Veggie Quesadillas

A vegetarian spin on a delicious Mexican dish.

Serves: 5

Prep Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 4 min

Total:  20 min

Ingredients

1 recipe of (not) refried beans
10 medium tortillas, white, whole wheat or corn
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
sour cream, to garnish
salsa, to garnish
hot sauce, to garnish
guacamole, to garnish

Directions

1. Place a skillet over medium heat.  Spread bean mixture on half of the tortilla and sprinkle with grated cheese.
2. Fold the plain half of the tortilla on top of the half with beans and cheese, and gently press so that both sides stick together.
3. Transfer filled tortilla to the warm skillet, and toast each side for 1-2 minutes, or until lightly browned and cheese has melted.
4. Serve immediately with sour cream, salsa, hot sauce and guacamole.
5. Repeat until all tortillas and ingredients have been used.

Colour Fields

Colour Fields.  Acrylic on canvas. 2011 (8" x 10").

Butternut, Carrot and Apple Soup

A delicious brightly coloured soup to celebrate Fall.

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Total:  40 min

Ingredients

1 tbsp. butter or oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed
1-2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/8 tsp. sage
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1-2 tsp. honey or agave, or more to taste
salt and pepper
5 cups vegetable stock

Directions

1. In a large pot, heat oil.  Add onions and saute until translucent.
2. Add garlic and spices and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add butternut, carrots, apples and vegetable stock, cover and bring to a boil.  Cook until butternut and carrots are tender when pricked, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Puree soup using an hand-held immersion blender.  If desired, add another cup of vegetable stock to thin the soup.
5. Add honey and adjust flavour if necessary.
6. Serve warm, plain, or garnished with a drizzle of table cream.

Apricot Sesame Bites

Easy to make and healthy to eat. Enjoy one of these apricot sesame bites on the go!

Serves: 15-20 bites

Prep Time: 5-10 min

Cooking Time: 0 min

Total:  10 min

Ingredients

1 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup unsalted pistachios
5-6 marie or maria biscuits
1-2 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
4-5 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, for rolling

Directions

1. Add pistachios and maria biscuits to the work bowl of a food processor and pulse to grind.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined.
3. Taste and adjust mixture if necessary.  It should be slightly sticky and easily rolled into balls.
4. Roll teaspoon sized balls of mixture.  Then, coat with toasted sesame seeds.
5. Serve or store refrigerated in an airtight container for a couple days.

Fennel and Arugula Salad with Promegranate, Mandarin Oranges and Apple

The flavours of fennel and arugula are brought to life with the addition of pomegranate and mandarin orange slices.

Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 0 min

Total:  10 min

Ingredients

1 large bulb of fennel, trimmed, cut half and sliced in thin pieces
5-6 handfuls of washed arugula
1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (or more)
1 Granny Smith or Gala apple, peeled, cored and julienned
2-3 fresh mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
1/2 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted, to garnish

Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 tbsp. apple cidar vinegar
1/2 tsp. honey or sugar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Taste and adjust if necessary.
2. Place fennel and apple in a large bowl and add a bit of dressing to stop the apple from turning brown.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and toss lightly with more dressing if necessary.
4. Serve immediately, garnished with toasted almonds.

Lightly adapted from epicurious.com

Classic Sugar Cookies

A classic, go-to recipe for rolled sugar cookies. Get creative with cookie cutter shapes!

Serves: 1-2 dozen, depending on cookie cutter size

Prep Time: 20 min, plus 1 hour chilling time

Cooking Time: 12 min

Total:  30 min, plus 1 hour chilling time

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla or 1/2 tsp. vanilla and zest of 1 lemon

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth.
2. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir into butter mixture until fully combined.
4. Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Roll dough a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface, or on a sheet of parchment paper.
6. Cut into shapes using a knife or cookie cutter and place 1 inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 10-12 minutes, and cool completely on a wire rack.
8. Ice with royal icing, sprinkles or other decorations and store in an airtight container.  Undecorated cookies freeze well if placed in a container, with layers of cookies separated by parchment paper.

Recipe from allrecipes.com

Onion and Sage Biscuits

These buttery onion and sage biscuits are best served warm and make a great accompaniment to soup.

Thanks Helen for the inspiration!

Serves: 8-10 biscuits

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 12-15 min

Total:  25 min

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
4-6 tbsp. chilled butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 red onion, chopped
5-6 leaves fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in a skillet and saute onions until caramelized.  Set aside to cool.
2. In a bowl, mix together flour and baking powder.
3. Cut butter into the flour mixture.
4. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add milk, sage and cheese, and stir until combined.
5. Using the heel of your hand, gently knead dough for 5-6 folds.  Add onions, and knead for another 5-6 fold until incorporated.
6. Shape into round biscuits, about the size of a mandarin orange, and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 425F for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe from Joy of Cooking

Red Lentil and Coconut Soup

The creamy and lightly spiced flavour of this soup will make you forget that red lentils lose their colour when cooked.

Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 30 min

Total:  40 min

Ingredients

2 cups red lentils, rinsed and sorted
6 cups water
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 can (14 oz.) low fat coconut milk
2 1/2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
lightly toasted whole cumin seeds, to garnish, optional

Directions

1. In a large pot, add lentils, water and ginger.  Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, cumin and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook until onions are soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Transfer onion mixture into the pot of lentils and add coconut milk.
4. Stir until combined, then simmer, partly covered for about 10 minutes.
5. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
6. Serve, garnished with toasted cumin seeds or plain.

Recipe from Mollie Katzen's Recipes: Soups