Asparagus, Arugula, Pesto Pizza

I lucked out! I picked up asparagus and arugula for 99 cents each, and then knew, I had to make a pizza :) 

Ingredients:

Arugula

Asparagus

Pesto (you can buy or make your own, I have a recipe here: http://greenveggiespirit.blogspot.com/2013/04/edamame-pesto.html)

 Dough (I used the whole wheat from Trader Joe's)

Cheese (optional, I used about a handful, that's all I had left in the fridge! I used a mix of parmesan and mozzarella)

Tiny bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Follow instructions for the dough, then spread the pesto on, top with asparagus.

 It's already so pretty! Now bake until crust is brown and your kitchen smells like heaven.

Top with Arugula. That's it!

Slice up and serve. Beautiful and green and delicious, who says being vegetarian is boring?!?! From my heart to yours, happy eating! 

 

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Crispy Rosemary Parmesan Polenta

These were so easy!

Ingredients:

Polenta (I got mine already made from Trader Joe's)

Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Grated Parmesan

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pinch of Salt and Black Pepper

Heat the oil in a pan, should be enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Drop in polenta, then turn over after about 2 minutes and cook the other side. When done, put on some paper towels to blot off excess oil. Sprinkle on Parmesan and Rosemary, and a teeny tiny bit of salt and pepper. I suppose you could also bake these ;)

Rosemary/Brie/Sweet Potato/Cranberry Appetizer

I didn't know what to call these! I found them on Pinterest, but they were made with goat cheese aaaaaand I'm not exactly a fan :/ so I used Brie. It's delicious!

Slice up your sweet potatoes, coat with a teeny bit of olive oil, and bake at 375 for 10 minutes, turn them over, and bake for 10 more minutes. These should be sliced about 1/4 inch thick. Let them cool.

Mix your cheese (goat, brie, anything spreadable) with some chopped fresh rosemary. Spread on the little wheels, top with dried cranberries, a drizzle of (local, organic) honey, and a sprinkle of black pepper. That's it. 

Repeat.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone :)

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Kale, Mushrooms, and Cheddar...2 ways :)

I LOVE fresh vegetables, and I love them in season, on sale. But to feed 2 people, sometimes I have to get creative, or else my veggies go bad before I can use them.

I also like things I can make ahead of time, so the scarce time I do have with boyfriend, I'm not prepping food! Here are 2 simple ways to use leftover kale, mushrooms, and sharp cheddar (I LOVE the blocks from Trader Joe's, after slicing some up to eat with crackers and apples, I surprisingly still had some left!)

Ok here goes. 

Ingredients for the FILLING:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Garlic

1/2 Onion

Kale

Mushrooms

Saute the garlic and onion first, then add mushroom. When the mushrooms start getting soft add the kale, this is when I put a cover on top so the kale could steam for a couple of minutes. Watch it to make sure you don't over cook it. Should be soft but NOT mush!

So the first thing I made with this delicious mix was a Homemade Lean Pocket! 

Easy Dough Recipe:

2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

Knead until it sticks together, then I was able to make 3 pockets with these measurements. Split dough into 3 parts, flatten out, then fill with some of the veggie mix and a couple slices of that cheddar!

Bake at 400 for....about 20-25 minutes. Or until brown. 

Sure beats a "Lean Pocket" from the store! Best thing is, these are portable, and easily frozen and reheated for when you're in a hurry.

YUM

 The second thing I did with this, is I made a frittata. I spread the mixture in a baking dish and covered with 4 eggs, that I whipped beforehand. I chopped up a veggie sausage and then topped with cheese. You can put it this in the fridge until you want to put it in the oven! Here's a before...

And an after...

That's it. Enjoy. :)

 

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Cauliflower Pizza!

I have been wanting to make this for a long time, it's not vegan, but it's gluten free and actually pretty darn yummy!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower

Cheese, grated (I used mozzarella and colby jack, but parmesan would be great too)

Italian spices (I used a blend)

Garlic Powder

1 Egg

Marinara Sauce (or the sauce of your choosing)

Grate the cauliflower with a cheese grater, and microwave the crumbles for 3 minutes or until soft. 

Mix in the egg, cheese and spices.

 

It will bind together pretty easy. Form into either one giant ball or a couple of smaller ones, depending on if you want one big pizza or a few smaller ones. Press flat and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes.

It will get brown and smell amazing, then take it out and add marinara and more cheese!

 Stick in the broiler for another few minutes until the cheese gets all melty and delicious.

It's not the same as traditional pizza, but it's good! Definitely worth a try, especially if you're gluten free.

Enjoy!

Cold-Season Soup

 Cold-Season Soup

FULL of awesome, immune boosting benefits. Easy to make, and CHEAP (meaning, no weird ingredients that you can only get a whole foods). You can add vegetables, take any away, but these are delicious and all have a purpose. 

Ingredients

48 Oz Vegetable broth

2 Carrots

1 Sweet potato

1 Yellow onion

1 Celery stalk bunch

1 Spinach bunch
1 can chickpeas

About a handful fresh chopped parsley

1-2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Whole Roasted Garlic Clove

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

FIRST, roast the garlic. Slice the top off the whole garlic clove, sprinkle in some olive oil, and roast at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes. 

In the meantime, chop your veggies...

That picture doesn't have the onion...oh well ;)

Chop the herbs....

Heat up a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pot, and squeeze the cooled garlic into the pot. Should jsut slide right out. Add other veggies and saute for about 5 minutes, maybe a little longer. Add the broth, chickpeas, herbs, lemon juice and lemon zest. Let simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. THEN add the spinach. 

Now if you know me, you know I HATE overcooked vegetables. Also, soggy veggies lose nutrients. 

Now you have a go-to soup for when the sniffles set in. Stay healthy, everyone :)

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Cauliflower Buffalo "Wings" with Vegan Ranch

These have been a hit with vegetarians and meat eaters alike! I have made this a couple of times and tweaked the recipe, this one is Gluten Free! 

For the Cauliflower

Preheat Oven to 450 degrees.

1.5 cups of flour (I used Rice Flour)

½ TBS each of Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Seasoning Salt

1 Cup Plain Almond Milk

1 bottle Buffalo Sauce (Frank’s Red Hot is great, I used a different brand this time but I’ve used that in the past and it works!)

Another 2  TBS of Almond Milk

1 Head Cauliflower

Mix flour and spices in a bowl.

Put almond milk in a separate bowl

Wash and dry the cauliflower, then break it up into florets.

Coat them in the almond milk, then the flour mixture.

Place in a nonstick (or lightly oiled) baking sheet, preferably not touching. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

During these 20 minutes,  Heat up the Buffalo sauce in a small pot with the 2 TBS almond milk. Drizzle the milk in so it doesn’t get all chunky.

When the cauliflower is baked, take it out of the oven and toss in the sauce. Put it back on the baking sheet and set the oven to broil, broil for another 5-7 minutes.

Vegan Ranch Dressing

1 cup Veganaise

1 TBS Apple cider Vinegar

1-2 TBS fresh chopped parsley

1 TBS Almond milk

Pinch of salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. I’m sorry I don’t have exact measurements for this.  I’m a free spirit, what can I say ;)

Serve as soon as you can (meaning, these don’t sit well overnight) with the ranch on the side and some cut up celery.

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Yum!