An epic fail becomes an epic win!

This weekend had been full of rich, delicious, delightful food. MMmmm.

I was supposed to make some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins (adapted a bit from Vegan with a Vengeance) on Friday night, but as I went to measure out my cane sugar I was 1/4 cup short. That was enough to make me decide I should wait and make them the next day. Haha. So after getting our three paper routes done (last day for one of those routes!) and taking a little nap (love!), I whipped them up so they were cool enough to enjoy when we got back from our library and work (mine) visits.

Dinner last night was so amazingly good. I made the Lentil Mushroom Sliders from Chez Cayenne with only a couple of small changes, along with a Mediterranean Pepper Salad that I found on Eat Me, Delicious that I only tweaked slightly, and some yam fries. Can you say yum? Yeah, I thought so.

Since it was date night in, I decided to use up the leftover canned pumpkin I had from the muffins and made a Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Cake from Vegan Dad that I'd been meaning to try for months now. The kids gobbled up all the leftovers for dessert after dinner tonight. Haha.

Tonight I started out making a pasta I found in a Vegetarian Times magazine, but it was an epic fail, so I completely morphed it into something incredibly satisfying. The kids couldn't get enough of it, and Tiernan named it Pasta Sauciola. :) We had the pasta with a piece of whole wheat toast and some leafy greens.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1 cup pureed pumpkin (fresh or from a can)

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp molasses

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly spray a dozen muffin cups (it made 18 for me) with cooking spray.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and cloves. In a separate bowl, mix together the pumpkin, milk, vegetable oil and molasses. Mix the two together and combine it well. Add the chocolate chips.

Fill muffin cups two thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

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Lentil Mushroom Sliders

2 tbsps olive oil

1 cup onion, finely diced

4 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup green lentils, washed

2 cups vegetable broth, divided

1/2 cup quinoa

1/3 cup walnuts

2/3 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp ground flax seed

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sage

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Stir in the lentils and one cup of vegetable broth. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are tender.

In a small saucepan, heat the second cup of vegetable broth with the quinoa. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes until quinoa soaks up the broth.

Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until they become powdery (works best with frozen walnuts). Transfer to a medium sized bowl and add the oats, flax seed, soy sauce, spices and salt. When the quinoa has been cooked, add that to the bowl as well.

When the lentils are cooked, pulse gently in a food processor leaving it quite chunky. Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

Form the mixture into small slider sized patties and cook on an indoor grill.

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Mediterranean Pepper Salad

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup cold water

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 red onion, diced finely

3 bell peppers, diced (I used orange, red and green)

3 roma tomatoes, diced

3 baby cucumbers, diced

1/4 lb feta cheese

salt and pepper, to taste

In a glass measuring cup, mix together the vinegar, cold water, salt and sugar. Leave it out for a bit until the salt and sugar dissolves. Cut up the red onion and put it in the dressing to soften and sweeten.

Chop up the rest of the veggies, and put them in a bowl. Add the feta cheese. Remove the onions from the dressing and add to the bowl. Now add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of dressing over the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

It can be served immediately, or chilled for a while to let the flavours mingle.

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Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Cake

1 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup cane sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup pureed cooked pumpkin

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Get a few cups of water boiling.

In one bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk, oil. Mix the two bowls together. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Place in an 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking oil.

Mix together the brown sugar, cane sugar and cocoa powder. Pour it over the top of the pan. Pour 1 1/2 cups boiling water over the top, but do not stir. Add the vanilla.

Cook for 40-45 minutes until the top is cracked and firm. Let it cool for a bit before serving.

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Pasta Sauciola

450g spaghetti, split in two thirds

cooking spray

4 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

1 large can tomato paste

1 tsp red chilies

1/8 tsp saffron threads

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

4 oz cremini mushrooms

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

5 cups spinach, roughly chopped

4 oz cream cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the spaghetti noodles. Spray top lightly with cooking spray. Cook the spaghetti noodles for 5-7 minutes, shaking the tray a couple of times to toast evenly.

In a medium sized saucepan, bring water, vegetable broth, tomato paste, chilies, saffron, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, keeping it warm.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, until browned. Add the garlic and stir another 30 seconds. Add 3 cups of broth, and cook until the liquid has absorbed. Add the rest of the broth mixture, the chickpeas and the spinach. Cover, and cook until most of the liquid has absorbed, and the spaghetti is cooked. Add some more broth if needed. Add the cream cheese and mozzarella cheese, and stir until thoroughly melted.

It's Friday, and I'm in love.

You know what I really love? I love when I add a couple of new easy recipes to my menu, try them out, and decide they're both keepers! Oh yes, indeed. Both recipes were adapted from my old Vegetarian Times magazines (can you tell I'm on a VT kick?). On Thursday I made a Southeast Asian Peanut Noodles and served it with a side of veggie spring rolls. The noodles were great, and everyone gobbled them up. The kids did drink a lot of water with them, though, since they have a bit of a kick. ;) Tonight I made some Provolone-White Bean-Basil-Mayo Paninis which I thought would be kind of an ehh dish. I know, I know, why make them then? I figured it was worth making once, and I needed something quick and easy and fun. It turns out that we loved them! Nice.

Southeast Asian Peanut Noodles

1 package pad thai rice noodles

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I used a vegetarian stir fry sauce)

3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

1/4 tsp chili sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 big chunk ginger, minced

4 cups snow peas, trimmed and halved

1 block firm tofu, cubed and seasoned (I marinated mine in a General Tao sauce that I had kicking around in my fridge)

1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and use a fork to separate them. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter, teriyaki sauce, chili sauce and a splash or two of hot water.

In a wok, heat the sesame oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the peas and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tofu and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Add the noodles, stir until well coated and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Place in bowls and add the peanuts on top.

Provolone-White Bean-Basil-Mayo Paninis

1 loaf french bread, sliced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 cup fresh basil, chopped finely

1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed well

5 slices provolone cheese, cut into shreds

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

Mix together the mayo and basil in a small bowl.

In a wok, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until soft.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the beans, the provolone cheese and the red onion.

Spread some mayo on the slices of bread. Top with the bean and cheese mixture and put another slice of bread on top. Toast on an indoor grill.

Oh simple summer suppers. :)

This was one of those days where I didn't feel much like spending a large amount of time in the kitchen. I was headachey, I had a house full of children, and it was humid. Luckily, I had a simple dinner on the menu! I love it when that happens. I'd made this before, but it had been a while. I'm not sure why, though, because it's so fresh and tasty... yum. :)

Baguette with Roasted Red Pepper Spread

1-2 whole wheat baguettes, cut in half

(the spread is enough for two baguettes, so I bought two with the intention of having it again for lunch tomorrow)

8oz spreadable cream cheese

7oz jar of roasted red peppers, well drained and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 mini cucumbers, chopped

romaine lettuce leaves

mixed greens

Mix together the cream cheese, roasted red pepper, and garlic until well blended. Spread it over the bottom half of the baguette. Top it with some of the chopped cucumber. Place some romaine lettuce leaves and mixed greens on the top half of the baguette. Put it together, cut it up, and dig in!

Missing an ingredient kind of day.

The kids all had dentist appointments this morning (I still have three cavity free kids, hooray!), followed by three paper routes to deliver, a grocery store to visit, a post office to pick something up at and the library for some relaxing time. By the time I got home and was ready to start making dinner, it was getting late. That's when I realized I was missing an ingredient for tonight's meal as well as tomorrow's (and tomorrow is grocery shop day for the next week). Sooo... I winged it. Threw together some ingredients to make a pasta dish, marinated my tofu in some sweet ginger chili sauce and put a handful of baby carrots on the side... dinner, done! :)

Pasta with Zucchini

1 big bag penne noodles

4 small zucchini, sliced

300g ricotta

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Mrs Dash

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

Cook pasta according to package directions. Add the zucchini for the last minute of cooking time.

Drain pasta and put it back into the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix it up well, and serve.

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Headed out to Sandbanks Provincial Park yesterday. It was beautiful!

When did they get so big??

All ready to go for ice cream at Slickers in Bloomfield! Best ice cream, everrrr! :)

Date Night In with a Cashew and Mushroom Pate.

It feels like I'm never cooking new blog-able food anymore! It's kind of sad. It's been so terribly hot here lately that cooking meals that require the oven or effort sounds painful. Since I last updated we had caesar salad one day, taco salad another day, and then tonight... my husband made crepes! Oh, how I love crepe night. I worked my first full shift on my own today. I opened and closed the store and I have to say I really kind of enjoyed it. I missed my family, but it was fun to organize books, tidy books and leaf through (mostly cook)books. I'm a list person... I make soooo many lists. I have so many notebooks for various different things. One is for shopping lists, one is for menu planning, one is for recipes, one is for budgeting, one is for trip planning, one is for to do lists... you get the idea. I love lists. Working in a bookstore is like bliss for me! The paperwork, the filing of books... I can't get enough of it!

At any rate, it was strange to be gone all day from my kids. I called home at one slow point and it was so nice when I got to hear all the kids emphatically yell "Hi Mummy!" through the phone. Awww, I love them so. It was also really nice to have Kyle making dinner for me for a change. I didn't have to do anything! But of course, I did decide to make our date night food. :) We're cuddling up to watch some Lost and the movie 'Charlie Saint Cloud' while chowing down on some Cashew and Mushroom Pate that I found in my June 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine.

I'm so lucky, I get two men to share my date night with. :)

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Cashew and Mushroom Pate

1/2 cup cashews

1 1/2 tbsp margarine

4 cups mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp sherry

2 tsp chunky peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350.

Roast the cashews on a baking sheet for 7-10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

In a wok, melt the margarine, and add the mushrooms, garlic, onion and spices. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the mushrooms are golden and the liquid has evaporated. Add the sherry and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the mushroom mixture, peanut butter and cashews to a food processor and mix until smooth. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Burger time!

Phew! So happy to be home with nothing to do. Sitting here, cuddling up with my kids and watching some SYTYCD is absolute bliss! Today was a tad bit harried to say the least.

I made dinner early today, and then just kept it in the fridge so Kyle could heat it up for himself and the kids. I made Black Bean and Walnut Burgers from the May/June 2006 edition of Vegetarian Times, a caesar salad and corn on the cob. This was my first time making these burgers and I loved them! I think I like these black bean burgers a little bit better, but these were similar and yummy. Just a teeny bit crumblier when cooked. When I got home everyone had eaten already and it was so strange to sit there eating by myself. My daughter is a sweetheart though, and kept me company by singing songs and playing the bongos for me. :)

Black Bean and Walnut Burgers

2 15-oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 tsp cumin

3 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup chopped red onion

3 tbsp frozen corn

1/3 cup cornmeal

Puree 2 1/2 cups beans in a food processor with the spices until smooth. Add rice, walnuts, onion, corn and remaining beans, and pulse 2 or 3 times to mix. Mixture should be stiff, but not dry. Add a teeny bit of water if needed (2-3 tbsp). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Divide the mixture into patties, dip in cornmeal, and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

The recipe suggests frying these, but we used our indoor grill so we didn't have to use oil.

Back in the kitchen... (enter sigh of relief)

The past few days have been different, to say the least. I started training for a casual part time job, and was in every day of the weekend. This meant no kitchen time.. at all. I think I started going into withdrawal on the second day in. How strange to be away from my family, and not able to be creative in the kitchen. I was finally able to get back in there today, thankfully! The boys headed over to visit with some friends today, so Rhianna and I had a date afternoon. We delivered our papers, played a board game, baked some cookies and threw together a dinner. Rhianna chose the Spice-Spiked Chocolate Chunk Cookies from The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes, and they turned out really good! Then I decided I needed to clear out our pantry and fridge before I go grocery shopping. I had two cans of cream of mushroom soup and some macaroni in the cold room pantry, and along with some veggies, milk, spices and cheese.. and it became dinner. :) It was nothing earth shattering, but was happily eaten by all.

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Spice-Spiked Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup, plus extra sugar, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate bar

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the milk, molasses, vanilla and chopped chocolate bar. Add in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. Mix well. Add the flour and stir until well combined.

Make tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough, roll them in the extra sugar, and press down slightly on the baking sheet. Cook for 8-10 minutes.

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Empty Out The Fridge And Pantry Pasta!

1 box whole wheat macaroni noodles

2 tbsp olive oil

4 mini onions, chopped

7 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1/4 cup milk

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp sage

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup fresh peas

parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook the macaroni noodles according to package directions.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Cook until soft. Add the peppers and garlic. Continue to cook until they're tender. Once they're cooked, add the soup, milk and cheddar cheese. Stir until it's melted and smooth. Add the spices and peas and stir until peas are cooked.

Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce, and put it in a casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with parmesan cheese and cook for about 20 minutes until it's heated through and the parmesan has melted.