Creamy Shitake pasta

Hey guys.

How you doin'?

On my part, I'm pretty great. I'm not down from the Taboo Eats high just yet. I've some updates on this event and let me tell you, the next event?  it's going to be awesome! I'm not sure I can share with you just what it will be yet, so you'll have to wait! I know, I'm tease.

Speaking of which, this week I had to make the Decadent Tart for work. I think it was loved by everyone. A little birdy even told me she had 9!

Anyways! Enough about the Tarts!

I'm here to tell you about an unplanned recipe that popped into my head last night. I wanted to make a quick dinner for myself, something comforting and warm. Oh, and obviously delicious!

I made some sort of Creamy Shitake Alfredo sauce that I poured over whole wheat spaghettini. It was divine!

I don't have an actual official name for it. If you have any ideas, let me know!

Ok, here are the ingredients:

• 1 handful of spaghettini (you can use any pasta that you have in your pantry)
• 2 handfuls of shitake mushrooms
• 1/4 cup of thinly diced red onion
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/3 cup of grated mozzarella (optional, but delish)
• salt, pepper
• margarine and oil for cooking

1. Start your boiling water and cook the pasta according to the packaging. 
2. remove the stems from the shitakes, and julienne them.
3. In a deep frying pan, over medium-high, drop in 2 tablespoons of margarine and 1 tablespoon of oil. When it's melted and bubbling lightly, add the onions and shitake. Fry for about 5 minutes, or until onion are translucent.
4. Pour in the cream with a dash of salt and pepper. Lower the temperature to medium-low and mix well. Keep stirring, it will keep the cream from burning and sticking to the pan. 
5. Drop in the Parmesan cheese and mix until melted and the cream has thicken. You can add cheese if you think it's not sauce-like enough, or cream if you find it too thick. 
6. Cook for about 2 minutes. 
7. Drain the pasta and pour them in frying pan containing the sauce. Mix, making sure the pasta is getting covered in sauce. 
8. (now this part is optional) Set the oven to broil. Pour everything in an oven-proof bowl, sprinkle the mozzarella and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. 
9. Take out, let stand for 5 minutes and serve. 

YUM!

(excuse the photo, I only thought about taking it once I had dived into my dish)

Drum roll please.... THE RECIPE!

ok ok ok!
Here it finally is! The recipe for the Decadent Tart!!!

But first, here are some of the comments I got in my lil comment book at my table for Taboo Eats :

(Some of them are in French, I will put the translation underneath.)

«Mmm-mmmmmm! Délicieux! Tes bouchées goutent comme le ciel dans ma bouche!»

Mmm-mmmmmmm! Delicious! Your bites tast like heaven in my mouth! 

 ''Very Very good!"

''Very inventive!''

''I love you, can't wait for your book. I follow your blog and love THIS idea! Keep up the good work!''

«Tu as su créé un canapé for coloré... Mais quelle surprise en bouche! Bravo!»

You've managed to create a colorful canapé... But what a surprise in my mouth! Bravo!''

WHOOP!

Yield 24-30

Crust-cracker

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups of vegetable shortening (Crisco)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 4-8 tablespoons of iced-water

Red wine poached pears

• 2/3 cups of fruity red wine. I've used Linden Bay from Australia, it's found at Loblaws (10.99)
• 2 Bartlett pears, thinly sliced. A mandolin works wonders.

Whipped rosemary goat cheese

• 140 g of soft plain goat cheese (about a cup)
• 3/4 cup of whipping cream
• 1-2 tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped, rosemary
• pinch of salt and pepper

Maple Praline pecans

• about 1 cup of halved pecans
• 1/2 cup of maple syrup

Crackers

1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
2. This is easy, it's pretty much follow the instructions on the Crisco pack. But anyways, in a large bowl, pour in your flour, salt and pepper. Mix.
3. Add the Crisco, and using a dough blender or like me, a metal whisk, break in the shortening into the flour till it looks like gravel.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of your iced-water and mix it with a fork. It's all about breaking the shortening into the flour and water. Add water till the dough isn't crumbly too much.
5. Using your hands, make a ball with the dough. Put a little but of flour on a dry, flat surface and place the ball on it.
6. Flatten the ball a bit before flouring your rolling pin. Roll out the dough until it becomes a flat sheet. about 1/4 on an inch.
7. Using a cookie cutter or  glass, in any shape cut out pieces till you don't have any more dough.
8. Place on parchment paper, using a fork, poke holes in the pieces (it will keep it from bubbling up)
9. Bake for 10-15 minutes. I set my timer on 5 minutes and checked each time.
10. Let cool.

Poached pears

1. While the dough is baking, peel the pear and rid it of it's seeds using a de-seeder.
2. Take out your mandolin, and set it to the thinnest slice that you can. Slice pears.
3. In a sauce pan, over medium-heat, drop in the pears and the wine. Make sure the pears are covered by the wine. If not, add more wine.
4. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, then drain and let cool completely.

Whipped goat cheese

1. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the whipped cream.
2. When it starts to thicken, add a pinch of salt, the rosemary and the soft goat cheese. Whip till everything is well blended and fluffy.

Praline pecans

1. In a frying pan, over medium-high, drop the pecans and maple syrup.
2. Using a spatula, mix, making sure the pecans are well coated.
3. Keep stirring until the syrup is thick and caramel like.
4. Spread the pecans on a flat parchment paper and let cool.

Now all that's left is assembling it!

A cracker, 1-2 slices of pears, goat cheese (about the size of a gum ball), 2 pecans, a drizzle of maple syrup for extra yum and a itty bitty tiny pinch of salt. I've tried it out on co-workers and friends and they all loved it!

And tadam! I know it has a lot of steps, but they're done simultaneously.

Enjoy! And let me know how it went :)

Oh what a Day/Night

Ahoy!

How are you all on the lovely gray Sunday?
Personally, I feel hung over. Hung over after a hard day of making food, selling food and having a blast! Alcohol free. It was one hell of a day!

Taboo Eats, ladies and gentlemen. For those of you who follow me on twitter and Facebook may have had a bit on a annoyance with my constant promotion of this event. But you know what? I'm not even sorry, lol!

The Day started out at 8, in the kitchen of the old Jail in Ottawa. This is where we prepped for almost 5 hours. And by we, I mean myself and my helper... aka mom. We got to hang out with some of the other non-chefs/competitors. Let me tell you, that kitchen smelled like heaven. This lady, Anjana makes her own curry spice blend. I mean, just imagine the aromas in that kitchen!

The prep went as I planned, except for the dough. People who bake probably know that pie crust dough is extremely temperamental. After 10 batches, rolling, cutting and baking 300-ish pieces, we succeeded! I am never making pie crust again. lol I DREAMED about it last night!

The night of the event was a blast. We set up our lil booth with a bit of sass and girlishness. A lot of people tried our lil tart. The music was good, the people were great and I was with my best friends! What could a girl want more?

 

helpers <3 Don't they look good in those aprons? Thanks g-mom!

At the end of the night, we decided to go around the other tables and share the few pieces we had left at our station. We got to do trades with the other non-chefs.

It was so much fun just to talk to them and share our experiences. Each and everyone of them were extremely talented and awesome people.

As for the dishes, if I had to pick just one, the mushroom risotto was A-MA-ZING. It's was gooey and warm and rich and mushroomy and freaking delicious.

Here is where it gets a bit ironic. The winner of the night was the only other Tart in the competition! Lol. Am I bummed that I didn't win? Not really. From the beginning I was doing this for the experience and the event itself. The guy, Justin, was SO happy and surprised that there was nothing else to do but to be happy WITH him and FOR him.

Oh and another awesome thing? All the left overs, whether they be from the prep or the event, went to the Ottawa Street Mission.

At the end of the day, life is about trying things that scare you and making it through. This is exactly what I did.

I am extremely proud of myself for even signing up! I am even more proud for making it to the actual competition. I am also so grateful for everyone that came out and for my helpers.
Carine, Stephanie and Louise (mom), I could never thank you enough for your help, your encouragement, your patience, your craziness and your love.

T'was a very very good night :)

Taboo Eats Update

Alright guys. Is everyone sitting down?
Deep breaths.

I GOT SELECTED FOR TABOO EATS!!!!!!!

I don't think I could be anymore excited than this! Out of 60+ entries, they picked 15-16 participants. I am one of those.

I'm taking this opportunity to thank everyone who tasted the dish, helping me making it a winning dish. It worked guys!

I would also like to invite you all officially to come taste it (and taste the other dishes that will presented).

Ok, write this down. Got a pen and paper? No? Go get it. Ok, got it?
Good.

September 29, 2012
Old Jail - Hi-Hostel Ottawa, 75 Nicholas Street
6 p.m to 10 p.m
$10 entry
$2-8 plates.

There will be drinks and beverages, live music, good food, cool people and cooler people including me and my 3 helpers. Carine, the bff peas 4 life. Stephanie, the work bff. And Louise, my momma. We'll be the ones in the matching apron with the winning Decadent Tart hehe.

You can get your tickets at tabooeats.com or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TabooEats/app_216160271817558.

I will post the recipe on September 30th. I PROMISE. With a bunch of awesome pictures for sure.
So go on! What are you waiting for? Who doesn't wanna spend a fun evening?

See you there!

Decadent Tart + Taboo Eats 2012

Hello fellow blog readers and food eaters!

How have you been?
Personally, I've been extra busy. Seems like time just flies by without me noticing!

I have a little news to share with y'all today.

On Friday morning of last week, Sept 7, I awoke to a newspaper carefully placed and framing a certain article. That said article was about a new culinary competition in the city of Ottawa. It's called Taboo Eats.
(tabooeats.com)

Upon reading the article, I realized that this newspaper was placed there for a reason (thanks mom). I needed to find out more.

So I said screw the shower, I need to check this out first. I clicked and fell in love with the concept! It's this event, where non-chefs get to present their food to a crowd. Festival style. This is the perfect opportunity for me to test out a recipe on other people than my friends and family. (I love you all, but you are a bit biased after all hehe <3)

So I signed up, found my recipe and just this morning, I dropped off my sample.
This is the part where you cross your fingers, and toes for me. They are selecting a few "competitors" for the main event on Sept. 29.

I'll find out tomorrow at 5 ish. OH! And it's at one of the coolest places in the City. The old Jail. I've been there about 5 times. It's rich in history and... ghost stories. I'm a HUGE fan of ghost stories so this event is pretty much made for me.

I guess you're wondering what I made huh?
It's called Decadent Tart. It's pretty much a re-organized tart. It has a flaky pie crust-like cracker. Red wine poached pears, rosemary whipped goat cheese and maple praline pecans.

Now, this happened so fast today, that I completely forgot to take pictures! But hopefully, I'll get picked and then I'll some extra good pictures to show you all.

I will keep you poster on whether or not i make it! Wish me luck!

recipe to come!

Well looky here—Guest Blogger—You Are What You Eat

Hi y'all.
Today's post is not a recipe. Well, maybe it kind of is, but not a "delicious-in-my-mouth" type of recipe. It's more of a lifestyle thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our very own, very first Guest Blogger!
Everybody say hi to Andrea! (Hi Andrea!) She is not only someone I loved working with, but she's been a shoulder for me, an ear and a friend. We are lucky that she wrote us a little somethin' somethin'. So without further ado, here is what she had to say!

P.s she left her info at the bottom, please check it out! It's VERY inspiring.

You Are What You Eat

For months I had been ignoring the subtle messages i.e. nausea, indigestion etc. my body was sending me to change my diet. It seemed nonsensical to me since I already eliminated dairy products, red meat, pork, refined flours, processed sugars and gluten.

So what was I going to eat? I wondered, because the smell of chicken, turkey and seafood became repulsive. Where was I going to get my protein? These were questions that hounded me and had me declaring to Roxanne how I love my lean meats and seafood.

I was resistant to switch to a vegan diet. But when my digestive system imploded, I heard the message loud and clear. So I educated myself and asked Roxanne many questions.

My ignorance dissipated. I no longer walked in a health food store and curled my nose at hemp, spelt, millet, quinoa, chia and flax seed. To me it sounded like bird food. However, knowledge is power!

I gradually incorporated these organic foods and went full-fledged vegan four months ago. Not only do I feel healthy, the meals are simple to prepare and satisfying.

One of my favorite recipes by Roxanne is kale chips. After I tasted one, I could not stop. They are highly addictive and because I love them so much, I forwarded the recipe to Anderson Cooper. This was part of a campaign to convert Anderson to enjoy kale. He’s not much into eating vegetables.

Maybe you aren’t either. That’s okay. I’m not advocating for others to become a vegan or implying that it’s a better way to eat. What I am suggesting, is to be mindful of the foods you put in your body. I believe you can eat anything, as long as it’s in moderation. After all, you are what you eat.

Biography

Andrea Lewis lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is the author of Dramaville is a not a place; it’s a state of mind. Her memoir promises to be filled with drama, emotional turmoil and an inspiration to never give up! Connect with Andrea at http://www.andreamlewis.com

LIME-onades

Hello!
How much are y'all enjoying Summer so far? Feeling a little perched?
I have two neat drink recipes for you to quench your thirst.
Super easy, as usual, sugar free and tasty. Made with 100% fresh ingredients!

First off, I have a Strawberry, Mint LIME-onade.
Why Lime-onade? Well because it's made with limes and not lemons!
When life hands you limes...

Here is what you will need (for one glass)

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 6-7 mediums size ripe strawberries, rinsed (the dark red ones)
• 5-6 leaves of fresh mint
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

1. Using a blender or Mortar and pestle, grind the strawberries to get the juices out. It should give you about 1/3 cup of juice. Whether you use the mortar or the blender, filter the juice from the flesh using a strainer.
2. In a tall glass, drop in the mint leaves. Using the pestle or the end of a wooden spoon, grind the mint directly in the glass, just as you would for a mojito.
3. Add the lime juice, the strawberry juice, the agave nectar and mix well. You can add the sweetener little by little and taste along the way. That way you can sweeten it to your liking.
4. Fill the glass with cold water, leaving about an inch at the top. Put in 2-3 ice cubes and garnish with a strawberry and fresh mint leaves. Voila!



Next up, it's a blueberry LIME-onade.

The ingredient go as such:

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 10-15 blueberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

The steps are the same, minus the mint crushing. Pop in a few blueberries to make it pretty and you are done!
So delicious and so easy!

Cool snack

So, this weekend I was out and about trying to get every last item needed to finally pack my suitcase (I'm leaving in 4 days! YAY!) when I came across these really cute Popsicle molds (see bellow)

I instantly craved for ice cream. Being that they were only 5.99, I bought the cuties and brought them home.
Now, I had to figure something nice and refreshing to make and I came up with this:

Coconut "ice cream cones"
Super easy. Sugar free. Dairy-free and deeeelicious.

Here are the ingredients (according to the size and number of molds)

• 1 cup of coconut cream, unsweetened (you can use coconut milk, but the cream is silkier and thicker)
• 4-5 black berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of splenda or 1 tablespoon of stevia.  You could also add real sugar, syrup or honey.
• 3 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix (yep, you read right)

1. Separate the coconut cream in half, into two bowls.
2. In one bowl, add half the vanilla, all the berries and half the sweetener.
3. Mix well, making sure to mash the berries.
4. Fill two of the molds.

1. Using the rest of the coconut cream, sweetener and vanilla, add the hot chocolate mix. Mix well and fill the other molds.



1. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until the mixture is hard and cold.

That's it! All that's left to do is to enjoy them whenever you feel like!

you can also try it plain vanilla, cherry, choco-mint (using fresh mint), coconut-pineapple. The possibilities are endless!

Eggplant grilled cheese

This one is for those stormy summer days. The days where you stay in, read, watch movies and relax.

It's so easy, so gooey and delicious. You will lick your fingers.


What you will need (for one grilled cheese)

• 2 slices of your favorite bread (I've used one with loads of grains in it)
• about 10 thin sliced of eggplant (small) or 4 (big)
• 2 small red shallots, chopped into thin rings
• Soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced basil, rosemary, thyme
• 2 tablespoons of margarine
• 2 tablespoons of oil.

1. In a frying pan, on medium-low, drop in about 1 1/2 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, drop in both the shallots and eggplants. Fry them. When done, remove them from the pan. You can oil if you find that they arent frying well.
2. Take your slices of bread. Spread margarine on both exterior sides (the ones that will be touching the pan.
3. Spead some soft goat cheese on one of the interior sides on ONE of the slices.
4. Sprinkle the herbs and place the shalotts and eggplant on top.
5. Top with the other slice of bread.
6. In the same frying pan (it will absorb the flavour fromt he eggplant and shallots), over medium-high, place the sandwich and and let grill for about 1 minute. Flip. Do this until the bread is crispy and golden. Take off the heat.

I recommend slicing the sandwich in two before devouring it. You can have it alone, with a simple salad or ok, yes, fries.

Enjoy!

Colorful tomato salad

Ok readers, I know. I need to post more often. Once a month is not enough. Specially, considering I'm trying to turn this blog into a book...

Anyways! Enough of that.

Summer time is finally here. Ok, not officially, but it sure feels like it.
It's warm, it's humid, it's sunny. I don't know about you, but for me, summer represents freshness. Fresh clothes, fresh smells and most importantly, fresh food.

Lots of veggies. Colorful veggies.
So, today I have for you a quick and easy recipe using very little ingredients. A fresh and delicious tomato salad.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 large red tomato, chopped
• 1 large yellow tomato, chopped
• 1 medium size tomatillo, chopped
• 1/3 cup of chopped red onion
• 1 half of green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup of fresh, chopped, cilantro (coriander)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you can use whatever oil you have at home)
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (balsamic, wine vinegar will work just as well)
• 1 dash of salt and pepper 
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of either cayenne pepper or Tabasco

So, having all your ingredients ready, all you need to do is throw them in a large bowl and mix well.
For the cayenne/Tabasco, I suggest you go little by little and taste. You can add more according to your liking. Let sit in the a cool place (like the refrigerator) for about 15 minutes to make sure all the ingredients' flavour mix well together.

And that's it! It reminds me of a cross between bruschetta and a fresh salsa. You can have it as a salad, you could add fresh lettuce to it as well. Have it on bread. So many possibilities! And it keeps for about 2-3 days.

Enjoy!

"Award-Winning" Banana-Peanut Butter cupcakes

Hey y'all!
I have a lot of excitement happening right now.
http://pinterest.com/pin/24840235414934941/?timeline=1 go ahead. Click on this link. I dare you. Anderson Cooper, silver fox of CNN and the Anderson show, pinned MY kale chip recipe on his Pintrest, then tweeted about it. How exciting is this? i will tell you how exciting it is. IT'S FREAKING EXCITING!
I have my dear friend Andrea to thank for this. She sent in the link, figuring hey why the hell not. And ta dam! that means he looked it up. Or his people did. Whomever, more publicity for me!

2nd thing. This recipe got me 1st place at my works annual contest. Helllll yeah! These two events sort of confirmed and lit up my desire to do this cookbook. Just when I thought this was a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of money, trying to decide whether it was a good idea or not, the universe put me back on my path.

It's nice to know other people than my friends and family like my recipes :)

OK! So here we go!

Banana-Peanut Butter cupcakes

Cupcakes :

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 3 mashed, ripped bananas
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1/2 of butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, egg and bananas together, using a hand mixer or stand mixer. Or just the good 'ol elbow grease.  
3. Add the vanilla.
4. Incorporate the flour, salt and baking soda. Beat well.
5. Fill in cupcake/muffin molds. You can grease them first or line them with cupcake liners.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes. Using a toothpick, press it in the middle of one of the cakes. If the batter sticks then leave them for another 5 minutes.

Makes 12 normal size cupcakes or 28-30 mini ones.

Frosting:

• 1/3 cup of butter, at room temperature (could be vegan, margarine, or even shortening)
• 1 1/2 cup of peanut butter (I've used Kraft smooth)
• 1/2 cup of icing sugar.

1. Beat all the ingredients until the frosting is smooth and fluffy. You can adjust the peanut taste by adding or using less peanut butter. If you notice the consistency is a bit too thin, you can add sugar.
2. Ice the cupcakes. And enjoy!



These little guys are really good. They have that trusty banana-peanut butter combo. They are light, the frosting is fluffy, it melts in your mouth. It isn't for nothing that it won ;)

Try them out! Share them. People will love you that much more afterwards. Just make sure they aren't allergic! 

A little bit of heaven... in your mouth

credit: Stephane Perrault

Howdy! I know, it's been nearly a month since the last post. I really need to get back on the horse of this project and blog/test more often.

BUT, I'll make it up to you. I have for you today a couple of new recipes. YAY! Soooo excited! haha
Saturday, my dear friend Luc lend me his kitchen and invited over some of our amazing friends (and a new one! Well... new for me lol). It was the perfect time to try out a couple of recipes on them, mouahahahha.

According to the grades they gave on the food, the average, out of 10, was 9. So I am assuming they loved it and hope you will too!

We started off with a trio of goat cheese in tiny edible cups.

• 2 packs of soft, plain goat cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup of whipping cream
• 3 bulbs of garlic, roasted
• 1 pack of smoked salmon
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 apple, diced into tiny pieces
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Cups (i will get you the name asap)

1. For starters, roast your garlic. Simply cut the top of the bulbs, place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle a bit of olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and roast in a pre-heated oven (400) for about 20-30 minutes.
2. While the garlic is roasting, take a small sauce pan, drizzle a bit of oil (about a tablespoon). Over medium-low heat, drop in the apple, the sugar and cinnamon. Mix and cook until the apple is soft. (About 10 minutes) Let cool.
3. Using a mixer, drop in the goat cheese and whisk away. Little by little, pour in the cream and keep whisking till everything is smooth and fluffy.
4. In 3 bowls, separate the cheese, equally.
5. In the first bowl, take the cloves out of the garlic bulb and squeeze them into the cheese. This part is a bit messy and oily. Mix well and set aside for about 30 minutes. The flavor of the garlic will be more potent.
6. In the second bowl, pour the apple sauce you just made and mix. Set aside as well.
7. In the third bowl, pop in the green onions. Thinly and finely chop the smoked salmon. Drop it in with the goat cheese and onions and mix well. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and let sit.
8. Finally, take the tiny cups and fill them with the cheese mixtures, using a small spoon. And enjoy!

You could easily spread these cheesy deliciousness's on bread or even mix them into pasta.

credit: Stephane Perrault

After that decadent amuse bouche, we had the squash pottage (I wanted to try it out on other people) and a lovely veggie panini.

For the panini I used (for 5):

• 5 Moroccan style flat breads, whole wheat and flax seed
• 1/4 cup of mayo
• 1 and a half of chopped chipotle pepper (you can add more for some extra spiciness)
• 1/4 cup of pesto (I used store bought, but I will post a recipe for pesto soon!)
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 2 zucchinis, thinly sliced
• 5 sliced of provolone
• 2 onions, caramelized (see lasagna recipe)

1. In a small bowl, mix the mayo and chipotle peppers. Set aside
2. Spread the spicy mayo on one slice of the bread. The pesto on the other.
3. On top of the mayo, layer some onions, tomato slices, zucchini and provolone. Top it with the other slice of bread and pop it in a panini grill for about 5 minutes. If you do not have a grill, you can use a frying pan. Same way you would make a grilled cheese. Just make sure you press on the sandwich a couple of times. And flip.

This panini, I thought, goes really well with the comforting squash pottage.

credit: Stephane Perrault

And finally, dessert. I took the vegan chocolate brownie recipe, and changed it up to make it even more chocolaty.  

Brownie:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
•  ¾ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cup of melted semi-sweet chocolate
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup cold water
• 1 cup of fresh blueberries

1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Incorporate the wet ingredients EXCEPT for the chocolate.
3. Incorporate little by little the melted chocolate.
4. Drop in the blueberries. Mix.
5. In a 8 by 8 greased cake pan, pour the mixture. Pop it in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven and bake for about 30 minutes.

For the whipped chocolate side:

• 1 1/2 cup of whipping cream
• 1 cup of melted chocolate
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla

1. Using a hand or stand mixer, whip the cream. You can do it with a manual mixer if you do not have the electronic ones. It will, however, take more time and some elbow grease.
2. Add the sugar and vanilla.
3. Add the melted chocolate. You will notice that the whip cream will become dense and "grainy" looking. It's ready then.

Take out your favorite plates, cut out a big piece of cake and add the whipped chocolate and ennnnnnnjoy!

credit: Stephane Perrault

Let me know if you tried it, liked it or hated it! Hopefully you LOVED it. :)

(Liked the pictures? Thought they were professionnal and artsy looking? You should see what other things my friend Stephane can do. Please check out his blog! http://sperrault.blogspot.ca/)

6 recipes, one day—Part 6—Caramelized banana pancake

This one... is decadent.
It's so rich, so sweet, so... heavenly. I had something very similar at a local pub (Highlander), and ever since I had that first bite, I told myself I had to try to recreate it.

Though this one isn't exactly like the one I had, it's still soooo darn good.
But beware, it's big and it's hella sweet. You were warned.

You will need (this was for 2 people):

• Pancakes ( I don't have a recipe for them. You can use any pancake recipe that you know and love)

Caramelized bananas

• 2 bananas
• 1/4 cups of butter
• 1 cup of sugar

Cream cheese filling:

• 1 pack of cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 table spoon of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of sugar

• Nutella or any chocolate-nutty spread you have
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of cinnamon

1. Make your pancakes, according to your recipe. Set aside.
2. Take you cream cheese, drop it in a bowl and mix in the vanilla and sugar. Make sure it's well blended. Set aside.
3. In a frying pan, melt 1/4 cup of butter and pop in the 2 bananas. Brown them for about a minute on each side and then add the sugar. Make sure the bananas are well covered with both the butter and sugar. Cook them for about 5-10 minutes. Or until you actually see the caramel forming.
4. Now all you need to do is take a pancake, put flat in a plate. In the middle of the pancake, spread a bit of the chocolate spread. Spread some of the cream cheese filling. Drop a banana on top and roll.
Sprinkle a bit of sugar and cinnamon on top... and get ready.

SO good. I would advise you to share. It's a whole lot to take on for one person. 

This is it. The 6 recipes we made in one day.

For me, it was pretty easy and enjoyable. I hope that it was the same for my friend. I may have to have a little chat with him.

Maybe I should give him a test... you know, just to see if he actually listened.

I hope you will try some of those recipes, and PLEASE, let me know how it went!

Till then, take care y'all!

6 recipes, one day—Part 5—Lentil stew

Don't we love those "One pot meals" like the soup from part 4?
Well here is another delicious one to try out. A lentil stew. You can have this one on its own, or with rice or potatoes. It's easy, vegan and lovely.

It's perfect for some one who isn't used to cooking.

Here are your ingredients :

• 1 can of lentils, rinsed (red, green, whichever you prefer)
• 2 onions, chopped into rings
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 2 branches of celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cups of tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of chopped, fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of thyme
• 2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• salt and pepper
• a bit of butter (margerine) for cooking

1. Over medium-high, in a sauce pan, melt the butter and fry the onions, celery and garlic. About 4 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and spices. 

3. Drop in the lentils, stir.

4. Add the tomato sauce and the water and let simmer for about 5 more minutes.

And that's it! If you like it spicier, you can always add a bit of tabasco sauce.



6 recipes, one day—Part 4—Creamy Butternut squash Potage

Ok, now this one was so good that when I came home, I make some immedietly.
It's so smooth and comforting and warm.

Even though spring and the warm weather is among us, this potage makes me kinda, almost want to have colder weather just so I could have some, sitting in a blanket, by a fire.

I said kinda almost.

This one pretty much cooks itself. It's THAT easy. Try it!

Here's what we used:

• 1 butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cubed (we learned the hard way, if you can, please buy the already peeled and cubed squash. It'll make your life so much simpler)
• 2 onion, chopped in 4
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 6-8 carotts, chopped
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tablespoon of curry powder
• 2 tablespoon of parsly
• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of onion powder
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup of water
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of butter (margarine)

1. In a very large sauce pan, over medium-high, melt butter and drop in all the veggies. Stir and let cook for about 3-5 minutes.
2. Pour in the broth, water, and all the spices. Stir. Turn the heat to medium-low and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the veggies are soft.

3. When this is ready. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, off the the heat.
4. Using a blender, pour in the soup, little by little and blend. BE CAREFUL. Hot liquids in a blender tend to explode a bit. Use a wash cloth over the lid to secure it.

5. Pour it all back in a sauce pan, and heat it back up to eat it!

Normaly, a potage will have cream in it. But because we used potatoes and blended it, it gives you the same smooth and creamy texture.

While writing this, I wish I had some...

6 recipes, one day—Part 3—Mac n Cheese

Mmmm mac n cheese. Such a great comfort food. So gooey and warm. I think to this day, it's still one of my favorites. And I am not taking about KD. No, I am talking about homemade mac n cheese.

It's, once again, very easy to make. You can keep in the fridge for a couple of days, or even freeze some for later. And for those picky eaters, it's a must.

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

• 1 pack of macaroni pasta
• 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 cups of milk
• 1/4 cup of butter (margarine will work just as fine)
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoon of butter
• 1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
• and 1 teaspoon to 2 1/2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper ( I had to adjust it. I realized that not every one likes their food extra spicy!)

1. Cook the pasta following the instructions on the pack.
2. If you havent bought the already shredded cheese, shred it now.

3. In a large sauce pan, melt 1/4 of butter and cook the onion for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the flour to make a roux. (it will thicken the sauce).
5. Add the milk, stir well making sure that flour doesn't creat lumps and that the butter is well incorporated in the milk. Bring to a light boil and take off the heat.

6. Add little by little the cheddar cheese, whisking all the time, making sure the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Add the cayenne. Start with a little bit and add some according to how spicy you want it.

7. In a large glass oven proof cookingware, pour in the macaroni that was drained, and then the sauce. Take a spoon to mix it all well.
8. In a frying pan, melt the reminding butter and mix in the Panko breadcrumbs. Make sure to cover them with butter, that's what will give them that crunch and beautiful golden color.
9. Pour the crumbs on top of the macaroni and pop it in a pre-heated oven (375) for 30 minutes.

10. Take it out, let it sit for 5 minutes, and mm mmm mmm enjoy!

6 recipes, one day—Part 2—"Chicken" salad sandwich

After doing the groceries and making those yummy truffles, we got a little hungry. So I took the opportunity to share a vegan recipe that pretty much tastes like the real deal. it's perfect for when you are in a hurry or on the go. You can even make them in advance.

Cruelty free and yummy. It's a win-win.

We needed:

• 1 can of chic peas, rinsed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of parsly
• 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1/3 cup of Veganaise (you can use mayo if you insist)
• slices of bread
• lettuce
• salt and pepper

1. Start by pouring the peas in a large bowl. Take a potatoe masher and start mashing those peas. Its okay if some are still whole.



2. Pop in the onion, parsly, onion powder, a dash of salt and pepper and the veganaise and mix well.

3. Take your bread slices, toasted or not and add a leaf or two or lettuce for some extra crunch and color.
4. ENJOY.

It all took about 5 minutes to make. It's a great alternative to chicken salad. It has less fat, the exact same taste and a very similar texture.

You could also spread it on cracker instead of bread or even roll it in a wrap or lettuce leaves.

We sure did enjoy it!

6 recipes, one day—Part 1—Dark Chocolate Truffles

If someone came up to you and said "Hey! I've got a whole Saturday off, would you come show me how to make some recipes?" what would you do?

For me, that's an easy answer. HELL YES I WILL! It's a great opportunity for me to test out some more recipes AND to see if my instructions are clear.

So I picked 6 easy recipes, with very easy ingredients. Though they aren't all vegan, they are all veg. My friend wanted to learn meat free recipes, so I thought I would go easy on him. Pick recipes that are somewhat familiar to him.

The best part of this was that they are also very cheap recipes. For about $100 you get 6 dishes/desserts that can easily feed 4 to 6 people. Or that can be frozen for later enjoyment.

Here is what we started with:

Dark Chocolate Truffles. (yummmm)

For this we used

• 8 oz of dark chocolate (one box)
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon of sour cream
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons of butter

1. Start by chopping the chocolate into pieces, using a knife, and dropping it in a large bowl.

2. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil the cream, sour cream and butter.

3. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until everything is well blended and melted.

4. Add 1 1/2 of the sugar and whisk again.

5. Pour into a flat glass pan, and spread it evenly. Put it in the fridge to solidify and cool for about an hour.

One hour later...

6. In two small bowls pour in the reminder of the sugar and in the other, the cocoa powder.

7. Now here, you will get messy. Using a spoon or your fingers, grab a bit of the chocolate mixture and roll it in your hands to create a ball. Think about play-doh, same principle.

8. Then carefully roll the ball in either the sugar or cocoa, covering it well and setting it aside on a bakingsheet lined with parchement paper.

9. Once they are all done you've got two choices. 1. you eat them or 2. put them back in fridge till you are ready to dig in.

That's it. Super easy right?