Party Recipes (Most Popular)
One of my sister's all time favourite cakes was from the Rose and Crown pub in EPCOT, so this was created based off of a combination of recipes for Chocolate Guinness Cake recipes I had and with what I had on hand at the time. This is a dense cake, very rich, and doesn't need any icing though a sprinkling of icing sugar looks gorgeous!
Canned coconut milk adds a rich body and a unique twist to these traditional dinner buns
An interesting sweet and sour, creamy baked pie from my fiance's mom's recipe box.
This is a sweet Greek cake made with sesame seed paste (AKA tahini). It is dense, rife with raisins and nuts, and tastes something like the best oatmeal raisin cookie ever. It is also "Lenten", meaning it contains no dairy, eggs, or oil and is suitable for "fasting" days in the Greek Orthodox church.
Adapted from the January 2010 edition of Canadian Living. For the choux paste it's nearly impossible to get accurate volumetric measures so I defaulted to weight for the butter, flour and cocoa. Normally you would use unsalted butter in pastry, but with the bitter chocolate and spice in the cream it really heightens the richness.
Use http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-deta
il.asp?recipe=2546749&ff=1, a little extra ice cream and a scoop of frosting to make these decadent truffles! Cloaked in milk chocolate and sprinkled with more non-pareils they're a fun "loot bag" option for your next birthday!
A sweet and spicy sauce from Blue Dragon mixes well with tart orange juice, buttery salmon and a fruit and vegetable medley for a non-fat packet meal perfect to serve over your favourite starch.
Adapted heavily from the filling in Fifi O'Neill's "Lemon Sour Cream Pie", this curd is rich but tangy thanks to Greek yogurt and citrus juices. It reminds me of key lime pie filling, and a crispy meringue "hat" makes for a great contrast without need for a crust.
Healthy sweet and spicy "hummus" that tastes just like Grandma's peanut butter cookie dough!
This is a gorgeous, "gourmet" style salad that makes a great first (or light main) course for dinner parties all year long - every season is represented in it's glory.
I figured carrot cake's been done every which way, most often crowned with that glorious tangy cream cheese frosting. But what about turning it on it's head (literally) - a tangy cheesecake with a carrot juice glaze and sprinkle of raisins (or walnuts) and coconut?
There's no getting around it - these bites are unlike anything you have *ever* tried. For one thing, they are gluten free, nut free and completely vegan. But secondly, these carob-battered cookies are sugarless too: the dates and stevia serve an ample job of sweetening! Keep in mind the flavour won't be like your standard chocolate cookie base, though: these are definitely bittersweet, and the stevia has a licoricey undertone that's not necessarily unpleasant.
A flavour packed (and one pot!) chicken pasta salad made with Litehouse Avocado Dip and Barilla Gluten Free elbow pasta. Amazingly delicious - you'd never know it was gluten free!
Fresh and sundried tomatoes combine with a dash of balsamic, a hit of roasted garlic and a pop of fresh basil to make a perfect appetizer (in our case, endive cups) at a party.
This dessert is a vanilla base (with custard powder) peppered with graham cracker crumbs, coconut and chocolate sprinkles. You'll never guess the secret ingredient!
If you're a fan of Raincoast Crisps, you'll love this lightly sweetened whole wheat cracker packed with dried fruit, almonds and flaxseed. The unexpected inclusion of rosemary and thyme elevate this from a sweet to a savoury treat perfect for a cheese platter or spreading with pepper jelly.
This is a decadent-tasting way to start your day - a rich custard soaks into dried-out, 100% whole grain bread and pan-fried before being topped with buttery, caramelized bananas. It's like New Orleans at home!
A good source of B-Vitamins, manganese and calcuim from the millet and protein, magnesium and iron from the quinoa, this flavourful vegan pilaf is a gorgeous light way to end your day. Leftovers are also delicious as a cold salad the next day. Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a small side.
These are super-crunchy right out of the oven, but if you store them in a plastic container or bag they go soft very quickly! To keep them longer than a day or so, I like putting them in a tall drinking glass where the air can circulate. Of course, you can always re-crisp them in the oven at 350F for about 6-8 minutes.
Adapted from Patricia Wells' recipe in "At Home in Provence", this egglass, mostly whole grain version gets a delicate texture and flavour from ground almonds and almond extract, the zest of a lemon and a bevy of fresh wine-making grapes (and their seeds). It is rich thanks to a blend of table cream, olive oil and melted butter, but not overly sweet - perfect with a glass of sherry after a meal.
Pass up the gooey, cheesy appetizers at the next holiday party – make these bites of creamy guacamole in crispy, flaky phyllo cups instead! You’ll get the same decadent experience but with healthy fats and lots of vitamins! Make these no more than an hour before serving them for the best appearance.
The tastiest, least preservative-filled vegan pizza topping flavoured like meat I've ever had - homemade OR bought! This is fairly spicy, so modify the pepper flakes to taste
Chewy, rich cookies packed with candy coated chocolate and rolled in sprinkles! It's a great treat for the bake sale table (or stashing in your cookie jar), and they stay moist thanks to a smidge of homemade ricotta.
If I was making these vegan "tasting cookies" for company, I'd use a good white port, but I've made them with regular tawny and they were delicious as well. They're not overly sweet, but great to put on a cheese tray with fruit and crackers after dinner.
Sunny yellow (if you use the colouring) and full of lemon and orange flavour! It's a nice change from your usual Easter Peeps. Original recipe from http://www.frillsinthehills.com/2009/08/ma
ke-your-own-eggless-marshmallows.html, modified slightly by me. The NI reflects the amount of sugar/starch actually used in the recipe, not the excess.
Who DOESN'T love carrot cake? Well, these baked doughnuts are GF, vegan, and just sweet enough to be a treat! Glaze them with powdered sugar, roll in cinnamon sugar or frost them with your favourite tangy recipe.
A nutty, sweet topper for brownies, cupcakes or even in the middle of sandwich cookies! Makes about 1 1/4 cups
This perfectly fits a loaf pan, and makes the exact amount you need to make cake balls with the Maple Apple Cake - Ball Filling (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-det
ail.asp?recipe=2281941&ff=1)