Easy Biscuits and Butter

If this blog was to be called something else . . . I would seriously consider calling it Biscuits and Butter! I highly question if there is something better than warm biscuits out of the oven with butter . . . or jam . . . or both. 

I am neither a Grandmother, nor am I from the South so I don't blame you if you are skeptical about my biscuit knowledge, but I am going to break the southern grandmother stereotype and this Canadian Girl is going to share her easy and delicious biscuit recipe! haha

2 cups Flour
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup of Cold Butter (or shortening)
2/3 Cup of Cold Buttermilk  (if your dough is too dry add a splash more milk)
        * You could substitute regular milk if you don't have any buttermilk
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in Butter with a pastry cutter or if you work quick enough not to melt the butter use your fingers.
Add Milk and stir until the dough combines, add more milk if it's still too dry. 

Roll out dough until it's 1/2" thick. 

Using a round cutter cut out your rounds . . . if you like them more rustic then just cut them into squares.

Then you arrange them on an ungreased baking sheet. Now, if you like crispy biscuits, like I do, arrange them about 1" apart on the sheet. If you like softer biscuit arrange them so that the edges are just touching each other, I thought that was pretty cool . . . my granny taught us that!

In a 425 degree oven, bake them for anywhere from 10-13 minutes. Keep an eye on them!!

There you have it . . . biscuits worthy of any Southern Grandma.
Always served with some warm Sour Cherry Jam!!!

Lastly, I am in LOVE with these ceramic berry containers from Anthropologie!! I love it when ordinary, disposable items are made permanent. So cute and odd at the same time. I love items with a little bit of quirk to them . . . like my white ceramic gnome.

I hope you'll try this simple biscuit recipe, they may have you say'in:

"Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit, that girl can bake!!"  :) haha

Our Favorite Vegetarian Recipe

The best way to eat Vegetarian food is to cook it in Curry. To me everything in a curry dish tastes the same, other than the texture I couldn't tell potato from chicken!
We Love this Chickpea and Carrot Spicy Curry!!!
The recipe was adapted from The Kitchenist's Spicy Chickpea Curry. 

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
4-5 Carrots, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1" piece of ginger, minced (or grated in)
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp Chili Flakes (even more if looking for revenge on your tongue)
1 (400gr) can of Chickpeas
1 (794gr) can of diced tomatoes (liquid and all)
1 tsp salt

Greek yogurt and fresh coriander to sprinkle on top!

Step 1: 
Heat oil in a pan (frying pan, dutch over, sauce pot what ever you have). Throw in Onion and brown for 2 minutes, add diced carrots and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 2: 
Add garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Then add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, chili flakes and cook for another minute.
Step 3:
Add Chickpeas, tomatoes and salt to the pan . . . stir!
Step 4: 
Turn heat to low and simmer until carrots are cooked through about 20 minutes (depending on how large your dice was).

Additional add in's: 
Red pepper, green pepper, potatoes (cooked), corn (although I sure every single person in India is mad at me for saying that right now), egg plant, cauliflower.

Lee's favorite to eat it is wrapped up in a flour tortilla (or naan bread) with rice and green yogurt! 

I hope you'll give it a try on your next Meatless Monday!!!

Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna

In case you were wondering where the blog went yesterday??? GO DADDY went DOWN, and since we host our domain name with go daddy our site went down too!!! Boo-urns! 

We've been trying to eat vegetarian meals more often, so I devised a plan to adapt a recipe I'd seen on Pinterest HERE and make it vegetarian. Rolling up the lasagna noodles makes this so much better and I have no idea why!!! I tried so hard to think of a way to explain it but I can't, it just makes it better!!!

You'll need: 
1 large egg
1 (15oz) container of Ricotta Cheese
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup fresh parsley (optional)
1 box of lasagna noodles (approx a dozen noodles)

1 onion, diced
1 medium Zucchini or 2 small, diced
1 red pepper, diced
5 small button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese (or more if you'd like), grated
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

Marinara Sauce: You can either make your own using the following recipe, or use a store bought sauce (Trader Joes sells a really good marinara sauce). You'll need 2 jars of sauce if you like your lasagna saucy!!! We've made it both ways, with homemade sauce and with trader joes marinara sauce and it was really great either way!

Here's my recipe for marinara sauce:
1/4  cup Olive oil
2  large garlic cloves
2 teaspoons dried oregano   
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2  teaspoon  Salt
1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper 
2  tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tsp chili pepper flakes 
1 teaspoon dried basil

Step 1: Boil water and cook lasagna noodles until they are flexible remove them from the water and lay out on some parchment paper (see here for a picture).  
Step 2: In a bowl combine ricotta cheese and egg with salt and pepper. Spread over lasagna noodles evenly. 
Step 3: Roll up lasagna noodles! 
Step 4: Start Marinara, Dice up all vegetable, and fry in pan until softened. Add ingredients for marinara sauce or jarred marinara sauce. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes! 
Step 5: Scoop two big spoonfuls into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place rolled up lasagna noodles side by side in the pan. 
Step 6: Pour the rest of the sauce over the noodles and top with 1 cup (or more if you like) mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes!!! 

This recipe makes a HUGE batch of delicious lasagna and I promise you won't even miss the meat!!!

A new version of Greek Salad

I'm big fan of Greek Salad . . . I'm a big fan of anything crunchy and it doesn't get much crunchier than Greek salad! For my sister's engagement party earlier this month I made a ton of salads. The next day we had left over Greek salad and her soon to be mother in law (whose an amazing cook, btw) fancied it up! She brought out the same boring Greek salad I made but she had added Toasted Sourdough bread chunks and it was . . .  OUT OF THIS WORLD!! It was seriously one of the yummiest things I've eaten!
She gave me her secret recipe . . . she pan fries large chunks of sourdough bread in Oil and like 6 cloves of garlic, once it's nice and toasty she adds it to the Greek salad, pours the dressing over and it's fantastic!

 Salad:
1 Red Pepper
1 Green Pepper
2 Tomatoes on the vine
1/2 an English Cucumber
1/4 a Red Onion
1/4 cup of Feta Cheese
Dressing:
1/4 cup and olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Bread: 
4 slices of Sour Dough Bread
1/4 cup Grapeseed Oil, or vegetable oil
6 cloves of peeled crushed Garlic
(If you have garlic butter you can fry it with garlic butter and vegetable oil!! We've done it both ways and it's awesome either way)

It's seriously AMAZING, it sounds so simple but it is truly fan-freak'in-tastic!!! The bread doesn't go soggy at all! It's even really amazing the next day! It's our new go to summer salad!! I hope you'll give it a try . . . it's a little more work but I promise it's worth it!

EASY Cheese Tortellini Salad

Summer came around a little late this year, it rained all June! I seriously didn't put on a pair of shorts until last week. But with summer in full swing (I hate to be a whiner but could someone turn it down a couple degrees, haha) we're in Summer Food Mode!

To me summer always means BBQ and Salad. I love a fresh salad on a hot day, but for Lee a salad is just not enough to fill up. If I can get away with it I will try to dirty the least amount of dishes possible, so making one big salad for both of us would be ideal. I figured what's more filling then Cheese Tortellini?? and it's vegetarian so two birds, one stone (or one dish I should say . . . and no birds because it's vegetarian).
Here's my recipe for Cheese Tortellini Salad: Feel free to add or subtract what ever you want, this salad is great made with whatever is in your fridge or garden!

Salad:
1 Package Fresh Cheese Tortellini (we use Olivieri Tri Color Cheese Tortellini, but feel free to use your own fresh handmade tortellini if you are that talented. You'll need about 700gr). I like using Olivieri pasta, honestly I would prefer to make it homemade but making your own tortellini is a lot of work, and if you give Olivieri's ingredient list a look you'll see there are NO fake weird ingredients. I think they are a good alternative to homemade.
1 Head Broccoli 
1/4 Head Cauliflower
1 Red Bell Pepper (or yellow, or Orange)
1 Jar Artichoke Hearts (most of the time I don't have artichoke hearts in the pantry so we usually omit them)
5 or 6 Grape Tomatoes 
A small amount of red onion (make sure not to put too much in or the whole salad will taste like red onion)
3 or 4 Radishes sliced thin
If you like olives add some of those in, I think some cooked peas or fresh corn would be really good in there too.

Dressing: 
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we like our dressings really vinegar-y if you don't add more oil)
1/4 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 Clove of Garlic
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Dried Parsley (not totally necessary)
* Sometimes I use Fresh Lemon juice instead of Red Wine Vinegar and I add a couple of dashes of Worcestershire Sauce. Also keep in mind that it's no longer vegetarian if you add Worcestershire. 

Instructions: 
Boil up pasta according to package instructions, if you are making your own pasta boil according to your grandmother's instructions :). Once the pasta is cooked, strain and let cool.
Chop up all of your salad ingredients and put in to large bowl.
Add pasta when cool.
Make dressing in separate bowl, and pour over salad.
Add a big sprinkling of Parmesan cheese!

 I hope you'll try this super easy summer salad! It keeps really well in the fridge too!!!

Mini Manor's Vegetarian Chili

This was one of those dishes that you make because it's "healthy" but then it turns out so yummy that you crave it like it was bacon.
I started making vegetarian chili because chili has always been a favorite of ours, but with ground beef it wasn't a super healthy thing to be eating frequently. We tried Turkey chili, but it wasn't fabulous. So I took one more crack at "Healthy Chili" this time Vegetarian . . . and it was AH-MAZING! We both enjoyed so much, way more then regular beef chili!
I know your scoffing at that last sentence, but honestly I've been making vegetarian chili once a week for the last 3 or 4 months! We NEVER made beef chili that often!  I Hope you'll give it a try it's truly delicious!!!!

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib Celery, diced
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno sliced into large rounds (seeds and all). 
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili flakes (we like spicy chili so feel free to omit this if you don't)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 – 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 can of Corn
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 – 14-ounce can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 – 14-ounce can Red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Big pinch coarse salt

 1)   Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened. Stir to combine. 

2)    Turn the heat up to high, add the tomatoes and their juice, crushing them a bit with your wooden spoon, add beans, corn and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.

3)    Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 10 more minutes.

Top with a bit of sour cream, some shredded cheddar cheese and some sliced scallions!! YUMM!

So Yummy!!! Anyone else have an amazing vegetarian recipe?? We're always searching around for great veggy recipes!!

The Best BROCCOLI you've ever had!

I have wrote so many weird things I never thought I'd ever write and today is no exception, today I'm sharing The BEST BROCCOLI recipe I've every had!!! Seriously Delicious!!!
Other things I never thought would happen, Lee might have been working late and I might have eaten 4 cups of this Broccoli to myself . . . :S
I call it Lemon, Pine Nut, Parmesan Broccoli! (A little more descriptive then needed but it really gets the point accross).

You'll need:
Some Pine nuts for 4 cups of broccoli I used 1/8 of a cup toasted in a pan quickly!
4+ cups of Broccoli (I use about 3 or 4 broccoli Crowns)
1/8 of a cup shredded Parmesan Cheese (don't use the cheap kind in the shaky jar at the back of the fridge splurge for fresh grated)
Juice of half a lemon (Use a fresh Lemon) you can add more lemon if you like, I usually add more to mine after Lee's taken his.
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut up Broccoli, place on baking sheet. Toss with a drizzle of Olive Oil and a generous sprinkling of Salt and Pepper.
Roast broccoli in oven for approx 10- 15 min . . . seriously keep an eye on it, it goes from done to burnt in like 2 seconds!
Toast pine nuts in pan.
Add Broccoli, Toasted Pine Nuts, Lemon Juice and Parmesan in a bowl together!

Get a Fork, eat Broccoli! HANDS DOWN BEST BROCCOLI EVER!!!!
*disclaimer* 
if you don't like lemon you probably won't like this broccoli . . . I'm talking to you Dad!

A little Broccoli info:
Broccoli is rich in cholesterol-reducing fiber and has antiviral and antiulcer activity. It is a super source of chromium that helps regulate insulin and bloodsugar. Broccoli is also a good source of calcium, thus help fight osteoporosis. Broccoli has large amounts of both soluble and insoluble fiber!

*Check back later today for our Family Love giveaway winner!!! Yup it's a two post kinda day!*

Yam and Balsamic Salad

Happy Chinese New Year!!!! We are Exhausted from yesterday's festivities, 10 dishes in 4 hours!

In Chinese New Year tradition you feast on New Years Eve and go vegetarian on New Years Day, a small attempt to counteract all the heavy food from NYE.

So for Dinner tonight we are having Garden Salad, topped with Yams, and a balsamic dressing.
This is our GO TO quick weekday meal! I would eat it every night if I could, even Lee likes it!
I find that by adding the yams it fills you up, WAY more than a regular salad.

2 or 3 small yams (or One HUGE yam)
a drizzle of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Toss Diced yams with olive oil, salt and pepper, roast in a 400 degree oven for anywhere from 30 minutes to 45 minutes depending on how large your dice is!

For the salad we add:
1 head Romaine Lettuce
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
1 Red Pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 a Cucumber
a couple radishes

Just your basic run of the mill garden salad.

Balsamic Dressing: (make lots!! You won't regret it)
3 parts olive oil to 1 part Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste!!

Pull your yams out of the oven and let cool slightly, meanwhile compile your salad. Top Salad with warm Yams, drizzle everything with your Balsamic Dressing!

It's seriously the BEST salad!!!

Potato and Leek Soup

This is our favorite soup recipe . . . it's Soup-er easy to make (Get it . . . soup-er).
I make this soup almost every week in the fall and winter . . . I've even made it for my in-laws and my MIL had seconds (that's very exciting around here!).

1 small yellow onion
1 large Leek or 2 small ones
1 box chicken stock or Vegetable stock (we use low sodium organic chicken stock from Trader Joe's)
1 small brown potato
1/8 tsp Dried Thyme
salt and pepper

Sooooo easy Sooooo good!

First dice the onion. Slice up the white part of the Leek and wash well.
Put a tbsp of oil in a pot and fry up the onions and Leeks, about 5 min. You just want them to get a bit of brown on them!
Add Thyme. Stir.
Add box of Stock.
Dice Potato. Add to pot.
Boil soup until potatoes are done . . . make sure they're really done!!!! This soup is ruined by under cooking the potatoes (I've done it, I know . . . p.s. Lee was really hungry that night and still ate it :)
Salt and Pepper to taste . . . I think it's best with a little extra salt (yes I know we used low sodium stock only to add extra salt . . . don't judge me ;)
Throw it all into a food processor and pulse until desired consistency!

Eat, Lick Pot Clean!!! DONE!

Thai Coconut Curry Soup

We've been trying to add more healthy meals to our weekly schedule, this one was GREAT and vegan.
Lee's a sucker for any form of Thai food so his review of this might be slightly bias but He did give it two thumbs up!

1Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic
1 can of drained corn or about a cup of frozen corn
4-5 Green Onions
1 med Red Pepper
2 15 oz cans of Coconut Milk
1  1/2 cups Rice Milk
2 tsp good Curry Powder
1/4 tsp Red Curry Paste (not really necessary but it you have some it's good to add)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Minced Cilantro (I don't like cilantro so I cut it out of mine)
This is great for a starter soup but if it's for dinner:
I add a few nugget potatoes and a couple of florets of cauliflower.

Add oil and garlic to a soup pot, fry up a bit until the garlic is fragrant, add the white part of the green onions and the red pepper. Cook in pot for a couple minutes.

Add all the milks, corn, curry powder, curry paste, and salt.

Cook until the potatoes are done, or if your not using potatoes cook until it's all heated through.

At the last minute throw in the cilantro and green parts of green onions and serve.

Very Yummy!!

Meal Plan Monday: Back on Track!

We had a lovely vacation this past week, or stay-cation as it were! We just stuck around the house catching up on everything, organizing closets, planting trees, cleaning out the garage (holy crap that was a lot of work). But it was a super rewarding week! We got so much done! Now we just need a vacation from our stay-cation!
Now that we're back to regular work schedules, it's time to get back on track with meals!
This week is super low key, nothing exciting going on, no one to visit, no one coming to visit! It's a perfect week to catch up on some cleaning, baking and of coarse blog posting :)

This week is suppose to be super sunny and I thought it would be the perfect time to break out the Bruschetta!

Here's how I make it, Italians look away, it's not at all traditional, but it's soooooo good!

5 or 6 Roma or vine ripe tomato's (Seeded, the seeds make the mixture too wet)
5 Green Onion Shoots
5-8 Cloves of Garlic (Depending on how much you like Garlic, I use 8 medium sized cloves or 6 huge cloves)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese (the cheap kind, in the shaker)
1/2 tsp Sugar
Lots of Fresh Pepper
a couple shakes of some dried oregano (I use a pinch)
Some Fresh Basil if you have it (I never use basil)

Whole Wheat Pitas
Mozzarella Cheese

Grate Cheese on to Pitas, as much as you like. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese melts and gets crunchy on top.
Meanwhile,
Combine all of the first 10 ingredients together in a bowl. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then spoon on to the melted cheese covered pitas! Sooooo Good!

Monday:
L: Salad with smoked salmon
D: Thai Green Curry Chicken

Tuesday:
L: Leftovers
D: Asian Salmon with Quinoa Salad (I LOVE Quinoa and so does Lee, I boil it in Chicken Stock instead of water, it gives it great flavor!)

Wednesday:
L: Tuna Salad in Pita
D: Cashew Chicken!

Thursday:
L: Leftover Cashew Chicken
D: Pita bread Bruschetta and Steak

Friday:
L: Leftover Bruschetta
D: Hot Italian Sausage Pasta with Roasted Vegetables (YUM!)

I hope you'll try our Bruschetta Recipe, it really is so good, I've made it for tons of family and friends and they all LOVE it! Or at least they told me they loved it :)

Cucumber Sunomono???

If you like Ebi Sunomono at Sushi restaurants, you're going to LOVE these.
It's basically the same as Sunomonos but without the noodles. They make a great tangy snack and they sooth an upset tummy (that's right I'm not to old to say tummy :)

• Take 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup sugar and mix them together in a container with a lid! Stir the vinegar/sugar mixture until the sugar dissolves. 

• Cut up one English cucumber, thinly, use a mandolin or a food processor if you can't cut them thinly enough with a knife.

• Put cucumbers in the liquid and store in an air tight container in the fridge. Leave them for 1 day, then, eat them!! 

They last for about a week in the fridge. YUM!

Meal Plan Monday: Valentine's Day Dinner!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
I hope everyone is having a very romantic day so far, although it's a Monday so don't feel bad if you're not :)
I had a very Romantic morning I can't wait to share with you my Valentine's Day gift. Lee out did himself this year. Although every year he seems to do something romantic, But this year I truly thought he had forgot.

With it being Meal Plan Monday I wanted to share with you our Meal Plan for Valentine's Day.

First last night I made cupcakes for Lee and some extras to take to work with him (he secretly buys work friends with cupcakes).
They are chocolate cupcakes, with pink vanilla icing. And just for Valentine's Day I bake a batch of brownies and use a small heart shaped cookie cutter, to cut out little brownie hearts for on top.

I am meeting Lee for lunch at the little sandwich shop near his work and then hitting the grocery store.
For dinner I am making something new. I typed in Valentine's Day Pasta (because Lee loves Pasta) and this recipe came up:
http://www.oprah.com/food/You-Wont-Be-Single-for-Long-Vodka-Cream-Pasta
It's Rachael Ray's most romantic meal. They "You Won't be single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta" seeing as I haven't been single for a long time, I'm changing it to "I don't want to be single again Vodka Cream Pasta".
This recipe got rave reviews on the food network site, 472 rave reviews to be specific, I can't wait to try it.

Here's the recipe:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
• Crusty bread, for passing

Directions

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

I'm planning on serving it with a Salad, the crusty bread and for desert, Leftover Brownies from the cupcake hearts with ice cream and whipped cream on top :) YUM
I'll also be taking pictures of my Valentine's Surprise to share with you tomorrow!
Wishing everyone A super HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! Filled with lots of Love and CHOCOLATE :)

Meal Plan Monday: Very Rainy Week!

Looks like we have a dreary rainy week ahead of us, except for Tuesday :) (woo hoo?)
So this week looks like comfort food at it's best.

Monday: This Monday we'll be practicing Meatless Monday! I usually find vegetarian meals to be a bit bland, so I've found the best way to make vegetarian meals is Indian Style. Curry could add flavor to a shoe, so it's bound to add some taste to meatless meals. :) (Please no hate mail from Vegetarians, I am in no way comparing vegetarian cuisine to a shoe :)

Lunch: Leftover Pierogis with kielbasa and sour cream
Dinner: Rachel Rays Curried Winter Vegetable Stoup (one of our Favorites)
Here's the Recipe: (I couldn't find "Fire Roasted Tomatos, so I just used canned Diced Tomatos)

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium eggplant, peel half of each one and chop into bite-size pieces
• 1 small head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
• 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced into about one-inch chunks
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock plus 1 cup, divided
• 2 rounded tablespoons mild curry paste, more if desired
• 1/2 cup mango chutney
• 1 can chickpeas (15 ounces)
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 1 bag spinach (10 ounces), thinly sliced
• 1 bag pita chips

Preparation

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with three turns of the pan of vegetable oil, about three tablespoons. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes. 
Add the cauliflower and potatoes, turn the heat down to medium and cook for five minutes. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add the red bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, adding a little more oil if necessary if the mixture seems dry. 
Continue to cook for five more minutes, stirring every now and then. Add stock and bring up to a simmer.

While the stoup is coming up to a simmer, combine one cup of the stock with the curry paste and the mango chutney in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Add the curry mixture to the pot along with the chickpeas and tomatoes. Season with some salt and pepper, bring the mixture up to a bubble and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes and veggies are nice and tender and the flavors have melded together. Fold spinach in at the end.

To serve, ladle up a good amount of the stoup into a serving bowls and top with some pita chips.

Tuesday:
Lunch: Leftover Curried Winter Vegetable Stoup
Dinner: Flattened Whole Chicken herb and garlic seasoning (on the BBQ, Today is suppose to be the only sunny day), Asparagus (on the BBQ), and Wild Rice

Wednesday:
Lunch: Chicken Salad Sandwiches (made with the extra bbq'd chicken)
Dinner: Homemade macaroni and cheese (try making your own with a little bread crumb topping and you'll never go back to the boxed version), with a side of broccoli (and a little for Carson, he LOVES broccoli)

Thursday:
Lunch: Leftover Macaroni and Cheese, and a ham sandwich (with Swiss, assuming Lee doesn't eat it all by Thursday)
Dinner: Salmon and tofu stir fry

Friday:
Lunch: Tuna Sandwich, Yogurt and Nuts, with Granola
Dinner: Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Carrots and Peas, and Lee likes his with Dijon.

I recently found out that one of the highest markups in the grocery store is on Deli Meats. So we try to make Ham Sandwiches when we're having ham, Turkey Sandwiches when we've had Turkey, etc. . . . The quality of the meat is always way better, the sandwiches are way yummier and it tends to be way cheaper. We did make the decision to invest in a small, inexpensive deli slicer, but we found a cheap one at walmart and it works beautifully :)

So that's our Meal Plan Monday, anything you're planning on making this week??

Meal Plan Monday: February

Every Sunday while making my plan I flip over to the weather channel and see what the weather is going to look like this week. I like to plan our meals around the weather, there's nothing worse then BBQing in the rain or sipping on hot soup during a heat wave, I thought this up one night while watching Lee BBQ in the snow.

So this week here in the Greater Vancouver Area (BC) we have SUN until Wednesday (although sun means no clouds and no clouds means COLD temps), cloudy on Thursday and possibly snowing on Friday.
So here's how our week looks:

MONDAY:
Lunch: Ham and Swiss sandwich, granola and yogurt.
Dinner: Ginger Lime Chicken with Rice and Bok Choy

TUES:
Lunch: Tuna Fish Sandwich
Dinner: Short ribs with Cabbage

WED:  Max has a vet appt today! He gets his teeth cleaned so he'll be sleepy from the anesthesia, a super simple dinner will be in the works for tonight.
Lunch: Leftover Short ribs and Cabbage
Pick up Roasted Chicken from the Italian Market on the way home from the Vet
Dinner: Roasted Chicken Paninis with Tomatos and Motzerella. Homemade Tomato Soup on the Side. I use this RECIPE.

THURS:
Lunch: Salad with Tuna and a Boiled Egg with homemade dressing
Dressing Recipe (if the Manor had a signature Dressing this would be it :)
2 cloves of garlic
a teaspoon or so Dijon Mustard
a couple squirts of Worcestershire Sauce
the juice of half a lemon
just under a 1/4 cup of red wine vinager
Wisk together,  then whisk in the olive oil, about a quarter cup.
Season with Salt and Pepper YUM!
Dinner: Chicken a la King  Using the Leftover Chicken  from Wed.


FRIDAY: (Possibly Snowing)
Lunch: Leftover Chicken a la King
Dinner: Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Chowder.

So there's how our First week in February looks!
I finally finished sewing the Library Curtains, I LOVE the way they turned out and I can't wait to share them with you tomorrow :)