The holiday season is just around the corner. There is something about this time of year that makes me want to make pretty cocktails. Maybe it's because the weather has turned cold and there are a lot more grey days among us. A cocktail somehow brightens my mood. Sure it could be because of the alcohol!!! Though I think the pretty colours and garnish are part of that too. It's about embracing and celebrating the season that we are in. 

So while I love a good cocktail, you won't find me sipping on anything too sweet. I usually like classic booze forward cocktails. A negroni has slight bitter notes from the campari but it's rounded out with sweet vermouth, orange (I used dehydrated orange slices instead of fresh for garnish) & Gin (juniper). I like to stick rosemary in there for fun. You could even make a rosemary simple syrup. Wouldn't that be lovely??  Especially if you wanted to add a touch more sweetness if that's your thing.

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A negroni is a classic Italian cocktail, typically served as an aperitif and
the recipe couldn't be more simple.

•  1 part gin
•  1 part sweet vermouth
•  1 part campari
•  stirred over ice, not shaken
•  garnished with orange peel

Happy holidays!

This is a great meal when you don't want to spend a ton of time on dinner. I really was using what I had on hand, so feel free to mix it up, but in this bowl you'll find udon noodles, red pepper, carrot, celery, mushrooms, tofu, nori and a simple teriyaki inspired sauce.

Udon noodles are amazing because you don't have to boil a pot of water to cook them, as long as they are added to the wok along with the sauce or liquid, it gives them enough time to soften and heat through. If you aren't familiar with Udon noodles they are delicious. They are a thick, chewy (in a good way) wheat flour noodle typically used in Japanese cuisine. I also was pleasantly surprised to see that there is 9 grams of protein in one package of these noodles! Ok so there was also a lot of sodium, but you win some you lose some. 

For this recipe it's worth the splurge to get a variety of mushrooms. The varying texture and flavour is really delicious. If all I had on hand were button mushrooms it would still be good, but the combination of shitake, oyster, crimini & enoki is perfect. The other ingredient that I think really adds to this dish is a little bit of shredded nori tossed in at the end. The delicious salty sea flavour really lends a layer of complexity. Nori is a type of seaweed used to make sushi rolls and you can find it in the international section of most large supermarkets or Asian groceries. 

Serves 2 - 3 people 

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Ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce: (you won't need all of it for veg & noodle amounts)

•  1/2 cup soy sauce
•  1/4 cup water
•  1/4 cup ketjap manis (this is a sweet soy sauce with a syrup like consistency...I am not sure if   it's authentic to use this in a Teriyaki sauce recipe but I'm doing it anyway)
•  1 tbsp sesame oil
•  2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
•  2 tbsp brown sugar
•  1 tsp minced ginger
•  1 tsp minced garlic

Method: 

1. Simply stir all the ingredients together. There will be leftover sauce so store in a jar in the fridge. 

Ingredients for Stir fry:

• 200 grams mixed mushrooms, cut into chunks or slices (or sometimes I just rip them ha)
• 1 carrot, I cut in half length wise then sliced fairly thin on a bias
• 1 leek, thinly sliced 
•  1 red pepper, seeded & thinkly sliced
•  1 stalk of celery sliced on a bias
•  1/2 block firm tofu, pressed to remove liquid & cubed
  
•  1/2 sheet of nori, cut into think julienne strips (I used scissors!)
•  green onion & sesame seeds for garnish

Method:

1.  Begin by sauteeing mushrooms in  a wok with a bit of veg oil. I just got them going for a few minutes then add in the rest of the vegetables & tofu. 
2.  Once you add rest of the vegetables cook for a couple of minutes. You just want to get them started because they will continue cooking with the sauce and noodles. I added a splash of water at this time too.  
3.  Then add 3/4 cup of the teriyaki sauce along with 2 x 200 g packages of udon noodles. I try to get the noodles towards the bottom where the liquid is so they can fall apart. (they come super stuck together) 
4.  After a few minutes the noodles will start to loosen, making it easier to toss them together with the vegetables. The sauce will reduce, while the vegetables and noodles finish cooking. 
5.  Toss in the julienned nori. 
6.  Serve garnished with a sprikle of green onion and sesame seeds. 
7.  Eat with chop sticks if you can!!

Maybe it's because the weather is turning cold that I'm craving all the comfort food for breakfast. My banana peanut butter protein smoothie that I ate almost everyday all summer has been replaced with either bread, porridge or granola. Then I had been craving bagels for at least a month before I actually bought some. I'd be happy to slather on some peanut butter and call it a day but cream cheese and jam on a bagel is just one of those combinations that I find irresistible, and making a plant based version is easy and delicious. Raw cashews and a few other ingredients are blended together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. It comes together in minutes if you don't count the soaking time for the cashews. I usually just leave mine to soak on the counter over night and then make the cashew cream cheese in the morning. Lemon Juice has been my go to ingredient for the tang factor but I have a thought that straight up distilled white vinegar might be great. Next time I'm going to try that and see if I like it better.

​My next mission will be to find the perfect vegan friendly bagel. I have always loved the Montreal Bagels that are imported here but unfortunately they contain eggs. I'll undoubtedly try making my own one of these days. The ones pictured are from Ace Bakery. I love their bread but their bagels taste just like their bread, but in the shape of a bagel. Which is basically what it says right on the package when you purchase them. They are good enough but I don't want bread shaped like a bagel. I want a bagel shaped like a bagel. So the search continues. 

This makes a big batch that lasts me awhile. Feel free to halve the recipe if you don't want a lot of leftovers. 


Ingredients:
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•  2 cups raw cashews (soaked at least 4 hours in water)
•  1 cup unsweetened almond milk
•  3 tbsp lemon juice (gonna try white vinegar)
•  1/4 cup nutritional yeast
•  a few pinches of salt

Method:
 

1. Drain cashews and blend in food processor for a couple of minutes with remaining ingredients until creamy and smooth. 
2.  Store in the refrigerator. 

While my intention wasn't to create a recipe that reminded me of my mother's baking, that is exactly what happened with these cookies. I took a bite and it was almost like I was eating my mum's coveted sour cream ginger cake. Piled with whipped cream it remains one of my favourite food memories. These cookies are soft and cake-like with a slight crunch from a sprinkling of coarse sugar before baking. This isn't a chewy ginger molasses cookie. The ratio of flour to fat is higher, which gives them the cake like texture. I've decided that these cookies are best layered with cocowhip to make trifle. Really Amazing as a dessert. I might see what happens if I just bake the dough in a loaf pan sometime. And then easy to rip into chunks for a dessert, but I also like the look of having a perfect circle cookie to garnish. 

A couple notes about making this recipe successfully

• Make sure to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick
• Don't worry about incorporating flour when you are rolling out the dough. It is quite sticky so make sure it's not sticking to your counter. 
• Don't use different shaped cookie cutters for this recipe. These are a soft cookie and using star or other shaped cutters doesn't work because they poof a bit while baking. I use a large 4 inch biscuit cutter for mine.