Cinnamon Rolls

Pretty aren't they? Maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever pulled out of the oven. 

And I mean yeast is pure magic.

Cinnamon Rolls:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. salt
• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 pack instant yeast
• 2 eggs

In a small saucepan warm milk with butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until butter is melted.

Add to yeast in a large bowl. Add half the flour and mix until smooth, add eggs one at a time, smoothing between additions. 

Measure out the remaining 2 and a half cups of flour and pour some onto a clean work surface, turn out dough and knead in the rest of the flour. 

If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook you may use that for the entirety of this process, if not DO NOT, (I repeat), DO NOT use a hand mixer. Dough gets stuck INSIDE it. I'm trying to help you here, learning from my mistakes :) 

Once all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth, let it rest for about an hour somewhere warm in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with a tea towel. 

Once doubled in size punch it down.

Flour your work surface and the rolling pin, try your best to roll the dough out into a 18 x 12 inch rectangle, the thinner the better. 

Filling:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1+ cups of brown sugar
• lots of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup crushed pecans (if you want)

Smooth (I used a spatula) butter over dough leaving one inch on one long side bare. 

Sprinkle over brown sugar using your fingers to spread evenly, then cover in cinnamon and pecans. 

Roll from the covered long end towards the bare end. Slice using a serrated knife every three inches or so. 

Nestle into a lightly oiled baking tray, cover with a tea towel and let rest somewhere warm until doubled again. 

Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. I baked mine on "convection" so it only took 23 minutes. You're looking for golden brown. Magic.

Glaze:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Once out of the oven you can be impatient like me and smother them in glaze. 

Soak it up!

You may now devour them like this OR you can add a little extra something ;)

CREAM CHEESE ICING:

• 1/2 pack of softened cream cheese
• 1/2 -1 cup icing sugar
•  a splash of milk and a splash of cream 

Whisk all until blended and delicious, start with less sugar and taste as you go, they're pretty sweet!

I did this by hand because my hand mixer was out of commission from the dough incident. 

Double the recipe, bring a pan to friends, work or someone extra special <3

Quinoa Cakes with Poached Eggs, Tomato and Avocado :)

A sunny breakfast on a rainy day!
It's been Newfoundland-like foggy here recently and since there is no ocean I feel there is no excuse for Ontario to be so gloomy. No excuse.

To combat the gloominess a delicious breakfast was in order!

Quinoa cakes are simple enough, you follow the same idea as fish cake or even hamburgers (from before I went veg), you start with the quinoa, add in some flavour, use an egg to bind and breadcrumbs to soak up an excess moisture. Top it with juicy ripe tomato slices, some creamy avocado, a poached egg and you're golden :)

You need:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• a chopped green onion
• a minced clove of garlic
• an egg
• breadcrumbs (a little handful, add more if you're having trouble forming them)
• salt & pepper & cayenne (fo' heat!)

Mix!

Get a frying pan on medium heat, add some olive oil, form into cakes using a handful (or so) of the mixture and fry until golden (3-5 minutes per side).

MEANWHILE! Have a saucepan with 2 inches of water simmering over high heat, add a splash of vinegar (magic), give the water a swirl and crack your egg right in (or crack into into a little dish first and pour it in that way). Wait a couple minutes (using a slotted spoon pull it out and poke the yolk with your finger, if it's very soft/squishy you have a soft poached egg), remove with a slotted spoon and place on top of your golden quinoa cake, tomato and avocado slices. 

Enjoy the sunshine-y feeling and avoid checking the weather forecast (cause it's not gettin' better). 

Terry's Chocolate Orange Tart

Need I say more? 

This is the dessert I made for Christmas dinner, inspired entirely by my family's stockings. We alwaaaays  get the delicious chocolate oranges, so I used a half milk and half dark one. 

If you like the combination of chocolate and orange and are in the mood for something decadent, this is the tart for you. 

• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup flour

Cream butter and sugar, stir in vanilla and flour and press into a tart pan. Bake at 400 F for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

• 1 Terry's Chocolate Orange (I used half milk and half dark)
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/6 cup sugar
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg yolk

Bring sugar, cream and milk to a boil and pour over chopped chocolate (in a bowl). Whisk egg and yolk in a bowl and slowly pour hot cream and chocolate over (while whisking). Pour into baked tart shell and bake at 325 F for 20-30 minutes until set.

Chill for an hour! 

Vegetable Pot Pie With Cornmeal Goat's Milk Brie Biscuit Topping

If Goat's Milk Brie doesn't get you I don't know what will. Any cheese can be used in the delicious, fluffy, cornmeal, biscuit topping but the brie just kind of called to me.... ya know?

This recipe is how I found my favourite food blog, The Curvy Carrot. She found the recipe in Bon Appetit and I've adapted it from there.

The gravy is one of those beautiful things for vegetarians, it's earthy and rich, almost meaty, thanks to the two types of mushrooms, while not being too heavy.

• 1 cup lentils
• 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (the size of the box)
• 6-8 medium brown mushrooms (or whatever mushrooms you have)
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• good chunk of turnip, chopped
• 2-3 large potatoes, chopped
• big handful of swiss chard, chopped
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 sage leaves, minced
• leaves from one thyme sprig 
• leave from one rosemary sprig
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste

Boil the lentils according to package instructions. In the meantime, add 3 cups of boiling water to the dried mushrooms in a bowl and set aside to plump for 25 minutes. Squeeze mushrooms out and chop. SAVE LIQUID!

Add some olive oil, mushrooms (fresh and rehydrated), onion and garlic to a pan over medium heat, and stir fry for 3 minutes. Next add potatoes, turnip, carrot (whatever root veg you like/ have) and swiss chard. Stir fry for 4 minutes. Stir in flour, sage, thyme, rosemary and cook for one minute. 

Now add the reserved mushroom liquid, soy sauce and tomato paste, stir and cover until root veg is tender (15-20 min). Add lentils, salt and pepper and add to an overproof dish (or dishes).

Cornmeal Goat's Milk Brie Biscuit Topping

• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. flour
• 6 tbsp. cornmeal
• 1 + 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 4 tbsp. chilled salted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• a tonne of cheese, I used probably a cup.

Whisk together dry ingredients, add butter and mix with your hands until it looks like crumbs. Add buttermilk, cheese and stir. Flour your hands and lift onto your pot pie filling.

Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out of topping clean.

Eat with gusto!

Nut Lentil Loaf!

Not at all meant to be a meat loaf "replacement", this loaf is crunchy but moist, flavourful as well as being healthy and protein-rich.

The first nut loaf I ever had was baked by Maggie, mother of my vegetarian best friend. This recipe is looooosely based on that, as we both used nuts, but as it was the holidays I had a copious amount of delicious ingredients to choose from as you will see in the recipe.

Great with potatoes and mushroom or vegetable broth gravy, this loaf is so warm and welcoming this time of year.

• 1 cup red lentils
• 14 chestnuts
• 100 g cashews (a 2 hand handful) 
• 100 g walnuts
• 50 g almonds (a 1 hand handful)
• large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 5 brown mushrooms (what I had)
• 5 full swiss chard leaves (stalks removed)
• 3 sage leaves, minced
• leaves from 3 thyme sprigs
• 1 tbsp. Mrs. Dash (or other seasoning blend)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 egg

Cook lentils according to bag directions, set aside. 

Slash chestnut shells in an X and add to a pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil and simmer for ten minutes, when cool enough to handle, peel shells from chestnuts revealing a yellow brain-like nut. Pop all of them back into the water and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until you can squash them. 

Chop other nuts to desired size and toast in a 350 F oven, checking often, until fragrant. 

In the meantime, add chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms to a saute pan over medium heat, cook for 8 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add Mrs. Dash, cayenne, worcestershire, tomato paste, salt and pepper and stir fry for 3 minutes, coating veg. 

Add vegetables, chopped nuts, mashed chestnuts and the egg to the bowl with lentils and stir to combine.

Scrape mixture in a greased, parchment paper, greased loaf tin and bake at 375 F for an hour, smother in a vegetarian gravy and enjoy!

Balsamic Roasted Beets & Brussel Sprouts

Balsamic Vinegar. One of my favourite things. I received a lovely bottle from my best friend's father and have used almost half already.

The pairing of balsamic and beets came from the adorable and amazing Jamie Oliver, the brussel sprouts I just wanted to try.

Delicious and colourful, the balsamic almost all but cooked off (next time I would add more). If you aren't  a crazed balsamic fan like me, it's perfect, the vinegar acts as more of an flavour enhancer for the beets.

The two vegetables have completely different cooking times so they could definitely done separately if you wish.

• 10 medium sized red and yellow beets, cut into quarters
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Parboil the beets for 25-30 minutes, toss in a baking tray of some sort with olive oil and vinegar as well as salt and pepper and bake at 375 F for 50ish minutes.

20 MINUTES LATER

• 25 brussel sprouts, cleaned
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Parboil the sprouts for 3 minutes or until al dente. Toss in oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and add to the beets in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. 

Love your life.

Now for some pictures of pretty beets :)

Butternut Squash Soup

A delicious, simple and healthy start to any meal, or just a meal on it's own, you will never purchase this soup again once you realize just how easy it is to make.

I added no cream or butter to this recipe (using just a splash of olive oil) in anticipation of the courses to come, but the extra fat really wasn't missed! And in the process, an accidental vegan recipe was born!

• splash of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 medium butternut squash, chopped in smallish cubes (the smaller, the quicker)
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 3 sage leaves, finely minced
• the leaves from a pretty significant rosemary sprig, finely minced
• salt and pepper

Over medium heat, drizzle just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a dutch oven or heavy based pot. Add the onion, and saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the squash and stir fry for a couple minutes, then add the liquid. 

There should be enough liquid to cover the squash, if not, add more water or vegetable stock. You could of course use all water, or all stock, but I really only had 2 cups of vegetable stock :) 

Add the fresh herbs (dried would work as well but should be added along with the butternut squash), salt and pepper and increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil. You can turn it down as you see fit, keeping a simmer intact. Depending on the size of your squash cubes this soup could take 15-30 minutes. I made 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch cubes and mine was done in 17. 

Once the squash is fork tender, your soup in done! Now, I waited a little before pureeing because it's very hot, but you can go ahead and do it right away if you're brave! I used an immersion blender but you could used a traditional blender (cool the soup a tad before blending though), taste for seasonings and serve!

You could pass it through a sieve but I liked the consistency (and didn't want another dirty dish).

Savory Breadcrumb Topping

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (making you own ensures a coarser texture)
• 1 tsp. dried savory
• olive oil (enough to lightly coat, say a tablespoon)

Add breadcrumbs and savory to a small bowl, drizzle over olive oil and stir to coat.

Broil on a baking sheet for a couple minutes (watch it) until golden (it goes fast).

Sprinkle on top of soups as you please :)