Recipes

Happy Labor Day everyone! This weekend I made one of my favorite things, homemade pizza! I made the crust ahead of time using a recipe from How to Make Everything Vegetarian.

Pizza Dough
Ingredients: (makes 2 pizza crusts)

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup of water and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Stir to combine. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand into a round dough ball. Put the remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a bowl and turn the dough ball in it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 1-2 hours. Split dough in half and roll dough out onto a floured surface into a round crust. Allow dough to rise for another 20 minutes before adding topping and baking.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust (see recipe above)
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 large chicken breast, cubed and cooked
• mozzarella and parmesan cheese

Cover pizza dough with barbeque sauce. Add chicken and scallions. Cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350*F for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Yum! This was one of the best pizzas ever! What’s your favorite kind of pizza?

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Earlier this week I made my own homemade granola! I figured since I had all the right ingredients, why buy it at the grocery store? I took this basic recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman. Making granola allows you to be creative. Any kind of nuts and dried fruit will work. You can also experiment with adding things like coconut, vanilla, nut butter, ginger, nutmeg, or chocolate chips; the options are endless!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (I used almonds and cashews)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of sweetener (I used honey, but you could also use maple syrup, agave nectar, brown rice syrup, or molasses)
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries)

Preheat oven to 300*F. Place 9 x 13 inch roasting pan over 2 burners at medium-low heat. Add oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and become fragrant (about 3-5 minutes). Add the nuts and seeds and continue to cook for another 2 minutes stirring frequently. If using it, add coconut and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add cinnamon and sweetener and stir to coat. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice while baking. Add the dried fruit after granola is done baking and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Be sure to stir the granola every so often to break it up as it cools. Transfer granola to a sealed container and store in cupboard or refrigerator.

I love the idea of making homemade granola! I can’t believe I haven’t done it soon, its so easy and budget-friendly!

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After only 2 nights of sleep here in Chicago, I am off to my next adventure – Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin! We will be camping and climbing with some good friends out there for the weekend! I’ve never been climbing before, but it is on my Fitness Bucket List, so I’m really excited!

 
Before I go pack the car for the drive up there I wanted to share this yummy recipes with you guys! I made some brownies to take along for everyone; shhh don’t tell them they’re vegan! The recipe came from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar; I tripled this recipe to have enough for everyone.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz of silken tofu (about 1/4 of the package)
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch (I used arrowroot powder)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• powdered sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 325*F. Line an 8 x 8 inch brownie pan with parchment paper. Blend the tofu, soy milk, and oil in a blender until smooth. Use a spatula to transfer to the mixture into a large bowl. Mix in the sugar and vanilla using a fork. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt (the recipe stresses the importance of sifting the ingredients to prevent clumpy brownies). Mix batter until smooth.

Transfer batter into pan and smooth the top with a spatula. The batter will spread during baking, so don’t worry! Bake for 30-40 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove brownies and paper from pan and allow to cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from paper and cutting. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar if desired and enjoy!

I had to try one before packing them up for the trip, and let me tell you, they are so rich and chocolatey! No one will ever know these are vegan!

See you all when I get back!

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Hi guys! Last night I made the most incredible blue cheese burgers on the grill, but of course, forgot to take a picture of them!!!

Let me start off saying that I am usually not the biggest fan of blue cheese, I only like it in SMALL amounts. However, I thought I would give these a try and they were to die for! That being said, I will most likely make them again before the summer is over and remember to take a picture for you guys!

I found this recipe in the August edition of Better Homes and Garden magazine. The recipe was actually for meatballs, but I turned it into burgers instead!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef (organic, grass-fed preferably)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp red wine
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 4 buns (I used Trader Joe’s pretzel rolls!)
• Whatever burger extra fixings you prefer

In large bowl combine garlic, parsley, wine, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add beef and mix with hands until well combined. Carefully mix in the blue cheese and form into 4 burger patties. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before grilling.

I served mine with some corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, and fresh fruit. These burgers were so flavorful all by themselves that I totally forgot to put ketchup on mine! You HAVE to try these, they are YUMMY! I love summer grillin!

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I finally got around to making my first recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! I made these Mexican Chocolate Snickerdoodles! These cookies have a unique cracked cinnamon, sugar top and a spicy kick following their sweet chocolate flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp nondairy milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon and spread on a dinner plate. In large mixing bowl mix oil, 1 cup sugar, syrup, and milk with a fork. Mix in vanilla extract. Sift in the remaining ingredients. Mix until dough is pliable. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and pat the dough onto the sugar/cinnamon plate to flatten it into a 2-inch discs. Transfer the dough balls to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper sugar side up (sticky, non-sugar side down) about 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes, remove and let cool on wire rack.

The cayenne pepper in these cookies was definitely unique, but a little too spicy for my liking. I also overcooked some of the cookies, so next time I may pull them out of the oven a little sooner so that they stay soft. If you’re looking for a delicious cookie that is unlike any other, give these Mexican Snickerdoodles a try!

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