Homemade Naan Bread

Hello again! Sorry for the huge time lapse between posts. My life as a student has left little time for cooking and baking and even less time to blog about my day to day adventures. However, today I offer you a recipe for homemade naan bread. Most people think you need a tandoor oven to make delicious naan bread, but a cast iron skillet does the job perfectly. The recipe is incredibly easy, and costs a fraction of store-bought or restaurant naan bread. And, it is delicious!

Homemade Naan Bread

recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's cookbook, World Vegetarian

5 cups white flour (you could probably use any flour, but I have only used white)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

2 tbsp. plain yogurt (I used about 3)

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 egg

1 tbsp. melted butter, plus more for cooking with

1/2 tsp. nigella and 1 tsp. sesame seeds (I did not use these)

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar and yogurt with an electric mixer. Add the milk and water to yogurt and mix well. Slowly begin adding 2 cups of the flour mixture, little bits at a time. When all of the flour is incorporated, mix well for 2-3 minutes on medium speed to build up the gluten in the flour. Add the melted butter and the egg and mix well. Now slowly begin adding the rest of the flour, switching to a wooden spoon when the mixture becomes too thick for the electric mixer. The dough should be very soft and sticky. Dump it out onto a floured surface and knead a few times with oiled hands. Divide the dough into 8-12 balls, depending on the size of your cast iron pan (I did 12 for my medium sized cast iron pan). Liberally dust a baking tray with flour and place the balls two inches apart. Press and flatten the balls slightly with your floured hand and cover them with a tea towel (please do not use plastic wrap, a towel works just as well). Refrigerate the naan for at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours. 

When you are ready to cook them, preheat your pan for 5 minutes. Melt a few more tablespoons of butter and dip your fingers in it. Take one naan at a time and press and shape them into a tear drop shape about 6 or 7 inches long (or long enough that the dough is about 1/2 inch thick and it will fit nicely onto your pan). Brush the top with a bit more butter and place (buttered side down) onto the hot pan. Sprinkle a small amount of seeds onto the top of the dough (if you are using them). Cook for about 2 minutes, or until nicely browned. Now because I don't use the seeds, I simply butter the top and then flip my naan over and cook them for another 2 minutes on the other side. However, the seeds would probably all fly off if you did that, so You can finish it off under the broiler until nicely blistered and brown. Cook all of the naan this way and keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to eat them. 

I would recommend only cooking enough to eat with your meal and leaving the rest in the fridge so you can make fresh ones as you want them over the next 2 days. Fresh off the pan is really the best way to have them. Or you could just cook them all and then eat a ridiculous amount of buttery, hot naan and feel really indulged and satisfied. I fully support that method :). 

I don't have a picture of the finished product, but this is what they should look like:

Tonight we are having this delicious bread with chana masala, recipe found here, and bengali spiced squash, also in World Vegetarian. 

What have you been cooking lately?

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Oh my, this is good. Bright flavours, and when paired with jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, pure swoon-worthy taste.

The original recipe has been found on my newest blog obsession, Smitten Kitchen. I have made several of the recipes off of this site, and each and every one of them have been absolutely amazing.  I adapted this recipe a fair amount, so visit over there for the original, and for loads more inspiration!

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 giant cloves (or 4 regular sized), chopped

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 cinnamon stick

salt and pepper

1/2 of an acorn squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

3/4 pound red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups vegetable stock

1 28oz can chickpeas, drained

2 cups tomato puree (or one 14oz can)

pinch of paprika

pinch of cayenne (optional, for a bit of heat)

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup halved green olives (drained)

cilantro, for garnish

toasted slivered almonds, for garnish

jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk

Heat butter and olive oil in large pot. Add onion, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon and cook until onion is  translucent. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add squash and potato and saute for 5 minutes or so. Add tomato puree, chickpeas, and stock, taking care to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until squash and potato are soft, about 20 minutes. Add lemon juice and olives and stir well. Serve over rice*, garnished with cilantro and sliced almonds. Season accordingly. 

*to cook rice in coconut milk, simply replace water with coconut milk. Makes a very creamy, nutty rice.

This is an amazingly delicious stew. I wasn't too sure about the olives and lemon, but they add a nice balance to the flavours. If you really dislike olives, simply leave them out-the recipe will taste just as good, but may need a bit more salt. 

Enjoy! What have you been eating lately?

Brenna

Hearty Winter Vegetable Stew

This is the perfect meal for a cold winter's night. Pair it with a thick slice of bread slathered in butter and you have a stick-to-your-ribs meal without a whole lot of calories and plenty of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and vegetables!

Prior to thickening with flour

Ingredients

serves 2 for at least 2 meals

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1 medium potato, cut into 2 cm pieces

3 cloves garlic, diced

several mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup frozen peas (or any green that needs to be used up)

3 cups vegetable stock

3 cups water 

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup pot barley or any other grain

salt and pepper, to taste

2-3 tbsp. flour (to thicken to desired consistency)

You can also add broccoli, cubed tofu, or any other vegetable you have on hand, and you can use all stock or all water.

Saute all veggies, except peas, until golden in a large soup pot. Deglaze pot with wine, making sure to scrape all the little brown bits off the bottom of it. Add stock, water, bay leaf, and peas and bring to a boil. Add barley and simmer until it is tender, about 30-40 mins. Season to taste. Mix flour with a bit of softened butter or water, whatever you prefer, and stir into soup. Add more flour if it doesn't thicken enough for your liking. Simmer for another 10 minutes or so. 

This is a lovely quick meal that is frugal and reheats beautifully. I hope you try it, as it is a huge hit in our household! It can never hurt to have a glass of wine with it as well...

Enjoy!

Brenna

Warm Chocolate Pudding

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, I am feeling much better!

Tonight, I offer a recipe. Pudding was a staple dessert in my family growing up, probably because it contains nothing but pantry staples and is easy to make in large batches. There is nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of pudding on a cold night. I go back and forth between butterscotch and chocolate as my favourites. Tonight, chocolate won.

Chocolate Pudding

Serves 2 (or one if you are being indulgent)

2 cups milk or cream, whatever you have on hand

2 tbsp. cornstarch or flour ( I used gravy flour, a super fine flour made for thickening sauces)

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

2 egg yolks, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy bottomed pot, mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Add half of the milk and turn on to medium heat. Slowly add the rest of the milk. Heat slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute. Slowly add a small amount of hot liquid to egg yolks, beating well. Add egg yolk mixture back into pot and bring up to a boil again, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add vanilla. Strain if you desire ( I usually do as for some reason my egg yolks always leave a slightly grainy texture). Serve warm or chilled, however you like it.

Enjoy!

Brenna

A Delicious Dinner

I recently purchased two cabbages from the market and was at a bit of a loss with what to make with them. The most common use for cabbage in this household is a traditional meal to eat when feeling under the weather. This recipe is called Sick People Soup, and it uses up an entire half head of cabbage. The second half is usually then frozen and ready for the next batch of soup. But seeing as both of use have been feeling just dandy, I figured I needed to branch out a bit in my cabbage repertoire. Umpteen searches on the internet gave me the idea of vegetarian cabbage rolls. But a lot of the recipes called for soy "ground meat", an ingredient we don't eat because of the risks of it possibly containing genetically modified soy. So I was on the hunt for a different kind of recipe, one that sounded interesting and impossibly delicious. And I found it, along with 62 (yes, 62!) other cabbage recipes. No, they are not all vegetarian, but a large amount of them are, along with the hundreds of other recipes she has on her blog. Here is her link:

Seasonal Ontario Food's Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls with Cheese, Wild Rice, and Mushroom Sauce

They are ten times as good as they sound, and they sound amazing! The mushroom sauce is to die for, and it really made the cabbage rolls outstanding. This recipe is most definitely a keeper.

These are the rolls before being baked. I was so excited when they were ready, that I completely forgot to take a picture of the finished product with the sauce. They pretty much looked exactly like the picture on the original recipe's post, so I am trusting you to use that as a reference when envisioning mine. You really should make this, it is delightful. I ended up with 7 rolls and the only change I made was using green onion instead of chives, and we used dijon mustard in the sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce, which usually contains anchovies. 

 Go check out her blog, there are some incredible sounding recipes on it, and she is a Canadian!

Let me know if you made this, I would love to know what others thought of it.

Brenna

On My Mind... Fresh Summer Produce!

Joining in with Rhonda at Down To Earth for an On My Mind Post.

Today, I am thinking about all of the lovely fresh produce we have in the house and what to make with it. I am currently roasting some corn on the cob in the oven for a nice light lunch. Yesterday I made use of some fresh lettuce and cucumber from the market and some tomatoes from our very own pots in this lovely salad:

I topped my delicious lunch with some leftover falafel patties and homemade tzatziki from a meal earlier this week. It was pure heaven. Recipes for falafel and tzatziki can be found here. 

Join in with our posts over at Rhonda's for some fun!

Have a lovely day,

Brenna

Quiche Again!

Tonight, we had quiche for dinner again. I love quiche. It's a great way to use up lots of vegetables, and it feeds the two of us for at least 4 meals. This weeks was different from the last, as we are in the midst of different vegetable seasons at the market. This week's recipe is:

Summer Quiche


Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/4 cup ice water

Pulse flour and salt together in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until it is the size of peas. Slowly stream in water until dough is formed. Cover and let sit in the fridge while you get the filling ready.

Filling
6 mushrooms, sliced
1 cup sliced broccoli
1 cup sliced swiss chard
small handful pea greens
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 small onion, sliced
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie shell that has been rolled out and placed into a greased pie plate. Bake at 375 F for about 45-60 minutes.

Have a lovely evening,

Brenna

Handmade Pasta and a Birthday Dinner

Earlier last month was my dad's 50th birthday. His request for a present? A home cooked meal in our new kitchen that included cupcakes. Done. I love to cook for family, and this was the first meal D and I have cooked for company since our new kitchen was installed. We had the dinner last weekend, and here are a few photos of the main dish being prepared.

The Menu


Handmade fettuccine with pesto sauce (frozen from last year's garden)
Handmade spaghetti with tomato sauce (tomatoes canned 2 summers ago)
Sauteed beet greens with garlic
Steamed broccoli with olive oil
Green Salad with radishes and cucumber
Strawberry Shortcake with vanilla cupcakes and ice cream

Unfortunately, I did not think to take photos of anything but the pasta making process. Trust me when I say it was delicious! All of the vegetables were from the market along with the strawberries. Everything was made and eaten with love.

Homemade pasta is one of my all time favourite meals. It truly tastes entirely different from store bought pasta, and is surprisingly easy to make. We received our pasta attachment for our mixer as a Christmas gift last year, but you could do this easily with a hand crank or by hand! I really encourage you to give it a try, it is delicious!

Pasta Dough

4 large eggs

1 tbsp. water

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Place eggs, water, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix all together using either a wooden spoon or the dough hook attachment if using an electric mixer. Beat for 2 minutes with mixer, a bit longer by hand, until smooth dough forms. Hand knead for an additional 2 minutes. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes. Divide into 4 pieces and roll out to desired thickness. Cut into any size pasta. 

** We had to add a few more tablespoons of water to get it to come together, just do it by feel.

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes, until al dente. 

Enjoy! 

Brenna

Brain Food

Today I am writing a paper and doing some reading for my class, so I started my day off with some brain food.

Oatmeal cooked with raisins and topped with Holy Crap cranberry cereal, molasses, maple syrup, and soy milk. We got a bag of the Holy Crap cereal for Christmas, and I finally got around to opening it today. It consists of buckwheat, flax, chia, apple, cinnamon, and cranberries and is meant to be sprinkled on cereal and eaten raw. It is full of good fats and protein and provided a nice crunch to my oatmeal. Now I am off to continue writing! I will be making jam today or later on in the week, so I will be sharing that soon enough. Hope you have a great day.

Brenna

A Simple and Gourmet Mid Week Meal

Tonight, D cooked, and it was an amazing meal to come home to after a long work day. He worked today as well, but was off much earlier than me (the benefit of starting at the crack of dawn). This was his creation:

Cream sauce pasta with sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and onion topped with crispy pea shoots cooked in garlic and olive oil. On the side is roasted beets and sauteed beet greens with garlic and olive oil. It was to die for. The beets, asparagus, garlic, and pea shoots are all from the market and the mushrooms are local and organic. I have always eyed up beets, but never purchased them before. I am an official beet lover now! Roasting them made them sweet and buttery, and the greens were amazing! A great way to use the entire vegetable.

This entire post should be credited towards him, as he even took the time to take pictures for me while cooking, knowing I would want to post it on here. All of the pictures are his, except the top one. I am so thankful to have this great man in my life! Plus, the guy is a great cook. What more could I ask for?

I am sorry for my absence, school has begun with a bang once again and most of my time lately has been dedicated to reading the texts and working, along with night class. Hope all is well in your world.

Brenna

Yogurt Pancakes

I love pancakes. Particularly blueberry buttermilk pancakes. But we don't always have milk or buttermilk in the fridge, so I found a recipe for pancakes that uses yogurt (a constant staple for us) instead. These pancakes are light and moist and have a lovely tang from the yogurt. I have adapted the original recipe, found here. So here is my version:

Yogurt Blueberry Pancakes


Serves 2


1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp chia seeds
1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup frozen blueberries

Whisk together dry ingredients and make a well in the middle of them. Add wet ingredients, and whisk together. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until bubbly. Butter a hot skillet and dollop some batter onto it. Dot with blueberries and cook until golden brown. Keep warm in an oven set to 150-200 degrees F until all pancakes are cooked.

The chia seeds are purely optional, but they provide a great crunch to the batter, and add omega fatty acids. The whole wheat flour gives them great texture, fibre, and makes you feel full longer. We had them with home canned pears from last summer. The blueberries were frozen from last summer as well.  The batter will be very thick and bubbly, but don't add more yogurt unless the flour isn't completely absorbed. The thickness makes the pancakes moist and fluffy. Enjoy!

Brenna

For the Love of Falafel

Oh deary me, this is probably my favourite meal in existence, and has been a LONG time since we have made it. It is not exactly a winter friendly ingredient list, and I hate out of season tomatoes. But the warm weather we have been enjoying lately sent me into a craving induced craze, so I broke down and bought some. And oh boy, it was so worth it. I give you Falafel:

This is a homemade pita bread (recipe found here), homemade tzatziki, and homemade falafel patties. This meal is a bit labour intensive, but it is so incredibly delicious, and worth every minute. Here are the recipes:

Tzatziki

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely diced

1 1/4 cups plain greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. chopped mint leaves

salt and pepper

Peel, seed, and finely dice cucumber. Squeeze out all of the excess liquid with your hands, and then put the cucumber in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Taste, and adjust seasonings.

Falafel

** Original Recipe from the  Rebar Cookbook**

1/4 cup bulghur

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, diced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. red chile flakes

1 cup bread crumbs

3 cups canned or cooked chickpeas

2 tbsp. tahini (or almond/peanut butter)

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

Roast bulghur on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven for about 5 minutes. Cool, and grind up in a spice grinder, or in a mortar and pestle. Heat olive oil in a pan, and fry onion until soft. Add garlic and spices and saute for a few minutes. 

In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients and blend until they form a ball. You can also do this part with your hands and/or a potato masher, it will just take longer. You can now refrigerate the dough, or just make the falafels. 

To make the falafels, shape them into little patties, or basically to whatever size you prefer. You can then either bake them, or pan fry them. To bake them, just put them onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-20 minutes, until golden and crispy. To pan fry them (which is what we usually do), heat up some olive oil in a pan, and fry the falafels until they are crispy and hot throughout. Serve them with slices of tomato, cucumber, and lettuce, and, (of course), lots of tzatziki. 

Seriously, you need to make this. Don't be turned off by the chile flakes or the cayenne, they are not spicy at all. But if you are really nervous of them, just leave them out. The dough keeps in the fridge for up to a week, and can make a nice quick lunch or dinner during the week. This recipe serves the two of us for one big dinner, and at least 2 or 3 lunches. You can easily double the recipe if you have a big family. They are very filling and incredibly satisfying, with lots of protein, fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants. Can't beat that! Now all we need are some garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and we are set! 

Happy Falafel!

Brenna

From My Kitchen To Yours...

I offer you this delightful recipe, that I am enamoured with! These days I am craving light and bright spring meals (think quinoa salad, veggie burgers, falafels, and fresh fresh vegetables). However, considering I live in the Great White North (aka Canada), that won't be happening for another couple months. So instead, I made this. And it is so good. Although some people I know do not like curries so much (judge!), this is very good, despite the fact that it contains what some would call "curry spices". So those of you afraid of said spices, I encourage you to try it! The original recipe is found here, but I tweaked it to fit our tastes. So here is my rendition:

Moroccan Vegetable Pie with Chickpea Crust

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
3 carrots, sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 zucchini, sliced (unpeeled)
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup cooked chickpeas (recipe to follow)
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp. peanut butter

Chickpea Crust


1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/3 cup unsalted butter (or vegan shortening would be fine)
3 tbsp. cold water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 cups flour (I used white, but whole wheat or spelt would be fine)
1 tbsp. milk (soy, almond, cows)

In a large pot fry onion and carrots in olive oil until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and spices, and cook for another minute or two. Add zucchini, broccoli, and chickpeas. Cook until tender. Add tomatoes and lemon juice. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in peas, cilantro, and peanut butter.

Meanwhile, make the crust. Pulse butter, flour, chickpeas, salt, and spices together in a food processor. Pulse in butter until it is the size of peas. Slowly add water until a crumbly dough is formed. Dump out onto your counter and knead for about 2 minutes. Cut in half and roll out into two ten inch circles (it takes a bit to get it this big and it will be very thin. Don't stress out, it will be fine!). Fit into a greased 9 inch pie plate. Fill with vegetable mixture. Brush edge with milk, then top with remaining pastry. Make it look pretty (if that's your thing), and cut a couple vents on the top. Bake in a 400 F oven (thats 200 C) for 40 minutes. Serve warm!

After Baking...yum

Now, the best tasting and cheapest way to include chickpeas in this dish is by cooking them from dried! It is incredibly easy, and only requires a bit of planning ahead. So the night before you make this, measure out one cup of dried chickpeas (this will make 2 cups cooked, enough for the filling and crust). Put them into a large bowl and cover them with about 3 times their volume in cold water:

Leave them to soak overnight. The next morning/afternoon, drain them and rinse them, discarding any that floated to the top of the water. Then put them in a big pot and cover then with the same amount of water again. Bring to a boil, and cover them. Simmer them for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and voila! Delicious chickpeas cooked from dried! And they taste SO much better, I swear! 

Happy Cooking!

Brenna

A Week Of Soup

When I look outside I see this...

And what does that make me want to eat? Soup, and lots of it! This week's menu featured three meals of the warm stuff, and I thought I would share them with you.

Monday

Soup from the freezer! On the left is Broccoli Cheddar (my mom's recipe), and on the right is what we call Nonna Soup. Basically, it's an incredibly delicious tomato barley soup made by D's Nonna (Italian for Grandmother). We have a pending lesson from her on how to make this soup, but we always have a supply of it from her in the freezer, because she knows we love it!

Wednesday

Bean Soup! D's mom's recipe, also incredibly simple. Made with the beans I froze last year, potatoes, and dried basil. So good, especially with homemade rosemary focaccia, which is exactly what we had with it. 

And finally, Friday

Curried Parsnip soup, found here. This was the first time we made this recipe, and it was amazing! It didn't make very much though, so next time I will double the recipe so that we have some the next day for leftovers. 

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

1/2 cup butter (or olive oil)

3 medium carrots, diced 

1 medium onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1/2 cup flour

2 tbsp. organic cornstarch

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (homemade is best)

4 cups milk (cow, goat, soy, almond, you choose)

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup lightly steamed broccoli

Melt butter in large soup pot. Add carrot, onion, and celery, and saute until soft. Add flour and cornstarch, mix well, then add stock and milk slowly. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick. Add baking soda and cheese, stir until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Keep it warm (not boiling) on the stove, letting the flavors come together for about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli at the end of cooking time, and heat through. 

What are your favorite winter meals?

Brenna

On the Menu

I am basking in one week off of work right now, and am spending a lot of time reading and just plain relaxing! However, we do have to eat, and I am having some fun flexing my culinary muscles and not baking sweets for a change! Here is tonight's menu:

Whole Wheat Oat and Honey Bread:

and Tuscan Bean Soup, with red chard (or kale, depending on availability), and rosemary:

I'm telling you, the house smells fantastic! This is only my second time working with dried beans, and I have to say I am hooked! For some reason, I always pictured cooking with dried beans as this insanely labour-intensive process that was a total waste of time. But now that I know that it is actually very easy and (so!) cheap, I am an official convert! Not to mention the fact that by cooking with the dried variety, you are avoiding the horrible BPA lining on most tins (except Eden Organics, whom I love for not using any BPA in their bean products). This is for sure a healthy, frugal, and environmentally sound way of cooking. Beans are full of antioxidants, and are an excellent source of vegetarian protein. This soup is divine, nice and spicy and tomatoey, with a lovely crunch from the kale/red chard. It has rosemary and bay leaves, and uses no stock, only water, making it low in sodium, and allowing the natural flavors of the vegetables and spices to come through. The recipe is from the Rebar cookbook, which is a delightful vegetarian restaurant located in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I have only eaten at the restaurant once, and it was amazing, and the book is equally so. We have tried several recipes from it, and they just get better and better. The focaccia is to die for.  I highly recommend it for learning unique and delicious vegetarian recipes. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and are enjoying this quiet time afterwards!

Brenna

** just as a side note, I am not paid to endorse anything on this blog, I am simply sharing my opinions on some of my favorite things, such as cookbooks :)

Pierogi Anyone?

Well, it has been a crazy past couple of weeks with lots of cooking and baking happening in our home!  One of the most exciting things we made were pierogies! We have made pasta by hand before,but this was a whole new ball game, and so satisfying. We own a Kitchenaid mixer, and we borrowed the pasta attachment from D's parents. The process was actually quite simple, just time consuming. But the recipe was HUGE! It said it made 6 dozen filled pierogies, but it actually made almost 12 dozen. Needless to say, we are set for pierogies in the freezer for quite some time. Well, maybe not, because they are so darn good, that we ate almost 3 dozen in 2 days when they were fresh!

We filled them with a mixture of roasted yam, leek, and smoked gouda from a local organic cheese farm. It was interesting, as the recipe said that the cheese added almost a bacon like flavor to the mixture, and being a vegetarian, I wasn't so keen on having bacon flavoring in my pierogies, but it added a whole new dimension to the flavors, and didn't taste meat-like at all, just nice and smoky.  We were very tired at the end of our pierogi marathon, but it was well worth the effort, as now we have a quick and esy meal in the freezer, and we know exactly what is in them. Our main problem with store bought varieties is that the dough contains eggs, which we are very particular about the kind we eat. Our eggs are vegetarian fed, organic, free range eggs from a farm just a few hours from our home. We know that the chickens are ethically treated, and have happy lives scratching in the dirt and wandering around outside. We also try to eat organic whenever possible, so now that we have made our own pierogi, we have control over the ingredients, which is a great feeling indeed. Have a great Monday!

Brenna