Spiced Almonds

This is a great little snack recipe that I am using at Christmas. It adds a salty snack to all of those sweet ones we usually eat around this time of year. I am having a fairly large group for Christmas dinner and they will need something to munch on until the turkey is done, so I'll put these out with some cookies and whatnot.

This recipe makes about 8 servings of 1/4 cup each.

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole unsalted almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

• Directions

• Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a bowl.

  In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Stir the spices into the oil and cook, stirring until warm, about 30 seconds. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are warm and the spices are evenly distributed.
  
• Add the hot pepper sauce and stir to distribute. Remove the almonds from the pan and allow them to cool before serving.

Roasted Vegetables and Goat Cheese Paninis

ROASTED VEGETABLES AND GOAT CHEESE PANINIS

The slight sweetness of the roasted vegetables with an aromatic pesto pairs well with a robust goat cheese for this classic Italian sandwich.

Ingredients:

4 large pieces roasted red pepper

8 pieces roasted zucchini

1/4 cup (125 ml) roasted onions

1 cup (250 mlL) crumbled goat cheese

8 slices multigrain bread

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

To roast the vegetables, slice them into large chunks and lay out the peppers and onions in a roasting pan.Drizzle with a little olive oil & garlic powder. Cook, uncovered for about 20 minutes. Put the zucchini in for the last 10 minutes & toss with the peppers and onions to coat with the oil, as it cooks quite quickly. You can make a batch of these ahead of time & use them warm in the sandwiches.

Crumble the cheese onto each slice of bread. Divide peppers, zucchini and onions over 4 of the slices of bread.

Brush sandwiches with a little olive oil and grill in pan or in a panini press until golden and cheese is melted.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

TIP: You could substitute an equal amount of any of the many varieties of Ontario goat cheese (i.e. Brie, mozzarella, chevre, gouda)

Light Tiramisu

This is a lighter version of the traditional Italian dessert, Tiramisu! It is delicious and not too sweet: a perfect end to a perfect meal:) Tiramisu means "pick me up" in italian. This recipe makes about 6 servings. Top it with your favourite berries to finish it off.

Ingredients:

· 1 1/2 cups hot strong coffee

· 1/4 cup sugar

· 475 grams light ricotta cheese

· 1/2 cup light cream cheese, at room temperature

· 2 tablespoons cocoa or cocoa liqueur

· 3 egg whites

· about 24 crisp ladyfingers (SOVIARDI--although an italian cookie, they are available at most grocery stores)

· 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

In a bowl, dissolve 30 ml (2 tablespoons) of the sugar in the coffee. Refrigerate.

1. In a food processor, process the ricotta, cream cheese, and cocoa or liqueur until very smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites.
3. Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee until they are soaked through but not falling apart. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13  pan with half the ladyfingers, placing them very close to each other. Cover with half of the cheese mixture. Dust with 1/2 of the cocoa powder. Lay the remaining ladyfingers on the cheese mixture. Top with the remaining cheese mixture. Dust with remaining cocoa powder by putting the powder in a fine-mesh sieve and shaking the sieve over the surface. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight before serving.  Top with blueberries and raspberries (or serve as is).

Gingered Squash and Kale

This recipe serves 2 people but can easily be doubled. It's a great cold weather side dish & can be served over a bed of rice or quinoa. I served it with turkey filets and sliced tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 inch cube of peeled ginger root, grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 bunch of kale (about six large leaves), cleaned, stemmed and chopped
3/4 cup of water or vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions:

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium high. Saute onions until softened, a few minutes. Add the squash, ginger, garlic. Saute, stirring about 1 minute.
2. Add the chopped kale in handfuls, stirring as it wilts. Stir in the salt, pepper, and 3/4 cup water or broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed--about 20 minutes. Remove from heat & add the lime juice.

Dr. Oz's Green Drink

This is a great way to get all of your greens for the day in one shot. It can be a bit thick, so I'm posting the original version (which I eat as a cold soup) and my version, which is very drinkable! Don't use a juicer, as that just separates out all the good fibre. I love this! It's clean and refreshing (my son says it tastes like grass, lol).

Original: Process all ingredients in a food processor or liquify in a blender.
Serves 3-4
-2 apples, cored but not peeled
-2 big handfuls of spinach
-1 medium cucumber
-3 sticks of celery, cut into thirds
-1/2 inch of ginger root, peeled and chopped
-1 bunch of italian parsley with long stems cut off
-juice of one lime
-juice of 1/2 a lemon
-2 cups of water
Like I said, a bit thick for a drink.
If you want it as a drink, halve all ingredients and add in the 2 cups of water; liquify in blender. Like a smoothie but still drinkable! If you want it sweeter you can add in a very ripe banana.

Heart Healthy Cranberry Walnut Cookies

This recipe makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup, plus 2 tbsps olive or sunflower oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low fat, plain yogourt
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup 100% whole grain large flake oats
1/3 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup oatmeal crisp cereal, crushed
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 heaping tbsps ground flax seed

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or very lightly oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together sugar, oil, egg and yoghurt and whisk well. Stir in cranberries & chopped dried dates.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, including walnuts
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture a bit at a time and stir after each addition until just combined. At this point, if the mixture is too dry, you can stir in a little more yogourt.
5. Drop by slightly heaping tablespoons full onto baking sheet. Bake for about 17 to 19 minutes on centre rack of oven. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Roasted Veggies

This is a good overall recipe for roasting vegetables, with a handy timetable for cooking different types of vegetables. As my husband just pointed, there is a large variation in cooking time. To clarify, the larger the chunk of vegetable, go for the longer cooking time based on that type of veggie. If the pieces are smaller, cook it less---simple, right?:) As always with my recipes, you can add some heat by sprinkling some dried red hot chili peppers or hot sauce into the mix.

Quick Roasting Time (10 to 20 minutes)	Medium Roasting Time (15 to 40 minutes)	Long Roasting Time (35 to 60 minutes)
Tomatoes Mushrooms Asparagus Scallions Corn	Bell peppers Broccoli Cauliflower Zucchini Summer squashes Onions Eggplant	Potatoes Sweet potatoes Winter squashes Turnips Brussel sprouts Carrots Beets

Oven temperature: 400F, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic in shallow roasting pan, toss lightly. Stir lightly half way through cooking time.

Start with the long roasting-time veggies, then toss in the mediums when their time is due; then the quick ones when their time is due.