Fakels (Fake Bagels)

Out of yeast? These "fakels" (get it? Fake bagels? Nevermind) are made with a handful of ingredients and can be cutomized for your liking - these used up some dregs of various flours (including durum semolina) and were filled with dried fruit and topped with whole flax seeds for texture. Fluffy inside but not as dense or chewy as a real bagel, they are perfect candidates for toasting with jam, peanut butter or cream cheese.

I don't usually jump onto "bandwagons" with my cooking and baking exploits. I prefer to go my own way, playing with what I have on hand and coming up with twists on classical recipes. However, when I found myself with an excess of yogurt (which I had bought planning cornbread, only to find out I was out of cornmeal) I whipped up a loaf of soda bread (swapping yogurt for buttermilk) and opted for these no-boil quickbread bagels to use up the rest. Having made legitimate bagels before (and recently) I know how much tedious work goes into them, and the prospect of getting the doughy, chewy bagel without that step was tempting! To gild the lily (cause I have to) I tossed in handfuls of dried fruit and topped each with flax seeds for crunch. How would they come out?

Well, I will say this - they are not bagels. The inner texture is more cake like than doughy, and the outsides aren't smooth and shiny. You also need a wicked sharp serrated knife to get a clean slice. However - once you do get a good slice and you pop them under the broiler to toast (not a toaster, you will thank me), they are still excellent schmear holders, butter still soaks in, and they still satisfy as a breakfast or a snack. Would I eat them plain? Untoasted? No - these are the English muffins of bagels and demand caramelization. But in the days of no yeast, these may just have to do for now.

Famous Florentine

Pasta Florentine is a dead simple meal that can be made with pantry and freezer ingredients in under 30 minutes! I used @lightlifefoods crumbles for extra (vegetarian) protein, but feel free to use any meat or protein (like tofu or lentils). Half a block of frozen spinach and a can of evaporated milk make a rich sauce with pops of green that coats pasta perfectly. N loved it and can't wait to make it again!

I could have called this "quarantine florentine" but I resisted. You're welcome. 

This pasta dish is famous for N and I now, because it is dead-simple to prepare, is great hot or cold, and is one of the first things I taught him how to make! Like so much of my cooking during this era of long lines for the grocery store, empty shelves and generally feeling stressed out about everything, the majority of the ingredients for this lightened-up version of a classic were in my pantry and freezer, and are quite interchangeable. For instance, here, I used spaghetti (left over from Home Ec days) frozen whole-leaf spinach, vegan ground and evaporated whole milk. That said, if all you have is rigatoni, macaroni or egg noodles, go for it! Only finding frozen chopped spinach, frozen kale or another fresh leafy cooking green (like rapini)? Beautiful! Not into the vegan "meat"? Brown up some ground of your choice, chop up cooked chicken, toss in lentils or chickpeas or leave it out completely and serve the protein on the side. As for the dairy, I would not recommend skim evaporated milk (it likes to curdle and not thicken) but 2% will do, as will half-and-half, 18% or heavy cream. If you are using a "non-evaporated" dairy, keep an eye on it to avoid the nasty curdle or scorch factor - better to cook this lower and slower than burn it!

If you're organized, this is also a super-quick dish to pull together last minute and can be scaled up relatively simply. Leftovers are no problem at all, like I said leftovers are great cold or fried in a skillet (with or without eggs as a binder). When things settle down in the shops I can't wait to give this a go with some whole wheat pasta like fettuccine or even farfalle, as the nuttiness of the whole grain would lighten up the creamy sauce. Either way, it's a fantastic option when mac-and-cheese, grilled chicken and soup have lost their allure!

Fried Spaghetti

Not the prettiest dish but Fried Spaghetti is the most delicious, cheap leftovers revamp I've ever had! Adding a few eggs, cheese and herbs with a low and slow cook gets the pasta bottom nice and crispy - if youre extra skilled you can flip it all in one piece, but i usually break it up into chunks.

As a kid, I loved "cheap as chips" comfort food. The meals I often look back on with the most fondness are actually "leftover" meals that mom keeps telling me were thrown together because we didn't have anything else at the time - I'm talking "eggs the way somebody else's mother used to make them" (torn up stale bread, buttered and fried in a pan topped with sunny-side up eggs), leftover Kraft Dinner with a handful of frozen peas and some tomato sauce, and left over rice mixed with cottage cheese and salsa. All delicious, all 100% not gourmet or fancy in any way. In university, I carried these recipes with me, eating them for as long as I could before my stomach gave me issues, then making them for my roommates.

One of these recipes followed me all the way to today, where I make it with my younger Home Ec kids. Fried spaghetti is essentially just that - leftover sauced pasta fried in a skillet with eggs to hold it all together. Feeling fancy, I added a few herbs to the egg mixture, but in all honesty as long as the sauce you use is decent they are optional. The trick is to really take your time - you want a crispy, crunchy pasta on both sides but you also need the eggs to cook, so spread out the noodles as best you can and cook over medium or medium-low heat for at least 5 minutes a side. I made double batches for the kids and had fridge-cold pasta, so it took us about 10 minutes a side. That said, there were no complaints, and not a single scrap left over!

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread

Whole Wheat English Muffin Bread is perfect for the toaster, with a fine but spongy crumb and soft crust. I used oat milk creamer in the batter-like dough for a subtle sweetness and softness, and the whole thing can be ready in under 2 hours!

Growing up, I was all about the peanut butter and honey sandwiches. After Christmas, when we were faced with a glut of (delicious) Challah that was quickly going stale, we became masters of the sandwich, from PB&H at breakfast to hot turkey and gravy at lunch. The spongier and drier the bread, the better it was as all the fillings seeped in. The rest of the year we made so with "regular" bread - until Easter when the English muffins started proliferating the stores. English muffins are a weird beast - they really are boring until they are toasted and slathered with something - but they are also tiny! I have never been full off of one English muffin (except maybe when I was little) so I just opted out of them.

Enter, the English muffin bread. Yes, a whole loaf of nooks and crannies, begging to be popped into the toaster and slathered with whatever you please. Loaf form also prevents the whole wheat from becoming too gritty or prominent, and it stays fresh longer than the little guys too. Best of all is that you can control the size of your sandwich or toast - so a peanut butter sandwich has heft and staying power, even if you're grabbing it on the go. This loaf barely - barely cooled before it was cut into and tasted with a smear of butter, and for ease of storage and to maintain freshness Mom sliced and froze the rest. That way, you can pull out the number of slices you need, toast and go!

You will notice that the dough for this bread is way different from any other bread dough. It is a batter - no kneading, no rolling, no shaping. It's simply beat, scrape and bake. The high moisture content ensures maximum bubble and tenderness, leaving a spongy crumb just like the original muffins, and as a bonus you don't need to skip arm day at the gym (or bust out the dough hook). Just keep on going with the recipe and as long as your yeast isn't dead (or expired) you'll have bread on your table in less time than it takes to watch a Marvel movie.

Super Seedy Multigrain Sandwich Bread

These high rising loaves are packed with multigrain cereal, oats and a "super seed" mix of flax, chia and hemp seeds. Sweetened with honey, a slice or two is perfect toasted for breakfast with jam or your favourite nut butter!

I may have mentioned before that my mom (and I, back in the day) love "bits" in our bread. While there are (obviously) commercial loaves in the stores with various grains, nothing quite beats the homemade, real McCoy baked fresh. These loaves came about after my mom discovered a half-loaf of artisan multigrain bread from the market in the freezer, which was unfortunately freezer burned beyond use for anything but croutons or stuffing. I had also just come into possession of a beautiful jar of honey from my friend who has a backyard apiary, and upon tasting it I knew it would be perfect on toast, so why not in toast?

Turns out I had the base recipe from Restless Chipotle saved in my archives for a while... as in since 2016. Now, her recipe has changed and evolved over the years, and my version is different still. That said, it is an incredible medley of flavours and textures, rising high to the perfect "sandwich" height and ideal both fresh from the oven (if you don't care about tearing it) and toasted later on. I also love that the "add ins" are pretty variable. If you don't have the seed mix, pick your favourite (sunflower, pumpkin, chia and whole flax are all excellent choices) or use more oats instead. Vegan and avoiding honey? Use apple juice concentrate, pineapple juice (or pineapple honey), or agave. You can even cut down on the oil and use milk in it's place (though the loaf won't stay as soft for as long).

One thing I will say, is that as long as you have a bowl or a mixer that can handle the volume, make the full recipe. It is 100% worth it and it that way if things come up (which they inevitably do just as the bread runs out) you can pull out the second one from the freezer and save the day! As I'm writing this, my mom happened to look over my shoulder and ask when I'll be making this one again because it would be perfect for tomato sandwiches in Summer. I guess I have my marching orders!