Hé Ho!

I had big plans for this week; a couple festival themed meals, going to the festival Saturday and then out for dinner, crêpes for Sunday breakfast, a big Sunday family dinner but alas the stomach flu entered (uninvited) our home and I have been serving and eating saltine crackers, rationing sips of water and trying to get multiple loads of laundry done. I’m sorry but I only have part of a week for you, but I hope (fingers crossed) to be back in full swing next week.

Menu

Monday: Split Pea Soup with Bannock

Tuesday: Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas

Wednesday: Rigatoni with Sweet Tomatoes and Eggplant

Thursday: Hummus Pizzas

Friday: Pancakes with Pecan, Maple Syrup, and Yogurt Served with Fruit Salad

Weekly Panty Items

Flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, canola oil, nutmeg, olive oil, dry bread crumbs, sea salt, cumin, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh garlic, maple syrup, butter

Weekly Shopping List

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan (this is optional if you want – I didn’t use it

Milk (need 1 ½ cup)

Plain yogurt

Heavy Cream (4 Tbsp – I didn’t use this)

Eggs

Firm white fish (I used cod)

Onions (2)

small bag carrots (need 1 ½ cups)

3 russet potatoes

 red onion

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

Small handful of mushrooms

1 firm ripe pink, black or white eggplant

1-2 fresh or dried chillies, (optional)

peas (2 cups)

1 lemon

fruit (for fruit salad)

1 bunch fresh basil

1 28oz can of good quality plum tomatoes

1 lb rigatoni or penne

1 19 oz chickpeas

1 pecans (1 cup)

dry yellow split peas (1 ½ cups)

Veggie stock

Whole wheat pitas

Split Pea Soup with Bannock

Today is a holiday in Manitoba, its Louis Riel Day. Dave’s home from work today and we were considering going to the Festival except both kids woke up during the night, many times, with these terrible colds. So Festival is going to have to wait until next Saturday. As I write this I can hear Harper through the monitor breathing all stuffy. We’ve actually been lucky this year because we haven’t had very many colds…although we have had two full months of flu, so maybe lucky isn’t the word.

The day is always so topsy turvey when the kids are sick. This morning I got up with Harper and then went back to bed with Hannah later so she would sleep, she left me there at some point and Harper crawled in just when I was going to get up. I ate lunch at 10:45 when I got up; the kids ate only snacks all day until dinner and the day passed in a haze. I’m grateful that it’s close to bed time, although I’m dreading the night we’re going to have.

Recipe

Dave and the girls made the bannock while I was at the gym. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. The recipe calls for it to be kneaded for 10 minutes. Dave said it was so sticky and would have needed so much extra flour to knead it that he just spread it on a parchment lined cookie sheet and baked it. It was delicious!

3 cups all-purpose flour (used 1 whole wheat and 2 white)

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp baking powder

¼ cup butter, melted

1 ½ cups water

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and then pour over melted butter and water and stir with a fork. Turn out mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and spread into a disk, about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Bake for 25 minutes.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe is from the Pulses Canada recipe book, except I omitted the ham.

1 Tbsp canola oil

½ cup onions, chopped

1 ½ cup, carrots, chopped

1 ½ cup dry yellow split peas, prepared according to package

2 ½ cups reduced sodium vegetable broth

1 cup milk

Dash of nutmeg, salt and pepper

In a large stock pot, heat oil. Add onions and carrots and sauté until tender.

Puree the prepared split peas in a blender or food processor, adding veggie stock as needed to get pureed texture (I think that next time I would just add it all to the pot and use a hand blender to get a little more texture). Add the pureed peas to the pot and add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Heat until desired temperature is reached.

Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas and Salad

Having a child get sick right before bed is like preparing for a major storm. Suddenly you’re unsure who will be affected and how long you will be unable to go out. You feel the need to rush to the grocery store and stock up on supplies as well as make any alternative travel plans that you may need. This is precisely what happened last night when Harper was sick right before bed. We praised the world for hardwood floors, cleaned, changed, all while comforting and then I rushed out to the grocery store to stock up on whatever we needed for the next day and baby Tylenol, just in case. In the midst of this Hannah fretted about an alternative plan to get her to school Thursday if Harper was still sick (we did not point out the likelihood that she may be sick by then). Since I’m at home, we are lucky that we can avoid the ‘who has to stay home argument’, which use to come along with mixed emotions of frustration and guilt.

Recipe

Chips

3 russet potatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F.

Cut potatoes in half and then lengthwise into fries. Toss with 1 – 2 Tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 10 minutes, flip and bake the other side for 10 minutes (more or less depending how crispy you like them).

Fish

Firm white fish

½ cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 cup dry bread crumbs

Olive oil for frying

Pat fish dry. Mix egg, milk and Dijon together in one bowl and spread bread crumbs out on another plate. Heat a drizzle (about 1 tsp) of olive oil in a pan over medium low heat. Dip the fish first in the egg mixture then dredge through the bread crumbs and drop into the pan. Cook fish until golden on one side, flip and then golden on the other and cooked through.

Mushy Peas

I took this idea from Jaime Oliver: Jaime’s Dinners. He did fish and chips and mushy peas and I think the idea was to dip the fish in the mushy peas. I liked the flavour of adding a little lemon to the peas but did not care to dip my fish in it and would simply make peas with lemon next time (the rest of the family agreed).

2 cups of peas

1 tsp olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

salt and pepper

Cook peas in olive oil until heated, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve as is or mush peas and serve mashed.

Serve with your favourite green salad.

Rigatoni with Sweet Tomatoes and Eggplant and Salad

Half eaten morsels, the day seems to be full of half eaten morsels. I think Harper wants to be able to eat, she keeps asking for things and then leaving them after only one or two bites. I keep making them for her because I would love if she could eat and then I can’t let anyone touch her partially eaten food because I don’t want them to get sick. It’s a waste of food, I know. On the up side this seems to be the meal that put her back on track.

Recipe

This recipe is also from Jamie Oliver: Jamie’s Dinners, I do seem to get stuck on certain cookbooks.

1 firm ripe pink, black or white eggplant

olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 28 oz can of good-quality plum tomatoes

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

sea salt and black pepper

1-2 fresh or dried chillies, chopped (optional)

a bunch of fresh basil, leaves ripped and stalks chopped

4 Tbsp heavy cream (I don’t add this)

1 lb rigatoni or penne

7 oz cow’s milk mozzarella

1 piece of Parmesan cheese, for grating (optional)

Remove both ends of the eggplant, slice in ½ inch slices and then cube into ½ inch pieces. Heat 4 or 5 Tbsp of olive oil and add the eggplant once it’s hot, taking care to stir right away so that they all get covered in oil. Cook for about 7 or 8 minutes and then add the onion and garlic. Cook until they have a little colour and then add the tomatoes and balsamic, season with salt and pepper if needed and if you are adding the chillies add them now as well. Add the basil stalks and simmer the sauce gently for 15 minutes, then add the cream if using.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions, drain it saving a little of the cooking water. Put the pasta back in the pot with a drizzle of olive oil stirring around. Then add the tomato sauce to the pasta. Tear up the mozzarella and basil and add to the pot, stir for 30 seconds and then serve.

Hummus Pizzas

Well, the flu has taken Hannah (there was no need to worry about how we were going to get her to school today). It’s always so hard to diagnose a child though. She woke up and complained that her belly hurt and shrugged to the series of questions I had, do you need to use the bathroom? Are you Hungry? Well, maybe go rest on the couch and I’ll call school and tell them we’re not coming. Still, I wondered if she was only hungry and would miss out on the Festival activities for no reason. So when she vomited 20 minutes later there was a sense of justification, even for Hannah who declared (once she was able to speak), “I guess we made the right decision to stay home Mama!” 

I should have known that the flu would claim her because I washed all the sheets, people and disinfected all areas Harper had touched.

Dave and I were the only ones who really ate supper – we love these, they’re quick, easy, delicious and healthy!

Recipe

I got the idea for this recipe from a cookbook that Dave’s mom gave me. It was written by their neighbour’s daughter, who is a dietician in Halifax. Hold the Salt: 50+ Quick and Easy Recipes to Help You Eliminate Salt from Your Diet, by Maureen Tilley. I just make my own regular hummus though, I think I could do it in my sleep; the trick is to make it and get it on the pizzas before Harper eats it all, although today was not a problem.

Hummus

1 19 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt (if needed)

¼ cup water (more to achieve desired consistency)

Put all ingredients in a food processor and whirl until smooth, or desired consistency.

Pizzas

4 whole wheat pitas

½ red onion, sliced

1 red pepper cut in strips

1 yellow pepper cut in strips

Small handful of mushrooms, sliced

4 Tbsp of grated cheese (whatever you prefer, more if you like)

Olive oil/spray

Sauté the veggies in a drizzle of olive oil until soft. Turn on broiler, spray both sides of the pitas and place on a cookie sheet and place under broiler until one side is golden and then flip and do the same to the other side. Take them out of the oven and spread 2 Tbsp of hummus, veggies and top with a little cheese. Place pizzas under the broiler again for a couple minutes to melt cheese, careful not to burn the pitas.

Apple Pancakes topped with Yogurt, Pecans, Maple Syrup and Fruit Salad

The flu took Dave and I Friday and we did not make these but it was the plan. The following is a recipe that Dave picked up from working at some golf course when he was a kid. It makes 3 pancakes so you’ll need to double, triple, etc if you use it.

½ cup flour (we usually use whole wheat)

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg

½ cup milk

Mix all ingredients until smooth and then cook in a heated, lightly greased pan.

I was also going to toast pecans and top the pancakes with plain yogurt, toasted pecans and warm maple syrup.

Lemon

Hannah really wanted me to name this post Lemon - there are actually barely any lemons in any of the recipes on the menu. I suggested that we wait and save that name for another week when we use lots of lemons but, she didn't really think that would be a good idea, "because there will already be lemons then." I could have named it something else and not told her but, that seemed rather dishonest and she was so excited to be a part of the naming process, so Lemon it is.

Menu
Monday: Heart Shaped Pizza

Tuesday: Tofu and Veggie Stir fry over Noodles

Wednesday: Cilantro Omelet with Indian Potato Salad and Raw Veggies

Thursday: Bare Naked Fish, Mango Salsa, Spinach Pancakes with Salad

Friday: French Onion Soup with Chopped Salad

Saturday: Risotto with Red Beans

Sunday: Lentil Loaf

Weekly Pantry Items
flour, yeast, olive oil, sesame oil, white wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, sesame seed butter, maple syrup, soy sauce, ground cumin, ground coriander, pepper, tarragon, cumin seeds, curry powder, cayenne or hot sauce, bay leaf, Montreal Steak Spice, raisins or craisins, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, fresh garlic

Grocery List
Eggs
Milk
Provolone cheese (for pizza)
Parmesan cheese
Gruyere cheese (4 oz)
Kalamata olives (1cup)
White fish (enough for all)
2 Red Peppers
Green Pepper
Broccoli
Romaine lettuce
Small head radicchio
Cucumber
Cilantro
Fresh mint
Fresh thyme
2 bunches of spinach (at least 11 oz)
Avocado
2 limes  
Mango (1 or 2)
Pear
Carrots, small bag
Onions (5 lb bag)   
Red onion
Potatoes (4 cups)
Mushrooms (1/4 pound + for pizza)
Noodles (chow mien, soba, rice – whatever you choice for Stir Fry)
3 carton so f veggie stock
15oz can lentils
15 oz can of red beans
pizza sauce
baguette

Heart Shaped Pizza

I realize that my week behind thing messes up the holidays. I should have foreseen this and had heart shaped pizza last week for show. Alas, I am not that forward a thinker and, let’s be honest, heart shaped pizza is not all that original. None the less, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with Dave working a little late and mini heart shaped pizzas.

There was big news though, a wedding! How fitting to hear about a wedding on Valentine’s Day – I know. I was in the kitchen when I heard the news; Hannah and Harper were going to get married. Hannah told Harper, who was a reluctant participant (maybe she doesn’t believe in it? commitment issues?), “We need to stand together and hug, that’s how we’ll be married.” This is the first wedding Hannah has had. I hope everyone had a chance to feel loved today.

Recipe

I love the meatiness of wild mushrooms.

We made the pizza’s the same as always (see recipe at the end of post here, if you need one) except I used a cookie cutter to cut out some little hearts from the dough for the kids. I did also make a big heart pizza for Dave and I because to be honest it’s a bit of a pain to put the toppings on the little ones.

Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry over Noodles

The weather is beautiful again today. I love looking out and seeing the, drip, drip, drip of melting snow off the roof. The driveway is not only clear in some spots but also dry. These spring teases make it hard to go back to the cold, but also help to keep me sane as we still have another month or two of winter weather to go.

Hannah bounded out the door to play in the snow this afternoon while Harper had a nap. Watching her through the back window brought me back to when I was little. I can remember getting lost in the world I had built out of snow and ice. I watched Hannah get lost in her own world this afternoon as she talked and sang to herself, purposefully darting back and forth from different snow piles in the yard, pausing at each one to complete some imaginary task. This is why I continued to watch her long after Harper had woken up and it was time to go to the store. It is for this reason, that I was left running around trying to get dinner ready at 5:30 when we returned home. Chaos followed, and while I was getting it all on the table I had to scoop Harper off the counter not once but four times!

Recipe

This recipe was altered from one that I found at Kath Eats Real Food.

1 package firm tofu

2 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 red bell pepper

1/2 green pepper

1 celery, thin chop

2 carrots, peeled into ribbons

1 head of broccoli

Chow mien noodles, cooked

Heat sesame oil in a pan, add garlic and sauté 30 seconds, crumble in tofu and hoisin sauce and mix together until warm.

Sauté the veggies in a little olive oil until they are tender but still crisp.

Sauce

2 Tbsp sunflower seed butter

2 Tbsp peanut butter

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp water

Whisk all ingredients together. Add sauce and tofu to stir fry and dish up over noodles.

Cilantro Omelet with Indian Potato Salad and Sliced Cucumbers

I love Wednesdays. I love them because they are ours to do with what we please; there’s no pre-school or swimming lesson to rush out to in the morning, the groceries have been bought and the laundry has been washed. The morning is so much more relaxed, the girls played together all morning and then we sauntered out to the bakery.

The weather was beautiful again and we danced and sang to Jackie Greene all the way to Stella’s Bakery. We picked out some delicious loaves of bread from the shelves and baskets behind the counter and then Hannah picked a lovely little…actually huge, chocolate macaroon square for us to share. The square was placed in a cute little recyclable box and Hannah bounced it all around as we visited with my cousin, who works there, and she gave us a tour of the bakery. It was a very cool treat and when I asked Hannah what she liked best about the trip she said, “Seeing Auntie Coco and Uncle G, the chocolate square and (with a very mischievous smile on her face) seeing the great big machines (the huge mixers).”

When we got home we shared the chocolate macaroon square (yum!) as well as a tomato and avocado sandwich on some lovely fresh whole wheat rye bread and a thick slice of fresh raisin bread (incidentally I also skipped going to the gym). Luckily we had a lighter dinner planned, although I can’t stop eating this potato salad.

Recipe

This is another recipe from Moosewood Restaurant: Simple Suppers.

Indian Potato Salad

4 cups cubed potatoes (1-inch cubes)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 ½ tsp curry powder

1 ½ tsp salt (I usually only add 1)

pinch of cayenne or a splash of Tabasco or other hot sauce

2 or 3 scallions, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

To cook the potatoes, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and lower in potatoes. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes after the water returns to a boil. While the potatoes cook heat oil in a sauce pan and add the cumin seeds, let sizzle for a couple of seconds and then stir in the salt, curry powder and cayenne. Remove from heat. Drain potatoes and place them in a bowl. Pour the hot seasoned oil over the potatoes and add the scallions, red pepper and cilantro. Stir and set aside.

Cilantro Omelet

4 eggs

oil or non stick spray

¼ cup chopped cilantro

I’ve altered this slightly; mainly because I’ve just learnt how to make omelets and can only do one egg ones properly. They do four eggs at a time and split it, I do individual ones. Heat the oil, or spray the pan, beat the egg until frothy and pour into pan. Once the bottom is set sprinkle with cilantro and a little salt and fold the omelet in half, cook covered until eggs are set. Top with a little plain yogurt if you like.

Bare Naked Fish with Mango Salsa, Spinach Pancakes and Salad

Harper and I have developed a Thursday morning routine together after dropping Hannah off at school. We come home and I nurse Harper on the couch where she promptly falls asleep on me, leaving me stranded unable to get anything done. When this first began to occur I found it very frustrating to be pinned to one spot, but I quickly adjusted to this rest time. Really, how much longer will I be able to have this babe asleep on my lap? She’s growing so fast! I started to relish this time of alternating between reading and watching my sweet, little baby sleep. I fear this time has come to an end. The past two Thursdays she has not fallen asleep. Its bitter sweet I suppose; although she has not slept it has given me some one on one time with her that we never really get together. Today we read stories and walked around the house putting our dolls to sleep. I then watched her dance in the kitchen, twirling around with her doll as I cleaned up the breakfast dishes.

She’s at that stage where she’s learning so much we can no longer keep track of all the words she knows or concepts she’s grasping. Part of me is so excited for the brilliant little girl she is becoming, the other part is holding back tears and screaming inside, “Slow down, slow down – it’s going too fast!” ahhh, but such is life I guess.

Recipe



Sampling yogurt sauce!



I lied a little bit; the fish is not totally naked. The recipe for the spinach pancakes is slightly altered from Five and Spice: fitting real food into real life, they were very tasty!



Pancake

Mint – lime yogurt sauce

½ cup plain yogurt (thick) 

1 Tbsp lime juice

½ teaspoon lime zest

½ cup chopped mint leaves

Mix all ingredients together and put in fridge so the flavours can meld.

11 oz of fresh spinach

olive oil

¾ cup finely chopped onion

Mixing up the pancakes.

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2 medium, free range eggs, beaten

1/3 cup milk

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

non stick spray or olive oil

Wash spinach leaves and then put in a pan with a sprinkle of water and cook on medium low heat until wilted. Remove from pan and set in a strainer to cool and drain. Once it is cool enough to handle squeeze out all excess water and chop.

Put a glug of olive oil in the pan and sauté the onions until caramelized. While the onions are cooking whisk together flour, eggs, milk, olive oil, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Mix the onions and spinach into the batter until combined.

Heat pan over medium heat with a tsp of olive oil, or a really good spray of non-stick spray, add blobs of batter (about 2 Tbsp/blob), flatten out a little with spoon and cook until the bottom is golden, flip and do the same to the other side. Continue until all batter is cooked (about 12 pancakes), you can keep them warm in a 200F oven if you need while you finish cooking them all. Serve with the sauce for dipping.

Mango Salsa

1-2 mangoes chopped (I use 2, but the girls probably eat one of them while I’m chopping)

1 avocado, chopped

3 Tbsp red onion, chopped (more if you like)

Mix all together and set aside.

Fish

firm white fish (enough for all) I used cod

olive oil

fresh lime juice

Montreal Steak Spice

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay fish fillets on parchment and drizzle with olive oil, lime juice and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Spice, bake in the oven for about 10 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish)

Salad

greens

toasted almonds and sunflower seeds (about ¼ cup)

1 pear cut up

dried cranberries or raisins (3 Tbsp)

1/2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

Mix together maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil and pour over all other ingredients and toss.

French Onion Soup with Chopped Salad

Do you ever feel like you are drowning in clutter? We moved into a house this fall that is two times the size of our old house, and I literally mean double the square footage. Yet, the basement is still partially full of boxes and I feel like we’re living in way more clutter than we ever have. How does that happen? Why do we accumulate so much stuff? I could understand if we were people who bought lots and lots of stuff, but besides groceries we don’t really buy a lot of things on a regular basis. I suppose it could be that we’re disorganized from the inside out, meaning our cupboards, closets and drawers are disorganized so we can’t possibly be organized throughout the visible part of the house. We’ve been talking about home renovations a lot lately (the house is in need of updating in every room) and I think that the idea of tearing this place apart is what’s giving me the clutter, disorganized anxiety. It is for this reason that, even though I hurt my foot on a toy three times this morning and the laundry has mounted up again, I felt that the priority should be to reorganize the laundry room shelves, which lead to the back closet, front closet and junk drawers. The rest of the house is a disaster zone but, I’m happy by the new organized portion and can comfort myself with this fabulous soup for the rest.

Recipe

The recipe for this soup is slightly altered from Jaime Oliver: Jaime’s Dinners. Although it is a little bit of a pain to cut the onions, it’s really worth it!

2 ½ lb onion, peeled and sliced

a handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 bay leaf

olive oil

a good knob of butter (I just used olive oil)

6 ¼ cups of stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 baguette or ciabatta

4 oz Gruyere, or other melting cheese, grated

Heat a good drizzle of olive oil (and the knob of butter, if using) in the bottom of a soup pot and slowly fry, over low heat, the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Place the lid on the pan and cook slowly, about 15 minutes, until onions are soft but not coloured – stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and turn the heat up to color the onions a light golden colour. Add the stock to the pot and turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into your oven proof serving bowls and place these on a baking sheet. Break off or slice hunks of baguette and place in each bowl topping with cheese. Place the baking sheet in a preheated over, either 350F or under the broiler (be careful not to crack your bowls or burn the bread) until the cheese is melted and the toast is lightly toasted.

Take care not to burn yourself on the hot bowls when they come out. When I make this I usually do the kids first, take them out and transfer them to another bowl so that their bowls aren’t hot and their soup has a chance to cool down while ours cooks.

Chopped Salad

I took the salad dressing recipe out of Jamie Oliver’s same cookbook; you could add pretty much anything you like to the salad.

3 romaine lettuce leaves

½ head of radicchio

½ cup edamame beans

1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped

½ cucumber, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

½ carrot, peeled and chopped

Dressing

2 tsp English mustard

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

8 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Whisk together in a bowl or shake together in a jar and pour over salad and toss.

Risotto with Red Beans

There’s nothing quite like the return of a child late at night from an event. Dave and Hannah got home from the hockey game around 10:00. Hannah came in all sleepy and content with her little bottle of orange juice and temporary tattoo. She had that sly little smile on her face, like she had been part of a big secret event, as she crawled under the blankets to cuddle with me on the couch and tell me all about it. I love the going to bed protests, between yawns, because she just can’t ever admit she’s tired – but yet falls asleep in seconds.

I often forget about risotto. I’m not sure why; I always have it in the cupboard, it is always gobbled up by the whole family, it is relatively easy to make and it seems to work well planned out or to use up leftovers.

Recipe

2 cups or arbio rice

5 cups of vegetable stock

15 oz tin of whole tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, pressed

olive oil

1 onion, chopped

15 oz red beans, drained and rinsed

½ 14 oz tin of artichoke hearts, chopped

¼ cup of kalamata olives, chopped

¼  head of radicchio, chopped

greens (whatever’s left from the bunches of spinach from the spinach pancakes, don’t worry if you have none left, it’ll still be good without them)

Heat stock in a saucepan and keep on simmer while you sauté onion in olive oil until soft and set aside. In a large pan heat another good glug of olive oil over medium heat and sauté garlic and arbio rice, until rice is coated and opaque. Add the tomatoes to the rice and stir, breaking up the tomatoes, until the liquid is absorbed.  Add the stock to the risotto a cup at a time stirring often, waiting until all the liquid is absorbed before adding next cup. Once the last cup is almost absorbed and the risotto is creamy add the cheese, onions, beans, artichokes, olives, radicchio and greens and cook for a couple more minutes until heated through and the greens and radicchio are wilted.

Lentil Loaf/Burgers
Well, it’s Sunday again and my parents are still away. My sister lives in Australia with her husband and my beautiful, funny and delightful niece, Ruby. My parents have been visiting them for the past three weeks and won’t be home for another week. I realize that I get them all year round, but I still miss them when they go and am very much looking forward to them coming home, so are my children. Luckily, I also have a very wonderful extended family and we were invited to have Sunday dinner at my cousin’s house with my Grandma and a couple of my other cousins and their families. I am truly blessed to be apart of this family. I brought lentil loaf/burgers and bread and I will share the lentil recipe. We also had broccoli, smashed potatoes, corn and salad – it was delicious.

Recipe
This recipe is from Post Punk Kitchen. I did find it a little dry and would either lessen the bread crumbs by half or use fresh bread crumbs to make it a little less dry, I should add that Dave did not care for this recipe, the two other vegheads agreed with me, but they could have just been polite, and finally my children loved it.

olive oil (from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, your choice)
1 small yellow onion, diced medium
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (really, use any pitted olive you like)
1 15 oz can cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup breadcrumbs, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions for 3 minutes then add the mushrooms, garlic, tarragon and thyme until mushrooms are cooked, about 7 – 10 minutes.

While mushrooms are cooking; blend olives in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped, remove from food processor and set aside.

Once mushrooms have cooked add the mixture to the food processor with all other ingredients, reserving ½ cup of breadcrumbs for later (or half that amount if you like). Pulse all ingredients until almost smooth, leave a little texture, and then mix in the breadcrumbs and olives.

Divide mixture into 6 equal parts and form into burgers. Place burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and non stick cooking spray. Spray the tops of the burgers and bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake the other side for 15 minutes.

I served these as little lentil loaves, but you could pop them in a bun and top them with fixings.



On My Own

Read title and then sing, all by myself, don't wanna be all by myself.... O.K. it's not actually that pathetic, it just happens to be a busy week for Dave at work and he's going to be home late all week, which for us is after supper but before bedtime. He use to work a different job and was late all the time and worked most weekends, it was crazy. Now every few months he has a busy week or two and I can't possibly understand how I did it before, how soon we adjust! Since our week is so hectic I chose meals that are easy to prepare and left the couple that have more prep for the weekend.

Menu

Monday: Fried Rice

Tuesday: Tomato and Chickpea Soup with Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday: Lentil Stew
Thursday: Bean and Cheese Quesadillas with Mexi-Salad
Friday: Cannelloni with Salad
Saturday: Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Bruschetta and Wild Mushrooms
Sunday: Baked Beans, Molasses Bread, Coleslaw with Peas and Corn
***Sunday is a crockpot meal and needs to be started 9 hours before dinner***

Pantry Items for the Week
seasame oil, olive oil. vegetable oil, white vinegar, rice vinegar, sage, mustard powder, cumin, fresh garlic, ketsup, molasses, brown sugar, yeast, flour, oatmeal, salt, shortnening (6 Tbsp), baking powder, vegetable broth powder

Weekly Shopping List
eggs
cheddar cheese (optional)
parmesan or romano cheese
feta cheese (optional)
500 g ricotta cheese (I use light)
sour cream
package of fresh pasta sheets
8 sprigs of green onion
1 red onion
cabbage or bag of coleslaw mix
3 yellow onions
1 cup green beans
1 carrot
frozen peas
frozen corn
fresh ginger
cilantro
broccoli
red skinned potatoes (8 oz, 2 or 3)
bunch of spinach
fresh mint (1/4 cup)
1 lemon
jar of roasted red peppers or 1 red pepper to roast at home
package baby arugala
lettus
3 tomatoes
1 lime
1 cucumber
1 cup brown lentils
tomato sauce, or whatever you use to make your favorite one or 28 oz tin of whole canned tomatoes
brown rice
small pasta
pine nuts (1/4 cup - this is for a side salad)
1/4 cups slivered almonds
1/4 cups sunflower seeds
1 package veggie Japanese noodles (ichiban, Mr. Noodle...)
1 pound dry navy beans
2 - 28oz cans of tomatoes
1 19 oz can of white kidney beans
1 19oz can of chickpeas
1 carton of veggie stock
salsa
flour or corn tortillas (or make your own with things you already have)
Baguette
Bread (good multi grain one if you are not going to make one)

Fried Rice
I've actually never made fried rice before, but have had it many times and thought it would be a great way to use up my leftovers...I just should have looked up how to make it before I attempted it. The flavour was good but, I kind of scambled the egg in with the rice and you are actually suppose to fry the egg(s) on the bottom, top with the rice and flip. So ours had kind of a mushy texture, although no one complained and they ate it up, I wasn't a fan. So I have done some research and have adjusted the recipe.

Recipe
4 cups brown rice, cooked
3 green onions, sliced
1 cup green beans, cut in inch pieces
1 carrot, chopped
1 cup peas
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp sesame oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten

These are the veggies I used, but you could really use whatever you have in your fridge to use up. I store leftover cooked rice in ziplock bags in the freezer. Saute the carrots in the oil until slightly soft, add the beans, onions, ginger and garlic and cook until all is soft. Add the rice and peas stirring until heated, push the rice mixture to the side of the pan (if you have no room in your pan , remove mixture and add it back after the egg, fry up the eggs, breaking up with your spoon, add the rice and veggies back in when egg is cooked and mix together frying for a few more minutes and serve. You can top with a little say sauce or hoisin or eat it just as is.

Tomato and Chickpea Soup and Steamed Broccoli
I know that traditionally soup and salad seem to go well together but my kids love broccoli. Broccoli is always protrayed as a kid hated food but, my kids can't get enough of it. I actually heard Dave say tonight, no more brocoli until you have some soup! So, soup and broccoli.
The recipe for this soup is from a cookbook called Quick from Scratch Soups and Salad Cookbook. I love this soup, we often have it with grill cheese sandwiches (I can't get enough of tomato soup and grill cheese sandwhiches) but I felt that we'd been eating a lot of cheese lately and forwent the grill cheese. I have made a few really good soups out of this cookbook and am really impressed with it. I think that I am most impressed with it because Dave bought it for me for 76 cents (no that is not a typo), it's hardcovered and has pictures!

Recipe

olive oil

1 onion, chopped 

3 cloves of garlic                             
2 - 28oz cans tomatoes, pureed
2 cups of veggie stock
2 cups of water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsps sage
1 19 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup small pasta
1/3 cup parmesan or romano
1/3 cup parsley (I use cilantro)

Chop onion and saute in a little oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute for a minute then add the tomatoes, veggie stock, water, sage and salt and bring to a boil.  Once the soup is boiling add the chickpeas and pasta, bring back to boiling and simmer over low until the pasta is tender.  Add the cheese and parsley and serve, sprinkle with a little extra cheese if you like.
Wash and trim broccoli and steam.

Lentil Stew
This is one of our family favorites, it was my mom who first made it at one of those new fangled vegetarian Sunday dinners, the recipe is from epicurious. It's so easy, filling and makes me feel good because it's chocked full of iron (if you leave out the feta). The truth is I love the taste but it holds a special place in my heart because Hannah use to declare, upon hearing we were having it, I Yove Yentils! This meal reminds me of her lovely chubby little two year old cheeks. Now she's tall and gangly and a whole new brand of wonderful but still, I like to be reminded of the days she couldn't say her els.

Recipe

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
3 cups veggies stock

8 oz red skinned potatoes, chopped

1 bunch of spinach

1 lemon, 2 tsps grated zest and the juice
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
feta cheese (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds, add lentils and veg stock ( I didn't quite have enough so I added 1/4 cup water to make my 3 cups and it was just fine). Bring to a boil and then  cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer until lentils and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, add lemon zest, juice and mint, sprinkle with feta (if you like) and serve.

Dance Break!

Quesadillas with Homemade Refried Beans and Mexi-Salad

I'm trying to avoid the middle of the week five million dollar run to the grocery store. You know the one, when you've forgetten to get something like apples and you stop in and come home with two bags full and it cost close to $100. Half the time I've forgotten the original item anyway. So when I went to make quesadillas today and realized I'd forgotten to buy wraps I decided I would make flour tortillas. I found a recipe online, for the record it took me 45 minutes not 30 (but, I did do it by hand), and set to work. Once they were all made I decided that I didn't want to use these warm lovely tortillas for quesadillas so we ripped them and scooped and dipped them in the beans and salad, (although I did make one quesadilla for the photo). So if you have an extra 45 minutes follow the link to the tortilla recipe, but I did add tortillas to the weekly shopping list as well.

Recipe
1 19 oz can white kidney beans
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder (or more to taste)

Heat oil over medium low heat and saute onion until soft. Add garlic, cumin and chili powder and saute another minute. Drain most of the liquid out of the can of beans (as much as you can drain by straining them with the lid ajar) and then add the beans and the leftover liquid. Mash beans with a potato masher.

2 cups lettus (I had spring mix left to use)
1 roasted red pepper (how to roast one yourself, takes about 30 minutes) or from a jar
1 cup corn (cooked)
1 tomato, deseeded and diced
1/4 cup cucumber, deseeded and diced 1/2 cup cilantro
1/4 olives, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all salad ingredients together.

If you chose to make quesadillas, spread a tortilla with beans and sprinkle with grated cheese and then place another on top. There are three ways that we cook our quesadillas;
#1 in the sandwhich maker - spread the beans and cheese on half the tortilla and cook in the sandwhich maker as you would a sandwhich, this is really easy.
#2 heat a pan over medium low heat, spray with nonstick spray and cook the tortillas much like you would a grill cheese, flipping it halfway through
#3 Preheat the over to 400F and spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and bake your quesadilla, flipping halfway through, this way you can do them all at the same time.

If you are going to eat these by scooping and dipping or burrito style, put it all on the table and pile them on your tortillas. No matter which way you choose to eat them I would have them with sour cream and salsa!

Cannelloni with Salad
You know what really burns my nuts? Me, three times in a row. You may wonder how I could get distracted three times in a row, they only take a few minutes. There was playdough and potties and Friday night movie choices and in the end there was also a sink full of burnt nuts. I was going to make an italian themed salad with toasted pine nuts but I burned all of them and so ended up making a salad with almonds and sunflower seeds that were perhaps under toasted, but I wasn't taking any chances.
I also have this crazy relationship with my freezer. I really don't keep a lot in there, but every once in a while I put leftovers in the freezer and am really pleased that one night all I'll have to do is defrost something. But then they hanut me. I don't want to take them out too soon because I'm not ready to have that meal again but, I'm paranoid of that freezer burnt taste and waste of food. Dave would keep things in the freezer for years and still think they're good, I on the other hand probably get rid of things too soon. So I had some leftover tomato sauce in there from a lasagna I made a couple weeks ago and it's been haunting me ever since, which is why we're having cannelloni this week.



Recipe
tomato sauce
fresh sheets of pasta
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed (or 3 more if making sauce)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 500g container of ricotta cheese (I use light)
1 package baby arugula (about 6 cups)

If you don't have tomato sauce on hand here's a quick and easy one to use. Heat a good glugg of olive oil in a sauce pan; add 3 cloves of pressed garlic and a tsp of oregano and saute for a minute, add a 28 oz tin of whole tomatoes and simmer on low for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes breakup tomatoes and use as you need. You could double or triple this and then keep some in the freezer if you dare!

In a large pan heat the oil and saute the onion, adding the garlic when the onion is almost soft. Add the arugula and cook unitl wilted. Once arugula is ready add the ricotta cheese and mix in for a minute or two - remove from heat.



Harper loves to help when it involves playing with water!

Cut pasta sheets in half (I ended up using five sheets) and soak in cold water for 2 minutes. While they soak take out a oven proof dish (big enough to fit about 10 cannelloni) and spread a little tomato sauce on the bottom. Take each sheet and leaving 1/2 inch at the top of the sheet spoon in about 2 - 3 Tbsps of ricotta filler (enough to fill it up nicely but not overflow out the sides). Roll the pasta sheet and then place seam down in the pan. Repeat until all filler is gone, lining the cannelloni up against eachother in one layer in the pan, top with tomato sauce and bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

For salad, toast 1/4 cup of pine nuts in the oven, watch closely I hear they burn easily. Tear lettus, again I still had some baby greens to use up, use whatever you prefer, add a chopped tomatoe, 1/4 cup chopped cucumber, a little red or green onion, pine nuts and then drizzle with olive oil (about 1 Tbsp), vinegar (about a tsp), salt and pepper and a little oregano. 

Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Bruschetta and Wild Mushrooms
Weekends are so short, it seems that no matter what we are doing supper time sneaks up on us and we're rushing around trying to get it on the table at a decent time. This Saturday was no different. This year we got a membership at the YMCA and I have to say it is one of the greatest things we have done. The winter's here are cold and there' s not only a gym for us but a play area, activities and free swim for the kids (as well as their lessons are there and included with the membership). So Dave usually meets me at the Y after my workout and we take the kids swimming, they're both little fish. Today we did this but somehow ended up running in the door at 5:15 with nothing ready for supper, this meal was quick and easy.
I love the salt and pepper shrimp or calamari you get at a chinese food restaurant but I am scared of deep frying. Honestly I'm scared that I'll burn myself or a child and I'm also scared that if I were to successfully deep fry something at home, I would continue to do it. This was a good version because there was no deep frying but it was still very tasty. You dip the shrimp in cornstarch to give it a little bit of a coating or crust which I liked but Dave thought they may have been better without the cornstarch - we'll try that next time. Harper ate hers but Hannah isn't a fan of pepper and so next time I will do hers on the side without the pepper. The other adjustment I made was I didn't use quite as much salt as the recipe called for. I think this is just trial and error with what you like. I probably used about half to three quarters of the salt and pepper mixture and I wouldn't have added any more.

Recipe
350 g pack of wild mushrooms, sliced
olive oil (Tbsp)
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp Montreal Steak Spice

Heat oil over medium low heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds, add mushrooms and sprinkle with Montreal Steak Spice, continue to saute until mushrooms are soft and juicy. If you happen to have a bottle of red wine open add a good glugg of that too.

The salt and pepper shrimp is from this website.
1 pound large shrimp

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, white pepper or Szechuan peppercorn, or to taste

3 Tbsp vegetable oil, for stir-frying

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 red chilli pepper, deseeded and chopped, optional

1/4 cup chopped green onion

Peel and devein shrimp, if necessary and then soak shrimp in lightly salted water. Drain water and pat dry with papertowel and lightly coat with cornstarch. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium high heat and stirfry the shrimp until done. Remove shrimp from pan and wipe out pan. Heat the other Tbsp of oil and saute the garlic, chilli pepper (if using), and salt and pepper mixture for 10 - 15 seconds then add the shrimp and green onion and stir until coated and serve.

Bruschetta

2 ripe tomatoes, chopped

handful of fresh basil, chopped or ripped

1 large clove of garlic, pressed

1 baguette

olive oil for brushing

While shrimp is soaking, preheat oven to 350F, cut baguette into 1/2 inch rounds, place on cookie sheet, brush with olive oil and put in the oven until toasty, about five minutes. Mix tomaotes, garlic and basil together in a bowl and let sit while you finish the shrimp.

If you have time, I like to actually roast a bulb of garlic instead of adding it to the tomatoes and then squeeze a roasted clove on the toast and top with tomato and basil mixture. 

Baked Beans, Molasses Bread, Coleslaw with Peas and Corn

"We're having sugar for supper!" This is what Hannah exclaimed as she watched me empty the brown sugar and molasses into the crock pot this morning. I'm pretty sure it didn't actually matter what supper tasted like, once she saw the molasses go in she was sold. She actually went through a phase a little while ago where I kept catching her sneaking molasses. Yes, molasses! She cracks me up. I'm not selling this dinner as super healthy, really it has lots of sugar and salt but every once in a while it's o.k....right?

When I decided on baked beans it made me think of this oatmeal molasses bread that I adore - I could eat the whole loaf in one sitting. I'm including the recipe because it's so good but I recommend not making it to go with the baked beans - there's no contrast.

We finished off our Sunday dinner with lemon meringue pie. I like to make my baked goods most of the time but I made the bread and then wanted to play outside and enjoy the nice weather so I bought the pie.

Recipe

Baked Beans

This is a really simple recipe that I found at About.com.

1 pound navy beans or Great Northern beans

water

1/2 cup molasses

3 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp mustard powder

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vegetable broth powder

1/2 tsp salt

dash black pepper, or to taste

I started this recipe at nine in the morning so that it could be ready for dinner at six. The thing that irks me a little about his recipe is that it doesn't tell you how much water to use for the beans but then tells you to add it all to the pot. I cover the beans so that there's about a 1/2 inch of water on top of them and then bring them to a slow simmer and cover and cook for 45 minutes. You want them to be really tender, if they aren't, cook them longer (I cooked mine for an hour).

In a crock pot mix together all the other ingredients when the beans are ready add them to the pot with the water. Set on 6 - 8 hour setting and walk away from them.

The following recipes are from two cookbooks from The Best of Bridge series. I think my mom and all my aunts have these cookbooks. When Dave and I were dating he bought me the entire series.

Oatmeal Bread

from Winners: More Recipes from the Best of Bridge

1 package dry yeast (1 Tbsp)

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp sugar

2 cups boiling water

1 cup oatmeal

1 tsps salt

1 Tbsp shortening (used vegetable oil)

4 to 5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water and stir in sugar. Let stand 10 minutes. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and add molasses, salt and shortening. Let stand until luke warm and then add the yeast muxture and beat well. Add enough flour to make a stiff mixture without being too sticky (I used 4 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour). Form dough in a ball, cover and let rise in a warm place. Punch down and divide into two greased 9x5 bread pans. Let rise to double the size again and then bake at 350F for 40 minutes - it should be brown and sound hollow when cooked.

Killer Coleslaw

This recipe is from Grand Slam: More Recipes from The Best of Bridge.

1 package veggie noodles (Ichiban, Mr. Noodles - whatever you buy at your local supermarket)

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds

5 springs of green onions, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 head of cabbage or package of coleslaw mix

Shred cabbage; add almonds, sunflower seeds, green onions and toss. Crush package of veggie noodles and then open pack and take out the seasoning. Add the seasoning to vegetable oil and rice vinegar,shake all together and mix in the salad. Before serving add the noodles to the salad.

I just steamed frozen peas and corn together.