Grilled 3 Cheese Panini with Prosciutto Cotto and Apple

Grilled  3 Cheese Panini with Prosciutto and Apple

You don’t need a fancy pants grilling press to be able to make your own gourmet panini! Any stove top pan will do.

Love to watch the cheeses melt as it slowly toasts on the grill!!

No, not dairy free and not vegan!! This has meat and cheese in it!! 

But sometimes I get tired of cooking for my family and want to cook for myself!! This is my go to comforting lunch food😋

This is a delicious combination of cheeses but you can use whichever cheeses you prefer. I love any type of smoked cheese so I like to add it to any grilled panini. You can use sliced Italian bread or an actual panini bun.

You will need: (For one sandwich)

2 slices of Italian bread, butter one side of each slice ( or margarine)

1 slice of Prosciutto Cotto

Mozarella slices - enough to make one layer on your bread

Cheddar cheese slices - for second layer

Smoked Swiss cheese - 3rd layer

Top with sliced apple - I used 4 slices of organic Red Delicious 

Make sure the buttered sides are on the outside of the sandwich as they will go down on the grill.

Heat up your grill to medium and place your sandwich butter side down. Let toast slowly. We don’t want to burn the bread before the cheeses have an opportunity to melt.

Turn over when nicely toasted on one side and toast other side.

Cut in half and enjoy the creamy cheeses and the nice crunch and sweetness of the apple.

Ooooooey gooooooey!, and soooooo good. 

How to Saute Beet Greens

 

Vibrant red and jam packed with nutrients!!!!

Don’t throw out those beet greens!! They are just as nutritious, if not more, than the beets themselves.

Here, I have the tops from 3 beets.

When buying your beets, look for healthy looking tops that you can cook separately. 

Cut off the tops and wash them thoroughly. Boil them until fork tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well.

In a frying pan, add 3 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil and throw in your beet tops. 

Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion flakes

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper 

3 tbsps white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Sauté altogether until beet tops are thoroughly cooked and beautifully.

I peeled the beets themselves and roasted them in the oven sprinkled with salt , pepper and coated with olive oil. It takes awhile for the beets themselves to cook. I roasted them at 400 F for 40 minutes at least until fork tender. Roasting beets brings out their sweetness.

Pasta with Butternut Squash - Pasta con Zucca alla Napolitana

 

Yes, this is definitely as creamy and luscious as it looks!

It’s a one pot, dairy / egg free and vegan dish using Butternut Squash.

This Neapolitan recipe is usually made with Zucca Lunga Di Napoli and is referred as “Cucina Povera” or peasant food, but this meal will satisfy even those with a discerning palate. 

For those of us who don’t have Zucca Lunga Di Napoli in our gardens, it can easily be substituted for Butternut Squash which is what I’ve grown in my garden. The results were magnificent.

The cooking process does require tending to. Like risotto, liquid needs to be added to the pasta and squash as it cooks. Not something you can just forget about.

You will need: for 4 people

200 grams any short pasta. I used small penne

400 grams of cubed Butternut Squash

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsps Fresh Parsley and more for garnish

1/2 tsp of Peperoncini flakes or hot chili peppers, or more if you like

1/2 cup of water

Two cups or more of Vegetable Broth, you can also Chicken broth if you prefer , I used “reduced salt” broth.

Salt and Pepper to taste

- Drizzle 3 tbsps of olive oil into a large pan and over medium heat, saute your garlic, onion and pepper flakes until translucent. A minute or so.

- Add squash and parsley. Sauté for 5 minutes or so then add half a cup of water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Let simmer, with lid on, for about 20 minutes, or until squash is fork tender. Stir every so often.

- Add 1cup of vegetable or chicken broth. Bring to a boil then add your pasta to the pan. Lower heat to a simmer, and stir often with a wooden spoon.

- The squash will begin to break down as you stir and will coat pasta.

- Once your pasta has absorbed the liquid, add another half a cup of liquid and keep stirring.

- Keep adding half a cup of liquid until pasta is cooked al dente.

- The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid even after you take it off the heat, so best eaten immediately so it doesn’t dry out.

- If it does dry out, add more liquid! Very easy to fix.

- This whole process should take a little over half an hour but it’s well worth the effort.

Creamy without the dairy!! Garnish with parsley and fresh hot chili pepper if you like and top with Parm, Romano or vegan cheese.

Pork Tenderloin Panini with Arugula and Avocado

More Arugula ideas for those who are still harvesting from their gardens, as is @rita_di_gardens who you can access for information on growing Arugula.

This is the best sandwich that you’ll ever eat! Obviously not vegan but definitely dairy and egg free!

Cooking a pork loin is actually very easy and requires not too much time. The actual baking time was 9 minutes!! It is definitely something that you can whip up at the end of a busy day. Pork tenderloin melts in your mouth when not overcooked so this panini disappears quickly!

You will need to make a wet rub for your tenderloin as that’s where all the flavours come from.

You will need: (for a tenderloin that’s about 12 inches long and will make 4 sandwiches.)

3 Tbsps Extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsps white or red Balsamic vinegar

2 tsps fresh chopped Rosemary or 1 tsp dried Rosemary

1 garlic clove minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together and rub all over your tenderloin. If you can let it sit for about half an hour and marinate a little, that would be good. Pull it out prior to cooking to remove the chill. If you don’t have the time then let’s go straight to cooking.

Heat up a frying pan that can go from stove top to oven. If you don’t have one you can easily transfer from stove top to a baking dish.

On Medium -high heat, lightly oiled with vegetable oil, sear your pork on all sides.

Once nicely browned,  put your pan straight into a preheated 450F oven for 9 to 12 minutes depending on how you like your pork. Mine was done in 9 minutes and was slightly pink. The loin was about 2 -3 inches wide, not terribly huge but enough to make 4 nice paninis. I removed it from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes.

 The pork will continue to cook once it comes out of the oven which is why it’s important not to overcook it or it will become dry. The longer it sits, the more it continues to cook. I like to cut mine in half to see if it’s slightly pink, which is how we like it. 

You can use any type of bun or panini for this sandwich.

For your panini topping you will need:

One avocado sliced

A handful of Arugula for each sandwich

Spread vegan ,for dairy free,mayonnaise and /or Dijon mustard on panini

Add your sliced pork then top with avocado slices and Arugula.

This is a family favourite. Give it a try!!

Arugula Salad with White Balsamic and Maple Vinaigrette

“The Three Bitters”

This recipe came about because I was challenged by @rita_di_gardens. She has an amazing urban organic backyard garden where she plants mostly heirloom vegetables. Alongside her posts she always includes the history behind her heirloom vegetables. 

She recently posted very interesting information regarding her wild Arugula that was overtaking her neighborhood 😂 then mentions a  bitter salad that is known as “Insalata Tricolore” which translates to 3 colour salad..... or as I call it....The Three Bitters!

This beautiful salad consists of Arugula, Belgian Endive and Radicchio. All bitter! 

I came up with a Canadian twist for this salad and that special Canadian ingredient is in the dressing. Canadian Maple Syrup😋 and pumpkin seeds. The maple syrup will add the sweetness that you need for this salad.

You will need:

Arugula, Belgian Endive, Radicchio 

I like to use the endive as “boats” and then build up from there.

You can either make personal sized salads or family style salad. Whatever your choice, for each person, you will need two endive boats. 

Mix your Arugula and Radicchio And stack on top of your boats.

Dressing: will be enough for 4 servings

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbsps White Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 Bosc pear cut into slices

Pumpkin seeds, unsalted

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix altogether with a fork.

Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on your salad and drizzle your dressing!!

This tastes absolutely amazing and the “tricolore” looks stunning!!

Maple Brussel Sprouts

This side dish is always a huge success at our dinner table. What makes it delicious is the use of pure Canadian maple syrup and bacon!

This recipe is egg free and dairy free, but obviously not vegan. However, you can leave out the bacon if you don’t want the pork.You will need :

Brussel sprouts, the quantity will depend on how many people you are feeding. I have enough here for 4 people.

Half a pound of bacon, fried and chopped

1-2 tbsps bacon fat

1-2 tbsps good olive oil

2 tbsps pure maple syrup

Salt, pepper to taste

Trim the Brussel sprouts removing the darker outer leaves and cut off stem.

Discard any that have holes and black inside of them. Usually means a little worm visited.

I cut them in half so they cook quicker.

Boil them until fully cooked, 15 minutes.

Drain and add to the frying pan that you used to fry the bacon.

Along with the 1 - 2 tbsps of bacon fat, drizzle some good olive oil to the pan.

Fry up the sprouts scraping off the delicious bacon flavours at the bottom of the pan.

Fry until sprouts are slightly browned then add salt, pepper and maple syrup. 

Stir for a few more minutes so that the maple flavour is absorbed.

Sooooooo good!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash

Impress your family and friends and try something new! There are so many different varieties of squash this time of year. Spaghetti squash is so easy to cook and delicious to eat.

I will show you how to make this squash two different ways. The first is with tomato sauce and the second is with margarine or butter, and cheese.

Both ways can certainly be dairy free and vegan.

Ingredients:

One medium sized spaghetti squash

2 tbsps good olive oil, I use extra virgin

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegan margarine

Marinara sauce (recipe link below)

Romano, Parmesan or vegan Romano style grated cheese

Cut stem off of squash then cut the squash in half, lengthwise from top to bottom

Scoop out seeds

Drizzle the inside flesh of each half with olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place face down on a tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375 F for at least one hour. You will know it’s cooked when it’s fork tender.

Let cool until you can handle it, then take a fork and scrape the strands of squash out of shell and into a bowl.

Now you can decide how you would like to eat it. Either topped with a Marinara sauce (recipe link below) and Romano, Parmesan or vegan cheese or simply with butter ( vegan butter or margarine) and any cheese you like.

Delicious either way. Give it a try!!

How to Make Marinara Sauce YouTube link
https://youtu.be/KBCZGHFdDK8

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts

 ‘‘Tis the season for everything pumpkin” and these doughnuts are great alongside that Pumpkin Spiced Latte!

Vegan Pumpkin Spiced Doughnuts!These are so easy to make and are baked just like a cake. They are egg free, dairy free and vegan. They taste absolutely amazing😋

You will need:

A doughnut baking tray for 6 doughnuts

Stir together in a large bowl the dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar packed 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin spice

In another bowl mix together the wet ingredients:

1/2 cup pumpkin pie purée 

2 tbsps vegan margarine melted

1/2 cup almond milk

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Mixture will be thick and wet.

Spoon into the greased doughnut baking tray ( I use vegetable oil)

Bake at 350F for 18 - 20 minutes. Let cool in pan.

Mix these next 3 ingredients together and sprinkle over the doughnuts when they cool. Brush a little vegan milk on doughnut so sugar sticks.

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp pumpkin spice 

Enjoy this with your Pumpkin Spiced Latte!!

If you don’t mind dairy, use your Pumpkin Spice Dairy Creamer to glaze the top. Simply add your creamer to 1 cup of icing sugar until your get the desired consistency for a runny glaze. Add pumpkin spice to your icing sugar for extra spice!