Hello? Is anybody out there?

Been a while, huh? There is a string of excuses as to why I didn't update this blog - the holiday season, two new jobs, trying to find a good balance in this new life... just instead of elaborating, I'll just say, "I'm back!".

Over the past few months I've been pretty bad at taking food photos. I did, however, manage to take a few. I'm going to add a couple of posts with a few new recipes on them, and then hopefully I can get back into the swing of things blog-wise.

This is a recipe I found in Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. I altered it only very slightly, and it was pretty good. The kids loved it, but they love anything with tofu in it.

Broccoli, Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu:

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

3.5 tbsp agave nectar

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger root, grated

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

Stir-Fry:

2 tbsp olive oil

4.5 cups broccoli pieces

sea salt, to taste

2 tsp water

1 large bell pepper (I used red pepper), chopped

1/2 cup raw cashews

In a shallow dish, add tofu. Pour soy sauce and vinegar over the tofu for at least 10 minutes. Stir it once.

In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients for for teriyaki sauce until the arrowroot powder has dissolved.

In a large wok on high, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the tofu and cook for 4-5 minutes, then turn over and cook the other side another 3 minutes. Remove the tofu from the wok and set aside. Turn the heat to medium, add another tbsp of oil and add the broccoli, salt and water. Toss, cover, and cook for 4-5 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Add bell peppers and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add the teriyaki sauce and increase to high heat. Toss well, and let the sauce come to a slow boil. Once it's at a slow boil and has thickened, add the tofu and cashews. Toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve over some rice noodles.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I know this isn't much to look at, but this recipe was fantastic! It was deeeeeelicious. YUM. I found it in a cookbook called 'Casseroles' while I was working at the book store (that is no longer.. so sad). I upped the garlic, omitted the cornstarch & water, but left the rest the same.

Harvest Vegetable and Lentil Casserole

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 parsnips, sliced

1 sweet potato, diced

8oz rutabaga, diced

3/4 cup dried brown, lentils

1 lb tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp fresh marjoram, chopped

3 3/4 cup vegetable stock

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil. Add leeks, garlic and celery. Cook 3 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, lentils, tomatoes, thyme, marjoram and vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil and transfer to a casserole dish (we had to use two dishes). Bake for 50 minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I threw this dish together one afternoon when I was stumped about what to make for dinner. It turned out quite well!

Slow Cooked Spinach & Cheese Pasta

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp salt

1/2 nutmeg, grated

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups whipping cream

5 cups baby spinach

1 red pepper, chopped

1 bag medium shell noodles (uncooked)

1 cup parmesan cheese

In a medium-large sized pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add the pepper, salt, nutmeg, garlic, Dijon, ricotta cheese, spinach and whipping cream. Mix until smooth and the spinach has wilted. Place the noodles in a slow cooker, and add the mixture from the pot. Add the red pepper and stir to combine. Add the grated parmesan cheese to the top, cover and cook on high for about 3 hours. Test your pasta to see if it's cooked through since cooking times vary with different slow cookers.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I've been making these cookies for about 4 years now. I found them in 'Vegan with a Vengeance'! These are Rhianna's favourite cookie!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

4 tbsp raw sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup soy milk

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a cookie sheet. Place the raw sugar in a bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl mix together the canola oil, molasses, soy milk, sugar and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Roll into 1 inch balls, flatten and roll in the sugar.

Bake for about 10 minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Peanut Butter Blossoms - definitely a favourite holiday cookie in this house!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

These cookies are my Mum's specialty. My siblings and I all love Mum's whipped shortbread, and quite frankly, it isn't the holiday season until you take your first bite of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies.

Whipped Shortbread

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl add the butter, cornstarch, icing sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer, mix until the dry ingredients have been absorbed into the butter. Add the flour and continue to mix until the dough's texture is like whipped cream.

Drop by small teaspoons onto a cookie tray. Top with some sprinkles or half of a maraschino cherry and bake until very light brown at the edges, 8-10 minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Our New Year's Eve was delightful. We had a quiet night at home and let the kids stay up to ring in the new year for the first time. I made these special virgin drinks for midnight and they were enjoyed by all.

Sunset Sippers

3 cups orange juice

1 1/2 cups apple juice

3/4 cup lemonade

12 oz ginger ale

grenadine syrup

In a large pitcher, combine the orange juice, apple juice, lemonade and ginger ale. Pour 1-2 tbsp of grenadine in each glass and top with the mixed juice.

Three is better than none, right?

I haven't had many chances to get this entry done now that my computer cord has seized, but I am completely monopolizing my husband's computer while he's out. Hopefully I can get this done and caught up so it's not so overwhelming.

Let's get right to it. Here are a couple of my favourites from the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of much so I'll be sure to make everything again so I can share.

For date night on Saturday I decided I needed a warm spinach and artichoke dip. Needed! Didn't take much to throw it together and it was divine served with some pumpernickel bread. I could totally eat some of that again now.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese + 1 cup

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the spinach leaves in a wok until wilted, being careful they don't stick.

Warm the cream cheese up in the microwave for about a minute until it's softened.

Mix all of the ingredients (aside from the extra cup of parmesan cheese) together in a shallow casserole dish, mixing well. Top with the remaining parmesan and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

On one of our crazy dance days I made a slow cooker lentil soup with some cheese buns. It doesn't look like much, but it was quite tasty and filling so worth recording.

Lentil Soup

1 lb dried lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 qt of vegetable broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

a few handfuls of baby carrots, sliced

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, sliced

3 cups water

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Throw it all in a slow cooker and let it cook on low all day long.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I made this creamy slow cooked rigatoni today because it was the dreaded Flyer Day. This allowed everyone to have a quick bite to eat before leaving the house to deliver flyers, and the intention was to have the salad and bread when they got back from flyers. The pasta turned out really well for something so simple, I must say. Much better than the photo looks. ;)

Creamy Slow Cooked Rigatoni

4 cups rigatoni, cooked for about 7 minutes until just tender

28 oz crushed tomatoes

10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

2 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Mix together the crushed tomatoes, mushroom soup, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese into the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Throw in the already cooked and drained pasta and mix together.

Cook for about 4-5 hours on low.

We are having so many slow cooker days lately.

What a week!

Between work for me, work for Kyle, dance for Tiernan and Rhianna, soccer for Avery, flyers for all three kids, paper delivery for Ave, a sickness that grabbed hold of myself and Kyle (headachey, drained, sick tummy), a sick rat, a cat with seizures, a mountain of laundry and a son with a broken heart.. I'm knackered. Completely and utterly exhausted. My meals this week have been less than inspiring. Monday? Fried egg sandwiches with fruit. Tuesday? Veggie dogs, veggies & dip and fruit. Wednesday? Veggie wraps (herd and garlic cream cheese, broccoli slaw, shredded carrots, fried mushrooms, spinach - rolled up) and a two cheese salad with balsamic vinegar dressing. Definitely nothing bloggable.

Today I was able to get back to my normal menu and threw together a simple slow cooker dish from The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker. I made the butternut squash Thai green curry with some basmati rice, and I warmed up some Naan to go with it (I know, doesn't really go with the Thai food, but it worked!). I wasn't in love with the dish, but it was gobbled up by all three of my boys. Kyle's favourite thing in the world is curry, so he's pumped that there's leftovers for lunches. I've made better curries, and I think I might try tweaking this one a bit. For me it just seeemed like it was missing something. I think it was more veggies... I like many veggies in my curries.

The boys headed out tonight to draft some Magic the Gathering at our local gaming store so I braided Rhianna's freshly showered hair into a bunch of little braids - something she's wanted to do for a week or two now, but we never got around to. She's pretty excited to see how it looks tomorrow when she takes them out. I cherish our little mother-daughter moments. :)

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash in Green Curry Sauce

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp chopped yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded and deveined (couldn't find one here so I used jalapeno)

3/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 tsp sugar

14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

salt, to taste

Place the squash in the slow cooker with the water and cook about 3 hours on low until tender.

In a blender at remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Add to the slow cooker and cook on low for another 20-30 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Long weekends call for long blog entries.

Long weekends are so good for the soul, but sometimes I feel like we need to take a day off after a long weekend. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend because we jammed so much into it, but it was well worth it! Twelve years ago on October 9th, Kyle and I got married on the property of the home I grew up in north of Winnipeg. We had a small wedding with most of our closest family and friends. I wore a beautiful blue dress that contrasted so nicely with the mostly naked trees of Autumn in Manitoba. We feasted on Chinese food, and we danced all night long, me with a baby Avery in my tummy. Before the night ended I stood in my new husband's arms looking up at the gorgeous clear sky at 3am that was so completely filled with Northern Lights it left me breathless. It was the perfect day. I felt like the luckiest woman in the world! Now I know I'm the luckiest woman in the world because I have a man who I can lean on to be my rock, we created three beautiful, intelligent, kind children out of our love, and we have made a really fulfilling life together. Life is good.

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team came out to practice in a town 15 minutes away from us for three days, and let people come watch. Avery is a pretty big Leafs fan (but now the Winnipeg Jets are his #1!), so I made sure to set some time aside to go and see if we could get in. We went on Thanksgiving Monday and the line up was pretty overwhelming when we arrived. I decided to give it a try anyway, and I am so glad we did! We waited for a fair bit in the very hot sun, but by the time we got ushered in (they were letting a group in for 15 minutes, and then letting them out to bring in another group) we were the last group. Do you know what this means? We got to sit and watch the rest of the practice! We were there for about an hour and I got some really good shots. The best part was the look on Ave's face when he was watching. Pure happiness and adoration. Very cool!

I won't bore you with all the million and one pictures that I did take, but I enjoy this one of Kadri and Kessel. The smile on Kadri's face is contagious!

For Thanksgiving we made a Gratitude Tree. We took a walk through the woods at the end of our street gathering up some changing leaves to attach to our "tree". On the back of the leaves we wrote things we were thankful for. The kids put the typical things on there - our home, our family, our furbabies, our friends, health, clean water, cozy beds etc. And then there were the ones that made me smile inside and out... bees, Magic the Gathering, the Blueberry Bus (aka our van), perogies, Family Night, Paganism and British chocolates (okay, okay.. that last one was mine!), as well as many others. It's nice to see it sitting on our table every time I pass it. As Avery puts it, "It really makes the room feel warm.".

Thanksgiving dinner was spent at my parents place with my folks and two of their neighbours/friends from church. We played some Life Adventures, prepared lots of yummy grub and sat down to eat. And eat. When my family hosts dinners, there is always too much food. I'm not sure if it's the *right* thing to do, but at least we share the goodies? Ha. At this dinner my little family feasted on Tofurky, mushroom gravy, sweet and sour veggie meatballs, perogies, green bean casserole, carrots, dinner rolls and salad. For the rest of the people there was also turkey, ham, stuffing, and regular meatballs. For dessert we had three different pies. Yes, three! One pumpkin, one cherry crisp and one banana dulce de leche cream (that's the one I made). We were all stuffed, to say the least.

Tiernan got his first job and is now officially employed! Ever since his brother got the job delivering the local paper he's been wanting one of his own. We received a notice in our mailbox saying that carriers were needed for the EMC (a once a week paper) and decided to give them a call. Instead of giving him a route, they gave him two that intertwine. Technically Tiernan AND Rhianna are employed since they're splitting the routes. Thursdays are now just as insane as Wednesdays between Avery's flyers, Tiernan and Rhianna's flyers, Avery's 1.5 hour long soccer practice and Kyle's Magic drafts. And poor Ave gets no help with his route anymore.. it's all his! Oh well, more money for him to save since he doesn't need to pay his siblings.

Poor Tiernan has been dealing with the toughest life lesson when it comes to having and loving pets. His rattie, Ratatta, has mycoplasma. This is a respiratory disease that is passed down from mother rat to her babies, but also between cage mates. Some types of rats are more susceptible than others, and Ratatta is one of those. Because she and Rhi (Rhianna's rattie) are cagemates, Rhi also has the disease. Hers is not showing any signs or symptoms, luckily. Just Tatta. She is constantly sneezing and coughing, and I really mean it when I say constantly. I feel terrible for her. It breaks my heart to see her trying to breath properly. So far she doesn't have pneumonia, and she still looks pretty healthy - pink ears and paws, and not losing weight. We've given her two different medications in the past, but although it helped a little at first, the mycoplasma came back as soon as she was finished her prescription. I know the end is probably very near for sweet little Tatta, and this is going to break Tiernan's heart into a million little pieces. He's shed quite a few tears over her already. We've had some great talks over how lucky Ratatta is to have him, and how lucky he is for having her. We talk about how I am thankful that he got her and Rhianna got Rhi because it taught me an important life lesson. Those who knew me pre-pet rat know that I would have been the last one to get a rodent for a pet - I had a major phobia! Instead, I decided to face my fears head on. I will be the first to admit I was petrified and it wasn't easy at first! I started by petting them with one finger, eventually moving to whole hand, and then to holding them covered in a blanket. Now I don't even hesitate to pick them up. In fact, I love them and love holding them. They are so sweet, so cuddly, so clean, and they both have their own amazing little personalities that match their human parents. I will never judge a book by it's cover again. Those ratties have made me a better person.

Okay, now onto some food fun. For our anniversary dinner I made some baked fettucine, green bean casserole and some buns. It was heavy, but sinful and we got to eat it while watching the Jets first hockey game (this time around!). :)

Baked Fettucine

2 tbsp butter, melted

1 lb fettucine

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

plus 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

2 cups swiss cheese, grated

1 cup mozzarella, grated

4 tbsp bread crumbs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whipping cream

some jarred pasta sauce for topping

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 2-3 quart casserole dish.

Cook the fettucine according to package directions. Drain, and put it back into the pot. Toss with the melted butter and set aside.

Mix the cup of parmesan cheese, the swiss and the mozzarella together and toss with the fettucine. Pour the fettucine into the casserole dish.

In a bowl combine the milk and whipping cream. In another bowl, mix together the 2 tbsp parmesan and the bread crumbs.

Pour the milk mixture over the fettucine. Top with the bread crumb mixture.

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Cover with foil during the last 10 minutes.

Serve it topped with the heated pasta sauce.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Green Bean Casserole

(I got this from a Grandma's Kitchen card years ago)

1 1/2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

4 tsp dry ranch dressing

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 1/4 lbs fresh green beans, cooked crisp tender

1 cup bread crumbs

To make white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the flour and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a wire whisk, stir in the milk. Bring it to a boil and cook, whisking constantly for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the dressing mix and white pepper and set it aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove half of the onion mixture and set it aside in a bowl. Add the mushrooms to the onion mixture remaining in the skillet and cook about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Combine mushroom mixture with the green beans and white sauce in a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Combine bread crumbs with the reserved onion mixture and sprinkle over casserole.

Bake, uncovered, until heated through - about 20-30 minutes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I tried a new recipe out for Slow Cooker Tuesday and it was soooo good! I made a baked bean soup from this site and served it with a caesar salad and some baguette. Tiernan, Rhianna and I ate it at dance and I wish I could have had seconds. It was thick and filling and so comforting! We will definitely be visiting this recipe again.

Baked Bean Soup

15 oz can pinto beans

1 onion, finely diced

1 cup carrots, diced

3 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp chili powder

1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with juice

2 cups water

Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 7-8. Before serving, blend with an immersion blender.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For tonight's dinner I decided on another recipe from One Bite Won't Kill You. It was called Tortilla Towers and was a pretty big hit in our house. It has some spice to it, so the boys just loved it! Rhianna ate a quarter of it, and then said she was full. I think it had more to do with the spice. I think the next time I make it I won't add the chilies to her portion and leave it for the rest of us. The only thing I changed about the recipe was upping the ingredients a bit. Definitely another one we'll come back to.

Tortilla Towers

15 small flour tortillas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

16 oz refried beans (or you can make your own)

1 1/2-2 cups pepper jack cheese, grated

4 oz can chopped chilies

2 cups picante sauce

1 1/2-2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a bit of the vegetable oil. Fry each tortilla gently on each side to crisp them up a bit. Dry on some paper towel and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and fry together the red pepper and onion until tender.

Spread 5 tortillas with some refried beans. Place them on a baking sheet. Cover with the second tortilla.

Combine the pepper jack cheese, chopped chilies and red pepper/onion mixture in a bowl. Stir to combine. Now top each of the tortilla towers with 1/5th of the cheese/chilies/pepper mixture. Cover that with another tortilla. Spread some picante sauce over the top of the flour tortilla and cover it with some grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Top with sour cream.

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!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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!

A few of my recipes from the past couple of weeks.

As promised earlier, a post with food in it! I didn't take many pictures from our dinners, but here are the ones that I did take.


There's no real recipe for this one, but I had a picture, so I thought I would share. :) I made this pasta sauce, but added a can of chickpeas to the pot. I cooked up the pasta of choice, mixed it together with the sauce, and covered it with a blanket of mozzarella cheese. Then I cooked it until the cheese began to brown a bit. This is Kyle's favourite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These are the muffins I make for Summer Solstice every year. The white of the cake symbolizes the light of the long days and the chocolate chips symbolize the little bits of dark night that are sneaking in ever so slowly. The kids just love them. I got the recipe from the book Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions. I get many of our Pagan ideas from that book. I think it's my favourite book of all time.

Summer Solstice Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened in the summer sun

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

pinch of salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat the eggs in, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together, making sure to mix well. Add half of the flour mixture, and half of the milk. Mix well. Add the remaining flour and milk and continue to mix well. Add the chocolate chips.

Bake in cupcake cups for 25 minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These? They were sinful! We had them for Date Night In this week and we both ate too many. These are not exactly low in fat and calories, but so so so so good. YUM. I got them from my Vegetarian 3 in 1, but altered them a tad bit.

Creamy Mushroom Cups

2 tbsp butter

6 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp dry sherry

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

6 frozen filo party shells

chopped fresh parsley

Cook the filo according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook for 3-5 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the sherry and stir to blend. Stir in the whipping cream, and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit. Add the parmesan cheese, stir and cook until melted.

Fill the filo pastry with the mushroom mixture. Sprinkle the top with some chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slow cooked curried veggies are pretty regular in this house during the busy days. It needs a full day to sit and cook, and I love it for that. The vegetables tend to lose their bright colours in the slow cooker, but it's still delicious. I usually serve over a bed of basmati rice and a side of Naan bread.

Slow Cooker Curried Veggies

3 carrots, sliced

1/2 green or red bell pepper, chopped

2 zucchinis, chopped

a couple of handfuls of green beans, trimmed and halved

1 cup frozen peas

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk, well mixed

3 tbsp curry powder

Put the veggies, chickpeas and canned tomatoes into the crockpot.

Combine the stock, coconut milk and curry powder until well mixed. Add it to the crockpot and stir it up.

Cover and cook for 10 hours on low.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was my first time making this pasta from Vegetarian 3 in 1 (altered a little). It was a huge hit in our house, though I would have liked a bit more punch to it. I served it with a simple cucumber salad and Harvest Herb Bread (recipe to follow).

Pasta with Spinach and Ricotta

12 oz box of tri colour fusili pasta

1 tbsp olive oil

10 oz baby spinach

5 cloves garlic, minced

300g ricotta cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup cooking water from the pasta

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package details.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet (I used a wok). Add the spinach and garlic and cook about 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and water. Stir to combine. Season with the salt and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I made this bread from How it all Vegan, but then I de-veganized it by using regular old cow's milk. I also changed it a bit (surprise!). It was crazy yummy. Nohing like fresh (quick) bread.

Harvest Herb Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp marjoram

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp thyme

egg replacer to equal 1 egg

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk with 1 tsp vinegar added

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together all of the dry ingredients while the milk and vinegar sit to sour. Add the oil and milk and mix until "just mixed". Pour it into a lightly oiled loaf pan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know I missed more than that, but it's a start. Trying to get back to my normally scheduled blogging now. ;)

Black Bean Soup and Date Square

Today was not the first time I made this slow cooker soup. My friend Michelle sent me the recipe about a year ago and told me I'd love it. I put it on the menu, bought the ingredients and threw it together. Now one thing you may not know about me is that I often don't follow recipes to a tee. I like to change them up, and usually do. Sometimes unintentionally. The first time I made this soup I changed it up unintentionally. It was bad. So very bad. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I, carelessly, read that as a can of peppers. A can! I can't even begin to tell you the kind of spice that soup had. I could not figure out how these friends of ours could handle that kind of spice! I love spice... I really do. But that was purely painful. My poor kids ate a few bites of that soup before I told them to stop. My husband forced himself to eat almost an entire bowl that night, but couldn't handle the leftovers. I sent an email to my friend asking her if it was supposed to be that spicy. I then figured it out. I used the whole dang can of peppers. She called me up and laughed at me. A lot. I also laughed at myself. It's been almost a year now, and I finally got over the nightmare that was the spicy black bean soup. I made it again today and it was delicious. The boys gobbled it up, Rhianna almost finished her bowl, and Kyle had a second helping. Phew! It's much better when you only add 1 tablespoon of chipotle peppers. I did change it up a tiny bit as I always do, but this time they were safe changes.

Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2-14oz cans and 2-19oz cans)

6 cups vegetable stock

1 red pepper, chopped

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (for me it was 1 pepper)

3 tbsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp lime juice

sour cream

green onion, finely sliced

Saute onion in oil until softened.

Add the onion to the slow cooker. Then add the beans, vegetable stock, red pepper, garlic, chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Add the lime juice and mix roughly with an immersion blender. Top each bowl of soup with sour cream and green onion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday I mentioned that I made a date square for my Mum for Mother's Day. This was my first time making the recipe from How it all Vegan!, and I definitely approved. Yummy! I'm glad I sent most of the slice home with her, though, because today I ate 3 pieces of it. So good!

Date Square

Filling:

1 cup water

2 cups pitted dates, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Crust:

4 cups rolled oats

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup margarine

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water, if needed

Preheat oven to 350.

In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and add the dates and 1/2 tsp salt. Simmer until the dates are soft and will mix easily with the water. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the margarine and oil, and stir together until well combined. If the crust is too dry, add the water (I definitely did).

Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Spread the date mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining crust mixture.

Cook for 25-40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and tender. The crust will harden as it cools, so cut it into slices before it gets to difficult.