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!

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.

Roasted Green Beans

I got this recipe from a magazine that my cousin. Dana, handed down to me. The magazine is full of great recipes, including this gem. We recently made this as a side and I loved it. I'm normally not a huge fan of green beans but thanks to this recipe I am now converted.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb. green beans, trimmed (5 cups)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 1/2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. Toss all ingredients in bowl; season with salt and pepper (don't forget this step - I forgot the first time I made them and felt the difference). Spread on rimmed baking sheet. Roast 15-17 minutes, or until beans are tender and browned in spots, stirring occasionally. 

Makes 6  2/3-cup servings.

Source: Vegetarian Times

Per serving:

110 calories; 3g protein; 9g total fat (<1g saturated fat); 7g carbohydrates; 0gm cholesterol; 5mg sodium; 3g fiber; 3g sugars

Nutritional Information:

Lentil soup

Looking for a nice, hearty soup that fills you up without making you feel like you gained 10 pounds? Look no further because this soup is so satisfying. Serve it with a thick bread and you'll feel warm and fuzzy from your head to your toes.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups of dry lentils
8 cups of broth (I use vegetable)

Directions:
1. Sauté vegetables in oil until translucent.
2. Add spices and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Add lentils, tomatoes and broth. Cook until lentils are tender- about 1 hour.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Loving these tasty pancakes that I found on my friend Sarah's blog. We made them for Conference weekend and loved them. Very hearty and a little goes a long way. I love, too, how you make a huge mix all at once and then just add it to a few other ingredients whenever you're ready for pancakes and voila! Pancakes! Easy-schmeasy. And straight up yummy. 


Oatmeal Pancakes

Mix

4 c. old fashioned oats
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. instant nonfat dry milk
3 T. baking powder
2 T. cinnamon
5 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Mix all ingredients together well. Store in a sealed gallon-size plastic storage bag or airtight container. Yield: 10 cups of pancake mix.

Pancakes:

2 eggs
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 c. pancake mix
1 c. water

To make pancakes, beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually beat in oil. Alternately add pancake mix and water to mixture. Blend well. Cook (make sure to maintain a low temperature because of the density of the pancakes). Yield: about 10-12 pancakes.


Source: Sarah's Fares

Cheesy Kale Chips

I came across these gems from one of my new friends here in Pittsburgh.She is extremely knowledgeable in the way of health foods and I have a feeling that I'll be posting many more recipes from her (as long as she keeps inviting me over to eat her food). Back to the kale chips: So tasty. From someone who absolutely loves salty, crunchy snack, this is definitely a great alternative to potato chips. 

Cheesy Kale Chips

Ingredients:
2 lbs kale (your average grocery store bunch of kale)
1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cashews, ground (you are trying to make a crumbly powder, not cashew flour or paste.)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (This is what gives the cheesy taste even though it has no cheese. You can find it at Whole Foods)

1. Preheat oven to a temperature somewhere between 175 and 200. The lower the temperature, the longer it takes. The higher the temperature, the more you have to rotate and turn the trays.

2. Remove the tough stalks from the kale and rip into pieces. Remember that they will shrink considerably. Wash and dry the kale, and set aside.

3. In a very large mixing bowl mix the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Toss the kale with the dressing. Sprinkle the cashews and nutritional yeast over the kale, tossing to coat each piece. You want each piece lightly coated, but you still want to be able to see the kale underneath. If you have too much cashew on a piece it won't dry properly.

4. Spread the coated kale on two or three large baking sheets in a single layer. Make sure the pieces are laying relatively flat and aren't folded over too much.

5. Check on the kale chips about every 30 minutes. Each time you check on the chips, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom or front to back so the chips can dry evenly. You can also encourage even drying by turning the kale chips over on the baking sheets once during the drying process after the first hour. I do this with pieces that are having a hard time drying.

When they are crunchy they are all done (it takes me about 2 hours). Enjoy!


Source: Erin Starks-Teeter