Tuesday, September 22, 2009

{ROASTED GARLIC BROCCOLI PIZZA}

My friend, Sarah, posted a delicious looking garlic chicken pizza recipe on her blog. I decided to try to make a vegan variety, using her roasted garlic idea for the sauce. (The roasted garlic is really the only thing that's the same, but I still give her credit for inspiring the idea.) It turned out so yummy! Definitely a success!


*ROAST THE GARLIC EARLIER IN THE DAY!

  • To roast the garlic (something I had never tried before), just peel off the outside paper stuff of a whole head of garlic (not a clove). Wrap the whole thing in foil, and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Unwrap and allow to cool. Then you can just squeeze out the garlic.
{WHOLE WHEAT CRUST} (same as here)
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. honey
2 T. applesauce
1 T. yeast
1/2 t. salt
1 c. comfortably hot water

• Mix together, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.

• Add 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, knead, and roll out onto pizza stone or pan.

{ROASTED GARLIC SAUCE}
1 c. soymilk
1/2 c. cashews
1 head of garlic, roasted
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
1/4-1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. paprika

• Blend all ingredients until very smooth.

{TOPPINGS}

roasted garlic sauce
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. parsley
1/2 t. oregano
1 c. broccoli, steamed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
olives, chopped
slivered almonds
pineapple tidbits
vegan parmesan cheese

• Spread sauce over crust. (I only used half the sauce on the pizza. We used some of the other half for dipping sauce, and I think I'll use the leftover on pasta).

• Sprinkle basil, parsley, and oregano over sauce.

• Spread remaining toppings over pizza, and sprinkle parmesan on top.

• Bake at 500 for 10-12 minutes.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

{KALE LEMONADE}



This drink is basically the same as this one, but we now make it green every time. The kids love it, and my husband and I really like it too! You can't tell from the picture, but the top foamy part is a really pretty bright green also, so it seems so festive and fun. For some reason the kale doesn't really change the taste, so I figure it might as well be added for the nutrition.

2 c. water
1 c. ice
juice from 3-4 lemons (or limes)
1-2 big kale leaves (or a couple handfuls of spinach)
1/2 t. stevia (or slightly less)

  • Place all ingredients in blender
  • Blend on high for about a minute (I just push the whole juice button on my Blendtec)
  • Add about 2 more cups of water or crushed ice (go by taste- you can't add all the water needed at the beginning or the blender will overflow)
*To make sure this stays like lemonade instead of a smoothie, I don't add so many greens that it makes it thick. It stays thin and gets blended well enough that the color is the only way you know there were veggies added.
*Lemonade isn't super healthy if a ton of sugar is added, which is why we use stevia. It is not artificial and a lot of people actually think there are health benefits to using it. It is so sweet, you just need a portion of the amount you would use of normal sugar. Here is a link where you can purchase the very pure, concentrated kind. One ounce of it lasts me at least 3 months, so it really isn't very expensive when you consider how little you need to use. You can also buy stevia at normal health food stores, but it is not as pure and concentrated, so you need to use more. I think the cost probably equals out in the end.
*Kale is a nutrition powerhouse that has tons of vitamins, it's very high in calcium, and is about 50% protein. It's also a good source of omega 3's. It is great in smoothies and a great addition to any diet for optimal health.

Monday, September 14, 2009

{CAULIFLOWER SOUP}



I'm not exactly sure where this recipe came from, and I don't know why I felt like making it while it's still so hot here. It was good anyway!

1 head of cauliflower
1 large leek
2 celery stalks
1-2 garlic cloves
3-4 c. veggie broth
1-1.5 c. milk (rice or soy)
Salt and pepper, to taste

  • Chop up the vegetables, prepare the stock, and put in a large pot.
  • Add more water as needed, to cover the vegetables.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are tender
  • Ladle any extra broth out and reserve in a bowl.
  • Puree the soup in a blender, and then return to a simmer.
  • Add the milk.
  • Mix until heated through (do not boil after adding milk). If the soup is too thick, add the reserved water/broth.
  • Serve with bread or croutons
*Note: To prepare leek, cut off roots and 1/4 inch of the white bulb. Also cut off any dead or tough part of the leaves at the top. Cut in thin slices all the way down, starting with the leaves. Soak the leek in a bowl of cold water, separating pieces to clean out the dirt.

*You can experiment with the flavor- this last time it was a bit too spicy for my kids, so I added rice milk to theirs and they loved it.


Pressure Cooker Instructions:

  • Combine all ingredients, except milk, in pressure cooker.  (I only used 2 1/2 c. broth; everything else was the same.)
  • Cook on low pressure for 3 minutes.
  • Quick release.
  • Poor off (or ladle out) extra broth.
  • Puree soup in blender.  Poor back into cooker.
  • Add milk.

Monday, September 7, 2009

{SUSAN'S LITE GODDESS DRESSING}

We love this salad dressing! The recipe was found here at fatfreevegan.com and I'm so glad she did all the work to make it lower fat.
*[Doubled]

6 ounces lite firm silken tofu (1/2 pkg. of Mori-Nu) [1 pkg or one 14 oz. can white beans]
1/4 c. [1/2 c.] water
1 1/2 T. [3 T.] cider vinegar
2 T. [1/4 c.] lemon juice
2 t. [4 t.] low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 t. [1/2 t.] salt
1/4 t. [1/2 t.] sesame oil
1 T. [2 T.] tahini
2 [4] green onions, white parts removed, chopped
1 T. [2 T.] chopped fresh parsley, packed
1 [2] large clove garlic
1/8 t. [1/4 t.] pepper
  • Place all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
*I usually double the recipe so I can just use the whole package of tofu. The more salad you eat the better right? Also, you can add tahini a tablespoon at a time for taste, but the fat and calories go up as the tahini increases.

*The last couple times we've made this, we've added a little stevia (any sweetener would work) and it was so good! We've been dipping pita bread in it and it's delicious. Also if you want to make a lot at one time, we use one whole box of lite tofu and one can of white beans (instead of a second box of tofu), and then 4x the rest of the recipe.