7 hours

well, the market officially opens in 7 hours. i just kept baking & baking and then all of a sudden it was really late - oops. this is going to be ultra quick so i can get a few hours of sleep.

so the new main course this week is lentil shepherd's pie. this is probably the most popular dish i've ever made and it's vegan & gluten-free to boot. it starts with a base of mirepoix, then it's in with the lentils, mushrooms, kale, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, corn, herbs & balsamic.

the mashed potato topping gets some added flavour from turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips, cauliflower, nutritional yeast & fresh herbs.

small $9  large $18

the salads this week are virtually identical to last week. i sold out & had lots of positive feedback, so i figured 'why mess with a good thing?'

quinoa: fennel, grapefruit, olive, pomegranate, parsley

broccoli: almond, cranberry, bacon, sunflower seed, pepper, onion

beet: wheatberries, balsamic, arugula, goat cheese, candied nuts

sweet potato: lime, cilantro, avocado, pepper, tomato, chipotle

this week i also went a little overboard with the baking. the oatmeal cookies got a bit of a makeover with flax, pumpkin seeds & cinnamon added to the usual base. they're a bit heartier & crunchier.

i also made a batch of my great-aunt lillian's ginger cookies - a christmas staple around these parts. they're crisp on the outside with a chewy interior and mild gingerbread spices. 50 cents each

the passionfruit tarts survived this week, so i'll have those along with the cheddar-streusel topped apple tarts.

cupcake flavours this week are: red velvet, chocolate, gingerbread, banana, carrot & citrus with raspberry, chocolate, mint, vanilla, peanut butter, maple, blueberry & eggnog frostings.

i also embraced candy canes this week. they made their way in to the hello dolly's and the cheesecakes are candy cane-oreo.

i skipped the fruity muffins this week but i did make savoury, cheddar cornbread muffins. they look pretty festive too with red & green bell peppers.

that's all for now. ladies night part deux is on its way. also i'm doing demos for man night at the market next week - in desperate need of suggestions. what do men want to learn how to cook?

goodnight all, see you over the weekend.