Cheesy Southwest Pasta Bake

With school starting in a few days, it's definitely time to start considering hearty, healthy, make-ahead meals that can be pulled out of the freezer or fridge in the morning and popped into the oven when you hit the front door. Prepping lunches and dinners on the weekend is a great way to keep on top of  time, budget and nutrition, eliminating the need for last-minute runs to the store or driving through for take-out, and once portioned out there's little in the way of waste as well. One of the things I love about batch cooking is the ability to use up the "whole package" - of pasta, cheese, vegetables, cans of beans or tomatoes - that as a single cook I would wind up having to throw away because they went bad before I could use them.

The first "mega meal" I whipped up is a variation on a theme - baked pasta. We love the crispy, cheesy, saucy composition of a pan of lasagna, ziti or shells, and since the bulk of the time they take is inactive, it's a great option for a lazy Sunday when all you have to do is prep for classes. To simplify things (and give them a twist on flavour) I went the "southwestern" route this time, using a mix short-cut whole grain pasta, salsa, a four-cheese tomato sauce (with extra cheese for kicks) and roasted red peppers. For protein, I tossed in some soaked Textured Vegetable Protein - not only because it's cheap and I always have it on hand, but because it flavours so well and is both fat-free and high in fibre. Once everything got mixed together and poured into baking pans, I topped the works with Daiya Pepperjack Shreds - obviously the works aren't vegan (but it is vegetarian), but I had Daiya on hand and no other "grating cheese". Besides, the pepperjack Daiya has a way better flavour than dairy pepperjack to me, and flavour is where it's at!

Aniseed Obsidian

With all the rich food and indulgences the holidays bring, it's understandable that we tend to come out of them feeling a little... full. I know that personally, for days after the big meals (we do three in a row - Christmas Eve dinner and both brunch and dinner on Christmas Day), all I want is soup, plain rice and simply done veggies. That said, I count myself lucky - cooking only for myself, taking into account my restrictions, meant I had very few leftover to contend with. However, the energy and stress of the events takes its toll on all the systems of the body, and while I wasn't stuck eating rich stuffed salmon or turkey with my grandma's to-die-for potatoes and cheesy broccoli four days in a row (sorry, Mom), I emerged on this side of New Year's Eve with an intense desire to lighten up my palate and my stomach.

While a divisive flavour, one of the best foods for easing the gut and helping to return digestion to its optimal performance is licorice. Real licorice has proven, time-tested soothing and anti-inflammatory benefits, and has been used for millenia to aid many ailments. However, it should be noted that the root has the tendency to increase blood pressure in the already hypertensive - leading to it becoming very difficult to find around here. Luckily, we can still reap the benefits of the flavour, since any anise-like food is naturally refreshing and bloat-reducing.

Since nothing makes "medicine" go down like a bit of sugar, and I have a few colleagues and friends who absolutely adore the black licorice flavour, I decided to take the ingredient to the candy pot. Boiled sugar, corn syrup and molasses made a bittersweet base for the anise oil - which, even added in the amount of less than 2 millilitres, packed a massive punch of flavour and aroma that was bracingly pungent. While it was blowing snow outside, I still found the need to open the kitchen windows to avoid my eyes watering excessively! To evoke the "black licorice" feeling, I whisked in some gel food colouring and sprinkled the liquid candy with aniseeds as well, adding a little texture to the glassy-smooth shards. 

A small piece of this "obsidian", as I called it, melts slowly on the tongue and takes its time to flow through the body, warming up the cold extremities and cooling down any fire in the tummy. Whoever said candy always had to be bad for you?

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Chocolate Orange Meringues

Happy new year!

With the new calendar on the wall and auld lang syne fading in our ears comes the inevitable horde of sudden gym-rats packing the recreation centres and workout facilities. These "resolutioners", as we "regulars" call them, range between those who show a clear dedication to making their health and wellness a long-term commitment and those who are hitting the treadmills hard for a month or two, hoping for a quick fix. Obviously, the second group is long gone by mid-February, but everyone who remains on their own fitness paths deserves major kudos for their work. 

My issue with all the diet resolutions is that they tend to focus on "cutting out" - no carbs, no red meat, no fat, no sugar... and it is then that the respectable goals become unsustainable. As someone who hasn't been able to have a real birthday cake (or shortbread cookie) in over 10 years due to a limiting medical condition, I can tell you wholeheartedly that without something indulgent-tasting each day, I would be driven insane by my otherwise spartan diet. A treat a day, however small, means that it is truly appreciated and makes the rest of any "restricted diet" livable.

Of course, just because something tastes decadent and sinful doesn't mean it has to be weighty in calories and fat! One of my favourite treats when I was heavy and beginning my weight loss journey was the meringue. Containing little more than egg whites and sugar, even the largest of these light cloud cookies were mere pittances in terms of calories and fat. The best part was that they lasted forever in the pantry, and when dropped onto a mug of cocoa or hot mocha turned into almost a marshmallowy-style topping - delicious, especially when it was flavoured with caramel or orange extract!

With so many egg whites left over from our shortbreads this year, I decided to whip up a batch of meringue "flying saucers" with two different flavours. First, a bright orange-flavoured ring made empty frames on the cookie sheet, which I then filled with dollops of dark chocolatey meringue for a  bulls-eye effect. If you're a fan of the chocolate oranges that are prevalent this time of year, you'll love these - and you'll adore them even more when you realize that each of them is under 15 calories while tasting like a million - and gluten free to boot!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays
 

Rich Bruschetta Endive Cups

When entertaining, whether its for a small group of close friends or a party of 30+, I always like to make sure I have an assortment of nibbles that are bright and fresh to go with the standard bread and oil or chips and cheese. Usually guests mean a heavier main course too - and around here, undoubtedly dessert as well - and the ability to have a pop of colour and refreshing coolness is a welcome accompaniment.

This year I was still coming down off my "tomato high" from the summer and knew exactly the app to put out on the table. While most of the fresh tomatoes in the stores are at the gross, mealy winter stage, we're lucky enough to have a greenhouse down the street (and if all else fails, a hydroponic operation a few towns over) which consistently gives us delicious tomatoes that I just had to use. To bump up the flavour even more, I tossed in some diced sundried tomatoes and a few tablespoons of their packing oil, adding a rich sweetness to the mixture. Roasted, rather than fresh, garlic added even more sweetness as well as the classic garlicky flavour without the bite. With all that sweetness, I had to balance it out, and opted for a dash of balsamic and a hit of lemon zest as well as some fresh basil.
 

Everything sat for a while at room temperature while we went about other preparations for the party, and when we were just about to open the door I spooned it into some lovely endive leaves and garnished each with a sprinkle of briny, perfectly salty sheep's milk feta. Leftovers (only of filling, since it makes a lot) found their way into more spartan, post-holiday meals such as toasted bread (usually challah), whole wheat pasta and plain fish or chicken and rice meals. It is a great low-calorie, low-fat alternative to the butter and cheese-heavy foods we go for in the winter, without tasting like it's cardboard-y diet food.

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays

Rich Herbed Crackers

As Winter continues, I've realized that more than the short sleeves and 30C days, I miss the freshness of my vegetable and herb gardens. During the season, it always seems like there's far too much of both the veggies and the herbs, but once they're done it's a dearth for another 5-6 months!

Luckily, canning, freezing and dehydrating work wonders to preserve the bounty, and by doing it myself I can control what happens with the formulation. Of course, some things just aren't as good preserved one way or another, like my lemon balm and basil. These, I realized as I made a compound butter for my favourite roast chicken, that most herbs, even the most delicate and dainty ones, explode flavour wise in a fat or oil medium. I decided I would use the rest of the butter (it happened to be EB Buttery Sticks since I was cooking with dairy-allergic guests coming) as a "catch all" herb butter, spiked with lemon zest, for future roasting and baking whims. 

Here's my mixture:

Herb Butter
4 oz butter
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tbsp packed minced fresh basil
1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh lemon thyme leaves
3 tbsp minced lemon balm

1. Melt together the butter and zest, remove from heat.
2. Add remaining ingredients. 
3. Pour into mini loaf pan or mould of choice and refrigerate until firm.

I made a good amount of the herb butter this summer, and to keep it around for longer, I wrapped each block in waxed paper and foil before freezing them. This holiday, we used up some of it in herbed vegetables at dinner and tossed with pasta, and to add to the spread for the New Year's festivities, I made a couple batches of these excellent "butter crackers".

We do a lot of entertaining around this time of year, and while it's usually the same group of people coming by, there is always the chance of an unexpected guest. As well as needing nibbles for home, I was putting together the last of my holiday gift boxes of goodies, which included those for two of my gluten-free friends. To keep things simple (and doable in one day) I used a recipe from Gluten Free on a Shoestring and adapted it to work with what I had on hand.  

The resulting crackers are light, savoury, crispy and not at all greasy, and stood up well to dips like hummus or even a few goodies from our cheese platter. In fact, my mom helped us eat some of the "edges" that weren't perfect squares by topping them with homemade cranberry sauce!

Shared with Gluten Free Fridays