à bientôt!

I finished up my work week yesterday and am on holiday until January 26th! Unfortunately it's pouring out here today so I can't take Pinch for the long walkies I've been promising him all week. We are both snuggled under a fleece blanket on my computer chair watching the rain fall outside.

I leave for Canada on the weekend and needless to say, I'm super excited! My last trip 'home' was in August which isn't that long ago, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to Canada after this trip, so I want to make the most of it. I'm definitely looking forward to celebrating a belated Christmas with my family and closest friends. And in order to concentrate more on the people and things that matter most when I'm in Canada, I think I'm going to take a little break from blogging while I'm there. Don't worry - I'll be back at the end of the month, but I just feel the need to "disconnect" a little. I spend most of the year exchanging with family and friends back home via the internet, and now that I'll have the opportunity to see them in person, I think it's only fair that I give my blog some time off and prioritize these face-to-face conversations. I'm planning my second blog giveaway (!) for the beginning of February though, so make sure to come back in a few weeks to find out all the details! The prize will be something French AND something Canadian, so you won't want to miss it.

So until I blog again, I'll leave you with another vegetarian friendly recipe that is popular chez moi (again, it's a recipe that I found somewhere and tweaked a little). It's a perfect winter meal full of good, healthy ingredients (and a little cheese of course!).

I'm hoping everyone is making good on their new year's resolutions! Stay fit, healthy, and happy and see you back here in a few weeks :)

Easy Cheesy Veggie Gratin

I buy dry légumes like this brand to add some healthy protein to the veggie gratin. The box contains 2 individual bags of mixed, dried légumes like lentils, peas, and soy nuts. You could also just buy small quantities of your favourite légumes from a bulk store and make your own mix.



In a measuring cup, combine 2 cups milk with about 300 g (or, one packet from the box) of the dried légumes. Let soak for the time that you cut and prepare the veggies. Sometimes, depending on how crazy I get with the quantities of veggies I prepare, the 2 cups of milk isn't really enough. Feel free to add a splash or two of milk more if necessary. The milk mix shouldn't cover the veggies completely, but come up about 1/2 of the way in the baking dish.

 

In an oven safe baking dish, add 4-5 different sorts of your favourite veggies, cut into small pieces. I chose: broccoli (pre-steamed for shorter cooking time), carrots, leeks, onion, zucchini, and red potato (pre-boiled for shorter cooking time as well). Any veggie works in this dish, and it's fun playing around with different combinations. If you are short on time, you can substitute any frozen veggie for a fresh one.

 

Add the légumes and milk mix to the veggies. Stir in together to coat the bottom of the dish evenly. I try to push the longer cooking veggies down into the milk mixture so that they cook faster. The veggies will cook in the milk mixture and the dried légumes add a nice texture and taste to the whole dish. I added some ground black pepper and garlic powder as well for a bit of extra flavour.



Cover the top of the gratin with a generous layer of bread crumbs (chapelure in French). Place in a pre-heated oven at 210°C for about 40 minutes (depending on what kind and quantity of veggies you used and if they are pre-cooked at all).



When the bread crumb top has started to brown (after about 30 minutes), take out the dish and add some pieces of cheese on top. I think any kind of cheese could work, but I love fresh mozzarella, so I added slices directly on top of the gratin. I've used raclette cheese before as well and it was delicious.



Pop it back into the oven until the cheese melts and browns. Let cool a few minutes before serving. This is really a hearty, delicious dinner idea that fills you up and I almost always have leftovers for the next day's lunch!