Casseroles are hardly fashionable these days, but they do serve a purpose. They are a meal in one. Serve with a salad and dinner is done. I really enjoy this particular vegetarian casserole because you can combine all of the dry ingredients in a large ziploc bag and then throw it together easily at the cottage. For the meat lover, why not throw in some diced or sliced leftover sausage. This recipe comes from the Harrowsmith cookbook. Enjoy! Cheesy Lentil and Rice Casserole 2 2/3 c stock 3/4 c lentils 3/4 c diced onions 1/2 brown rice 1/4 c white wine 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1 clove garlic, minced pepper to taste 1/2 lb grated cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except cheese. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese, place in an ungreased baking dish and bake, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring twice. Uncover and top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for a further 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted on top.
This is comfort food. It's not fancy. You likely won't serve it to guests. And I think you could probably make it with less fat, but it is lovely just the way it is on a cold, rainy night. I make it with vegetarian mince for my daughter. Everyone loves it. Mince & Tatties 1 tbsp canola oil 1 lb lean ground beef 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 c finely chopped onions 1/4 c flour 3 c beef stock 2 tsp worcestershire sauce 1 c diced carrots 1 c frozen peas salt and pepper 4 c mashed or whipped potatoes Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink (about 5 mins). Add butter and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until browned (about 10 mins). Sprinkle flour over mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until well incorporated (about 2 mins). Gradually stir in stock and worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until gravy has thickened slightly (about 20 mins). Add carrots and cook until tender (about 10 mins). Stir in peas and cook until heated through (about 2 mins). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve spooned over hot mashed potatoes.
For years I've been following the Oh She Glows blog for tasty, foodie-worthy vegan recipes. I'll admit, some of the recipes are too healthy for me, and since I still do eat meat, a bit unnecessary. However, many of the recipes are delightful so when I saw the cookbook at Costco for $16.99, I couldn't resist! In the book are recipes for two different glo bars: classic glo bar and present glo bar. I much prefer the latter, which features dried cranberries, pepitas and pecans. (Note an ingredient theme from my last post?) These bars are held together by brown rice syrup, which is readily available at Loblaws in the organic aisles. I tried it with honey, but they just didn't adhere as well. Give them a try, and maybe even pick up the cookbook when you're next at Costco! Present Glo Bars 1/2 c pecans, finely chopped 1 1/2 c rolled oats 1 1/4 c rice crisp cereal 1/4 c pepita seeds 1/4 c dried cranberries 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 c plus 1 tbsp brown rice syrup (or 1/4 c plus 1 tbsp brown rice syrup and 1/4 c honey) 1/4 c almond butter or peanut butter 1 tsp vanilla Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 9 inch square or 9x12 rectangular pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to come up over the edges of the pan. Spread the pecans evenly on a cookie sheet and toast them in oven for 10-12 minutes until lightly brown. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine oats, rice cereal, pepita seeds, cranberries, cinnamon and salt. Stir in cooled toasted pecans. In a small saucepan, stir together brown rice syrup and nut butter until smooth. Cook over medium heat until it softens and bubbles slightly. Keep an eye on it or it will burn! Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the nut butter mixture over the oat mixture, using a spatula to get every bit. Stir until the dry ingredients are coated. It'll be sticky and hard to stir. Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading out evenly. With lightly moistened hands, pat the mixture down to even it out. Use a pasty roller to press it down evenly, keeping your eye on the edges to ensure they're flat. Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, and chill for 10 minutes until set. Lift the square (or rectangle) out using the parchment paper handles. Place on cutting board and cut with knife or pizza roller into 12-16 bars. The original recipe recommends to individually wrap the bars, but I just stack them in a container in the fridge. They'll keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer, but they for sure won't last that long!
I've never been a huge fan of brussels sprouts. When they're cooked, I find they have a bitter taste. Last week I saw a recipe for a brussels sprout salad, which gave me the idea to try them raw. I took inspiration from one of my mom's broccoli salad recipes, and I used apple cider vinegar and honey since they are our current favourites. You'll want take the toughest outer leaves off of the brussels sprints and slice them from side to side so they shred like cabbage, not from the stem end. Below is the resulting salad. We all love it so much, I went out for more brussels sprouts yesterday! Parenting tip: have the kids try it before you tell them what's in it. Creamy Brussels Sprout Slaw Dressing: 1/4 c light mayo 2 tbsp honey 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar Salad: 8-10 oz Brussels sprouts, trimmed and very thinly sliced (mandolin works best) 1/4 c dried cranberries 1/4 c toasted pepitas 1/4 c diced red onion 1/4 c chopped, cooked bacon or pancetta, or thinly sliced prosciutto (optional) Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold your salad. Add all other ingredients, toss and refrigerate for at least an hour. This should keep up to two days.
