Sweet Potato/Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

A semi healthy twist on a classic.  

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potato Parmesan Sauce: 

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, minced
2 tbsp fresh grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Lasagna:

whole wheat lasagna noodles
1/2 cup of wilted spinach
1 cup fat free ricotta cheese 
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
shredded Italian Blend Cheese to top
2 tbsp parsley, minced

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add sweet potato and cook until soft. Drain from pot but reserve 1 cup of the water and set aside, then blend until smooth with an immersion blender or mash, adding 1/4 cup  of the reserved liquid to thin out.
2. Meanwhile, in a large deep non-stick pan, add the oil, sauté the shallots, onion and garlic over medium-low heat until soft and golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add pureed sweet potato, season with with salt and fresh cracked pepper and add a little more of the reserved water to thin out to your liking. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Ladle about 1/2 cup butternut sauce sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.4. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. 
5. Lay out lasagna noodles to cool and dry. Make sure noodles are dry before rolling! Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
6. Ladle about 1 cup of sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp Italian cheese blend. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts.  I put my oven on broil for the last 5 minutes to get the cheese a bit crispy and brown. Top with parsley and I also added green onions to serve. 

To serve, ladle a little extra sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcakes

It's November in Toronto and that means three things....

1. It's almost Christmas!

2. It's cold.

3. It's Sophie's birthday!!!!!

Sophie Marguerite Roberts born on November 5th, 1982 is one of my dearest friends and we have been known to share a few evenings over many single malts.  In lieu of such occasion, I whipped up a batch of these to welcome her with warm whiskey arms to her 'almost mid thirties'.  

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt 
2 eggs
1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup Whiskey ( your choice! )
1 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together wet ingredients. 
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and whisk until just combined and mostly smooth. {Don't overdo it, it'll make for tough cupcakes.}
5. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling about 3/4 of the way full. 
6. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cupcakes spring back when lightly touched.
7. Let cool completely before frosting. I also added unsweetened coconut for some texture, but you can add whatever topping you like!