eggplant "canneloni" with tofu ricotta and pesto

these eggplant roll ups are easy but quite elegant.  you can serve them as appetizers or, paired with a salad, they can be also make a lovely and light main course.  i made the ricotta from tofu because i wanted these to be vegan, but you can use regular ricotta if you don't mind the dairy. if you do, i'd season it with some salt, pepper and herbs (much as the seasoning in the recipe).  these "cannelonis" are sufficiently moist and packed with flavour, so aside from a little drizzle of pesto, other sauce is unnecessary.  you can, however, serve them with some simple marinara sauce.

eggplant "canneloni" with tofu ricotta and pesto 
makes about 12-14

a little something to go with your tea: lemon poppy seed and orange star-anise scones

a word of warning: these scones are addictive! so make sure you invite some friends over for a tea party or else you may just eat too many yourself.  not that this would be the end of the world, of course, but i generally try to encourage healthy eating habits so this would not be such a good thing.   

see, i used to NEVER bake, precisely because i wanted to avoid temptation of eating too many baked goods.  why do that to yourself? why mess with the powers of a baked treat while you are trying to eat very well?  but i developed a strategy: (1) i now only bake when i expect company who will help make the fruits of my labour disappear quickly (or i give them away), and (2) i try to bake only really healthy treats.

here is a recipe for some vegan scones which more-or-less meet the latter criteria (i'll let you take care of the former).

world's fastest risotto

let's face it, fast risotto is a bit of an oxymoron. real risotto takes time and a lot of stirring! and if you have ever tried to make it with brown rice - and yes, this is possible - it takes even longer.  but if you don't have 2 hours to spare and have some left over brown rice in your fridge, you can try this short-cut version.   sure, it doesn't have the same creaminess as the masterfully executed "real thing", but it is tasty all the same.  and it can save you some precious time and help you dress up your leftovers.

quick risotto with tomatoes, spinach and olives

easy desserts: cashew mousse with banana, strawberry and lemon

a cup of soaked cashews (drained), 1 ripe banana, 6 medium size strawberries, juice of half a lemon, and 1T of agave nectar (optional). blend until smooth, chill for 30mins, serve. that's it! a delicious and healthy mousse that could double as cupcake frosting, a side to some delicious pancakes or crepe filling.

vegan eggplant mushroom antipasto

this antipasto will knock your socks off! its a bit of a hodge-podge but the end result is a delicious versatile concoction that can go on a cracker or crostini, be a pasta or pizza topping, or can add lots of flavour to your breakfast tofu scramble or poached eggs (for the non-vegans). bring it to a potluck or pack it into rustic jars to take along as a hostess gift.

mending the body and the soul, one spoonful at a time

this soup will make it all better! well, maybe i can't really make that promise, but i can assure you that it will take your attention off all your worldly troubles for at least a few minutes; it is that delicious!

roasted asparagus and cauliflower mingle well with green peas, thyme, flat leaf parsley and lemon. roasting the veggies really deepens their flavour, but if you want to skip that step, sauteing them with some olive oil would work as well. a little sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and some cumin is all you need to season it. the result is a velvety soup that is lovely to look at, very flavorful and filling without being heavy.