Ginger Sugar Cookies

I make these cookies every Christmas (and also throughout the year because I love them too much to wait 12 months to eat them!)
I have been asked by a number of people for the recipe, so here goes:

Ginger Sugar Cookies


INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Sugar for rolling





Preheat oven to 350°

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar

Add egg and Molasses, and mix

In a medium bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients (with the exception of the sugar) with a fork

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, and stir

Roll the cookie dough into small balls (about half the size of a golf ball)

Roll the balls in a plate of sugar and place on a cookie sheet

Bake at 350° for 8 minutes

Remove from oven and let cool before removing from pan

Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe for stuffed mushrooms is super easy, which is nice, because my family & friends are always asking for me to bring these as appetizers. They are just so good!

Stuffed Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
20 Mushrooms (give or take a few)
2 Tbsp Chives
1/3 Cup Crab Meat, or Immitation Crab (optional)
1/3 Cup Cream Cheese
1/4 Mayo
1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan


Rinse mushrooms, and pull off stems

Chop up a small bunch of chives (to make about 2 tbsp)

Chop up about 1/3 cup of crab meat (optional)

In a small mixing bowl, mix together chives, crab meat, 1/3 cup cream cheese, 1/4 cup mayonaise, and 1/3 cup grated parmesan

Put mixture into a ziplock bag, and cut off one corner of the bag

Pipe the mixture into the mushroom caps

Bake for 20 min at 350°

Artichoke & Tomato Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

This has got to be the best vegetarian, low carb, "pasta" dish out there! Spaghetti squash is such a great, gluten-free, healthy replacement to eating pasta.

Artichoke Heart and Tomato Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

INGREDIENTS:

1 Spaghetti Squash
1/2 Large Onion
3 Cloves Garlic
1 Can Artichoke Hearts
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1/3 Cup of Milk
4 or 5 Fresh Basil Leaves (optional)
1 Cup Grated Parmesan


First prepare spaghetti squash: 

Cut in half lengthwise and remove "guts"

Put both halves of the squash facedown in a pan with about half an inch of water
     
Bake in oven for 45 minutes

While squash is baking:

Saute 1/2 a large onion, and 3 garlic cloves in a pan

Cut up 1 can of drained artichoke hearts into bite sized pieces

Add artichoke hearts and 1 can of diced tomatoes to the pan with the onions

Let simmer for about 30 minutes
 
Add 1/3 cup of milk

Let simmer for 10-15 minutes

Take the squash out of the oven, and scrape the insides out with a fork (throw away the outer shell, or if you're feeling creative, use it as the serving dish)

Add fresh chopped basil and a cup of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce

Serve sauce over the spaghetti squash

Roasted Brussel Sprouts Part II

After tasting the most amazing roasted brussel sprouts last week, I had to have them again.

So, I gave the recipe a shot tonight, and they turned out great! In my experience, it is easy to go overboard with seasoning salt, so I made a point of under-seasoning the brussel sprouts, and then tasting them part way through cooking to add a bit more seasoning before they finished off.  Next time, I would cook them at 375°  to make them a bit more crispy.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do - they will definitely be the new go-to side dish at my dinner table!

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Top Five Vegetarian Superbowl Appies

I was looking around for some tasty vegetarian appetizer ideas for Superbowl Sunday, and I have narrowed it down to these Top 5 Recipes:

Fantastic Vegetarian Sandwich

I spent my day today sitting through a 7 hour training seminar...Thankfully they fed us! My manager, or somebody who must care about me and my tummy, told someone in charge of food that I am a vegetarian. Along with the great looking deli meat sandwiches that we're catered in, they also brought a delicious artichoke quinoa salad, and one lonely vegetarian sandwich. This sandwich was just so fabulous, I would love to try and make it for myself again!

All of these tasty ingredients sliced and layered up in a ciabatta style bun :

Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta

Tonight was pasta night in my kitchen... it made for a great start to my recipe following extravaganza!
On the menu:

One Pot Broccoli & Parmesan Pasta

Roasted Brussel Sprouts!

We were out for a family dinner yesterday, and had the most delicious brussel sprouts! Yes, unlike the vast majority of people I know, I am a huge fan of brussel sprouts. These weren't any ordinary brussel sprouts though, they were honestly so delicious, I would have eaten them all night if nobody had cleared the table! So, curious to learn if this is something I could make, I asked for the recipe. Turns out it's super simple: