Blackberry Goat Cheese Pizza

I think at this point it's obvious: I love me some pizza. There's just no way around it. I love it all. But these days I especially love unique pizzas that stray from the typical red sauce and mozzarella. This pizza is one of those. Not one of these toppings are what you'd typically see on a pizza but the combination is perfection. This one is not exactly on the budget-friendly side so you might want to save it for a more special occasion.

(Picture from here. Sorry, I never remember to take pictures of my food. I eat it too fast.)

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust- As mentioned before, I don't have a brilliant pizza crust recipe that I'd necessarily recommend. For this pizza, though, make sure your crust is thin. If you need ideas, I cut this recipe in half and it was just what I needed. 

1 1/2 cups blackberries- I used fresh, but I'm sure frozen would work also work if that's all you have

1/4 cup fresh basil and mint, thinly sliced- I used a bit of each and it probably totaled 1/4 cup. Use your judgment and spice preferences.

2 Tbsp. fresh thyme

4-5 oz crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. honey, divided

olive oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350ish. I suppose this depends on what kind of crust you use. For my crust, 350 worked well for me.

2. Lightly drizzle the dough with olive oil and 1 Tbsp. honey, just enough to lightly cover the dough.

3. Top the pizza with blackberries, spices, and goat cheese, then sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top.

4. Bake until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted, about 8-12 minutes. 

5. Drizzle with the rest of the honey. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing. Serve while still hot. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from here

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

We've tried a few variations of homemade veggie burgers and these are our favorites. I can't promise you the flavor of ground beef (it does taste good, though!) but this recipe does promise the FEEL of eating a genuine burger.

Makes 4 large patties.

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
1/2 T cayenne pepper
1 T cumin
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2-1 cup bread crumbs
4 slices of preferred cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or you could grill them but I like how they hold when baked) and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3.The original recipe calls to do the cutting of the veggies in a food processor, but the last time I cooked this I didn't have mine accessible so I just chopped them with a knife as small as I could and then I sautéed them for a few minutes to get the raw crunch out of them. I liked it better than the processed way. ANYWAY- after you prepare the veggies, stir them into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, cayenne, cumin, and hot sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is a sticky consistency and holds together.
6. Divide mixture into 4 patties (aim for round and flat, not ball shaped) and place on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes then flip, then 10 more minutes on other side. If you want cheese, put in on when you have about 5 minutes of cooking left.
7. Put it on a bun with your favorite veggies and condiments and enjoy!

Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Pizza

If you know anything about me and Tom, you know that we love making pizzas. I can confidently say that it's one of our top 5 past-times. This is the newest addition to our pizza family and we welcome it with open mouths. Though it's probably most delightful in the summer or spring time, we tried it first in the cold winter and not only enjoyed it, but it brought us nostalgia and hopes of warmer, brighter days. Definitely not your typical pizza but absolutely worth going against the grain for.

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust, prepared (use your own favorite recipe. I have yet to be solely converted on one particular dough recipe so I don't feel right recommending one as of now. Suggestions welcome.)
• corn meal, for the pan
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• shredded parmesan + black pepper, for topping

Directions:

1. Toss the basil and mozzarella together, set aside.
2. Sprinkle pizza pan with corn meal and place dough/crust on it. Brush with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with mozzarella and basil mixture. Scatter strawberry slices over the cheese. Crumble goat cheese over the berries.
3. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees or so. Remove from the oven and slide onto a cutting board. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Enjoy!

Source: Take a Megabite

Cranberry Bars

We had the pleasure of going to my cousin's house for Thanksgiving. She is a great cook and I always love her food (not to mention that you can always count on it being not only good but healthy, too). Alongside the various typical Thanksgiving pies, she served these cranberry bars for dessert. They are light, delicious, and fairly healthy for a dessert. The one hard part about these bars is finding graham flour. The only place I have seen it sold is Whole Foods, and it's not even then every time. I googled substitutes and people suggested using part graham crackers part flour. I tried it and it worked fine but I'd suggest using graham flour if you can find it.


Makes 25 bars

Ingredient List

FILLING
• 1 lb. fresh or frozen cranberries
• 7 oz. fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 egg yolks
• 
  
CRUST
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup graham flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. To make Filling: Bring cranberries and 1/2 cup water to a simmer in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 10 minutes, or until berries have burst and are tender. Cool. Blend in blender or food processor until smooth, and strain mixture through sieve. (You should have about 1 cup purée.)

2. Transfer purée to bowl, and whisk in condensed milk and lemon juice. Whisk in egg yolks.

3. To make Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8-inch square baking pan with foil, and coat with cooking spray.

4. Whisk together flours, sugar, and salt in bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla extract. Press into bottom of prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F, and pour Filling into hot Crust. Bake 23 to 28 minutes, or until custard is set. Cool, then chill until firm.

5. Use foil to lift baked dessert out of pan, then remove. Cut into 25 bars. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information

Per bar: Calories: 89, Protein: 2g, Total fat: 3g, Saturated fat: 2g, Carbs: 13g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 80mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 8g

Source: Vegetarian Times

Pasta with Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Feta and Arugula

This is one of my new favorite recipes. I can't get enough of it. I had never cooked with leeks before this recipe so I had to do some research. Actually, my first attempt of the recipe was a bit of a flop because I had no idea what I was doing with the leeks. So just as a heads up: use the white and light green part of the leek and just discard the darker part (I did the opposite on attempt #1 and it tasted like we had sand in our food). Also, make sure to rinse the leeks really well after slicing them. There are lots of layers and it will be impossible to clean unless you cut first, separate the rings, and soak for a minute in water. 

What I love about this recipe is that the ingredients are so basic and simple. It doesn't take much to bring out the incredible flavors that are naturally present in the ingredients. Not to mention this is a super food! So many good, nutrient-dense ingredients with absolutely amazing flavor. 

Just as a heads up, this recipe makes a ton of food. It will feed a family plus lots of left overs. Count of it. 

adapted from Donna Hay via Sidewalk Shoes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
4 leeks, chopped
1 Tbsp rosemary, chopped
1 lb whole wheat penne  pasta
6 oz crumbled feta cheese
8 oz arugula
cracked black pepper

Directions:
1. Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet and roast at 400 for 30 minutes or until soft and browned.

2. Place 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet.  Add the leeks and rosemary and cook for 7 minutes, or until soft and golden.

3. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water.  Drain and place in a large bowl.  Toss with sweet potatoes, arugula, leeks and feta.