fastest you will want to leave the peppers until the skin is charred. I mean black people! Don't take them out to soon. In order to keep with the quick time frame you can them put the peppers into a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. This gives them a little steam and makes it really easy to remove the skins. Should you slow roast it you will still want them to be quite well done, although they don't need to be charred, you will see them begin to wrinkle and soften, you can remove them then and give them the same covered bowl treatment mentioned above.
Once they have chilled out in the bowl the skin will be easy to remove, I added the peppers and the tomato sauce into a food processor and blitzted until it was smooth. Feel free to use what you have here, a hand blender, regular blender or food pro.
Something tells me a potato masher just isn't going to cut it!!
Add to a pot, heat, taste, season and enjoy!

Honey Lime Glazed Yams and Beets

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was so delicious. Often people get carried away with really sweet sides when making a turkey dinner ie. Candied Yams, Maple Glazed Squash so on and so forth. I actually had a turkey dinner this year that felt like I was eating dessert. Don't get me wrong; I love those sides, I love sweet stuff; but I think that when you are hosting a big dinner you need to be mindful of creating a balance. So I took a cue from that dinner and made sure to keep my dinner in check. Just enough sweet and just enough savory; especially with a rich meal like this where people often go back for seconds and generally eat way more then a regular meal.

And really isn't that when you know you've done a good job? When you look around and see all of those full faces, you know the ones, not really comfortable anymore because you had to eat that last bite - and then a little more.

This side I loved because it was so balanced. Yams and Beets are quite sweet on their own and with a couple of brushes of a Honey Lime vinaigrette they were transformed from regular vegetables to 'super hero' veggies out to add color and taste to your holiday table!

Alright before I get carried away here is the recipe:

2 large yams
4 medium beets

Juice of 2 limes
1 good squeeze of honey - about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper

Begin with the Veggies, ideally you will want to boil the yams until tender in salted water and boil the beets until tender in unsalted water. I did do this when I made the recipe for a crowd because I needed to do two big pots of each, and because I did a lot of the prep the day before. Which is a great tip when making a large dinner: Do as much as you can the day or days before, this means that there will be less stress the day of and you will be able to socialize with your gusts. When I made them at home though for just the two of us I just threw then all in regular water and boiled until tender. Set aside to cool. Whenever you feel like it; you can mix up the glaze, which really is just a regular old vinaigrette, juice the lime, add the honey and mustard, a little salt & pep and drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season to your liking.
This is so easy, and makes a great salad dressing. It would probably even be good on chicken, or fish. I'll have to try that.
I like to make this as long before I use it as I can. If that's only a few minutes, good, if I do it while the veggies are boiling and it ends up being more like 20 - 30 minutes, even better. The longer that it gets to hang out the more the flavors mingle and become one.
Once the veggies have cooled; you can peel the skins off; I left them on because I'm just that kind of girl. Then slice them into 1 - 2 cm rounds and arrange them on a baking sheet. I like to arrange them in stripes, purple - orange, purple - orange and so one. Brush them with the glaze and pop the whole thing into a 350 degree oven until they have soaked in the glaze and get a little caramelized. I like to glaze them once or twice before taking them out.
That's it. The great thing to is that they truly are beautiful and colorful. The contrasting colors; taste and texture are sure to liven up any table.

A new twist on Brussel Slaw

This has become a staple of my diet. It is so tasty and full of crunchy, chewy textures. It is sweet and savoury, creamy and fresh. All at once! I swear!

For the Salad I use my food processor to shred the vegetables, go ahead and throw in 1 good size beet, 1 large carrot, 1/4 - 1/2 a medium sized red onion (to your personal onion-liking), process these on a big shred so you end up with match stick type pieces, you could also use a mandolin, but I don't have one of those - yet. Now you have a lot of crunch, and even a spice, now comes the other texture, the chewy - The Brussel Sprout!
Change the blade to the slice blade, I suppose you could do this some other way, but really brussel sprouts are small and the food processor will be the best way to shred them and keep all of your fingers. Then add a big handful of chopped cilantro; toss with the dressing and you have yourself one dreamy side dish. Bring this to a potluck and you can trick all of your non-brussel sprout loving friends, or maybe you could try this recipe and trick yourself!

The flavour and texture are very different when a brussel sprout is raw, and being one of the best things nutrient-wise that you can buy in the grocery store, I say we should all incorporate them into our diet, especially raw as that way you get the full impact of all of their goodness.

Recipe

1 large beet
1 large carrot
1/4 - 1/2 red onion
About 24 Brussel Sprouts
Handful of Cilantro

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Yogurt
1/8 Cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper

Some end of Season beauties

My weakness when at farmers markets are heirloom tomatoes and the various fresh varieties of garlic. Here is a sample of what I got this time around:


A variety of 'Cherry' tomatoes, baby red onions and garlic. When you have ingredients this fresh and wonderful simple really is best. So I mad a simple tomato, avocado salad with a balsamic glaze.

I've been really into glazes lately, I made an awesome bison burger with a red wine glaze mixed in that I will share later, but following up a 'Vegan 100' post I thought I should stick to a theme!

Just look at this cute little pear tomato, don't you just want to dress it in pretty little dresses like a baby girl?

On second thought... maybe he's a little to masculine for a dress..

For the glaze:

1/2 c balsamic vinegar
3 tbs honey

Put the two ingredients in a small sauce pot and bring to a simmer, let it reduce until it is a thick syrup. Some people like to make a bunch for use later, but I've been making just a bit when I need it, and it reduced so much faster in a small amount.

For the salad:

A handful or more cherry tomato's
1/2 an Avocado

Really this is just a chop and go, so make more if you want more, I slice the cherries in half and then dice the avocado. Tumble them in a bowl and top with coarse sea or Himalayan salt, drizzle with the glaze (careful its intense!) and enjoy!

Brussell Slaw

I read this idea in a health magazine, but my oh my is it a winner! Probably because they didn't intend on slathering it in a creamy mayo based dressing, but as I always say life is about balance, and this particular practically claimed that Brussell Sprouts are the healthiest thing going. I claim that they are darn tasty! Take a peek:

I have always liked my Brussel Sprouts, but for those of you who don't this is an awesome way to get yours in. And it is totally worth it because they are basically little parcels of healthy vitamins and minerals.

Salad:

5 cups of brussel sprouts
1 carrot
1/4 red onion

Dressing:

1 cup mayo
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
salt & pepper

I toss the carrot through the food processor on the grate option and then put on the slicer and put trimmed and cleaned brussel sprouts through along with the onion. Mix up the dressing ingredients tasting and adjusting as you see fit. Then toss the veggies through it. I always top my slaw with sunflower seeds, but only at the end otherwise they get all soggy.

Roasted Beet and Green Bean with Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing

What to do with so much roasted garlic? Put it in a creamy, dreamy dressing and drizzle it over carmalized veggies ofcourse! You need to have balance right, healthy beets that can do funny things to the color of your pee and green beans make it feel alright to smoother creamy, garlicy goodness all over it, and it couldn't be any easier to make. *Bonus if you make extra, you can use it for any other salad later in the week.

Would you call this a salad? I'm not sure, when I was growing up I got alot of comments from my little friends about how my Mom didn't put lettuce in her salad, she thought it was just a filler, so our dinner salad resembled a greek salad with out the olives, and feta aka mostly chopped veggies so I suppose my view of salad may be different but it was delicious! Also I think out here in the culinary world lettuce doesn't mean salad, - You want to know a huge pet peeve of mine; people who call lettuce salad! Its not salad! Its lettuce!
Wow I didn't realize that I had all of this salad baggage... but it sure feels good to let it out!

Anyways... heres the recipe:

Roasted Garlic Salad Dressing

1/2 C Mayo
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Head Roasted Garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
S&P

I just whizzed all of this up with a hand blender to emulsify the garlic, you can play with the amount of lemon juice until it gets to a drizzley consistancy but it should be 1 good lemon, maybe more if yours aren't so juicy!

For the veggies I chopped the Beet in half and then sliced into 1/2 moons about 1/4 inch thick, snipped both ends off the green beans (I think they look prettier this way, feel free to be lazy and only chop one end if you want) drizzle with Extra Virgin, sprinkle with S&P and roast in a 400 degree oven, it took my oven about 1/2 hr, just take them out when they are tender and carmalized, put them on a pretty plate, My Aunt made the one in the picture above, and drizzle with the dressing. Mmmm... here's another though sliced almonds roasted with the veggies, I'll give that a try next time!
Ta for now!

Mmmm... Dippy Dips!

One of my favourite dips is Baba Ganooj, I tried it the first time because the recipe looked so simple but now have created my own version. It is so easy, delicious and healthy, I even used it last thanksgiving and my guy friends had no idea it was so good for them. One even asked for the recipe! I'm sure he was to 'cheerful' to remember. And by cheerful... I mean drunk!

The Recipe is so simple! Here it is:

1 Large Eggplant
1 Yellow Onion
1 Head of Garlic
Half a Lemon
Salt & Pepper

Roast the Eggplant, Onion and Garlic in a 350 degree oven until lightly brown and soft (I love roasted veggies!) I ususally roast them whole then remove from the less attactive skin and pop it all into a food processor, whiz it up and give it a taste. Add your preference of salt and pepper and enough of the squeezed lemon juice to liven up the party.

I usually ganish with some lemon zest and serve with veggies and pita. It really isn't very pretty but it makes up for it in taste!


Here is another dip that I made while the food processor was out!
I call it Left Over Lunch Dip, because thats what it was, my left over lunch all whizzed up!


I just added equal parts cottage cheese and tomatoes with a big handful of fresh basil. Season with Salt, Pepper, and a little garlic if you like it spiced up! Serve with crostinis or crackers, even you won't remember that it was leftovers! The flavour is so fresh because of the tomatoes! mmmm!!