spanakopitas

1 package phyllo pastry
butter

2 large bunches of spinach
1 bunch green onions - diced
1 medium container feta cheese - crumbled
1/4c grated parmesan
1 egg
2tbsp diced parsley
2tbsp diced dill
1tbsp pepper
2tbsp olive oil

phyllo pastry is usually frozen, allow to thaw while making the filling

wash spinach and remove some of the stems, it's ok to leave some in but you don't want too many.
plunge the spinach into a large pot of boiling water and allow to cook for 3 minutes
strain the spinach then quickly plunge into a large bowl of cold water.
strain, and squeeze the spinach to remove excess water
chop spinach finely
combine in a large bowl with the rest of the ingredients

cut the roll of phyllo pastry in thirds, so that you have 3 rolls of narrow but long pieces.
lay out the sheet on a flat surface
lightly brush the edge of the phyllo with melted butter
spoon a small amount of filling into the bottom corner
fold the edge with filling over to the left to make a triangle, using the butter to seal the edge
then fold the filled triangle up, so that it begins to wrap the filling in pastry. then fold over to the right, then up again.
keep rotating until the spanakopita is a wrapped up triangle.
brush with more butter.

once you get the hang of things, you can brush about 4 sheets of phyllo at a time, then place the filling for all 4, and you'll probably just have enough time to fold them up before the butter dries on the phyllo pastry.

arrange complete spanakopitas on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes at 350-375 degrees.

serve with tzatziki sauce for dipping

freeze leftover filling.

tzatziki sauce

1 cup 2% (or higher) greek yogurt
1/2 of a cucumber
2 cloves garlic - pressed
1tbsp lemon juice
1tbsp + 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2tsp fresh (or 1tsp dried) dill

slice the cucumber lengthwise and remove the seeds and the liquid center part. slice into skinny strips or dice into small pieces

combine all ingredients (except the 1tsp of olive oil) and allow to sit for at least 1 hour in the fridge to allow the flavour to be absorbed into the yogurt.

drizzle with 1tsp extra virgin olive oil for presentation

morning glory muffins

1 cup spelt flour
1 cup white flour
3/4cup cup wheat germ
3/4 cup dark brown demera sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

2 cups grated carrot
1 grated apple
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water

1/2 golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips


mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl. mix the wet ingredients in another bowl. add the wet to the dry and stir as minimally as you can. add the raisins, walnuts, seeds, coconut and chocolate chips and stir until just combined.

they are pretty heavy muffins that don't rise much so I like to use the smaller size muffin liners (not the mini, just the slightly smaller normal size that fit in a normal muffin tin) and fill them to about 4/5 full. the recipe makes 18 muffins.

375degrees for 20 minutes

grilled cheese sandwiches

slice the bread thin/medium.
butter one side of half the slices.
place them butter-side down on wax paper.
lay a thin layer of cheese on these slices.
pile something fun (like chicken, sautéed mushrooms, or roast beef) on top of the cheese.
spread mayonnaise on another slice of bread and put it mayo-side down to complete the sandwich.
lightly butter the other side of the mayo-d bread so that the outside of the sandwich is all buttered.

your layers should end up:

butter-bread-cheese-something fun-mayo-bread-butter

slice a yellow or red onion very thin and turn on the pan to low-medium.
put the onions in the pan and then place the sandwiches on top, making sure about half of the onion pieces get squished into the bread.
don't move the sandwiches around once they are in the pan.
flip then after about 5 minutes, making sure they land on the rest of the onions. check them first, you don't want to be flipping back and forth.

serve with pickles!

prawn risotto

1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp butter
2 medium shallots - chopped tiny
2 celery stalks - sliced thin
2 cloves garlic - sliced thin
1.5 cup arborio rice
3/4 cup white wine
3 cups stock heated to a simmer
8 asparagus spears - sliced thin
12 large prawns - shelled, cleaned, and chopped into 1cm pieces
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese


heat a large frying pan on low heat. add the butter and oil.
when butter has melted, add the shallots and celery.
cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. they should be clear and fragrant
add the garlic and cook for 5 more.

now turn up the heat to medium and add the (uncooked) rice.
stir the rice in and allow to cook for about 3 minutes, until it gets translucent around the edge of each grain.
add the wine and stir in well, allow the wine to evaporate.

add about 3/4cup of the hot stock and stir together with the rice.
allow this to cook down and almost completely evaporated (about 5 minutes)
add another 1/2cup of stock and repeat the process until the rice is cooked. If you run out of stock hot water will work too.
add thinly sliced asparagus during the last addition of stock.

now remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the prawn pieces. Cover and set it aside for about 5 minutes.
remove the lid, stir in the butter, lemon zest, and parmesan cheese.

serve!