Quinoa with Black Beans and Fire Roasted Tomatoes

Calorie Content: 421 calories (4 servings to a recipe)
Cost Per Serving: $2.62

There are a lot of great quinoa recipes out there, and limitless possibilities for flavors.  Last week when I made this, I was looking for something fresh and light that I could eat throughout the week.  I was also trying to save some money, due to an upcoming trip to Formula One racing in Montreal, so I wanted to utilize ingredients I already had on hand.

I came across this recipe, and it serves as a good example of "fixing" leftovers.  I made the recipe as written on the website linked first, did not like it, and then added the additional ingredients to turn it into something new!  I saved money and saved the dish!

There are a lot of ways to reduce cost of this dish, for example, leaving off the avocado (organic ones are costly), stocking up on canned ingredients while on sale, omitting the tomatoes or using salsa instead, or even growing your own herbs.

Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna with Fresh Pasta

Calorie Content: 425 a serving (4 servings to a recipe)
Cost Per Serving: $2.17

Spinach and artichokes are two of my favorite foods.  Tonight I thought to myself...why not put them into a lasagna?  I wanted to keep the tomato/mozzarella goodness of a regular lasagna but simply add the elements of spinach and artichokes.  I am very happy with the results.

This recipe includes homemade pasta noodles, but you could of course used store bought.  I love to make my own pasta and it is easier than you would think!  Depending on who you talk to, or what website you look at, you will find a million different recipes for pasta dough.  Play around and find the ones you like!  No matter which one you choose, they all taste better than store bought dry pasta, that is for sure.

Baked Spaghetti and Cheese

Tonight my hairdresser mentioned Mac and cheese and I thought to myself...hmmm I could go for some of that. But without high quality cheese and some Gouda in my fridge, I wasn't about to do a simple Mac and cheese! In this recipe, I used additional ingredients to dress up some standard mild cheddar that I had left over from the weekend.  There's always a way to make do with what you have lying around the house!

Baked Spaghetti and Cheese

"Meaty" Gravy

One thing that I am struggling with now that I am not eating meat, is getting that feeling of a heavy, "meaty" dish when I am looking for that.  The other night I decided to experiment and I figured out a pretty good recipe for a "gravy" that could be used on rice, egg noodles, tofu, etc.  This is a weekday recipe where I chose to start with a pre-made gravy rather than make my own, and then add my own components to it to thicken and spice it up!  You could make your own gravy to do this as well, but I like to save some time on the weekdays!  This recipe proves that food with a lot of flavor and texture doesn't always have to take a long time to prepare!

"Meaty" Gravy served over sushi rice with grilled squash and peppers

Black Bean Pancakes

I am a huge breakfast person.  I don't feel right without starting my day with a big plate that will keep me satisfied until lunch.  In my quest for new breakfast recipes, I came across this recipe and in true Lauren fashion, edited it a little bit to suit my needs. 

Black Bean Pancake with Fried Egg, Sour Cream and Avocado

Potatoes Au Gratin with a Twist

I know it's been a while since I've updated this, there has been a lot going on in my life that I've been trying to figure out and work through.  Last night I decided that I need to start doing what I enjoy again and stop dwelling so here I go!
I have been cooking a lot with one major change! I went vegetarian a month ago and haven't looked back.  After biting into something that had a bone piece in it and shouldn't have, I became disgusted and haven't had any desire to eat meat since.  I don't know if this is something that will last, or a phase I'll go through before I feel like eating meat again...but I haven't had the desire and I haven't forced myself (what's the point of that?).

But anyways...enough about that and onto the food.  Last night I got home, and needed to do something with some leftovers.  The result was this invention...Potatoes au Gratin with a twist.

The picture leaves something to desired, but let me assure you, the taste was great!

Local farm fresh breakfast

My mother has been visiting this week for an enjoyable girls' stay-cation.  With a girls' adventure comes shopping, and great food!  Because we went to my favorite breakfast spot for lunch yesterday, I wanted to try something new this morning.  I did some google searching and found The Knight Farm, only 10 minutes from my home...serving breakfast 7 days a week.  

Special: Blueberry lemon pancakes

My mother ordered these pancakes, a special offered today.  When they arrived at the table, I was surprised to see the lemon on top...I thought that the lemon would have been integrated into the batter.  Despite the wrong assumption, the pancakes were light, fluffy and not too buttery or sweet.  I usually like savory breakfast because I don't really like desert for breakfast but I could have easily demolished a plate of these.

My choice: Corned beef hash and scrambled eggs

I had high hopes for this but sadly I was let down.  Nothing can surpass my grandmother's corned beef hash.  The potatoes were good, standard homefries, the rye toast was great.  Nothing was wrong with the hash, it was browned well on both sides and not overly greasy but it simply wasn't what I had in mind.  It didn't seem like they mixed the scrambled eggs with milk or water before cooking but rather, just scrambled eggs.  The texture left something to be desired.  

Overall, I was satisfied  by our experience.  I always say I will give a place two tries before I make a generally negative judgement.  I look forward to trying something different here and maybe will stop in on the weekend when they tend to have more customers.