Thursday, December 30, 2010

Margherita Pizza for 2


    I am still sick, and I managed to make dinner tonight. Yeah. That tells you just how easy making your own pizza at home is. A sick person can do it. This is a 30 minute meal if you are a good multi-tasker. It is also fun to let everyone make their own. Shannon did not have that luxury tonight since she was en route from work, so I made both pizzas which was still a cinch. I am including pictures of both of ours as she used all-natural mozzarella from the Cottage that is Vitamin to make it an authentic Margherita Pizza. Seriously, folks, do yourselves, your wallet and your waist a favor, make your own pizza at home. It is just too easy, a great time with your family, way less fattening and so much more delicious. By the time you phone in your order and wait for it to arrive, you could have your own homemade pizza. It is so much more worth it!

Last time we made pizza, the crust was a little to white for my taste. This time I used 2 parts whole wheat flour to 1 part unbleached white flour. A bit cardboardy for my taste, so next time I think I will do half and half. Experiment, experiment, experiment. And, of course, ENJOY!

    Homemade Pizza Sauce
    Makes about 5 cups

    2 tbsp olive oil (I love olive oil, but if you want to cut the fat, use less)
    3-4 cloves garlic, minced
    1 28-oz can Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil
    1 tsp dried thyme
    1 tsp dried oregano
    1/2 tsp salt (plus another small pinch or so to taste)

    Preheat saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to cover if you like, I love the smell of it cooking so I never cover mine. 

Scoop about a cup and half into a mini food chopper or food processor and blend until smooth.



Dough
Makes enough for 2 medium size pizzas
Total Time: 10 minutes


1 package active dry yeast (2 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°, no more)
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour or whole wheat flour or a mixture of any or all of them
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little for coating



Preheat oven and pizza stone to 375°.


Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt; sift together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the olive oil and yeast mixture into it. Stir until it begins to form a ball, then turn it out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for about 4 or 5 minutes. Your pizza dough should be a smooth, elastic ball.
From here you can, lightly oil the ball and the inside of a large glass bowl. Place the dough in the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. For better crust, punch down the dough, reshape into a ball and let it rise again. You can refrigerate or freeze the dough at this point.

Or you can do what I do and skip the whole rising of the dough step altogether and get straight to the unadulterated pizza makin'. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then, working on a lightly floured surface, stretch the dough and work it with your fingers or a rolling pin to form an 8-inch circle. The outer edge of the circle should be a little thicker than the body, forming a rim (but not necessary). Add sauce and toppings (this pizza only requires tomatoes and basil. How easy is that?).

Transfer to a pizza pan or pizza stone. Bake in a 375° pre-heated oven until the crust is golden brown (and the cheese is melted, if using), 10 to 13 minutes.



Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Music that says something


Sometimes I get frustrated by the music I hear on the radio; "popular music" that has a catchy beat and hook yet has no substance. That is all good and fine when you are at a club and want to get your groove on, but for everyday listening, it just is not appealing to me. I woke up with a cold this morning, and colds for me signify laying in bed and watching movies. I have been watching documentaries on Netflix, and one documentary inspired me to post this song for you all to listen to. I also added the lyrics so you could follow along and know what is actually being said. I have been a fan of this band for ages, and if you feel inspired, you should look up more of their songs.  I would recommend starting with "Better Than." 


In regards to this song and approaching the new year, I would just like to add that the desire to improve your life involves making some changes. The natural resistance that you feel about this process is an ancient pattern among all human beings, yet there is another part of you that feels excited about beginning anew. Know that your push-pull feelings are entirely normal.


I have been dosing myself with mad amounts of Vitamin C so I am feeling better and hoping this little bug will be gone by tomorrow.  I will be back with another food post soon!




John Butler Trio-Used to Get High Lyrics


I used to get high for a living
Believing everything that i saw on my tv
I used to get high for a living
Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me
I used to get high for a living
Thinking that my destiny was out of my control
I used to get high for a living
There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so

Super size, large fries, big mac, coca cola
Go on man, pick your poison
Speed, weed, ecstacy, LSD
Man, it don't bother me cos we're all on something
Caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol
You know i'm clawing at the walls trying to get my fix
Prozac, ADD tablets, coke, smack
Now you know i am turning tricks cos

I used to get high for a living
Believing everything that i saw on my tv
I used to get high for a living
Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me
Yeah, that they sold me

Escape, can't wait all trying to get away
From this place man that we're feeling
Can't deal, can't feel what's real
All trying to conceal all this time we're stealing
No doubt, the route you're on
Can't find the clout that you've been needing
'Til then my friend you must contend
With the monster that you're feeding

I used to get high for a living
Believing everything that i saw on my tv
I used to get high for a living
Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me
I used to get high for a living
Thinking that my destiny was out of my control
I used to get high for a living
There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so

Got links of the cheney
Getting crazy, getting lazy with their foreign relations
Starting wars, closing doors
Trying to bring about one quicker, man, revelations
Economic rational calling fouls with the workers
Just trying to make it pay
Cost cutting, head butting
Big business do what they like and you do what they say
What's wrong get along, just prolong all the thoughts
You got going on, on the inside
Appease, stand at ease, just try to please
All the apathy that you're trying to hide
How now brown cow
Did we get from this standing place......
And now we're kneeling
'Til then my friend you must contend with the monster that you're feeding

I used to get high for a living
Believing everything that i saw on my tv
I used to get high for a living
Eating all the bullshit food that they sold me
I used to get high for a living
Thinking that my destiny was out of my control
I used to get high for a living
There's lots of different reasons and i'll tell you so


Monday, December 27, 2010

Christmas Dinner: A Plate without a Face

Oh holiday dinners, how I do love you so. Holidays are a time for five course, extravagant, delicious, vegan meals. Holidays are a time to show peoples' taste buds that you can have a fabulous dinner without a face on your plate. Seriously. Ask any person at the dinner table if they missed that 8 ounce slab of meat on their plate, and I guarantee you it will be a unanimous "no!" You know what I was missing? Snow. Yep, that's right. I wanted the traditional White Christmas which I think I may have been so lucky as to experience once in the ten years I have lived in Colorado. Yes, you heard me correctly. That box in your living room lies to you when it shows you pictures of snow covered yards and children building snowmen and igloos on Christmas day. Perhaps in the mountains of Colorado this is a true rendering of what Christmas looks like but not to your Denverites. It was a balmy 60 degress on Christmas day with blaring sunshine in the city of Denver. We'll get 'em next year!

On to the fabulous vegan meal that was Christmas dinner:

Roasted Garlic Soup (thank you Jenninfer H.!)
Salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing
Garlic Bread with Homemade Garlic Butter
Vegan Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce


ROASTED GARLIC SOUP
Makes about 5-6 cups
Total Time: 1 hour

1 cup            raw cashews
2 cups          water
3 heads        garlic
1                  yellow onion
4 tsp            olive oil
2 tsp            fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried
1 tsp            paprika
½ tsp           salt
½ tsp           white pepper (black pepper can also be used)
4 cups          vegan broth (prepare with bouillon, use homemade or buy premade)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place raw cashews in one cup of water and let soak.

Using a sharp knife, trim ½-inch off the stem end of the garlic heads revealing the cloves inside. Set the garlic in a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle the garlic with 3 teaspoons of olive oil and firmly seal the foil edges to form a package. Place the package on a cookie sheet. Next, cut the onion into quarters, place on the same baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Roast about 30 minutes, until tops of onion are golden. After roasting, set aside and allow to cool.

Rinse the cashews and blend them with 1 cup fresh water to create a cream. Squeeze the cooled roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add them and the onion to the cashew cream. Next add the thyme, paprika, salt, pepper, and about half of the broth. Blend until very smooth. Pour into a large pot. Pour the remaining broth in the pot and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 




Vegan Caesar Dressing

Makes about ¾ of a cup

2 tbs blanched or slivered almonds (I use whole almonds in a pinch)
3 cloves garlic (less if you do not want serious garlic breath)
3 tbs nutritional yeast
3 tbs dijon mustard
2 tbs soy sauce or tamari
Juice of 1 lemon or 3 tbs lemon juice
1/4 c water
1 tbs olive oil or flax oil

Grind almonds in food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend.


Garlic Butter
Makes enough for one boule of bread
Total Time:  5 minutes

1 cup Earth Balance Butter, softened to room temperature
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
A dash of salt and fresh ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Slice boule leaving just the bottom piece of loaf intact. Use spatula or knife to spread butter between pieces of bread. Wrap boule in foil and put in oven while shells bake, approximately 30 minutes.




Stuffed Shells
1-pound package jumbo shells (this recipe will use about 18-22 shells depending on large you stuff them)
2 Recipes Marinara Sauce
1 Recipe Filling
1 Recipe Tofu Ricotta

Filling
Makes about 4 cups

1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 bunch spinach, thoroughly washed, dried, and roughly chopped
1 small onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
Generous pinch of coarse salt
Generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper

*Bring a pot of water with a steamer basket to a boil. Preheat your favorite large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and onion. Saute onion for about 7 minutes until fragrant and translucent. Meanwhile, add the spinach to the basket and steam until wilted, approximately 3-5 minutes. While spinach is steaming, add the zucchini, squash and garlic to the onion. Saute approximately 3-5 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and add spinach, salt and pepper, and mix to combine.


Marinara Sauce
Makes about 5 cups

2 tbsp olive oil (I love olive oil, but if you want to cut the fat, use less)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes with Basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt (plus another small pinch or so to taste)

Preheat saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil and garlic, and saute for about a minute, until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Feel free to cover if you like, I love the smell of it cooking so I never cover mine.


Tofu Ricotta
Makes 3 1/2 cups

1 tub extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch of coarse salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 pkg fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil (optional)

In a large bowl, mush the tofu up with your hands until it is crumbly. Mush with hands again squeezing through your fingers until it reaches the consistency of ricotta cheese. This will take about 2-5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and basil. Mush until all ingredients are mixed. You want it lumpy but cohesive so if it is not sticking together, add a teaspoon of olive oil.


Bringing it all together:
Cook shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  
Have ready a 13x 9x3 glass baking dish. Ladle a bit of the marinara into baking dish, just enough to cover  the bottom of the dish. Combine the vegetable filling with the tofu ricotta mixture and mix until vegetables are incorporated. Using a spoon, spatula or your fingers, generously stuff shells with mixture. Place each shell in the glass baking dish. Ladle marinara over shells until completely covered with sauce. Cover with foil and bake approximately 30-45 minutes. If needed, ladle extra sauce over top of shells or serve on the side as a dipping sauce for the bread.

*In an effort to save yourself from having to clean another dish, you can use the water the shells were boiled in to wilt the spinach. Or, you can cook down the spinach with the vegetable mixture. It will, however, make the vegetable mixture watery and excess water will need to be drained off. 

Friday, December 24, 2010

Vegan Black Bean Burgers with Sweet Potato Fries

What do you make for dinner on Christmas Eve when all of the grocery stores are closed? You make "what is in my cupboard" black bean burgers. Are you catching on to my theme here? Crisper soup and cupboard black bean burgers, pretty creative, huh? That is what happens when I am at my mother-in-law's house, it is dinner on a whim, which I am totally good with. This is what my MIL and I do when we get together, we concoct meals out of whatever we have available and dance around each other in the kitchen as we piece a meal together. I am a big fan of 30 minutes meals and this meal definitely fits the profile. I am also a big fan of homemade fries and these are so quick, simple and delicious I cannot believe I used to buy frozen fries.

Black Bean Burgers
Makes 2 large burgers
Total Time: 20 minutes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup red pepper, diced
1/2 cup carrots, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
3cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
1 teaspoon salt

Mash black beans with a fork or potato masher. Mix remaining ingredients together into black bean mixture. Form into patties. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of oil to pan and cook patties for 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Serve on a whole wheat bun or try it wrapped in a collard green or romaine lettuce leaf. Top with diced avocado and salsa.

Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 2
Total Time: 30 minutes

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch slices
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher or coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix together with your hands or tongs. Cook for 15 minutes. Flip the fries and cook for another 10 minutes.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Whoa, I just started a blog!

Hello readers of my brand new blog. Welcome! So, some of my friends have been suggesting to me for years that I should start a blog. Namely my friend Mahesh, but since him there have been several more blog pushers (most recently my new found friend, Leah. You can check her super cute and crafty blog out here: http://mommyinthemountains.wordpress.com/). So, I thought to myself "self, why NOT start a blog?" And here I am starting a blog. I have been known to be a fan of blogs...I like to peruse them when I am looking for entertainment or searching for new dinner ideas. Perhaps people will peruse mine for the same reasons. We will see! I read that when starting a blog, one should stick to a certain topic or theme. I thought theme schmeme, who cares what I write about. It is MY blog! I can write about 20 different topics if I choose to! This blog will probably include all of the randomness that is my life: foster care, being an insta-mom (this goes along with the former), vegan/vegetarian cooking, and probably some smatterings and sprinklings of various other topics.

I am terrible at taking pictures which could possibly be to my detriment seeing as I will be posting pictures of the food I make. Shannon and I bought this, what we thought at the time, a very nice camera. What I discovered from this purchase was that it is best to either buy the $100 or $150 handheld camera that you can snap a picture in an instant, or pony up and buy the $1,000 camera that has a crazy assortment of lenses you can attach to the camera. Do not buy the in between. That is what we did. Our $250 Fuji camera is bulky, not user friendly,  and has terrible picture quality. I am hoping it will serve its purpose during the early days of this blog until some picture-lovin' person purchases it from Craigslist and we can get a regular ol' handheld camera like the old days. Essentially what I am trying to say here is this is a preemptive apology for the poor picture quality of soon to come food shots!

I will end tonight's first post with my "leaving for a trip and need to clean out the refrigerator" soup recipe. I shall dub it:

Crisper Soup with Corn Dumplings
Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes

Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil (or water if you want to cut out the fat)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
3-4 collard green leaves or any greens you have in the fridge
1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Dumplings:
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup almond, soy or rice milk
1/4 cup frozen corn kernels
Jalapenos are a great addition if you like your dumplings spicy!

To prepare soup, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and potato and saute about seven minutes, until onions are translucent. Add garlic and bay leaves; saute for another minute until fragrant. Add water, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Add sweet potatoes, greens and beans; simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients; return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves.

To prepare dumplings, sift together flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles a course meal. Add milk and corn; stir until moist.

Bring soup to a boil. Drop dumpling dough by rounded tablespoonfuls into the soup to form four dumplings. Cover, reduce heat, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until dumplings are firm. Do not boil or the dumplings will fall apart into the soup.

This recipe makes the perfect amount of soup for 2 people. There is something incredibly gratifying about the fact that there is another dumpling waiting in the pot for you when  you are ready for seconds! Oh, and we forgot to take pictures before we dove right in, but as I am sure you can imagine, soup is soup. Enjoy!