Category Archives: Food & Recipes

High Protein Vegetarian Lazy Lasagne

Posted on January 9, 2018March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I’ve been making some variation of this “lazy” lasagne all of my adult life. I call it lazy because it doesn’t involve any fancy bechamel or ricotta layers and doesn’t require you to make your own sauce completely from scratch. There’s still a long list of ingredients, lots of chopping and dicing to do and lots of opportunity to add love, but it’s not an all day affair. Adapting my recipe to be vegetarian, and then adapting it again to be packed full veggie protein sources, over the past few months has added a few more ingredients and steps, but I would still call it a happy medium between instant and scratch.

This lasagne is packed full of vegetarian-friendly protein sources and fibre. Switching my recipe from ground beef based to vegetarian has made it much more hearty, healthy and filling! With protein coming from the lentils, mozzarella, Parmesan (make sure you find vegetarian cheeses made without rennet, or just skip the Parmesan), veggie ground round, cottage cheese and kale, I would bet it comes pretty close to having as much protein as a regular meat lasagne, maybe even more.

High Protein Vegetarian Lazy Lasagne

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as a side.

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cups shredded mozzarella
4 spines of kale, leaves picked
1 clove garlic, minced
1 portion “veggie ground round”
3 cups prepared pasta sauce
1-3 tsp sriracha
1/3 cup vegetarian Parmesan
2 cups cottage cheese
3 springs of thyme
1 package fresh lasagna sheets
pepper

Method

Cook lentils according to package directions, set aside.
Add garlic and onion to large pan with olive oil over medium heat. Cook until soft.
Add green pepper and cook until soft.
(Optional) Add a handful of sliced mushrooms at this point and stir in if you like, I don’t because I’m allergic.
Place kale on top to wilt for two minutes.
Add veggie ground round, break up and stir in. Heat through and then add cooked lentils.
Remove from heat and stir in prepared pasta sauce. Season with sriracha and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread a large spoonful of this filling into the bottom of a 9×13 pan to prevent sticking.
Form a layer of lasagna sheets in the pan. Spread 1/3 of filling on top. Sprinkle with 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan.
Form a second layer of lasagna sheets and another 1/3 of filling. Sprinkle again with another 1/3 of mozzarella and Parmesan.
Form a third layer of lasagna sheets. Mix thyme into the cottage cheese and spread on top.
Form the final layer of lasagna sheets and filling. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
Cover the lasagne with foil and bake on the centre rack for 35 minutes (or according to the pasta package instructions).
Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbling.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

All photos by me.

Classic Hot Toddy with Bourbon & Black Tea

Posted on December 14, 2017March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I started experimenting with hot toddy recipes for the first time when the weather turned cold. They’ve been so nice to come home to after taking the puppy for her evening walk on the weekends. Although less traditional, I like to use bourbon over whiskey, rye or brandy because there’s just something so Christmas-y about bourbon to me. I also use black tea instead of plain, old, hot water for added flavour and fortitude.

Ingredients

1½ oz bourbon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp lemon juice
fresh brewed black tea
cinnamon stick

For Garnish:

lemon slice
3 whole cloves

Method

Add bourbon, honey and lemon juice to an 8 oz mug.
Top up with hot black tea.
Stir well with cinnamon stick. (Serve with or without stick.)
Pierce lemon slice with cloves, slit part way up the middle, and hang over the side of the mug. (I found it easier to pierce before cut and after making a small slit with a paring knife.)

All photos by me.

Harvest Pumpkin & Apple Kong Stuffing Recipe

Posted on December 7, 2017March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

We bought two puppy Kongs for Pepper before we even brought her home. She loved them so much, we knew we would have to upgrade her to standard Kongs when her adult teeth came in. They have been great for teething, crate training, socializing her to the things she didn’t like around the house, or just keeping her busy when we need a break.

She gets a few stuffed Kongs a day as fun snacks to supplement her puppy kibble. I’m allergic to peanut butter, the go-to Kong stuffing staple, so I’ve had to get creative with puppy safe snacks. I usually stuff a couple of Kongs with canned puppy food, banana, yogourt and apples, etc in the morning and pop them in the freezer for later; but some days, she gets a special treat, like this Harvest Pumpkin & Apple Kong.

Harvest Pumpkin & Apple Kong

Yogurt is stirred into the pumpkin for a creamy seasonal treat. The apple and carrot are cut differently for an interesting texture and more challenging puzzle.

Ingredients

Makes enough filling for one large size Kong Classic.

1 heaped tsp pure canned pumpkin (not seasoned pie filling)
1 heaped tsp plain yogurt (we use 3% m.f.)
three thin apple slices, cut into matchsticks
three slices of carrot, cubed

Method

mix all ingredients in a small bowl and spoon into Kong
(optional) top with half a Milk-bone treat, for extra pizzazz
(optional) freeze for 1 hour for a longer lasting snack

All photos by me.

Boozy Chai Tea & Baileys Ice Cream

Posted on October 7, 2017March 13, 2018 by Melissa Harrison

I bought an ice cream maker last week and got experimenting right away! While trying to come up with the perfect fall flavour to bring to Friendsgiving potluck this weekend, one that wasn’t too obvious (looking at you, pumpkin spice), couldn’t be found at the store, and wouldn’t be out of place next to a slice of pie, I eventually landed on chai tea & Baileys. I’m glad I waited for the perfect idea, because this one’s a real winner! It tastes just like the holidays.

Ingredients

1½ cups whole milk
¾ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup loose leaf chai tea
- fairly inexpensive at Bulk Barn
2 large egg yolks
1/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream
1-2/3 cup heavy cream

Method

Add milk, sugar and salt to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar while bringing to a simmer.
Remove mixture from heat and stir in the tea leaves. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes.
Strain mixture into a clean, medium sized saucepan, making sure to press the tea leaves to get every bit of liquid out.
Bring back to a simmer.
Beat the egg yolks in small bowl and temper with the milk mixture. (Slowly stir about ½ cup of milk mixture into the egg yolks, then add the egg mixture back to the milk to slowly bring the eggs up to temperature and not curdle them. Don’t worry if some curdles, we’ll strain again later.)
Cook over low heat, stirring almost constantly, until you have a nice custard thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (or until it reaches 175○F). Do not allow custard to come to a boil. Strain into a medium bowl and chill in the fridge until cold.
Stir in the Baileys and heavy cream.
Churn in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. (I got my ice cream maker here.)
You can eat it now but it will be better if you freeze it overnight. Scoop into a suitable container and press cling wrap down onto the surface.
Optional: garnish with cinnamon.

All photos by me.