Stuffed Crust Pizza!!!

There are just too many commercials on TV about stuffed crust pizza. I don't think I've ever had stuffed crust pizza with real cheese, but I imagine it being one of the most indulgently amazing things ever. I mean, there's already cheese on top! Why do you need it in the crust? You don't. But it's so damn good and over the top that you can't resist it.

So here's my version, which is probably less indulgent but still amazing.
First, I made a basic pizza dough with some garlic and Italian herb mix thrown in. Then I made up a batch of Cashew Ricotta (Veganomicon) that the family loved so much. I piped the ricotta all around the edge of the dough and folded the crust over, sealing with a dab of water. Then I pressed the edges together really well, reshaping the crust to be a bit bigger and working the dough so that the seal wouldn't break.

I topped it with tomato sauce, onions, black olives, artichoke hearts, veggie pepperoni, and a cheeze sauce similar to the New Farm Cookbook's recipe for cheeze sauce (only less Earth Balance and oil!) Here's what it looked like before baking:

And after baking, in bad lighting:
Here's an inside shot:
And another:
I think this was a really tasty pizza, but since the ricotta is a dry "cheeze", it didn't have that gooeyness that I associate with a stuffed crust pizza. I might consider mixing the ricotta with tomato sauce just to make it more gooey before stuffing. Or maybe grating in some Follow Your Heart Mozzarella?
Anyhow, the kids thought it was awesome and it's something I'll definitely keep working on.

Easy Food

My last two days have been pretty crazy. Yesterday I got interviewed by Kare 11OnLive about neti pots at work and got to watch myself pouring water through my nose on TV. Then I went straight to yoga and afterwards got a call that my friend Newbie had FREE tickets to the Tori Amos concert that night- So of course I went straight there (yoga pants and all). I didn't get home until 11 that night.

My easy dinner of choice? Chips dipped in a can of refried beans with lime juice, garlic, Bragg's, and cumin mixed in. Sounds pathetic, I know. But surprisingly good! (and to my credit, I did take it out of the can before eating it).

Tonight I was planning on cooking something elaborate to make up for no blogging yesterday. Instead, I got stuck at City Hall until 7pm and am now eating another easy dinner.

Why was I at City Hall you ask?

...To attend a 3 1/2 hour City Council Hearing. Trader Joe's wants to tear down some houses in my neighborhood on the busiest street around and build a store. It's true that this corner is ugly and needs some help. But putting up a Trader Joe's where there is a locally owned grocery, a co-op where I work, a locally owned bakery, and a locally owned liquor store within a mile is just predatory. They needed zoning changes to do this project and despite numerous testimonies from the neighborhood, the motion passed. Well, we survived through Whole Foods opening and I suppose we'll survive this global corporate giant, too. They might be cheap as hell, but they can't get local produce like we can. And we don't wear obnoxious Hawaiian shirts either. So there.

So I was too hungry to wait for an elaborate dinner and instead decided to use some awesome locally made bread with a bean spread. Okay, really I just wanted to use the Tunisian olive mix I just got and these things were merely a vehicle for the olives.

I pureed Great Northern beans, olives, garlic, and pearl onions with some of the spicy olive marinade. Then I spread it on bread. For taking all of 2 minutes to prepare, this was really tasty. I definitely need to go eat some veggies still, but at least my hands aren't shaking anymore from going more than 3 hours without eating.

Easy Food

My last two days have been pretty crazy. Yesterday I got interviewed by Kare 11OnLive about neti pots at work and got to watch myself pouring water through my nose on TV. Then I went straight to yoga and afterwards got a call that my friend Newbie had FREE tickets to the Tori Amos concert that night- So of course I went straight there (yoga pants and all). I didn't get home until 11 that night.

My easy dinner of choice? Chips dipped in a can of refried beans with lime juice, garlic, Bragg's, and cumin mixed in. Sounds pathetic, I know. But surprisingly good! (and to my credit, I did take it out of the can before eating it).

Tonight I was planning on cooking something elaborate to make up for no blogging yesterday. Instead, I got stuck at City Hall until 7pm and am now eating another easy dinner.

Why was I at City Hall you ask?

...To attend a 3 1/2 hour City Council Hearing. Trader Joe's wants to tear down some houses in my neighborhood on the busiest street around and build a store. It's true that this corner is ugly and needs some help. But putting up a Trader Joe's where there is a locally owned grocery, a co-op where I work, a locally owned bakery, and a locally owned liquor store within a mile is just predatory. They needed zoning changes to do this project and despite numerous testimonies from the neighborhood, the motion passed. Well, we survived through Whole Foods opening and I suppose we'll survive this global corporate giant, too. They might be cheap as hell, but they can't get local produce like we can. And we don't wear obnoxious Hawaiian shirts either. So there.

So I was too hungry to wait for an elaborate dinner and instead decided to use some awesome locally made bread with a bean spread. Okay, really I just wanted to use the Tunisian olive mix I just got and these things were merely a vehicle for the olives.

I pureed Great Northern beans, olives, garlic, and pearl onions with some of the spicy olive marinade. Then I spread it on bread. For taking all of 2 minutes to prepare, this was really tasty. I definitely need to go eat some veggies still, but at least my hands aren't shaking anymore from going more than 3 hours without eating.

What I ate today

It's late and I'm tired. But I'm never too tired for a list.

So here's a list of what I ate today:

8am: 2 pieces of WW Flax toast with Earth Balance (really I should say it was Earth Balance with a little bit of toast)

9am: So hungry! Stopped at a bagel shop for a sundried tomato bagel with hummus and veggies

12 pm: Rushing to a meeting- didn't have time for lunch before this 3 hour borefest. Grabbed a mesquite lime Primal Strip and a vegan pumpkin cookie from the co-op.

3:30pm: A real lunch finally! Cream of mushroom and rutabaga soup, a chickpea cutlet, and sauteed kale with onion and mushrooms.

7:30pm: Apple and lots of water after yoga.

9:00 pm: Dinner: Fusilli with pesto, kale, and artichoke hearts.

Here's a picture of the pasta:

It was pretty tasty. The sauce was sauteed onion, kale, and artichoke hearts with nutritional yeast, lemon juice, soy creamer, and pesto. Very fast and satisfying.

When the kids are away...Mushrooms come out to play

Last night I made a really awesome dinner that included mushrooms because the kids were at their mom's (mushrooms are their one hated food). I also needed good food to eat for lunch this week...So here's what I made:

Cream of Mushroom & Rutabaga Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 large portabello mushroom, sliced
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 can Great Northern beans, drained
4 cups broth (I used some expired un-chicken broth)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
2 Tbsp tamari or Bragg's
1/4 cup soy creamer

Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, allowing them to caramelize. Then add the rutabaga, beans, and broth and increase heat to medium high. Simmer until rutabagas are tender (I have no idea how long, I was busy doing other stuff). Mash or puree using an immersion blender. Then return to the stove and add everything except the soy creamer. When mushrooms have cooked down, add salt or whatever it needs until everything tastes awesome. Then remove from heat and stir in the soy creamer. This should make about 4 servings. We used it as gravy, too! (You know a soup is good when it can be used as gravy).

I also cooked the Herbed Scalloped Potatoes and Chickpea Cutlets (really great northern bean cutlets because I didn't have any chickpeas) from Veganomicon. Then I was inspired by the Lemony Green Beans from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan and made lemony kale and green beans. Everything tasted awesome for dinner and for lunch today. I hope that it will be just as delicious for lunch tomorrow.

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

Ever since I saw the ad in the Star Tribune about the holiday cookie contest, I was pumped to enter. I knew I wanted to use a variation of a cookie my mom and I made when she last visited. It's a cranberry shortbread that is absolutely divine. I know I personally ate an entire batch of these. Luckily I had my mom and party guests to eat the other 2 batches we made!

I couldn't decide whether I wanted to add lime zest or pistachios to them to make them more festive (and flavorful) for the holidays...So I baked both versions. Since everyone who tasted them couldn't decide which was better, I decided that the final recipe would have pistachios, cranberries, and lime zest. I set up a plate of them and even garnished them to look all pretty for my entry photograph...

I swear that the deadline said Nov. 5.

But I missed it by a whole week! I can't believe it! They're so damn good that I really thought I might win. I suppose I can still enter these cookies next year. Anyways, I suppose I'll give you all the recipe and console myself by eating too many of them.

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

1 1/4 cups Earth Balance (Yep. You read that correctly. These are not low fat.)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 1/4 cups flour (This is an occasion to break out the white flour)
6 oz. dried cranberries, chopped finely
1/2 cup roasted, salted pistachios, chopped finely
2 Tbsp. lime zest, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a baking sheet or two with oil or parchment paper. Using a mixer, cream together the Earth Balance and sugar. Slowly add in the flour until a dough forms. Stir in the cranberries, pistachios, and zest. If the dough is slightly too dry, add a bit of lime juice or water (by the DROP!). Pinch off about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Press the dough flat with a greased drinking glass or jar or your hand. This will make about 30 cookies, unless you end up making them too big like I do. Bake 11-12 minutes. The tops will look a bit dry when they are ready. Remove from baking sheet, cool and eat!

Can this recipe be saved contest entry

If you read Fat Free Vegan, one of the raddest vegan blogs out there, you might have heard about Susan's Contest to salvage her Thai Pumpkin Croquettes. The pumpkin just didn't work well with the recipe and she is looking for a variation.
The moment I read the recipe, I knew what I wanted to use instead of pumpkin...
Pumpkin Seeds!

Pumpkin seeds are super nutritious, with tons of iron, protein, and minerals. I know that they're not fat free and Susan's recipes usually are very low fat (hence the name of the blog), but pumpkin seeds are just too good for you!

Plus, in this recipe they have a subtle flavor that doesn't overpower the basil, lime, or curry. When the seeds are soaked before going to the food processor, the croquettes end up tender and flaky with a delicious nutty flavor.

I totally loved these little cakes. After only about 5 minutes the smell coming from the oven was nutty, spicy, and distinctively Thai. I've never had Thai fish cakes, but the smell reminded me of how I imagine they probably taste...except not fishy!

I served them with basmati rice seasoned with lime, cilantro, and some chopped toasted peanuts. And then I poured that awesome dipping sauce over everything!
So here's the recipe- Copied from Fat Free Vegan, but adapted to substitute the pumpkin seeds for the pumpkin and add a little bit of cilantro.

Thai Pumpkin Croquettes

12 ounces green beans, trimmed and sliced
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds without shells, soaked overnight and drained
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red curry paste
4 kaffir lime leaves, minced OR 1 tbsp. grated lime zest
1 teaspoon agave nectar OR brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten*

Place the pumpkin seeds into a food processor and pulse until they are not quite pureed, still a bit chunky. Add the green beans, basil, and cilantro and pulse to chop coarsely (do not puree!) If you have a small processor, you may have to do this in batches. Pour into a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Stir well for about 3 minutes, to allow gluten to develop. Set aside while you preheat the oven to 425F.

Spray a non-stick baking sheet with oil. Take a heaping tablespoon of the batter and form it into a patty about 1 1/2-inches (4 cm) across and 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) thick. Place it on the baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the batter. It should make about 30 croquettes.

Bake for 20 minutes, and then turn over and bake until browned, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with dipping sauce, below.

*You can make a gluten-free batch of these using 2 tablespoons of cornstarch instead of gluten. Skip the stirring for three minutes, and form the batter into croquettes by dropping by tablespoons onto the baking sheet and smoothing into patties with your fingers.

Thai Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar*
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon chili sauce (the kind with chopped peppers and seeds, not a smooth sauce like Sriracha) or use fresh chopped red chilies
1 teaspoon minced garlic

If you're using agave nectar, mix all ingredients together well. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

If using sugar, heat all ingredients until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving.

*If you use regular rice vinegar, you may want to add additional maple syrup and some salt.