Spinach and Parmesan Souffles

After another absence I figured I needed a really good and healthy recipe, and I definitely think this one delivers! This one also comes to us from the "Great Weeknight Cookbook", and while slightly ambitious the effort does yield great results.

The nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn't require a ton of ingredients, although you will need a set of ramekins. This souffle consists of...
- butter/margerine
- spinach
- bread
- sour cream
- eggs
- grated parmesan cheese
- nutmeg

The original recipe was for 4 souffles, but I have modified it for 2.

How to make it:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cook about 250g of spinach in a large dry pot over low heat until spinach is wilted. Leave to drain until needed.
2. Tear half a slice of bread into small pieces and put in a food processor to make into fine crumbs.
3. Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the spinach, and blend it with 1/3 cup of sour cream until just combined in a course puree.
4. Separate 2 eggs. Add the yolks and 3 tbsp of grated parmesan to the food processor. Season with plenty of nutmeg and blend into a smooth puree.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Pour the mixture into the bowl of egg whites and fold together with a large metal spoon.
6. Lightly butter (or margerine) the insides of your ramekins and sprinkle in some parmesan. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, top with a sprinkling of more parmesan and bake in the oven until puffed and golden brown (approximately 15-20 mins).  DO NOT AT ANY POINT WHILE BAKING OPEN THE OVEN!

Tips for how to serve: The book recommended to "serve with new potatoes and steamed baby vegetables", but I served it with mashed sweet potatoes!

Avocado and Brie Grilled Cheese

This delightful little sandwich is one of my favourite things that my wonderful boyfriend Jon makes for me on occasion. Avocado and brie cheese is truly a heavenly combo. This sandwich is as yummy as it is easy to make, and makes a perfect lunch or light dinner!

This sandwich consists of...
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread
- butter or margerine
- spring mix
- avocado
- red onion
- cucumber
- brie cheese

How to make it:
1. Lightly butter your bread slices. Toast on both sides in a frying pan over low heat.
2. While bread slices are still in the frying pan, add a thin slice of brie to each slice of bread. Leave in pan until slightly melted.
3. Slice up avocado, cucumber and red onion. When bread is toasted and cheese is melted, arrange on bread with some spring mix. Close sandwich and cut in half.

Easy Pad Thai

After what feels like forever I've finally tried another new recipe! This was yet another dual effort by Ellie and I, and comes from "The Great Weeknight Cookbook". The recipe actually called for chicken but we opted for a veggie version to make it even simpler. While I can't quite compare this Pad Thai recipe to any Thai restaurant, for a quick and easy at-home recipe it wasn't half bad. A+ for presentation tho!

This recipe consisted of...
- dried medium rice noodles
- canola oil
- garlic
- onion
- Thai chili pepper
- an egg
- bean sprouts
- yellow pepper (not in the original recipe but we added it instead of chicken)
- soy sauce
- fish sauce
- lime juice
- crushed chili flakes
- chives
- roasted peanuts

How to make this:
1. Soak noodles in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes (or according to time on the package), drain when finished.
2. While noodles are soaking, chop up your onion, garlic, chili pepper (be sure to remove the seeds- and DO NOT touch them and then touch your eyes, wash your hands immediately after!) and yellow pepper. Sautee in a wok or frying pan with canola oil.
3. Beat your egg, push veggies to one side of the pan and scramble the eggs.
4. Once noodles are ready, add to the pan with bean sprouts, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Stir-fry everything together.
5. Remove from heat and finish off with chili flakes, chives and peanuts.

Sweet Potato Stir-Fry

Hello again! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, I guess I've gotten lazy with my cooking... I did make this a little while ago but then it was Passover and I thought it would just be cruel to post it, and then I got busy with stuff and kind of forgot... but here is my sweet potato stir-fry!

It's a healthy and easy way to use up the stuff in your fridge, and makes good leftovers too! My stir-fry consisted of...
- rice
- sweet potato
- red pepper
- yellow pepper
- asparagus
- Spanish onion
- garlic
- snap peas
- green onion
- olive oil
- curry powder
- ginger powder
- cinnamon

How to make it:
1. Prepare rice- I would recommend following the instructions on the bag just to be safe, but with mine you added 2 cups of water and 1 cup of rice to a pot, brought it to a boil, and let simmer for about 15 minutes (until the water is all absorbed).
2. Chop up vegetables, put all vegetables in a pot of water, bring to a boil and let simmer about 7-8 minutes or until desired tenderness. Drain vegetables.
3. Stir-fry veggies with rice in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Mix in curry powder, ginger powder, and cinnamon, spicing to taste.

Sweet Potato Hash

While at the grocery store recently I had noticed they sold pre-peeled and cut sweet potato and I was so excited because I LOVE sweet potatoes but hate a lot of prep! So obviously I bought them but didn't really have a specific dish in mind to make with them. After failing to find anything of interest in my cookbooks, or to actually execute any type of dinner meal during the week, and with the expiry date fast approaching, I was beginning to worry that my exciting find would go to waste. But with the weekend came new inspiration- sweet potatoes for breakfast! So I proudly present to the interweb my version of sweet potato hash.

This is a dish I am actually very proud of. This was my first time making anything like this and I think it turned out great (if I do say so myself), I thoroughly enjoyed it! It consisted of...
- sweet potato
- red onion
- green onion
- garlic
- pepper
- parsley
- feta
- olive oil

How to make this:
1. If you didn't buy pre-cut sweet potatoes like I did, peel and cut your sweet potato into cubes. Throw them into a pot of water, bring to a boil, and let simmer until tender.
2. Strain your sweet potato cubes and dry.
3. Chop up your red onion, green onion and garlic, sautee them over medium heat in olive oil and set aside.
4. Sautee sweet potato cubes over medium heat in olive oil, adding a bit of pepper and parsley (or whatever spices you like) for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Combine sweet potato cubes with onion and garlic mixture and top with a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Enjoy it on its own, or try with eggs and/or bacon to make it a meal! Great any time of day!

Chili Penne with Butternut Squash

This was my first attempt at a recipe from one of my cookbooks and I think it was pretty successful so I thought I'd share! This one comes from The Great Weeknight Cookbook and really was quite simple and required surprisingly few ingredients. "Spice up buttnernut squash with cumin and chili, then toss in crumbled goat cheese to create a creamy, flavourful sauce for pasta that takes moments to prepare," said the writers of the book. It was enough to make me want to try it!
 

Makes a lovely lunch or dinner! This recipe contains...
- penne pasta (once again I've used Catelli Bistro tri-colour vegetable pasta, healthy AND pretty!)
- butternut squash
- olive oil
- crushed chili flakes
- coriander (The recipe actually called for cumin but I didn't have any)
- goat cheese
- grated parmesan cheese
- pepper

How to make it:
1. If you didn't buy pre-peeled and cut butternut squash (like I did- great find!), peel and cut your squash into cubes.
2. Cook pasta and squash in a pot of boiling water until squash is soft and pasta is desired consistency.
3. Reserve 100 mL of cooking water before draining pasta and squash.
4. Over low heat, pour some olive oil into the pot, add crushed chili flakes and cumin/coriander (I used coriander since I had no cumin) and cook for 1 minute before removing from heat.
5. Return the pasta and squash to the pot, mix in the cooking the liquid, goat cheese, and season to taste (I added some pepper but it was not in the recipe).
6. Put in a bowl and top with parmesan cheese.

Eggs Not So Benny

Tonight I felt like having breakfast for dinner and decided to give myself a bit of a challenge- poached eggs instead of fried. But I didn't have the equipment to make hollandaise sauce, so eggs benedict was out. Instead I made myself a bit of a modified version, or as I've decided to call it, "Eggs Not So Benny". Probably healthier without the hollandaise sauce anyway...

A great breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner, snack, or whatever really. Let's face it, all day breakfast was probably the most brilliant mealtime innovation since sliced bread (which I really don't eat... too boring)! My little creation here consists of...
- crumpet
- egg
- brie cheese
- asparagus
- avocado
- margerine/butter (I like margerine- more spreadable)

How to make it:
1. Toast and butter (or margerine) your crumpet.
2. Poach your egg (I use a poachie, but do it however works best for you).
3. Chop up a few asparagus spears and slice up your brie and avocado.
4. Set your poached egg on the crumpet and top up with brie (preferably while the egg is still hot so it can melt a little), avocado, and asparagus.

Simple, uncomplicated, but delicious (and nutritious)!