Cashew-Cream Filled Raspberry Chocolates

I think we are all familiar with those stale sugar-laden filled chocolates that make their appearance in a box, especially around Christmas. You know, the neighbor who thinks that gifting something is better than not, but the rather pathetic excuse for chocolates usually ends up in a staff room or languishing in a pantry until someone in the house gets desperate for a chocolate fix. To no avail, I say, will you get your needed dose of chocolate — just a heavy bite of processed sugar.

More of a savory girl for sure, I still like a small dose of chocolate on occasion. And creamy filled chocolates are still a special treat, especially when they are essentially raw and filled with a healthy dose of homemade raspberry cashew filling. No need to feel guilty about these. If you really want the melt-in-your-mouth experience, then just leave the chocolates out of the freezer for a few minutes before biting into one or two. A fine quality dark chocolate is essential here and I assure you won't be disappointed.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mushrooms and Sumac

As the astonishing heat and humidity of the past few months seems finally to be settling down in southwestern Ontario, soups become more appealing. I always find the transition from blazing temperatures to cool ones quite an adjustment — a warming bowl of nourishing soup is solacing and comforting and helps the body to adjust.

This particular soup also happens to be easy and fairly light, making it an ideal one for late summer temperatures. It's fairly lightly spiced with some aromatics and fresh mint and some tangy zest from lemon juice and ground sumac. I was smitten with the meaty texture the dried mushrooms added to the bowl. Serve up with rustic bread and your meal is ready.

Mango Banana Coconut Smoothie

As I don't usually eat breakfast, smoothies are an ideal way to get needed nutrients to start your day. Fruit is essential for most of my smoothies, along with coconut milk or almond milk and other juices, such as carrot juice and cranberry juice.

This smoothie is one of my tastiest yet and very easy to whiz up in a regular blender — no high speed action needed to make this one that comes together in a few minutes. It's very creamy, with those distinctive mango and banana flavors.

Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Curry with Swiss Chard and Roasted Eggplant

Black-eyed peas have long been one of my favorite legumes, adding a welcome earthiness to dishes comprised of tangy, zesty or spicy flavors that make them a wonderful base in curries. In this nourishing curry, earthiness takes the main stage with roasted eggplant and Swiss chard.

Roasted Potato and Mushroom Soup with Coconut Milk

This summer hasn't really been soup weather because it's been a scorcher. At the same time, sometimes soup is just want you want, and this warm creamy soup with roasted potatoes and succulent earthy portobello mushrooms simmered in a fragrant and lightly spiced coconut and almond milk broth is one that I will be making often. The only thing I regretted was turning on the oven during an especially hot day to roast the vegetables. The kitchen stayed warm all afternoon, but it really was worth it. Once the vegetables are ready, the soup is easy to put together. I was content with just a bowl of this for dinner, but to fill out the meal, consider serving with some legume patties, such as these spicy lentil patties with sun-dried tomatoes.

I really like the extra flavor that comes out from roasting vegetables. This creamy soup certainly does the process justice and it wouldn't be a wonder if your dining companions came back for seconds.

Spicy Lentil Patties with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Weekends are when I usually fuss around with slightly more complicated creations. Not that these spicy and flavorful little red lentil patties are really complicated, just a bit more time consuming than other dishes that I might make during the week. You don't even need to pull out a food processor for these. Once the lentils are cooked until mushy and drained, simply stir in the rest of the ingredients and shape into little bites. Baking them instead of frying cuts down on the cooking time and they are healthier too because you don't need oil. Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake, turning once, until they are nicely browned on both sides.

These go well with any meal and they happen to pack a bit of heat too. The nutritional yeast adds a bit of cheesy flavor that turned out quite nicely combined with the spices and tart sun-dried tomatoes. I served them with a simple tomato sauce, but you could serve them as burgers with your favorite toppings, or with a soup or salad on the side. These turned out to be a big hit with my dinner guests.