Avocado Yogurt Dip

It's almost summer and when I think summer I think creamy avocado's! This is my favourite quick avocado dip to make. When I say this dip is simple, I mean simple. The hardest thing will be peeling the avocados.

You'll need:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 ripe avocados -- peeled and seeded

- 1/2 a garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons of cilantro
- 1 chopped jalepeno -- I keep mine with the seeds because I like the kick it adds, but you can remove the seeds if you wish
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
- pinch of salt and pepper

All you do now that you've got all your ingredients is blend it all together in your food processor until smooth.

I usually eat this with baked pita bread or tortilla chips, you can even add it to wraps!

Enjoy!!

Magic Bars

My families absolute favourite dessert.
So simple and easy you'll end up making this more than once.

What you'll need is
- ground graham cracker crumbs
- 1 cup of melted butter
- 2 cans of condensed milk
- 1 pack sweetened shredded coconut
- assorted chocolate chips (milk chocolate, semi-sweet, white chocolate, peanut butter etc)
- assorted chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts)

Turn your oven on to bake at 350.


Start by putting the ground graham crackers into a large baking dish, 9x13 is what I usually use. On top add the melted butter and mix it together with a fork to combine the two, and using either the fork or your hands flatten the mixture evenly.

Bake for 5 minutes.

Take the dish out of the oven, add one can of condensed milk and carefully spread it evenly over the graham cracker/butter mixture. If you think the one can isn't sufficient enough, start by adding 1/2 of the second can and then the entire if you think needed.
Sprinkle the shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts over the condensed milk.

Turn your oven to bake at 300, put the dish into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.

If the top of the dish is not golden brown, turn your oven to broil - high for 2 minutes until it turns a light brown.

Take the dish out of the oven, let it set for 20-30 minutes. You can even put it into the fridge to set if you're in a hurry.

Once cooled and set, cut into squares remove from dish and enjoy!

Lentil Pie

A veggies dream.
Not so simple, but definitely delicious. Most of these ingredients I had in my fridge, so I'm sure you will too.

What you'll need is (in order of preparation):

Inside the Lentil Pie

- olive oil
- 1 diced onion
- 2 diced celery stalks
- 1 diced carrot, or 7 mini carrots diced
- 1 diced red pepper
- mushrooms diced
- 1/4 cup frozen corn
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- 1 cup dry green lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 cup dry brown lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 1 pack of soy protein, usually Yves Ground Round
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 can crushed tomatoes with water
- 2/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine, or just use another 1/2 cup of vegetable broth if you don't have
- 2 diced zucchinis
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 4 russet potatoes (6 if you're not using sweet potatoes)
- 1/3 cup of milk
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese -- I used old
- 3 thinly sliced green onions

Okay so let's start cooking!!

Warm your stir fry pan on medium heat with the olive oil and add the onions, celery, carrots, red peppers, corn, mushrooms, and garlic. Once the veggies have softened add lentils, soy ground round, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic salt.
Cook this for like 3-5 minutes still on medium heat.

Add the crushed tomatoes, and veggie broth (wine as well if you're using it) bring this to a boil with the veggies, and then lower your heat and cover.
Cook for 20 minutes and be sure to stir a few times in between so it doesn't stick.

Add zucchini after 20 minutes, cook for another 30 minutes covered and still stirring here and there until the lentils soften.

In the meantime, let's get those potatoes ready!

Peel and dice the russet potatoes and sweet potatoes add to a boiling pot with salt water covered and until tender, this should be about 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes when ready, put them back into the pan. Mash em up with a masher (or fork if you don't have one) adding milk, butter, salt and pepper -- I added some red peppers cause I need my spices! Stir in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.

Once the lentils are ready pour the mix into a large baking dish and spread the mash potato mixture ontop. Add the remaining cheese and green onions. 

Bake in the over at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Finished product topped with spinach

Nutella French Toast

Probably the best breakfast food you could make or feed someone.

My recipe is good for 3 Nutella French toast sandwiches.

Inside of the French toast

What you'll need is:
6 slices bread
1/2 milk
2 eggs
tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pinch cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
Powdered sugar for dusting
Butter for the pan
3 tbsp Nutella
Syrup for ontop -- although you won't need it
Since I love fruit, I usually add berries and bananas on top.

Start by mixing together with a whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, sugar.
Then pair up your slices of bread. Apply a table spoon to one slice of each pair.
Close the pair, dip into your egg mix.
Place on your pan (which should be on medium heat).
Flip, and repeat.

When finished remove from heat, put your fruit of choice on top dust your powdered sugar and serve.
You can add syrup if you like, but I usually don't need it.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Sandwich

The only way I'll enjoy peanut butter is with sliced bananas in the center.
Just as easy as the Strawberry Nutella Sandwich, this is a quick fix.

You'll need:
- 2 slices of bread -- any kind (or 1 slice if you want an open faced sandwich)
- 1/2 a banana sliced
- 1 tbsp. of smooth or chunky peanut butter

Optional: drizzle of warm honey

Toast the bread, spread the peanut butter, and add the sliced bananas. If you choose to, drizzle the honey and close the sandwich.

Quick, easy and simple. I enjoy this with a glass of cold milk, it also helps get the sticky peanut butter out of your teeth.

To mix it up a little, add any other fruit you wish. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and apples go great with this sandwich too.

If you wanna make this healthier, instead of bread use tortilla wraps and warm the wraps over a pan on the stove.

Yogurt Berries

This super easy snack takes no time at all, and is extremely easy to make!

What you'll need is:
- fresh or frozen fresh fruits;
I used, blueberries, cut strawberries, raspberries, and a diced apple.
- your choice of yogurt; best yogurt to work with is probably a plain vanilla one.
This time I used the yogurt cups no one really like, raspberry and mixed berry.

Pour your yogurt into a bowl, and either individually dip the fruit into the yogurt and place onto a tray. Or you could do the quicker way, throw a bunch in at a time and using a fork fish them out.

Freeze for 20 minutes, enjoy! If you don't finish all your fruits no worries, they last me at least a week in the freezer. Just place them in a freezer safe bag or container.

Pesto Pizza Bread

Since today is a snow day, I thought of testing out a new recipe for lunch.
Pesto pizza bread. Common, anything with pesto is amazing!

What you'll need for this is:
- 2 slices of bread
- choice of veggies -- I used quarter red onion sliced, quarter red bell pepper sliced, 5 sliced mushrooms, 4 slivers of sundried tomatoes, and 9 spinach leaves. You could also add hot peppers, zucchini, fresh tomato slices etc.
- 3 or 4 pieces fresh mozzarella cheese (usually comes in a ball form) thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp pesto sauce
- olive oil for drizzling

Start by warming the bread slices stovetop. Also turn your oven on to bake at 400.
Then on the slices spread the pesto sauce evenly. Add all your veggies except the spinach and bake on a pan  in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
Remove from oven, drizzle olive oil over slices with veggies and bake for 2-3 minutes.
Remove once more, add the spinach leaves and mozzarella last and bake until cheese melts and turns golden brown.
Slice, and serve!