Vegetarian Lasagna

Ingredients

·         A tin or jar of good quality tomato sauce

·         1 – 2 packages of lasagna noodles, carefully cooked and drained, then lightly oiled and set aside in a bowl or on a cutting board

·         2 large carrots, cut in chunks and blanched, then drained and diced

·         1 onion, diced and slowly fried in butter until they are caramelized

·         1 package of mushrooms, diced and fried in garlic butter and pepper

·         1 cup of wilted spinach (start with roughly 10 cups of fresh spinach). 1 large package of frozen, chopped spinach, defrosted and drained very well will also work.

·         1 large container of cottage cheese, drained

·         1 cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese

·         5 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1.      Carefully cook and drain 1 – 2 packages of lasagna noodles, then lightly oiled them and set aside in a bowl or on a cutting board (they will stick to each other and rip if they’re not oiled)

2.      Cut the 2 large carrots in chunks and blanch them in boiling water, then drain and dice them finely.

3.      Dice the onion, and slowly fry it in butter until it’s caramelized

4.      Dice and fry the mushrooms in garlic butter and pepper

5.      Either wilt the fresh spinach in a very large pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, or defrost a large package of frozen, chopped spinach, and drain it very well.

6.      In one bowl, mix the finely-diced lightly-blanched carrots, caramelized onions, garlic fried mushrooms, and steamed spinach together.

7.      Mix ¼ cup of shredded parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella together in a small bowl and set aside.

8.      In another bowl, mix the cottage cheese with the remaining ¾ cup shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.

9.      Once all preparation is done, pre-heat the oven to 375 degree.

10.  Coat the bottom and sides of a large lasagna pan with oil, and then spoon in enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom of the pan in a thin layer.

11.  Layer cooked lasagna noodles over the sauce in the bottom of the pan

12.  Cover the noodles with roughly 1/3 of the cheese mixture

13.  Spread a layer of roughly 1/3 of the veggie mix over the cheese

14.  Add a layer of tomato sauce on the vegetable mix, followed by a second layer of noodles.

15.  Repeat this process 2 more times, finishing with a layer of noodles covered with a fine layer of tomato sauce.

16.  Top with the grated parmesan and mozzarella cheeses set aside at the start of the cooking process

17.  Using tinfoil, create a “tent” to cover the lasagna that isn’t resting on the top layer of cheese, and bake for 45-50 minutes

18.  Remove the tinfoil, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese on top starts to bubble and brown.

Cranberry Orange Scones

These cranberry orange scones beg for a pat of butter when still warm from the oven... and are perfect with a cup of tea. They made an appearance during a recent British themed evening we hosted to celebrate the return of BBC's Sherlock (go watch it if you haven't. Really, I'll wait till you get back.)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 ml) of all purpose flour 
• 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) baking powder 
• 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt 
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) cold unsalted butter, diced 
• 2/3 cup (175 ml) buttermilk 
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) Grand Marnier
• 1/3 cup (75 ml) chopped dried cranberries 
• 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) grated orange rind

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat sheet
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt 
3. Add the butter and chop with a pastry cutter until the dough takes on a chunky texture 
4. Add the buttermilk and Grand Marnier, and combine gently without disturbing the chunky texture
5. Gently cut in the cranberries and grated orange rind
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured cutting board or clean counter, and roll out to roughly 3/4 inch height
7. If you want to be official, use a biscuit cutter, the rim of a glass, or any other round shaped object to cut the dough into scones, and transfer them to the baking sheet. 
8. Gather any scraps together to make the last few scones. Heck, if we're hand forming scones here, why not skip the "biscuit cutter" altogether and just do them all by hand? Much more rustic that way (but beware: your hands will be very sticky by the end... keep extra flour on hand!)
9. Bake for 18-20 minutes

Bonus: brush the scones with butter and sprinkle large grain sugar on top at roughly the 10 minute mark... you'll get a slightly crunchy, sweet crust on top with a golden-brown glaze!

Minestrone Soup

There's nothing quite like a minestrone soup to warm you up and fill you full of nutrients... low in fat, low in sodium, high in flavour and protein, this soup's a winner!

My daughter, testing the soup to make sure it's ready... she's on her second "testing" bowl now!

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 cup cubed carrots
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup cubed eggplant or zucchini
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp basil
• 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 2 cups tomato puree
• 1 cup of fresh chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 3 Tbsp dry red wine
• 1 cup dried pasta
• A sprinkle of parmaesan cheese per person

Directions

1. Add olive oil, garlic and onions to a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, and sauté until translucent.
2. Add carrots and celery, then gradually mix in the oregano, black pepper and basil.
3. Cover and cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes.
4. Add the green pepper, zucchini, vegetable stock, tomato puree, lentils and wine. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add the fresh tomatoes, and keep over low heat until 10 minutes before serving.
6. Bring soup to a boil, add pasta, and boil gently for 5-7 minutes or according to the pasta's suggested cooking time.
7. Spoon into bowls and serve with a sprinkle of parmaesan cheese and crusty bread.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Can't decide whether to treat yourself to a cookie or a chocolate? The mini peanut butter cups in the center of these cookies make them the best of both worlds! Please note this recipe is LARGE, as these little cookies are great for cookie exchanges, and for gifting to friends around the holidays - the recipe will make you 7 dozen cookies (84 in total). Be sure you have a mini-muffin tin before you start your mixer... it's the key to getting the cookies to rise high enough to fit the entire chocolate peanut butter cup inside!

Ingredients

• 3 and 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 cup and 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup and 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 cup and 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon milk
• 84 Reese's miniature chocolate peanut butter cups, unwrapped. Note: if you're buying them in bags, it will take you just over 3 bags to complete 84 cookies (some left over to snack on, or stuff in stockings!)

Directions

1. Store the unwrapped chocolate peanut butter cups in the fridge.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.
4. Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar until fluffy. 
5. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and milk. 
6. Gradually add the flour mixture; mix well. 
7. Shape into 84 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin tin.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. 
9. Remove from oven and immediately press a mini peanut butter cup into each ball. 
10. Cool entire pan in the fridge for 15 minutes before carefully removing cooled cookies from pan.

"Snow White" cookies

Nice, simple and yummy cookies to make with kids for the holidays (let's be honest... for any day!) The name comes bothfrom the almost entirely white ingredients list, and from the fact my daughter was wearing a Snow White costume the first time we made them!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups white chocolate chips
• 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the beaten eggs, followed by the vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
5. Gradually add the dry mixture into the butter mixture.
6. If using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chocolate chips and coconut by hand.
7. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets.
8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Chocolate Mice

When my book club meets each month we enjoy not only each other's company and some great conversation, but we also enjoy food that's often inspired by the book we read that month. The member who recommended the book hosts the rest of the group in her home and is free to get as creative as she'd like with both the discussion questions and the snacks. This month the group will be meeting at my house to discuss "The Night Circus", a fantastic read that's full of amazing visual imagery and equally amazing food. One sweet snack featured in the book: chocolate mice. What a great challenge! I researched several recipes and ended up creating a bit of a hybrid of all that I read. I hope you, and my book club, enjoy what I came up with!

Ingredients

• 4 squares of semisweet chocolate
• 1 container of light or whipped cream cheese
• 1 cup plus 1/3 cup of chocolate cookie crumbs
• 24-28 colourful candy-coated mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 black licorice laces, cut into 12-14 pieces

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate squares in the microwave using 60-second increments at 50% power. Be sure to stir well between each 60-second cycle.
2. When the chocolate is melted, alternate additions of the 1-cup of cookie crumbs and the cream cheese, working gradually so the cooler ingredients incorporate without the warm chocolate hardening. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
3. Once cooled, roll by hand into small balls, and then mould the ball into a slight point on one side.
4. Roll dough in the chocolate cookie crumbs while it’s still slightly sticky from the warmth of your hands, and place on a plate or cookie sheet.
5. Using a thin wooden skewer, make a hole in the wider end of the “mouse” and slide a piece of licorice lacing in for the tail. Press the coloured candy-coated chocolate chips into the sides of the pointed end of the “mouse” for its eyes, and gently insert the slivered almond for its ears.
6. Transfer to the plate or container you’d like to serve the mice on (your work surface will be covered in chocolate crumbs) and refrigerate for at least two hours, until firm.

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

These beautiful chocolate-covered strawberries are perfect for occasions ranging from Christmas parties to romantic Valentines, and are surprisingly easy. In fact, my 6-year-old was responsible for the chocolate drizzle on the strawberries pictured above and we didn’t even have to clean chocolate off the walls or floor as a result!

Ingredients

• 1 pint of fresh strawberries
• 1 ¼ cups of white chocolate melting wafers
• 1 ¼ cups of dark chocolate melting wafers

Directions

1. Lay parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. Wash strawberries and dry them thoroughly – if strawberries are damp, the chocolate won’t stick properly.
3. Pour all the dark chocolate wafers in one measuring cup or microwave-safe bowl, and all the white wafers in another. Melt them, one at a time, in the microwave using 60-second increments at 50% power. Be sure to stir well between each 60-second cycle.
4. Holding the strawberries by their leaves, dip one at a time in either the dark or the white chocolate, rolling to cover all sides. Let each drip above the chocolate bowl for a moment before placing them on the prepared cookie sheet. It looks especially nice if you do half your batch of strawberries in the dark chocolate and the other half in the white.
5. With a sweeping motion, swing or swirl the chocolate-dipped fork over strawberries that have been dipped in the alternate coloured chocolate. It’s a great way to use up your remaining chocolate, and makes the strawberries look especially beautiful.
6. Once you’re happy with your drizzled designs, place the cookie sheet somewhere cool for at least 20 minutes. Once the chocolate has set and the strawberries release easily from the parchment, you can plate and serve, or put in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days (if they last that long, which if you have a chocolate-loving family like mine, they most certainly will not!)