Vegetarian Lasagna

I love lasagna. The cheesy, gooey lasagna. But, since being in my meatless faze, I decided to forgo my usual meat version  and try a roasted vegetable one.

This was easy enough; fresh pasta sheets, bechamel sauce, roasted vegetables and cheese (lots and lots of cheese!). The mix of vegetables; sweet potato, peppers, onions, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower, were simply done in the oven with olive oil and seasoning. The bechamel, a simple white sauce enhanced with bay leaves. Some frozen chopped spinach and a good mound of mozzarella cheese finished the job.

Layer upon layer of sauce, veg, spinach and cheese. Into a 375 oven for 45 minutes and what came out was a heavenly, light lasagna. Try this vegetarian version next time you have a hankering for a cheesy delight.

Bechamel Sauce

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 Bay leaves

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Add Bay leaves and cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and set aside until ready to use.

2012...What Will You Bring Me?

It's the New Year. We all have lists of things we loved, things we hated, and for me, it will be what I hope to see happen in 2012. Remember folks, these are just my opinions, so don't get angry.

Bacon

Here is a product that most of us love, but poor bacon has been turned into something other than that salty meat we eat in the  morning. This past year, and for a few years actually, it has been bacon overload! Enough I say. Let bacon be bacon and choose to be eaten plainly and simply beside some eggs, in a club sandwich or a ceasar salad. Please don't turn him into jam, put him in a chocolate bar or hidden in a cake. Hasn't he been ridiculed enough already?

Cauliflower

My favorite vegetable! Underused, made fun of, and left to be eaten as a pureed soup. Cauliflower is King! He is mighty and tasty and can stand up to anything. Give him a chance; he is well worth the effort. Roasted with cumin seeds and chili then doused in a tahini-lemon sauce is pretty damn good. Pureed with obscene amounts of butter and cream and he is better than any fancy puree you may find in top restaurants. He lives forever in the fridge, and is even pretty yummy late at night dipped into tzaztiki. Cauliflower, you will reign in 2012!

Millet

Little perfect grains of crunchiness. Often forgotten due to that girl named "quinoa", but for me, there is no competition. Cooked with earthy mushrooms and served over spinach, your delicate flavor caresses me. On your own with olive oil and salt and pepper, or thrown into a soup to give it strength. You and I will have a torrid love affair in 2012 and may even invite cauliflower into our mix.

Return To The Past

Who remembers the 70's? I do. The colorful cookbooks with elaborate spreads, crazy looking food, but tasty. Who doesn't like Beef Wellington or Lobster Thermidor? I might stay clear of the "chaud-froid" on chicken breasts, but a honest version of Chicken Cordon Blue or Kiev is nothing to snicker at. How about a Waldorf Salad? A Ceasar salad; pure and simple with just a handful of ingredients? I don't know about you, but a potluck that includes some kickin' meatballs, a lasagna, and a good loaf of garlic bread sounds pretty tempting to me.

Chemistry On My Plate

If I wanted to eat out of a test tube or beaker, or have scent waft my way as I eat, I'd pop in a Glade plug-in and get out my kid's chemistry set.

Asian Fusion

Seriously, this is 2012. Do I even need to mention this? Yes, apparently the memo never reached some people. FYI...it died along with Tex-Mex back in 1993.

Allspice

Ooh you sassy lady! Spicy, yet understated. I love adding allspice in place of pepper whenever I can. It brings brightness to my hummus and works wonders on top of rum punch, Bajan style!

Sea Urchin

I know it is in abundance in sushi places, but here in Nova Scotia we have tons of the stuff...everywhere! I love it. The smell is almost rose-water-esque, with a sweet and salty taste. People are afraid of the texture, but if you're willing to eat brains, then....Why is it not on more menus? It doesn't have to be a main course, but just a taste, a tease of the spiny creature. (FYI...I still have a sea urchin stinger stuck in my finger circa 2008!).

OK, so some are good, and some are bad. But after all is said and done, all that makes me happy is being able to enjoy food, any way it comes at me, in 2012. Happy New Year!

Blue Cheese Please

As we all well know, I am a lover of cheese; it's no secret. But, did you know I have a love-hate relationship with blue cheese dressing? This super overused dressing/condiment can be found at every pub, salad bar and mediocre restaurant. I would never, ever indulge in eating the stuff in public, let alone make some in the privacy of my own kitchen.

But, I am here to say that I actually decided to make a batch of the swarmy stuff last night. What possessed  me to do so? Some sexy bibb lettuce, bacon, celery hearts, apple and eggs. I had the makings of a fine salad but knew deep down in my lil' black heart that it was going to take a superfantabulous dressing to accompany the bunch.

Out came the cheese - the blue veined cheese. It got mixed with some plain yogurt, lemon juice, walnut oil and a good amount of black pepper. That was it, and how wonderful it was. Not too cheesy, not too rich, but it had a nice bite from the blue and the perfect acidity from the yogurt and lemon.

I will now put this recipe alongside my fancy ones and not have an ounce of shame. Long live the blue cheese dressing!

My Blue Cheese Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 1 C plain yogurt (please, use full fat!)
• 1 lemon; juice
• 1/2 C crumbled blue cheese (Roquefort would be stellar in this)
• 1/4 C walnut oil
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Pepper

Mix all together and let sit for 5 minutes. This dressing should keep for up to one week in the fridge.