But It's Not Quite 450 Degrees In My HOUSE....Yet!

For the love of Pete, I have no clue why I thought it would be a good idea to turn my oven up to 450 degrees and bake a pizza on the hottest day of the year. Perhaps the heat addled my brain a bit. But I'm stubborn like that - I had planned to make pizza for dinner, and doggone it, face-melting heat and humidity would not stop me!

Full disclosure: I had already pre-made some of the pizza toppings the day before, so I was somewhat forced to go through with said pizza-making. The truth was, I just wanted to drink some carrot juice and eat frozen bananas for dinner.

Feast your eyes on this deliciousness: Amazing Caramelized Red Pepper & Vegan Feta Pizza from VegWeb:

Did that grab your attention?

This pizza takes a little bit of work. There are several steps involved, and things that need to be done ahead of time, so it's definitely not a pizza you can make on the fly. But with a little advanced prep, you can assemble this pizza rather easily and throw it in the oven without too much fuss.

Here's what I did:

Step 1: early in the day (or even the day before, like I did), roast your peppers and onions.

It's amazing how much they shrink!

Step 2: prepare the red pepper jam, then set aside to cool.

Step 3: cube your tofu, prepare your marinade, and place in the fridge so it can get all tangy and feta-like:

These are the two steps I did the day before. These are also the two most time-consuming elements of the process, so putting the pizza together was actually a breeze. I made a quick pizza crust (whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, spices, olive oil, and water), topped it with some quick pizza sauce (canned tomato sauce, garlic, basil, and oregano), the pepper jam and feta, and baked it for 8 minutes:

Then I pulled it out of the oven, topped it with some steamed baby spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, and baked it another 2 minutes:

Here's my plate all loaded up:

This is probably my hubby's favorite pizza. It has a great medley of flavors...tangy faux feta, sweet pepper jam, garlicky sauce, zesty sun-dried tomatoes...a veritable symphony of flavors exploding in your mouth.

I think I just used up my quota of adjectives for the day.

All the Way Arame Salad

When it's this hot and humid outside, I almost don't even want to eat anymore. I just want to drink all my meals. I'd be happy just consuming smoothies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My hubby, however, doesn't exactly share my proclivity for liquid meals. Fortunately, last night's dinner satisfied us both: All the Way Arame Salad from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog.

This is just what we needed on a hot, hot day - cooling, water-rich raw veggies, avocado, and sea veggies (I used arame and wakame) tossed in a light dressing of Bragg Liquid Aminos and rice vinegar.

I used carrots, celery, yellow pepper, orange pepper, zucchini, scallions, lacinato kale, avocado, and dried cherries for some tangy zip. I served it over a bed of baby spinach.

This is just about the most hydrating food you can eat! It's almost as good as a smoothie...almost :)

Raw Moroccan Gazpacho and Carrots with Moroccan Spices

I *heart* Morocco. I've never actually been there (YET!! YET!!), but I am just enamored with it. I love the food, the culture, the style, the landscape, everything. I want to go there and eat vegetable tagines and walk through a souq and buy spices and beautiful fabrics. Two of my favorite movies - Casablanca and The Man Who Knew Too Much - are set in Morocco. I turned my bedroom into a Moroccan-inspired retreat. I dreamed of actually going to Morocco this year to celebrate my 10-year wedding anniversary, but with a young son, it just wasn't going to happen. I told my hubby that he better plan on going for our 25-year anniversary!! :)

I'm just crazy about Moroccan food. So, you can imagine my utter delight when I spied this recipe on Kristen Suzanne's blog - Raw Moroccan Gazpacho! Hello!

Raw tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, and spices are blended up, then topped with some diced tomato, pine nuts, and raisins. Why on Earth didn't I discover this recipe sooner?? I loved it!!

I also made some Carrots with Moroccan Spices from Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People:

Sliced carrots, lemon juice, carrot juice, olive oil, parsley, mint, and some dried spices.

Served with some lavash crackers, this was a wonderfully light, flavorful meal for a hot summer's night.

Question: What's your favorite type of ethnic cuisine?

Black Bean and Corn Salad with Country Corn Muffins

It's been hot. I've been busy. My toddler son is a bundle of energy, and by day's end, I haven't had much energy left to blog. I also haven't been having enough energy to put a lot of thought or creativity into my cooking. This past week, I definitely employed a let's-see-what-I-can-make-with-frozen-veggies-and-beans-and-grains-and-whatever-else-I-can-scrounge-up kind of cooking tactic. As a result, I did default to some quick and easy faves, like Mexican pizza, Kristen Suzanne's Raw Harvest Soup (doggone it, I made this last night and didn't take a picture because I thought I had already blogged about it - WRONG!!), AFR's Big Fat Taco Salad, and (when I was especially tired), Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs with spaghetti and frozen broccoli:

I also have been enjoying some Living Harvest Tempt Coffee Biscotti hempmilk ice cream, which I picked up on sale at Whole Foods (I'm too much of a blogger newbie to figure out how to rotate the picture, but you get the idea):

Today, I actually busted out the knife and cutting board (and muffin tin!!) and made a real dinner. It's an old favorite of ours, Black Bean and Corn Salad with some Country Corn Muffins from How it All Vegan!:

I've made this recipe dozens of times, and it is just so easy and so good. I take it to cookouts, potlucks, and even when we go camping, and it's always a big hit. Fresh tomatoes, corn, orange pepper, black beans, scallions, and cilantro are tossed in a zesty lime-garlic-olive oil dressing (I reduce the oil, though, from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup).

It's perfect in so many ways: easy to make, no cooking involved, makes a lot, transports well, and it's very nutritious.

I love the Country Corn Muffins recipe. It's probably the most fool-proof recipe I've come across. Even though the recipe calls for all-purpose flour, I have substituted whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, and buckwheat flour (as I did tonight), and the muffins always come out great. I actually love the funky color the buckwheat flour gives the muffins! :) I also use my own egg substitute (2 tbs garbanzo bean flour and 2 tbs water), agave instead of sugar, and lemon juice instead of vinegar. I told you, it's fool-proof! These are gluten-free, whole-grain, low-sugar, and chock full of fresh corn.

I bet the salad would be really great just scooped up with some tortilla chips, too! Hmm....

Work With What Ya Got!

There are some weeks when I just can't seem to drag myself to the supermarket. This has been one of those weeks. I think it's a combination of just not wanting to go to the store with a toddler, and also, not wanting to be tied to a refrigerator full of food during this beautiful, hot weather. During the summer, I like the freedom to just eat whatever or to make last-minute plans to eat out somewhere.

This freedom comes with a cost, though...and that cost is not having a lot of fresh ingredients on hand. I am happy to report, though, that for the last two nights, I have pulled together two really delicious and nutritious dinners without a whole lot of effort. Score!

Last night, I made one of our favorite meals, the Warm Potato Spinach Salad with Pine Nut Dressing from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. I had to make a couple of substitutions (jarred roasted red pepper for the fresh red pepper, red potatoes for the new potatoes), but the salad was as delicious as ever. It's one of our favorite summer meals and I was so pleased to be able to pull this one out of my hat without a lot of fresh ingredients! The only fresh items I used were the potatoes, baby spinach, basil, and some chopped cucumber (cucumber is not part of the recipe, but I wanted to add some crunchy texture to make up for the lack of fresh pepper). The other ingredients were from the pantry - pine nuts, artichoke hearts, kalamata & green olives, and chickpeas (again, not part of the recipe, but I wanted to add some protein). Look how yummy this is!

 We ate outside on our patio and enjoyed the beautiful summer evening!

At four o'clock this afternoon, I literally had no idea what to make for dinner. I was debating whether to pull some frozen ravioli or Trader Joe's meatless meatballs out of the freezer, but I wasn't super excited about that idea. I decide to pull out my trusty Appetite for Reduction and see if there was anything easy I could make. I didn't have to look any further than the first recipe: Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Isa says this recipe is "forever customizable," and she is totally right. I made two substitutions - baby spinach for the romaine lettuce, and fava beans for the chickpeas - and also added some shredded carrot, chopped celery, and chopped cucumber. This salad took almost no time at all and it was INCREDIBLE!! The balsamic vinaigrette recipe is a winner - it is cashew-based and totally creamy and delicious.

I think food just tastes better when eaten al fresco. Don't you agree?

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

It's been really hot the last few days. I mean, this is New England, so hot is a relative term, but it's been in the mid- to upper-80s with high humidity and lots of bright sunshine. That makes for some pretty steamy weather!

My hubby and I went running early yesterday morning before he went to work. Despite the early hour, it was still plenty hot, and my poor hubby must have sweated out a quart of water. We just ran out of coconut water this weekend (which is the best thing for rehydration after a sweaty workout, IMHO), so I came up with another idea to get him rehydrated: chia pudding! Chia seeds are great for more than just chia pets, my friends - they are also helpful in maintaining body hydration. So, stop growing that Chia Garfield and eat the seeds instead!

Chia pudding is so easy to make, it's ridiculous. You don't even need a recipe - I almost always just free-form it. The one I made yesterday was: 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1 cup coconut milk, 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, some cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Mix it up, give it a stir every few minutes, and in 15-20 minutes, you have chia pudding!

Today, I could have used some chia pudding myself. I don't know what possessed me to spend 2.5 hours mowing my lawn during the hottest part of the day, with the sun beating down on me and the temps hitting 89, but I did. My dirty legs testify to my insanity:

I love the "sock line" where my shoes began. Nothing like a mix of sweat, sunscreen, dust, and dirt to give a gal some fine lookin' legs! :)

Tonight, I made an old favorite for dinner: Vegan Dad's Sweet Potato Quesadillas. I always reduce the amount of sweetener (I use 4 teaspoons of Sucanat, and it's plenty sweet), and I love to add some chopped pecans to the filling. I used some gluten-free Food for Life Brown Rice Tortillas for the first time, and I really liked them.

Here's the yummy sweet potato filling, mashed and mixed with sauteed onions, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and Sucanat:

 I spread the filling on half a tortilla and sprinkle with chopped pecans:

 Then I fold the other half over the filling, and repeat.

 I served the quesadillas with some mango and black bean salsa I whipped up:

This salsa was really good considering it took me 5 minutes to throw together! Here's what I did:

Quick and Easy Mango-Black Bean Salsa
Serves 4 as a side

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups frozen mango chunks
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon mild chili powder

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for several hours to allow flavors to meld.

Pie, Smoothies, and Pasta Salad

Mmmm...this has been a delicious Sunday :)

It started off with my Pumpkin Pie Smoothie:

I first published this recipe on VegWeb a year ago, but I've been making it for at least two years now. I drink them by the boatload in the fall, but I had a hankerin' for one this morning. Maybe because it was 57 degrees outside? Who cares. It's always delicious, no matter what season it is! I've made a few small changes to my original recipe, but I think both variations are good. Give it a try!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Makes 1 large serving / 2 small servings

2 cups diced butternut squash, frozen
1 large banana (fresh or frozen)
1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 heaping tablespoon raw almond butter
1 cup filtered water (or more, depending on how thick/thin you like it)
5-6 ice cubes
1/2 packet stevia (or to taste)
3 tablespoons vanilla- or banana-flavored pea protein powder (optional, but it adds sweetness and thickness)
optional toppings: sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, and raisins, to taste

Blend all ingredients (except toppings) in a high-speed blender until thick and smooth. Pour into a glass and top with almonds, walnuts, and raisins to taste.

I usually opt for the additional toppings about half the time. Some days, like today, I just like it straight-up. It's one of the thickest and most filling smoothies I make. It hit the spot after my workout this morning!

Last night, before bed, I was having a wicked craving for Chocolate Covered Katie's Deep Dish Cookie Pie. I made a half-batch and had a small (large) serving before bed. I was sooo happy to eat the rest of it today! I mean, I did share with my hubby and son, but yeah, I did eat most of it :) This may be the only dessert I eat and don't feel guilty about. And I love Katie for that!!

For dinner, I made another recipe out of Appetite for Reduction, the Trattoria Pasta Salad with White Beans. I had some time before church this morning, so I actually whipped it up before leaving so it could sit all day and get super-awesome. Mission accomplished! My hubby, son, and I all loved it. What's not to love? Brown rice pasta, white beans, baby spinach, red onion, roasted red pepper, and kalamata olives are tossed together in a Sun-dried Tomato-Walnut Dressing. That dressing....oh my gosh. So incredible! It has an incredible depth of flavor...it's slightly tangy, earthy, and full-bodied. It sounds like I'm describing wine! ;-D But seriously, it's so good. I know I'll be making this a lot this summer! I served it with some steamed broccoli for a simple and delicious meal.

Question: what's in your favorite pasta salad??

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad Redux

Several weeks ago, I made the Sushi Roll Edamame Salad from Appetite for Reduction. It was really pretty and very fun to look at...and I lost (forgot) my pictures. It was also an interesting dish because I wasn't blown away with it the first day I ate it. However, I really enjoyed the leftovers the next day. I decided that part of the reason was because the Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette tasted better after it melded a little more. I remembered that fact this time around, so when I decided to have the salad again tonight (Friday), I made the dressing on Wednesday. And you know what? The salad totally rocked tonight. The dressing is AMAZING. I understand why Isa says she wants to cover her cat in this dressing.

I make a few small changes to the recipe (I substitute arame for the nor, and I use one whole avocado and a little more brown rice than called for), but Isa deserves all the credit for this bad-boy. Here it is, layered in my bowl: greens (baby romaine, regular romaine, and baby spinach); edamame (tossed with some rice vinegar and agave); brown basmati rice; arame; julienned carrot, cucumber, and scallion; sliced avocado; sesame seeds; and that amazing Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette.

 Here's an inside shot of my salad, all mixed together:

 I really should use chopsticks more often.

I'm so glad I made this salad again. It was even better than I remembered!

I Have Conquered the Chipotle!

Not Chipotle (just to clarify). The chipotle pepper. It's been an ingredient in countless recipes I've made (or wanted to make) over the years. But chipotles scared me a little bit. I have a long history of acid reflux. Through trial and (much painful) error, I have been able to identify (and avoid) certain foods which are certain to trigger an attack. This includes: tomato paste (my public enemy #1) and anything containing tomato paste; thick slices of raw onion (but thinly sliced and minced is okay); the green veins in garlic (I have to cut them out); coffee (*sigh*); cayenne pepper; red pepper flakes; and anything hotter than a jalapeno, in general. Chipotles seemed to fit into that "anything hotter than a jalapeno" category, even though, technically, a chipotle is a jalapeno. It's just a jalapeno that is hotter than normal. Are you confused? Yeah, me too.

However, I've been doing really well with my reflux as of late, and I was feeling brave today. I decided to test the waters and try a new recipe from Appetite for Reduction, the Spicy Blue Potato & Corn Salad:

I wasn't going to let a little thing like a chipotle keep me from trying all the recipes in AFR. I'm on a roll and there ain't nothing stopping me now! :)

This is a hearty salad of fresh corn, potatoes, pinto beans, and red onion, tossed with a smoky, spicy chipotle dressing. This salad required a little bit of prep, but I was able to get it all done during my son's nap. I let the salad chill for several hours before eating to let the flavors meld.

At dinner time, I must admit, I was a little hesitant to take my first bite. But once I did, I was so relieved - it had a kick to it, yes, but it was more tongue-tingling than tummy-tormenting :) The dressing packed a lot of smoky flavor and was a nice match with the chilled potatoes and corn. I served it over some baby romaine, and both my hubby and I enjoyed it very much.

I'll be interested to see if any reflux kicks in later tonight :)

For lunch today, I made a spin on Kristen Suzanne's Blueberry Cardamom Breakfast Smoothie. I wanted to make it a little more filling, so I added four chopped romaine leaves, some hemp seeds, and some hemp protein powder. It hit the spot on a hot day!

Greek Pizza and Other Weekend Eats

I love the 4th of July, especially when the holiday falls on a Monday. It always means a weekend full of fireworks, food, and fun. We had a great time at our family cookout on Friday night (although, with a 2-year-old, we had to leave before the fireworks began). Yesterday, we began our day with a nice family run (that is, my hubby and I ran and pushed our son in the jogging stroller!) and then drove to LL Bean in the late afternoon/evening just to get out and go somewhere. Since I wasn't sure if there'd be any vegan-friendly restaurants in the area, I packed sandwiches and snacks for us to take with us.

Of course, with the three of us, that means three completely different sandwiches :) I had almond butter, banana, cinnamon, and raisin; hubby had cashew butter, almond butter, cinnamon, raisins, and jam; and my son had sunflower seed butter, cinnamon and jam. At least we all ate the same kind of bread.

I also packed some drinks and some bags of Trader Joe's Lite Kettle Korn. We'd never tried it before, but all three of us loved it!

After church today, I made some Basic Scrambled Tofu and Cornbread Waffles from Vegan Brunch. I added spinach, kalamata olives, red onion, broccoli, and ketchup to my scramble. Along with a cup (or four) of carrot juice, it was a tasty, filling lunch.

For dinner tonight, we wanted to have pizza so I looked in the fridge and pantry to see what I could find. I'd bought some baby spinach earlier in the day, so I thought a Greek pizza might be nice. While my hubby made the dough, I sliced some red onion and tomato and chopped up some spinach and kalamata olives. I layered the dough with some pizza sauce, basil pesto, tomato, spinach, red onion, kalamata olives, and some Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese and baked it on our pizza stone.

I was really happy with how easy this pizza was to make - and tasty, too! My son devoured it, which made his Mommy happy since it was loaded with fresh veggies.

Here's my pizza recipe:

Easy Greek Pizza
Serves 2 hungry adults and 1 hungry toddler

First, place a pizza stone in your oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Then, start making the dough:

Dough:
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, sea salt, basil, and oregano. Make a well in the center, then add the olive oil and water. Incorporate the liquids and the dry ingredients until combined, then knead dough on a floured surface for 5-7 minutes. Stretch dough into a round shape (keep in mind, since this is a "quick" dough and not a yeasted dough, it doesn't stretch like a normal dough would. Just use your hands and shape it into a circle). Place on a greased metal pizza pan, then place pan on pizza stone. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and top with pizza ingredients.

Toppings:
1 large vine-ripened tomato, sliced thinly and blotted well with paper towels
1/4-1/3 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 large handfuls baby spinach, chopped
1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced, then chopped
1 cup Daiya vegan mozzarella
basil pesto, to taste
pizza sauce, to taste

Top pizza as follows: pizza sauce, basil pesto, sliced tomatoes, spinach, red onion, kalamata olives, Daiya mozzarella.

Bake an additional 10 minutes. Slice and serve!

The only thing that would make this perfect is to have some leftover CCK Deep-Dish Cookie Pie for dessert - but alas, it's all gone :( I'm sure I'll be making more very soon...like tomorrow, maybe?

CCK's Deep Dish Cookie Pie

I can't stop thinking about this dessert I made yesterday. All I can say is, Chocolate-Covered Katie is a GENIUS. GENIUS!!! Let me explain. Katie is a very, very cool blogger. Her blog motto is "where healthy tastes naughty." She makes things like cookie dough dip with chickpeas. She makes cake batter milkshakes with coconut butter. She's awesome. One recent recipe caught my eye - Deep Dish Cookie Pie.  Want to know what's in it? White beans. Yeah, seriously. It's gluten free, it's vegan, and it has some fiber and protein in it. I had to try it. There was a family cookout last night, and I decided this would be the perfect thing to bring. Several of my nephews follow a gluten-free diet and I wanted to surprise them!

This took literally 5 minutes to put together. I poured the batter into a 10-inch springform pan and baked it for 35 minutes.

 Now imagine slicing into this warm, gooey confection:

The chocolate chips were soft, melty, and scrumptious:

I figured I'd better sample the pie before I brought it to the cookout, just to make sure it didn't taste too "beany" or, even worse, "too vegan." ;-D As you can tell, I decided a rather LARGE sample was in order :)

The verdict? It was absolutely, mouthwateringly delicious. It tasted like the Toll House Cookie Pie I used to order at the Mews Tavern in my pre-vegan days, except better, because this actually had some nutrition! Granted, it's still a dessert, with sugar and chocolate chips, but I used a reduced amount of an unrefined, natural sugar (Sucanat). It's as healthy as a chocolate chip cookie pie can be. The best part was, I ate a LOT of it and I didn't feel sick afterward. It's my new favorite dessert. I will be making lots of this in the future. Best of all, the entire pie was eaten at the cookout. Not one crumb left! I was so happy that everyone enjoyed it. Now, go make this pie!! And check out Katie's other recipes, because that girl is amazing :)