During my Yoga Teacher Training weekend, I felt like I needed some comfort food and the first thing that came to mind was fettuccine alfredo. I hadn’t had fettuccine alfredo in about a year or so, and whenever I made it I always used premade sauces. I always felt like the premade sauce was a bit bland and was missing something. I tried once before to make fettuccine alfredo following the recipe from my Magic Bullet – that was a huge, horrifying disaster. This time I felt brave to try making it from scratch! I fought the fettuccine alfredo and I won!

I just used the first recipe that I saw online which was from allrecipes.com. It turned out pretty good though I did make some changes.

Fettuccine Alfredo
Adapted from  AllRecipes.com by ErinMarie.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz dry fettuccine pasta (I used what I had on hand: spaghetti)
• 1 cup butter
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 3/4 pint of heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of Romano cheese
• 1 cup of Parmasean cheese
• 2 cups of washed and cut broccoli florets

Directions:

1. Boil a pot of water and cook your pasta according to the directions.
2. In a large saucepan, saute your garlic in some butter (not the whole 1 cup). (Imelted the butter in the microwave and used some of the liquid to saute the garlic then added the rest of the melted butter to the saucepan). 
3. Add the cream to the butter and mix well. Then on medium heat add your cheeses and let it melt. Be mindful to keep stirring so that none of the cheese melts at the bottom of the pan. The cheese will thicken the sauce. If you want to thicken it more, add more cheese and let it stand longer. Add the broccoli florets and the pasta, combining well.

This fettuccine alfredo was really delicious but it’s probably not something I’ll make again anytime soon due to the amount of calories! The sauce thickened up well and the cheese melted right into it. It was heavenly. I added the broccoli to add some nutrients to this carb and fat heavy meal, but it was definitely what I was looking for at the time (comfort food). We had a lot of left overs which was nice. I enjoy making lots so that there’s lots left to eat during the week!

If you’re in the mood for some winter comfort food: this is definitely your pasta!

So I made these for dinner (along with some Jasmine rice). THESE WERE SO GOOD. When I read the recipe earlier today I knew I had to make it – it sounded so delicious. When I made it though I felt a bit apprehensive but I had faith in Ms. Chandra Moskowitz. And I’m so glad I did.

I was a bit tired of my chili (which is delicious but it just makes so much) so I wanted something different for dinner. This was perfect for snuggling up on a cold winter night while it snows outside.

Mango BBQ Beans
Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped finely (I used thicker ones)
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 mango, chopped small and seeded
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (I used 2 tsps)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 (25-oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 19-oz cans)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 2-3 tbsp agave nectar (I used 2 tbsps)

Directions:

1. Saute garlic and onions in the olive oil until translucent (approximately 5 minutes).
2. Add the beans, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, mango, all spice, coriander, salt, and red pepper flakes. Turn up the heat until the pot is brought to a rolling boil.
3. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Make sure the pot is covered with a little room for the steam escape. Make sure to stir often.
4. After 45 minutes the sauce will thicken and the mangoes will cook down. Turn off the heat and add the liquid smoke and agave nectar and let the beans stand for 5 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed, then serve.

So my New Years resolution this year is to be vegetarian. So far it’s been good! My boyfriend decided to do this with me, so it’s nice to have some support. My step-mother has also been a vegetarian for over 10 years so I have support from her as well. Anyways, when her and my dad got married this summer they served this chili. When I was eating it I didn’t even realize it was vegetarian but it was SO good. She sent me the recipe before New Years so I could start off vegetarianism the right way!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil(I used 1 tbsp of flavoured olive oil)
• 2 cloves of garlic (I used 3)
• 2 onions (I used 1)
• 2 bell peppers of any colour
• 3 stalks of celery
• 1 cup of fresh vegetables (your choice, I used green onions and peas)
• 1 package of ground round (vegetarian)
• 3 cans of tomato soup
• 1 can of diced tomato
• 1 can of corn (I used 2)
• 3 cans of beans (any type)
• A few chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
• 4 tbsp of Mexican chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp of salt and pepper (I didn’t add salt, but I did add a pinch of crushed red pepper)

Directions:

1. Dice all the veggies.
2. Saute the garlic and onions in the olive oil.
3. Add the ground round, making sure to crumble and stir thoroughly.
4. Add all the other veggies (I added the green onion here).
5. Add the chili powder and cayenne pepper. Stir to blend.
6. Add the tomato soup and diced tomato. (We used condensed tomato soup so added 3 cans full of water at this point)
7. Add beans, corn, peas, salt, and pepper. (We drained all of our cans and rinsed with water)
8. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
9. Stir in chocolate chips (until melted).

This recipe makes a TON. I started it in one huge pot and it just got too full so I had to go into another pot. So use a huge pot for this! It’s delicious though, and nobody will realize it’s vegetarian which is kind of awesome because it’s stealthy. It’s really delicious too. I used 3 cans of 6 types of mixed beans so it’s got a really awesome vibe to it. I love kidney beans and there’s red and white in this chili as well as chickpeas, lima beans, black eyed peas and something else! They’re delicious though. It’s really filling – you definitely do not need a lot. It’s a bit time intensive because you’re dicing all the vegetables but then you just leave it to do its thing on the stove.

We were planning on making some vegan peanut butter pancakes to eat for breakfast this morning, but it didn’t happen. Maybe tomorrow!

I made this over the summer while I was visiting my mom. She works long hours and so I wanted to have dinner ready for her (along with Virgin Lime Margaritas!). This was a pretty good dinner though it needed some protein. I should have mixed some chicken in or something, and had a salad to go along the side with it. Instead we just had this, which was still good!

Baked Lemon Spaghetti
From Recipe Girl 

Ingredients:

• 1 package spaghetti
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 16oz carton sour cream
• 1/3 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 tbsp lemon zest, finely grated
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup parsley
• pepper and salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cook the spaghetti al dente in water with the olive oil, according to the directions from the package. Drain and then place the spaghetti in a bowl. Put aside.
3. In a medium skillet, melt the butter and then add the garlic for 1-2 minutes. The garlic should be lightly browned and aromatic. Remove from heat and then stir the sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Pour the sauce over top of the spaghetti and mix well. Then add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and parsley.
4. Have a greased 1.5 quart casserole dish ready and pour the spaghetti mixture into the pan. Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Once done, remove from the oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan over top. Drizzle some lemon juice over and sprinkle pepper and salt on top. Put back into the oven and bake for an additional 7-8 minutes until the cheese has melted.

In my city, there is this really amazing pizza bistro. They make everything from scratch, and they make tons of divine gourmet pizza. You can customize your pizza too, and get it thin crust, whole wheat crust, gluten free crust etc. My favourite is the “Southern Belle” which is chicken marinated in Frank’s hot sauce, celery, cheese, blue cheese dressing, bacon, etc. It’s delicious. I’ll have to find a new favourite soon though because I’ve decided that starting January 2012 I’m going vegetarian! Yikes, but it’ll be worth it.

Anyways. I made this for dinner one night trying to replicate the pizza from the bistro. I made the dough from scratch and then winged it for the pizza. Sorry if my measurements aren’t really accurate, but I wasn’t measuring. Honestly, I think if you eyeball it you’ll be okay. The recipe for the Southern Belle is for 2 pizzas, but the pizza dough recipe only makes 1 pizza base. So you’ll have to double it to make 2 pizzas.

Southern Belle Pizza
Pizza Dough Recipe from Cooking Light Way to Cook

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 2/3 cup of warm water
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tbsp cornmeal (omitted)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let it stand for five minutes. Stir in the honey and then add the 1 3/4 cups of flour, cornmeal, oil, and salt. Form a soft dough.
2. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until elastic and smooth. Slowly add the rest of the flour. Place in a glass bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray and cover. Leave the dough in a warm area to rise for 40 minutes or until it has doubled in bulk.
3. Punch dough down after rising and roll into circle. Place on baking sheet and cook according to instructions for recipe.

Southern Belle Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2 homemade pizza doughs
• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• Frank’s red hot sauce (or any hot sauce)
• 5 stalks of celery, chopped
• shredded mozzarella (I had a packaged one, I used it all)
• Blue cheese dressing 

Directions:

1. Pre-bake the pizza dough on 350 for 15 minutes.
2. Marinate the shredded chicken in hot sauce. You’ll have to eyeball it here because it really depends on how spicy you like it!
3. Spread cheese over the pizza, then spread the chicken, blue cheese dressing, and celery across the pizza as well. Cover with more cheese, then drizzle the cheese with blue cheese dressing and hot sauce.
4. Bake until cheese is burnt and dough is crispy on 425.

This is yet another recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours. I really recommend this book, nothing I’ve made from it has turned out badly. I made these way back in July (they’ve been sitting as a draft!!!) but I definitely remember them still. They were delicious, they were nice and spicy and really crumbly without being dry. Everyone gobbled these up like crazy, they were gone within 2 days. They make a lot of cookies, maybe around 30+. Depends how thick you slice the log.

Spiced Sables
Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup of sifted confectioner/icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp of sea salt
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of ginger
• 1/4 tsp of nutmeg (fresh)

Directions:

1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature. If it’s in a pool of it’s own grease it’s too warm unfortunately, and can mess up the recipe. Using a stand mixer, mix your butter with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the sugars and salt to your butter. Mix on medium speed until smooth and velvety not airy and fluffy (don’t overwork!!!). This should take approximately 1 minunte.
3. Add the two egg yolks to the mixture on low speed, until well blended.
4. If making spiced sables (cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger) whisk the spices into the flour. Add the flour to the bowl and cover the stand mixer with a towel. Pulse the mixture until the flour is barely incorporated (don’t overwork the dough!). The dough should be moist, and will not form a uniform ball. When ready it will have the consistency of Play-Doh.
5. Take the dough and place it on plastic wrap. Bring it together into a ball, then divide it into half. Roll each half into a 9″ log, then wrap it in plastic. Place in the fridge for at least 3 hours (it can be stored up to 3 days in the fridge, 2 months frozen in the freezer).
6. After the dough has been chilled, pre-heat the oven to 350F. Place a rack in the centre.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
8. If you want to decorate the dough with sugar, brush egg yolk along the log and sprinkle with sugar.
9. Slice the log into 1/3″ thick cookies. Trim the edges if ragged.
10. Place the rounds onto your lined baking sheet, 1″ apart. Bake for 17-20 minutes and rotate the pan half way through. The cookies will be golden along the edges and the bottom, while the top will be pale. Allow the cookies to stay on the pan for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack.
11. Repeat with the 2nd log of dough!

These cookies were really great. There were a lot of different options to try out, and I went with the spiced ones because they sounded delicious. If I’m not mistaken, a sable is a sort of French shortbread except they’re made with egg yolk. Sable in French does mean “sandy” which really describes these cookies well I think. They’re very crumbly but somehow are very moist (likely the egg yolk and 2 sticks of butter!). Make these for Christmas and someone is sure to gobble them up!

Sorry.

I made this as dessert for my father’s birthday, back in March… I can’t believe I forgot about this recipe. It’s so delicious and the best part is that it’s so incredibly simple. My boyfriend’s dad makes this and it’s an excellent end to dinner.

It’s a Martha Stewart recipe, which in my experience can be hit or miss. This one is definitely a hit though.

Blackberry and Ginger Trifle
Martha Stewart.com 

Ingredients:

• 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 12-16 oz of cubed pound cake (homemade or store bought)
• 2 cups cold heavy cream
• 2 packages of blackberries

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve. Put your ginger into this syrup, and cover and set aside for 20 minutes to 1 hr. The longer you set aside, the more intense the ginger flavour will be.
2. Cut your poundcake into slices, and place on wax paper after the syrup has cooled. Brush the syrup across the slices, without taking the ginger. Use all the syrup.
3. Cut your slices into cubes. Put aside.
4. Whip your cream with the 1/4 cup of sugar, until soft peaks form. This is easier with a handbeater.
5. Arrange the cream, blackberries, and pound cubes in alternating layers. You can put it in either individual serving containers, or one large glass container.

This was a simple but delicious dessert. Just make sure to have fresh ingredients since it relies on so few ingredients. You can easily make this trifle look really fancy (clear glass bowl), but my family is more of a “put it on the table right away!” family. I think this trifle would be a nice summer dessert to have, especially when blackberries are in season.

I made this one night when Sean and I were desperately hungry, but wanted minimal effort. We had put chicken in the oven to cook, but wanted something to go with it. I had previously bought udon noodles, and hadn’t had a chance to use them so I thought something with that may be good. I scoured through my cookbooks trying to find a simple, but achievable recipe. I flipped through the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, the Cooking Light Way to Cook: The Complete Visual Guide to Everyday Cooking, and then I finally settled on a recipe from the Veganomicon. The Veganomicon seemed to have answered my cooking wish: it gave me a stir fry that was full of delicious veggies, and had udon noodles!

While the original recipe is vegan, I didn’t make a vegan stir fry (obviously) due to my inclusion of chicken and chicken broth. I would have gone vegan, but this is what I had on hand at the time. So my apologies to anyone who may be offended by the non-veganification of a vegan recipe. I don’t want to give the impression that I don’t feel food is tasty unless there is meat. I love vegan food, and I hope that shows on my blog. I’m going to post the original vegan recipe, and then next to it in bold the adaptations I made. Keep in mind this was heavily adapted based on what I had in the kitchen.

Curried Udon Noodle Stir-Fry
Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

Ingredients:

Curry roux sauce:

• 2 tbsp peanut oil (I used sesame oil blended with soybean oil)
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder (I used hot curry powder)
• 1/2 tsp garam masala (I used madras curry paste)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
• 2 tsp sugar (I didn’t use the full 2 tsp, maybe 1 tsp total)
  
  Curried Udon Noodle Stir-Fry:

• 1/2 lb of fresh udon, or dried udon (I used a fistful)
• 2 tbsp peanut oil (I used sesame oil blended with soybean oil)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 hot chile, sliced finely (optional, and I didn’t do it)
• 1 tsp grated ginger (I didn’t have ginger, thus I didn’t use it)
• 1 red bell pepper (I also didn’t have a bell pepper!)
• 2 seitan cutlets (I used chicken)
• 1/2 lb of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/4 vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
•  2-3 tbsp soy sauce, preferably a Japanese brand
• 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes

Directions:

I feel like I’ll be making this recipe again sometime soon.

I attended my father’s wedding in June, and my step-mother had only one request for me: to make some vegan desserts as she had vegan guests attending. The wedding itself was amazing, very low key and informal. The dinner was a pot luck which was really fun.

I’m not vegan, but I definitely love vegan food. I find it’s always really tasty, and I had a lot of fun making these desserts (though at the time it was stressful to figure out how I was going to transport everything!).  I ended up making a Smlove Pie (which I’ve made before), and some Vegan Cookies ‘n Cream cupcakes. This time I made the Smlove pie the “correct way” (i.e. made the chocolate ganache, and maple candied pecans). I also bought Brown Rice syrup for it. It doesn’t look as pretty as the first time I made it because the almonds aren’t there to present a contrast against the dark chocolate, and there was a lot of chocolate ganache so the pie is just really full from the ganache. However, this pie was amazing. It was so delicious, everyone (including non-vegans) were desperate for a taste. They weren’t allowed to though until the vegans got a chance.

(I’m not sure who decided the pie should be served with a spoon?)

I’m not going to post the recipe again but I will link you to it! Vegan Smlove Pie from Veganomicon (this time I followed the recipe to a T so it is COMPLETELY vegan. The only thing I did different was use oreo cookies as the base instead of graham crackers, because I couldn’t find vegan graham crackers).

I also made the most delicious cupcakes I’ve had in a long time: Cookies ‘n Cream cupcakes. They were really moist, and just had an awesome flavour.

Cookies ‘n Cream Cupcakes
Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero, and Sara Quin

Chocolate Cupcake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of coarsely chopped vegan sandwich cookies (I used oreos, which are vegan)

Directions:

1. Line your muffin pan while pre-heating the oven to 350F.
2. Add the apple cider vinegar to your soymilk, and whisk together. This will curdle the soymilk and thicken it up (like buttermilk). Allow it to rest for a few minutes as it thickens.
3. After your soymilk curdles, add your vanilla, sugar, almond extract, and oil to the soymilk. Whisk together until the mixture is foamy.
4. In a separate bowl, sift your flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda together. Divide the dry ingredients into two batches, add separately to your wet ingredients. Beat until there are no lumps, or very few. Then incorporate your cookies.
5. Place in the oven after filling the liners 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Once cupcakes have baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack immediately. Cool completely.

Fluffy Vegan Buttercream Icing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening (Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (Earth Balance)
• 3 1/2 cups confectioner sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (I also used almond extract to complement the almond in the cupcake)
• 1/4 cup soymilk or soy creamer (I used soycreamer)
• 1/2 cup finely crushed sandwich cookies
• 6 cookies cut into halves as garnish

Directions:

1. Beat margarine and shortening together until fluffy. (I used my KitchenAid)
2. Add the sugar to your mixture and beat for approximately 3 minutes.
3. Add the soymilk, and vanilla, and beat for 5-7 minutes. (I added the almond extract here too)
4. Slowly incorporate the crushed cookies, mix well.
5. Once your cupcakes have completely cooled off, ice them! Add cookie halves as garnish.