Easy Holiday Dinners

Christmas is still over a month away, but I am already that holiday rush. Every time I sit down I remember something I forgot to do and immediately have to get up again. So something had to give and that something was making busy dinners.

But giving up busy dinners doesn't mean that I'm eating fast food or frozen pizzas every night. I've just started cooking smarter. 

Instead of making a big dinner ever night, I might roast up a pan of squash on the weekend and turn that into easy dinners for the next week. Maybe a squash soup for Monday, a pan fried fish and squash salad for Tuesday, and some totally amazing Cheesy Roasted Squash and Mushroom Wraps for Wednesday.

I think I pumped you up for wraps, so that's what I'm sharing today. Read on for the recipe, perfect for the busy holiday season.

Great Veggie BBQ

When most people think of barbecuing, I don't think they think about great vegetarian food. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, ribs - sure they all to come to mind. And maybe a veggie burger might slip into a few people's minds, but not great vegetarian food. 

But today I hope to show to you that you can grill up some truly delicious vegetarian food, and not go anywhere near a veggie burger. I've made grilled polenta, BBQ sauce smothered grilled veggies, and fresh tomatoes and basil. I think it's a winner.

Fungi Nights

If I had to eat one thing every single night of the week, I don't even have to think about what I would choose. I know it would be pizza. Pizza can be done in a million ways and not one of them are bad. Plus, almost every single pizza I've ever eaten contains cheese in some form and if you know me, you know how much I love cheese!

Today's pizza is my version of a fungi pizza. It's not a first date pizza because of all the roasted garlic and blue cheese, but it's certainly the pizza I'd choose to make for a 10th date. It's a real winner.

Walk in the Woods

I don't know why, but the salad recipe I am sharing today feels like something you could prepare after gathering ingredients during a walk through the woods. Maybe it's because of the earthy grilled mushrooms, the bright yellow egg yolks, or the poppy seeds popping out at you from the dressing.

Whatever it is, this salad is filling enough to keep you full during a walk through the woods. And it's delicious enough to share with friends.

A "Heart"y Valentine Dinner Made Delicious

Today's post is dedicated to anyone who is planning on making their partner a home cooked meal this Valentine's Day and also to anyone who loves puns because those are two things I cannot live without on February 14. If you're still looking for some foodie puns for your card this year, I've got a few up my sleeve that I'm willing to share with you.

You're my "butter" half, Valentine

Take another "pizza" my heart now, baby

I'm "nuts" about you!

You make my heart "beet" like crazy, Valentine

And here's one more special punny Valentine I've created just for someone who wants to make my Crab Stuffed Portobellos with Shrimp Hearts....

I'd never "shrimp" on my love for you, Valentine. You're the best.

Ok, so maybe I'm not going to be employed by Hallmark anytime in the future, but I know that my recipe is perfect for you to serve to your loved ones tomorrow!

Veggie and Potato Pie

When I was small, my mom actually had one of those dinner bells. I think it was more for decoration than for practicality, but she still rang it from time to time to get us home for dinner. I'm not sure why, but today's recipe reminds me about that dinner bell.

I think I'm reminded about the dinner bell because today's recipe is a homey kind of dish. It's a vegetarian pie topped with mashed potatoes and full of a delicious vegetarian gravy. I can almost picture my mom making this dish for me. 

Read in for my recipe for my Veggie and Potato Pie recipe.

Double the Fun

When I have friends over for a wine and appy party, I know I'd like to create a menu of entirely handmade little delicacies - but I also know that would only make me frazzled. I know I need to use my time wisely and make a few homemade appetizers and a few from the frozen or deli sections of my grocery store. 

The two appys I am sharing today start might come in handy for those of you that want to make things even easier. These appys start out as the same basic recipe and then ever off into two different directions so you can have even more choices besides the wheel of Brie. 

Get ready to run out to grocery store for wonton wrappers because these recipes need them. :) 

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwiches

After a big Thanksgiving meal, the last thing I'm interested in is figuring out what to cook next. I prefer to use up leftovers and make a sandwich. If you made a turkey, I know you'll be making a turkey sandwich. But the question is if you'll be adding cranberry sauce and dressing like I use to do. 

If you didn't make a turkey, or have already run out of leftovers, that's where things might get a little trickier. Never fear because my yummy Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich is here! It's full of awesome veggies, flavour, and my favourite mushroom pâté. It's perfect for a no thinking, yummy meal. And if you made the pâté to serve as an appetizer yesterday, it's even more perfect! 

Guilty Pleasure

One of the things I miss about eating meat is smearing a big chunk of pâté on a slice of baguette. I love the creamy texture and the rich flavour. Everything about pâté makes me feel guilty and in love, all at the same time. 

Luckily I found a way to relive all my guilty pleasures of eating pâté because I have made a truly decadent vegetarian version of my old favourite. I'm going to make it for my family at Christmas and I really don't think that they'll be able to tell the difference from the original version. Or maybe they will, because my Mushroom Pâté is a little bit better than the original.  

Mad About You

Today my sister is flying to Madagascar for three months. I am a little envious of her adventure, but happy for her too because I imagine that there might be some delicious Madagascar vanilla in my future. And all the thinking I've been doing about the possible Madagascar vanilla has me thinking beautiful floral thoughts and playing with beautiful floral flavours. 

Today's dish celebrates the floral flavours of Madagascar and also acts as a farewell note to Mary. It's features a really inventive polenta made from cornmeal, silky puréed sweet potatoes, and coconut milk. I can't take credit for the concept because I read about it in an old cookbook from my local library, but I can take credit for making the dish really yummy. 

Safe flight and have fun, Mary. See you at Christmas! 

Homemade Creamless Corn

I have been known to buy creamed corn from a can from time to time. I love the flavour of creamed corn, but I really hate looking at the gluggy goo slopping from the can. It's just not appetizing. 

So when I had an abundance of corn on the corn in my fridge, I thought of trying my hand at making a homemade creamed corn - hold the cream. I love cream, but I thought I could make a delicious creamed corn without the extra calories so I could still enjoy dessert! 

The dish I came up with was great! The only problem was that the pan was emptied too soon. But I can remedy that too; next time I'll just have to make a double recipe! 

Caprese Portobello Burgers

I love a good Caprese salad - mozzarella, tomato, and basil are a great combination. However, I also love to get creative in the kitchen and making a Caprese salad night after night is not very creative. So when I learned a new recipe for a homemade basil mayonnaise, I couldn't resist making a play on one of my favourite salads by turning it into a sandwich. 

The basil mayonnaise turned out so delicious and the mushrooms were a perfect vessel for a warm tomato and cheese mixture that I know I'll be making this dish again and again. 

Chilly Summer Days

We all seem to be having really erratic weather this year, so even though it's June and it's warm where I am, I thought I would share one of my newest chili recipes. I sure hope we don't need to warm up with a big bowl of chili, but I guess we just don't know what weather we are going to get. 

And, to be honest, I like chili in the summer, regardless of the weather. It's awesome to serve any leftovers on top of a sausage in a bun! 

Flying Colours

Seeing a big rainbow on my plate always makes me happy. Maybe I'm like a bee collecting pollen, but I will always steer clear of the boring white and brown dishes and head towards the bright plates that call for attention. Luckily that's not a bad thing because colourful food looks beautiful and is super healthy for us too. 

When I told my sweetie I was making a beautiful purple sweet potato gnocchi for dinner, he asked that I serve us half purple gnocchi and take a little of the orange sweet potato gnocchi I had made and frozen out of the freezer so we could mix them up. At first I thought that sounded like extra work, then I realized how pretty it would look and got excited. 

I think my dish was a beautiful success and now my freezer has enough purple and orange gnocchi to keep us satisfied for awhile. So now I'm happy because it's all set for a day when I'm not in the mood to cook. 

Faux Pho

Pho is a Vietnamese dish where I just don't see the appeal. I like everything that goes into it on its own, but I just don't like slurping up long dripping noodles from a bowl of broth. 

Since I do like to eat Wonton Noodle Soup I feel like a bit of a hypocrite, but there's a difference between the two soups. Pho has really long rice noodles and they're super slippery. Wonton Noodle Soup has a different kind of noodle that's much easier and less messy to eat. 

Alright, that's a big stretch. They're pretty much the same. But since my honey loves them, I keep giving them a try. 

Here's my first successful version of a Pho. Mine's a Faux Pho as it has fish instead of beef and I have to admit that I like it. Somehow it feels less uncomfortable to eat a drippy soup in the comfort of my own home! 

Gnocchin' on Heaven's Door

I have made a few different versions of gnocchi before but none have given me the same amount of pleasure as this amazing dish did. And not to sound vain, but I don't think that it was necessarily the recipe either. I think the success of my gnocchi had a lot to do with the fact that I cooked my sweet potato the night before and let it cool in my fridge overnight.

I don't know if that's true or not, but I do know that my dish tasted great and I didn't burn my hands while whipping it up. That makes it a winner in my books!

Today's recipe was inspired by one in April's Canadian Living, but I used quite a bit less flour in my dish and I think it helped to make the end result light and fluffy.

French Food at Home

Whenever I go out to eat French cooking I always feel heavy on my way home. Sure, of course I love the way butter and cream tastes. But with each of those indulgent bites I know how I will feel for the next few hours. 

Today I am sharing one of my favourite French treats that doesn't make me feel heavy. I feel light, airy, and perfectly content during and after eating this meal. Add feeling good to the fact that the filling for these crepes is so versatile and you'll end up with a recipe that you'll keep turning back to.

Hot Stuff

I've said it a few times, but I'll say it again - I love lasagna. That being said, today's post isn't lasagna. It looks a little like lasagna, but there isn't any pasta and there are only three layers. I need lots of layers and pasta for something to be called lasagna. 

Today's post is delicious though. And although my recipe is a vegetarian dish, I've come up with a great alternative for my meat loving friends. Read on to find out the recipes for both!

Oyster Mushrooms

Last Christmas Luke was given a kit that would grow oyster mushrooms. I was very excited to see how it would work, but a little unsure of the results would be because some similar kits I be received in the past didn't amount to much. 

This kit was different though. Seeing that first little mushroom erased every doubt in my mind and I was excited. Growing mushrooms we easier than I thought, once they got going, and I knew that a just picked mushroom would taste like a million bucks. 

Today's post doesn't feature oyster mushrooms I grew myself, they're still busy growing. Instead, I made a dish with mushrooms and oyster sauce. I like to think if it as a little snack before the main event of eating my harvest!

Far Out Risotto

I almost always use arborio rice when I make risotto, but not today. Today I found a bag of another grain in the back of one of my cupboards and I thought I would try to make risotto out of it. 

Farro is a great grain; it has four times the amout of fibre as white rice and its complex carbs break down slowly so that you're full all day after eating it. 

Well, actually it's not true when i said was going to make risotto because you need rice to make risotto. I guess that means I'm making farotto!