Spinach and Cheese Pockets - yes, please!

Friday! Of course I have to work all day tomorrow, but there is still something special about Fridays. We typically try to make it a family night as long as I'm not working. After doing some quick shopping at the mall for a gift for a friend of Tiernan's, we watched some Survivor and ate fun food - spring rolls, popcorn and some spinach and cheese pockets that I threw together. They turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Hopefully they are just as good when I reheat them for lunch at work tomorrow.

Spinach and Cheese Pockets

1 box frozen filo pastry, thawed

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tbsp olive oil

6 cups fresh baby spinach

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 tsp grated lemon rind

1/2 fresh nutmeg, grated

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with some cooking spray.

In a wok heat the olive oil. Add the spinach and garlic, and cook until the spinach is wilted.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon rind, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Add the cooked spinach and garlic and combine well.

Spread out your thawed filo sheets. Fold one sheet over in half and brush the inside with melted butter. Place a heaping tablespoon of the cheese and spinach mixture in the corner of the filo sheet and fold it up diagonally (any way you want as long as it seals). Brush the outisde of your "pocket" with the melted butter. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until you have run out of spinach and cheese mixture.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until they start to brown.

Simple & Tasty

We got to meet Avery's indoor soccer team tonight. It looks like it's going to be a promising season. Avery already knew about half the team, the kids all seemed to be in good spirits, and I like the coach already. I'm really looking forward to another indoor season! There's nothing quite like freezing your butt off on the hard metal benches at the dome. ;)

Dinner was another simple one (seems to be my theme lately!). I got the vegetable recipe from The Earthbound Cook and the hash brown recipe is from One Bite Won't Kill You. I just served them with some basic browned beans. Easy, but tasty.

Hashbrown Surprise

32 oz bag frozen hashbrowns

can cream of mushroom soup

8 tbsp butter, melted

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup sour cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

4 cups corn flakes, crushed

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together the mushroom soup, melted butter, green onions, sour cream, and grated cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Add the hashbrowns and stir well.

Pour into a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the crushed corn flakes over the top. Cook for about 25 minutes.

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Skillet Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

3 tbsp olive oil

1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut on a diagonal into 3/4 inch pieces

1 lb carrots cut the same way

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup hot water

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sugar

fresh or dried parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok. Add the veggies and cook 12-15 minutes.

Mix hot water, juice and honey together until the honey dissolves. Add the juice to the skillet, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover. Cook another 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, raise the heat and cook about 5 minutes until the liquid evaporates.

Sprinkle with sugar and cook another 3-5 minutes until the carrots and parsnips are caramelized. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper, to taste.

Officially back to my normal updating. :)

I've got a few very simple recipes to share from the last couple of weeks, including a slow cooker recipe from today. Whacky Wednesdays are our crazy nights. Last Autumn/Winter/Spring it was Hella Busy Thursdays... and as much as I tried to keep our running around to a minimum this year ... Wednesdays have become.. well, whacky! It's the day that I find practically no time to sit down and rest with my feet up. It's shopping and banking and sorting and shuffling of children to a million and one activities. You know how it goes - everyone has one crazy night of the week! It goes without saying that Wednesdays are our mandatory slow cooker night, and typically so are Tuesdays. They aren't quite as nuts as Whacky Wednesdays, but we are at the dance studio from 5-8:30. Last night, for instance, I made some comforting chili in the slow cooker to bring with us. Mmmmm! Oh, how I love my slow cooker.

Onwards!

Super Crazy Simple Slow Cooked Artichoke Pasta

2 cans Italian seasoned tomatoes, undrained

2 jars artichoke hearts, drained

6 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup whipping cream

pasta of your choice

Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts and garlic to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 5-7 hours. Puree with an immersion blender. Add the cream, stir and keep warm. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add pasta to the pot, stir well and enjoy!

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Spaghetti Sesame

(from One Bite Won't Kill You.. altered very slightly)

12 oz spaghetti

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 tbsp hot water

8 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp vinegar

1 shake cayenne pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup shredded cucumber

Cook pasta according to package directions. Whisk peanut butter and hot water in a large bowl. Whisk in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, cayenne and garlic. Toss together with pasta and shredded vegetables.

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Delicious Tofu Marinade

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 tsp mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup oil

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp ketchup

Whisk everything together and pour over some dry-fried tofu. Marinate for the day and dry fry once more to heat through.

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Italian Tortellini Salad

(trying to replicate the one I get at the Cafe E near the dance studio)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

freshly ground black pepper

1 package cheese tortellini

3 bell peppers, diced

1/2 long english cucumber, diced

feta cheese, to taste

Mix together the red wine vinegar, cold water, salt, sugar and spices. Toss together with the bell peppers and cucumber.

Cook tortellini to al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop them from over cooking.

Toss the tortellini with the vegetables, sauce and feta cheese and serve!

Montreal!

We spent four days in Montreal a week and a bit ago, and it changed my life forever. I have really missed being in a big city with hustle and bustle, with noises and people with skin in every shade. With culture! Montreal oozes in culture. I've been missing our little life in Paris... the one where there was always something to do. When we could step out of our little apartment, walk five minutes to the Metro, and easily find something free to do. I miss shopping at the little markets for our daily fresh food. I miss buying a bottle of wine and some cheese - both at the grocery store, and sitting back to enjoy it. Montreal was a lot like Paris (with a fair bit of Canadian thrown in - not to mention nowhere near as old!). None of us wanted to leave. We missed our furbabies, sure. But the city has so much to offer. We loved it.

The food and drink was delightful, too!

There was lots of Quebecois rose wine and beer shared on the deck of our third floor apartment in the crisp Autumn air.

There were crepes, one of our family favourites! Tiernan had a Nutella crepe - no surprise there! We stumbled upon the Creperie Marche on the first day we got there at the Atwater Market. We also found the same place at the Jean Talon Market. I have never seen better markets than those in Montreal. Wow. I didn't want to leave!

Avery and Rhianna both opted for the savory vegetarian crepe - filled with cheese and spinach and topped with some delicious marinated onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.

There was a breakfast on the deck of Montreal bagels from St Viateur left for us by the owners of the apartment we rented.

There was a very fresh veggie burger at a little upper floor restaurant called L'Escalier that felt cozy with it's small rooms and live music.

There was a visit to Pain Dore for a blast into my past. I used to pick these up every Wednesday in Paris. I very much enjoyed sitting in front of the big open window with my daughter, sharing our baked goods and stories with each other.

My daughter, my love. ♥

And then there was the day spent at La Ronde, where we barely ate anything. We were too busy having fun on all the rides!

And last, but certainly not least, there was the 100% vegetarian poutine at La Banquise in Le Plateau that was well worth the wait (and not in the way you would think... let's just say that the "vegetarian poutines" were not exactly vegetarian in the other places we tried in Montreal... ugh...!). This one was so amazing.. we all savoured each and every bite!

I have to admit, my cooking has been pretty lackluster since we got home. First, we were too busy, then, I got sick AND was too busy. It's back to business this week, so expect more updates in the near future. (Including another later tonight when I update with a simple pasta, a tofu marinade and a pasta salad that I tried to duplicate from one that I bought from the Cafe E near the kids' dance studio.) It feels good to be going back into the kitchen. Now I just need to rid my throat of this irritation cough!

Another favourite for Avery.

I made a new tomato pasta sauce today from Eat, Drink, Be Vegan. It will definitely be one that I revisit quite often! It was a very simple dinner, so great for weekday nights. I basically just threw some baby spinach on the plate as a side vegetable (um, lazy! lol), and made some garlicky cheese biscuits to go with the pasta.

Lentil Tomato Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

3 large cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3/4 cup dry red lentils

1 1/2 cups water

2 tsp fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp agave nectar

1 dry bay leaf

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

In a pot on low heat, add oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the garlic. Rinse the lentils. Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, rosemary, basil, agave nectar and bay leaf. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and cook 22-25 minutes until lentils are fully softened. Uncover and simmer 3 minutes to reduce liquid. Stir in vinegar and adjust seasonings. Remove the bay leaf and serve sauce over some cook pasta.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

We're slowly getting used to this whole strict schedule thing. Summer is typically very relaxed so getting back into the up early and go-go-go can be trying. Day two went off without a hitch, and we were even early for the bus this morning. Phew. I'm glad we have a week of getting used to the daily schedule before dance gets added. Then another couple of weeks before soccer gets thrown into the mix. Not to mention the fun things we have planned for September. So excited!

I was dealing with a wicked barometric pressure headache all day today. I tried numerous ways to get rid of it with no luck, so dinner was about as simple as could be. I made a roasted vegetable pasta from 101 Money Saving Meals (tweaked a bit), along with the same salad we had last night (it was so good I couldn't help myself and made more!) and some store bought bread. Please excuse the terrible quality photo.. I blame the headache. :/

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

2 zucchini, cut into matchsticks

1 red pepper, sliced

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

10oz pasta shells

6 oz half and half

2 tsp whole grain mustard

4 oz cheddar cheese

2 oz parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400.

Layer the zucchini, red pepper and garlic in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, and toss together. Roast until just tender, about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta.

Toss the cooked pasta with the roasted vegetables, the half and half, the mustard and the cheeses. Serve immediately.

Back to school and some yummy grub!

Farewell, Summer 2011. You've been good to us (if not a tad bit too warm .. hehe), and we appreciate all you did for us.

The kids headed back to school this morning a ball of nerves and excitement. Avery started grade 7, and when I remember how I was in grade seven, I start to panic a little. Ha! He has the same teacher he had last year and is super pumped about it. Last year he was in a split class, so all of the kids in his sixth grade class are in the same class again this year. Pretty cool for him. This evening he came out to run a couple of errands with me, and it was just the two of us. I caught myself just standing there watching him at times. His maturity level is astounding to me. He offers me help without being asked, he has conversations with me that make me realize he sees things from a more grown up view point. He's spent a lot of time lately talking about his plans for the future - where he wants to go to University, what he wants to study, what kind of life he wants to lead. My Cheeky Charlie is growing up! Sniff, sniff.

Tiernan started grade five today. Five! Even Avery is having a hard time wrapping his head around his little brother being in grade five. Tiernan has a supply teacher right now because his teacher was held up in Africa where she's been building schools over the summer. He enjoyed his supply teacher, loves that most of his closest friends are in his class this year, and can't wait to hear the stories his teacher is sure to bring back with her. He's in a grade 5/6 split which I think will be really good for him because he's a smart cookie, that one. :) I was a bit worried he wouldn't enjoy this year because he had a fantastic teacher last year and really wished he could stay in her class forever, but so far so good. I have my fingers crossed that it will continue being a good year.

Rhianna, like Avery, has the same teacher she had last year. This is a good thing! A very good thing! She has the absolute best teacher my kids have ever had (and they've had some pretty darn good teachers!). At the end of grade 2 (she's in grade 3 now!), he pulled me aside to ask if it was okay for her to be in his class for a second year in a row because he doesn't normally do that and I practically yelled "YES"! He helps her feel excited and happy with school. He's taught her so much - above and beyond the typical school things. I have no doubt in my mind that this will be as great for her as last year was.

Our back to school dinner was deeee-licious! I actually didn't expect it to be because it was sort of an easy meal, but ohhhh my. YUM. I even saved some leftovers for myself. I never do that. Ever! (Okay, only potato dishes... which this is... and lasagna.) I made a potato casserole with cheese and mushrooms (which doesn't look like much, but is so good!), a two cheese salad with homemade croutons, some tofu marinated in Kobe Tamari Garlic sauce and some leftover lemon poppy seed bread that we made in the bread maker yesterday. Mmm mm mmmmm!

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Potato Casserole with Cheese and Mushrooms

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp olive oil

2 cups sliced mushrooms

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups shredded mozzarella (or more)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Toss the sliced potatoes with half of the olive oil and half of the salt.

In a separate bowl, toss the mushrooms with the parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, thyme and black pepper and remaining salt.

Grease a casserole dish and layer 1/3 of the potatoes over the bottom of the dish. Top with half of the mushroom mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with potatoes, mushroom mixture and mozzarella. Top with the last of the potatoes, the last of the mozzarella cheese and the remaining parmesan cheese. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil.

Bake for 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

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Two Cheese Salad with Croutons

3 thick slices of Texas bread

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large romaine lettuce, ripped into bite sized pieces

1 ripe avacado, cut into small pieces

2 tbsp juice from a lemon

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

lots of feta cheese

lots of parmesan cheese

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the bread into cubes, and put them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, and sprinkle them with paprika and garlic powder. Bake 7-8 minutes until crisp.

Toss the avocado with the lemon juice and black pepper. Toss it together with the romaine lettuce, feta cheese, parmesan cheese, and croutons.

Make some basic balsamic vinegar dressing using the ratio of 3 parts olive oil to 1 part balsamic vinegar. Mix well and drizzle over the salad.

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And for a bit of cuteness... awww. These two are best buddies!

A delicious meal made by my man!

Apparently my kids are ready for back to school. While I was at work, Kyle was doing the stay-at-home-dad thing, and the kids gave him a run for his money. It was a busy errand running day, and our lovely children were on edge and arguing over silly little things. By the time I got home, I think Kyle was D-O-N-E! They've since calmed down after eating a big meal, doing the dinner dishes and sitting down in their jammies to watch a show with me. Hopefully the rest of the weekend is smooth sailing. Especially now that it looks like we won't be able to do the things we had planned due to weather.

Look who got a haircut! However, contrary to how it looks, he is not strangling our Mirri cat. :)

Kyle had our dinner mostly done by the time I got off work, and it was very yummy! He made the Chickpea Sensation Patties, Potato Squashers, Thick & Rich Gravy (all from Eat, Drink, Be Vegan) and a caesar salad (Surprise! We love caesar salads around here.). Mmm.

Chickpea Sensation Patties

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/8 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed

2 cloves garlic, quartered

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce (vegetarian friendly)

2 tbsp soy sauce

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups cooked short grain brown rice

3/4 cup + 1 tbsp oats

Saute the onion, celery, salt and pepper in oil for 7-10 minutes, until soft. Meanwhile, in a food processor, puree the chickpeas, garlic, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme and salt until well blended. Add sauteed veggies and puree some more. Add 1 cup rice and puree. Add the second cup of rice, and pulse a bit, leaving a good texture.

Transfer to a bowl and add the oats. Mix well, cover, and chill for 30 minutes to firm it up. Form into patties with moist hands and cook on an indoor grill until browned. (The recipe suggested frying them in some olive oil, which we opted against. In retrospect, it might have been better that way because they were a bit too dry done on the grill.)

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Potato Squashers

5-7 medium sized red or Yukon gold potatoes

olive oil

coarse sea salt

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pierce potatoes with a knife, place on the baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and increase heat to 450. Squash each potato with a wooden spoon making each into an uneven round. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven, flip them, and drizzle the other side with some olive oil. Return to oven and cook another 12-15 minutes.

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Thick and Rich Gravy

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 tbsp mild miso

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 tsp onion powder

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

2 tbsp tahini

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp black strap molasses

1/2-3/4 tsp agave nectar

2 tbsp olive oil

Place all of the ingredients into a pot, and, using an immersion blender, puree together. Heat the gravy to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Taste and add more vinegar if needed.

No food, only photos.

We enjoyed our very last beach day of the summer! We're trying to jam pack as much fun as we can into this weekend (aside from my working all day tomorrow!), and we started out really well.. minus a couple of mishaps. We met up with some friends of ours at North Beach and the kids had a blast playing in the water and sand. We barely saw them at all... except for my poor fair skinned, light haired, Irish Tiernan. Halfway through our beach visit he started to melt. He went from happy and having fun making sandcastles to lying in the sand beside me whimpering about how hot and cold (how contradictory!) he was. Eventually I had to cut the fun for the rest of the group and get him out of the sun. Our family just doesn't handle the heat and sun well - especially Tiernan. We weren't made for this kind of weather! Oh well, we still had a lot of fun while it lasted. Halfway to Slickers in Bloomfield (best ice cream, ever!), Tiernan was feeling almost 100% better. Phew!

Guess what I get to do tomorrow? I get to go to work looking like a tomato. Classy, yes? Apparently, I never learn. Typically, I wear sunscreen. Today I decided it was overcast and nearing Fall and surely it wouldn't be all that warm. Wrong. We got to the beach and it was bright and sunny with the bluest of skies. The humidex was just under 40C. Whoops. Wear your sunscreen, friends! More than an SPF of 4, too (*coughKellycough*)! Haha! But then again, you may be one of those lucky tanning type people. If you are I am sticking my tongue out at you in pure green faced jealousy!

All in all, it was a good start to the weekend. Looking forward to more fun crammed into the next few days - rain or shine! :)

Cocoa-Coconut Chili in celebration of September.

Happy September! It feels like a fresh new change when that calendar rolls over from August to September. I love it.

To celebrate the new month I decided to make a comforting chili. Sure, it was humid as could be out there, but it was still quite fitting. Instead of making my usual slow cooker chili, I found one in my Eat Drink Be Vegan cookbook. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it was delicious! I did change it up a teeny bit, so this is my version.

Cocoa-Coconut Chili

1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion, diced

4 stalks celery, sliced

1 bell pepper, chopped (I used green)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt (I only use sea salt)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp allspice

3 tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder

28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup frozen corn kernels

1 1/2 tsp agave nectar

1-2 tsp hot sauce (I used sriracha)

In a large pot heat the oil and add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, black pepper, chili, cinnamon and allspice. Once the veggies are well coated, cover the pot and cook for 7-9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be careful the onion and garlic doesn't brown. If it starts to, turn the heat down.

Once the onions have softened, add the cocoa powder and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, coconut milk, and coconut. Bring to a boil, simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes. Add the corn, hot sauce and agave nectar, and continue heating for 5 minutes.

We de-veganized it and topped ours with swiss cheese. :)