Maple Orange Tahini Dressing

Recipe from Use Real Butter

The blog post where I got this recipe from uses this dressing on a crunchy kale salad. I've done a number of variations of that salad with this dressing and I'm always happy with it. I just use kale and any other crunchy veggies I have, a granny smith apple, currants and whatever nuts I have in the house. Use the link above for the original salad recipe. Personally however, I find that salads are often a last minute thing where I use whatever veggies I have on hand, so having a good dressing recipe is the most important part! This one is quite tasty and works great with kale because it has more substance and is able to hold up to the kale without being oily and heavy.

What you'll need
Juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp tahini
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup olive oil
Lemon juice to taste

How to
1.  Place the orange juice, syrup, tahini and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.

2.  Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl in a steady stream while constantly whisking. Add the lemon juice to taste.

3. Toss with salad and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Strudel

Recipe from Canadian Living Magazine.

I was complaining to my sister-in-law the other day that I don't really find cooking enjoyable anymore. Maybe that happens when you're over-tired and lucky if you have your hands free for ten minutes at a time. Cooking has turned into a chore that I must strategically plan into my day if we don't want to eat frozen pizza for dinner again. Yesterday however, I decided to make a yummy dinner and to enjoy myself while doing it. It still took some strategic planning and pretty much took me all day to make, but in the end I was quite happy with myself and the final result.

There is something about roasted vegetables that is so delicious! The flavours in this strudel balance each other out perfectly without any being too overpowering. We had this for dinner, but it would be nice for an appetizer too.

What you'll need

2 sweet onions, thinly sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

4 vine-ripened tomatoes or Roma tomatoes, cut in 1 cm (1/2-inch) thick slices

1/2 tsp pepper

1 head garlic

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 eggplant, cut in 2 cm (3/4-inch) cubes

2 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 1 cm (1/2-inch) thick slices

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

8 sheets phyllo pastry

1 pkg (140 g) goat cheese

How to

1.  Toss together onions, 1 tsp of the oil and pinch of the salt; spread on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes on separate parchment-lined baking sheet; brush with 1 tsp of the remaining oil. Sprinkle with pinch of the remaining salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper.

2.  Slice off top third of the garlic head to expose cloves; place on foil. Drizzle cut side with 1 tsp of the remaining oil; wrap to form package.

3.  Bake onions on bottom rack of 400F oven, stirring occasionally, until deep golden, 50-55 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile, bake tomatoes and garlic on top rack until tomatoes are shrivelled and centres are dry, and garlic is tender, about 40 minutes.

5.  Scrape onions into bowl; stir in vinegar and mustard. Squeeze garlic cloves into separate bowl. Set onions, garlic and tomatoes aside separately.

6.  Toss eggplant with 1 tbsp of the remaining oil and remaining salt. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheet. Arrange zucchini on separate parchment-lined baking sheet; brush with remaining oil. Bake on top and bottom racks in oven, stirring each once, until vegetables are tender and eggplant is golden, about 40 minutes.

7.  In small saucepan, melt butter with thyme. Place 1 sheet of the phyllo on work surface with long edge facing you, keeping remainder covered with damp towel to prevent drying out. Brush lightly with some of the butter mixture. Top with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet lightly with some of the butter mixture. 

8.  Leaving 5 cm (2-inch) border at each short edge and starting 2.5 cm (1-inch) from the closest long side, spoon eggplant in 12 cm (5-inch) wide strip over phyllo. Top with zucchini, onions, tomatoes, then garlic. Crumble goat cheese over top; sprinkle with remaining pepper. 

9.  Fold in short sides; roll up tightly. Place, seam side down, on parchment paper-lined baking sheet; brush with remaining butter. Bake in 400F oven until golden, 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Recipe from Table for Two

Last week I had such a craving for Oreos. I had to bring a dessert to my brother-in-law's engagement party and though Oreo cheesecake bars are not the fanciest things in the world, they were really quite delicious! The best part (surprisingly) was the crust! I was wondering why the recipe bothered to grind up Oreos rather than just using Oreo cookie crumbs...but now I know why. The crust had the perfect amount of sweetness from the Oreo icing and it offset the tart cheesecake beautifully! 

What you'll need

For the crust:

23 Oreo cookies

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

6 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp sour cream, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

How to

1.  Preheat oven to 325F and line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang so that it's easy to pull the cheesecake out when done.

2.  To make the crust: in a food processor, pulse the Oreos until they're finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the cookies are moistened. 

3.  Transfer the ground Oreos to the prepared baking pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes then set aside, leaving the oven on.

4.  Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium high until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Mix in the sugar until well-combined.

5.  Blend in the sour cream, vanilla and salt. Beat in the egg and egg yolk until well-incorporated.

6.  Gently stir in the chopped Oreos.

7.  Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust and smooth out the top with a spatula. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the centre.

8.  Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, about 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours (or overnight). 

9.  Lift he overhanging parchment paper from the pan and place on a cutting board. Slice into bars, cleaning the knife after each slice to keep the edges pretty.

10.  Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. 

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Recipe from Inspired Dreamer

Here is a yummy and simple pasta recipe. It is nice and creamy without being too heavy. I added some shrimp to the dish because I had some on hand, and it was quite tasty!

What you'll need

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 - 15 oz. (about 445 mL) can diced tomatoes

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 oz. cream cheese (about 1/4 of a block)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 lb. penne pasta

1/2 bag (9 oz.) fresh spinach

How to

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 7-10 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander reserving some of the water for later.

2.  Meanwhile, cook garlic and onion in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and transparent, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and some freshly cracked pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and stir until the tomato paste is dissolved into the sauce.

4.  Turn the heat down to low. Cut the cream cheese into a few pieces and add to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Use a whisk to stir the sauce until the cream cheese has fully melted in and the sauce is creamy. Add half of the parmesan, and whisk until melted in. Add the remainder of the parmesan and whisk until melted in again.

5.  Add the spinach and gently stir it into the sauce until it has wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Add the pasta and stir until it is well coated. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve.

Lemon Cranberry Muffins

Recipe from The Baking Bookworm

If you haven't noticed, I really like muffins. 

What you'll need

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 large lemon

1 1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or vegetable)

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

How to

1.  Preheat oven to 400F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. 

2.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Zest the lemon and add to the dry ingredients. 

3.  Halve the lemon and juice it. Add 2 tbsp lemon juice to the milk and set aside. It will become slightly clumpy.

4.  Lightly beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the oil and milk mixture. Mix well.

5.  Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and gently combine, making sure not to over mix. Fold in cranberries (if using frozen, fold in while still frozen).

6.  Pour batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an air-tight container. Makes 12 muffins.

Toasted Almond and Chocolate Granola

Recipe from Love and Olive Oil

I love this granola! My favourite way to eat it is with plain yogurt and dark cherries (shown above). President's Choice now sells frozen dark cherries. I thaw them and add them to my yogurt. This granola is also delicious to snack on plain. My husband and I actually snack on it while watching TV. I like to think it's a little healthier that many other snack choices. 

I couldn't find the cocoa nibs at the grocery store (and with a newborn, I'm not about to start making extra trips to a specialty grocery store), so I omitted them. I can't tell you if it makes a difference or not, but I can tell you that this granola is super yummy even without the cocoa nibs!

What you'll need

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup slivered almonds

3 tbsp cocoa nibs

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips

How to

1.  Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  In a large mixing bol, stir together oats, coconut, almonds, cocoa nibs, and salt.

3.  In a heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup, microwave honey and oil on high power until mixture is hot and bubbling, about 45 seconds. Whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Stir in vanilla and almond extracts. Pour over dry ingredients and toss to coat.

4.  Spread granola onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is fragrant and not longer sticky, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool, stirring occasionally to break up the large pieces, for about 20 minutes.

5.  When granola is just barely warm, stir in chocolate chips. You want the chips to soften ever so slightly so they stick to some of the granola, but not melt completely. Granola will keep, stored in an airtight container, for up to 4 weeks. 

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad

Recipe from Family Spice

This salad is delicious! Really, I can't say it enough. And the best part is that it is super food central! It has kale, pomegranate, cranberry and quinoa in it. It is very exciting eating such a yummy salad that also happens to be very good for you!

What you'll need

1 cup quinoa (dried)

2 large leaves of kale, stems removed 

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp honey

2 tbsp grated orange zest

6 small oranges, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup mixed nuts (I just used pecans)

1/4 cup pomegranate arils

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

How to

1.  Make quinoa according to package directions. 

2.  Wash and finely chop the kale leaves. 

3.  In a food processor pulse cranberries, olive oil and honey to coarsely chop.

4.  When quinoa is done, transfer to a bowl with the kale. Stir and let cool to room temperature. 

5.  Stir the orange zest into the kale and quinoa mixture.

6.  When quinoa is cooled completely, gently stir in the oranges and cranberry mixture. Stir in the nuts, pomegranate and fresh mint.

7.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.