The Versatile Dough

This is my absolute favorite recipe for pizza dough.  The dough's versatility extends far beyond pizza.  I use a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flour, but you can change the mix as you wish (more white flour, more whole wheat, all whole wheat, etc.).  If you add more of one, of course you'll need to subtract the same amount from the other.  Also, if you use more whole wheat flour, you'll need to increase your rising time a bit. 

THE Pizza Dough
(for 2 pizzas)


1 t sugar
1 1/2 warm water (105° to 110° F)
1 package of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 T dry yeast or 1 fresh yeast cake)
3 T olive oil
1 t salt
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

In a large bowl, whisk warm water and sugar together until  sugar is dissolved.  Add yeast and stir until it is mostly dissolved and water is cloudy.  Let sit, undisturbed, for ~10 minutes.  My kids love to watch the yeast "bloom", as it looks a little like fireworks in the bowl.
After yeast has had it's rest, add olive oil, salt, and stir in flour.  When dough comes together, turn out onto a heavily floured surface and knead, folding and rotating and incorporating as much flour as you need to keep it from sticking wildly to your hands.  I usually lay it down in a good pile of flour, ~2/3 c, and pat some flour onto the top before I begin kneading.  It will be quite sticky when you begin. Continue to knead it until you have a nice smooth and stretchy dough; this will take a few minutes.  Coat a large bowl with olive oil and move your dough into it, cover it with a cotton towel (large flour sack towels work beautifully) and allow it to rise, undisturbed, in a warm place for ~45 minutes to an hour. In the winter, just as I begin the dough I turn on the oven to 500° for 1 minute and then turn it off.  This provides a nice place to let the rising happen (make sure it isn't too hot and that you remembered to turn it off again).  It can also be made using the dough cycle of a bread machine following your machine's instructions on adding dry ingredients, liquid, and yeast.
While rising, prepare your 2 pans (we just use large rectangular cookie sheets) with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of ground cornmeal over the entire surface to prevent your dough from sticking.  
When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and move it to a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough in half and return one half back to the bowl and cover it again.  Working with one at a time, roll each out to the desired size / thickness; you may need to add a sprinkle or rub of flour to prevent sticking. 
When it is the desired size, dust it with a tiny bit of flour, and fold it a time or two and quickly transfer it to the sheet and unfold it so it does not stick to itself.  Cover again and let it rise for 15-20 minutes-ish (if you like a softer crust).  I usually do not par-bake the naked crust before adding the toppings.
Preheat oven to 450°F.  Cover with sauce and toppings and bake for 8- 10 minutes or until crust is golden (and cheese is bubbly and golden, if using).  Ovens very, so you should keep an eye on it.

Enjoy!

 

Black Bean (Chard and Cashew) Dip

Today's inspiration comes from.....
..having a really huge bag of blue corn chips and nothing to dip them in.
..black beans leftover in the fridge.
..an urge to get fresh greens into my kids.
..and cashews.

This week, which may forever be known as Cashew Week, I finally tried my hand at cashew sour cream.  It was good and seemed at home in our burritos, but it needs some improvement.  Last night we had our old reliable cashew "Alfredo" with broccoli; clean plates all around.  Tonight I was planning on making this recipe from kitchn.com with a little variation, including replacing the cheese with cashews, but I just used them all up in this dip.  By the way, it was worth it.

Black Bean Dip, with Chard and Cashews

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 20 minutes
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t chili powder
1 t granulated garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c water
1 handful of Swiss chard- no need to chop it or remove the stems (or kale- with stems removed)
    Add these ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until it blends together.  Then add:
1/3 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper
    Pulse again until onions and peppers are finely chopped, and then add
1 can black beans, drained and slightly rinsed or ~2 cups cooked black beans
  Pulse again until you don't see whole beans.

And, you're done!
If you'd like to cut the fat down, you can omit the nuts altogether.  They do add a slight creamier texture, but you can likely obtain that by pureeing the beans longer in the end.  If you choose to omit them, you may need to then cut back on the water, using just enough to help your greens along.
Enjoy with fresh veggies, chips, etc.  

Veggie Pot Pie

Finally!  I have had this one in the works for a little long while after several requests for the recipe.
This is a regular around here (nearly weekly), as everyONE cleans their plates everyTIME - except the kid that won't eat potatoes still has a couple of those left.  It is comforting, incredibly creamy, and seemingly indulgent.

 This is a vegan version, and I use a homemade biscuit dough instead of the traditional 2 crust. I always made the traditional version, but one night in a huge hurry with no time for rolling out dough I tried this "cheater pie", and with grand reviews from everyone, it is now the new usual. 
The great thing about this is that the only recipe you really need to strictly follow is the biscuit part.  Have some turnips, beets, corn, kale?  Throw it in!   You can also add more or less of something (or skip it altogether) to suit your tastes.  This recipe is for a 9X13 sized casserole dish, filled up!  You can cut it back, divide it, multiply it, etc.

Vegan Veggie Pot Pie
(a little redundant, no?)
~8 servings

3-4 large potatoes, chopped to ~1" squares
~7 large carrots, sliced to ~1/2 inch pieces
2 large bay leaves
1/2 lb fresh green beans, or a ~10 oz bag of  frozen
10 oz bag of frozen green peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups onion, finely diced (~ 3/4 large onion)
2 t all purpose seasoning*
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay **
 3 T all purpose flour
2 t salt
2 t fresh ground black pepper
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (or soy milk, although the almond milk is the favorite here)

Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
5 T non hydrogenated shortening (I use Spectrum)
1 cup soy milk or almond milk with 1 t apple cider vinegar added and mixed well

Place potatoes and carrots in a large sauce pot and cover + 1 inch with water.  Add bay leaves and a dash of salt and pepper to the water.  Bring to a boil over high heat and turn down to medium high to maintain a gentle boil.  When potatoes are just able to pierce with a fork (~10 minutes, but check them frequently because you'll want firm, not mushy, potatoes), add frozen veggies.  If also using fresh veggies, then add them after the water returns to a boil.  Gently boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat and drain.  Place them back into the pot and set aside.
Go ahead and measure your cup of non dairy milk for the biscuits, add the vinegar, and allow it to sit.  Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350° F. 
Add olive oil to a pan heated over med low heat.  Add onions, seasoning, and Old Bay, stirring steadily to be sure the onions don't burn; you may need to adjust your heat lower - they should sizzle, but you shouldn't be terrified to look away for a second (that's too hot).  When the onions are soft, add the flour in, stirring with a wire whisk until flour and oil is an even mixture and don't worry if it's a little clumpy.  Quickly add the almond milk and stir gently but constantly with the whisk.  The mixture should thicken after a few minutes of a very gentle simmer.  When your mixture has reached a good creamy consistency, stir in S & P and remove from heat.  Pour over veggies and stir to mix well.  Transfer to a 9"X13" casserole dish and spread out evenly.
In a large bowl, begin biscuit dough by combining flour, baking powder and soda, and salt, and stir together with a whisk.  Add shortening and cut in with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal with no large bits left.  Form a well in the center and add the acidified non dairy milk.  Using a spoon, move the flour from the outside of the bowl to the center, gently combining them using as few strokes as possible.  When combined, drop serving sized spoonfuls of dough to cover the top of the veggies.
Bake for ~40 minutes or until biscuits are lightly browned and look amazing.
Enjoy!!

* A mixture of 3/4 t dried thyme, 1/2 t dried basil, 1/2 t dried oregano, 1/2 t granulated garlic will work in place of the all purpose seasoning, as will a combination of fresh herbs.  Feel free to adjust and season as you prefer.  I sometimes add a little rosemary; I have also been known to add some garlic chives. 
** The Old Bay is not terribly important, but it is an amazing flavor booster.

Portable Energy, Right Quick

With minimal effort, you can throw these bars together in a matter of minutes.  They are a quick way to whip up a very portable and delicious snack that offers a good dose of protein and energy.  I will warn you that they are ridiculously addictive.  

Quick Portable Energy Bars

1 1/4 cup crunchy, natural peanut butter or almond butter (I use a mixture of both)
1/2 t coconut oil (optional, if using natural nut butters with no additional ingredients)
1/4 cup finely chopped raw cashews
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup toasted oats*  
1/4 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)**

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 
Combine peanut or almond butter and coconut oil, if using, in small saucepan over low heat.  Ground nut butters do not melt very well when heated, so the addition of coconut oil is helpful, not to mention yummy.
Combine all other ingredients except chocolate chips in a small glass bowl.  When the peanut butter mixture has heated, pour over nuts and oats mixture and stir together.  Add chocolate chips and stir until just combined. The chips will begin to melt.
Spread onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet and cover with another piece of parchment.  Using a rolling pin or your hands, gently roll or spread the mixture out between the layers until you have an even layer of thickness.
Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or freezer if you want them faster!).
When they are firm, cut them up - a sharp, non serrated knife, pressing straight down works best- and enjoy them!

*(toast oats lightly in a skillet over med-low heat for about 3 minutes or until they become aromatic.)


** 1/8 cup of finely chopped crystallized ginger is another delicious option instead of raisins!

Fresh Dip, No Beans

A week into being back to a pretty strict plant based diet, I am feeling amazing.  I am also getting really tired of hummus.  I've had two meals out recently and both times my only option on the menu was the hummus.  Hummus or toast with almond butter are usually my go-to's for a really quick snack.  Today, I was desperate for something a little more exciting.  Here is what I came up with after a look through the fridge (not currently very abundant) and the pantry.

Raw Green Cucumber Spread

2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, large stems removed
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh greens, chopped (I used collard greens)
1/2 medium sized cucumber, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender (using pulse/chop mode) and process until mixed well.  You may need to add a splash of water to help it come together.
Use as a dip for fresh veggies or a spread for toast.
Makes ~2 cups

It was light and refreshing and hit the spot!

The Vegan and The Carnivore Intro

I believe it was last September, after a lot of reading, I decided to give a go of a vegan-ish diet.  I say vegan-"ish" because I found it difficult to satisfactorily replace the half and half in my coffee each morning.  Soy beans aren't suppose to make "milk" and though I do use it occasionally to bake some awesome biscuits, everyday use was not something I felt was very productive (kind of like turkey-bacon - what is that, really??).  I also love honey.

The purpose of the diet change, for me, was to eat as close to the ground as I could, putting as little processed,  artificial, or manipulated goods into my body as possible (especially the things I can't pronounce) and eating things that I naturally digest easily and get the most nutrition from!  I wasn't feeling good, I wasn't looking good, and I was having some wonky little health (girlie) issues.  Anyhoo, the point is that I, let's say a now very strict vegetarian, am still the wife of a whole heartedly committed carnivorous husband (who happens to be a chef)  (I might also add - that very rarely cooks at home), and the mom of one extremely picky eater (understatement), one on the fence vegetarian /ominvore child (who is "a vegetarian unless Daddy makes steak"), and one child that has the identical palate of his father and generally exclaims loudly "I love meat" at least twice during each of our ominvore dinners.  Challenge #1.

Now, my husband has some dietary issues of his own.  He has, in the last year developed some crazy food sensitivities that result in a pretty gnarly and sometimes full body breakout of hives if he isn't careful (yep).  And, of course, he's a guy, so generally, he isn't careful.  Recently, his "low histamine diet" (you'll have to google that one) has been slightly altered to become a "yeast free diet" (it's very interesting how incredibly similar they are).  That isn't nearly as simple as it sounds.  It's not just an avoidance of yeast bread, or the nutritional yeast dressing (recipe will come soon) that we rely on for comfort and joy around our house, it's essentially an avoidance of anything that is fermented or may have mold related to it or its processing.  Mushrooms!  Mushrooms are off limits.  Canned tomatoes, chocolate, ANYTHING with vinegar in it (which is almost everything), black pepper,  cheese, and BEER are all no-nos to name a few.  

Needless to say, this has been an enormous challenge.  Luckily for us, we don't rely on any processed foods, and we have for a long time eaten a pretty healthy diet (especially for an American family).  My second lucky strike is that I can cook!!  However, grains and veggies repeatedly get pretty dang boring, and I have found it very easy to get into an inspirationless (that's a word, right?) dinner rut.  I hope that the sharing of my recipes will help spark in me some of that food creativity that I miss a whole bunch.

Whether you are a vegan or vegetarian, on a yeast free or low histamine diet, an average omnivore, or whatever, I hope you will be able to enjoy some of these recipes, and I will offer different ways to whip them up to cater to those with or without special needs.  I promise they will all be delicious, unless I also share my disasters with you, and in that case, it will likely be hilarious!

I'm going to start this off with the trusty, never fail (never failed me) buttermilk biscuit recipe.  I literally failed at 20-30 recipes before perfecting this one!

TRUSTY BUTTER'MILK' BISCUITS

2 C Unbleached All Purpose Flour**

1 T Aluminum Free Baking Powder

1 t Baking Soda

1/2 t Salt

5 T Butter or non-hydrogenated shortening, chilled 

1 C Buttermilk or soured *** soy milk

Preheat oven to 425°

Mix the first 4 ingredients together with a whisk.

Cut the butter or shortening (v) into small pieces and add the the flour mixture.  Cut in with a pastry blender or 2 forks until mixture has the texture of coarse cornmeal with no lumps larger than the size of a pea. 

Add the buttermilk or soy milk and stir, preferably with a wooden spoon just until dough comes together.  The best way to do this is make a well in the center of the flour to pour your liquid into.  use the spoon to scrape the flour from the outside of the bowl, tossing it into the center where your liquid is.  Spin the bowl and go around the outside several times.  Mixture should be pretty wet.  Stir just enough to incorporate the flour and DO NOT OVERSTIR! 

Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface and knead a few times until dough is smooth and not so sticky.

Roll it out to about a 1/2 inch think, fold dough over itself, roll out again to 1/2 inch thick and fold over one more time and very gently roll just enough to press the 2 layers together but not dramatically change the thickness of the dough.  Use a biscuit cutter or drinking glass to cut out biscuits, and put scraps together, re-roll, and cut some more.  We always have a crazy pressed together wonky biscuit at the very end.  The kids always fight over it. 

Place your little creations on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake on a middle rack for ~ 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

before baking

Pat yourself on the back and dig in!

**Feel free to use a combination of flours here : an equal mix of all purpose and whole wheat (which is what I used here), or you can go all whole wheat (more yeast free diet friendly).  Non glutenous flours do not hold well together, so usually you would need to add an egg or another binder.  I have not tried a gluten- free biscuit yet, so I offer little advice here.  Keep in mind that whole wheat flours take a titch longer to rise, so you may not have a very tall biscuit in the end, but it will still be tasty.

Some special secrets:

***You can make buttermilk or sour soy milk with ~1.5 T of vinegar or lemon juice (for yeast free) to each cup of milk.  I generally add my acid to the measuring cup first and then fill up the milk or soy milk to the appropriate amount (here, 1 cup).  YOU NEVER HAVE TO BUY AND THROW OUT REALLY OLD EXCESS  BUTTERMILK AGAIN!  Ta da!

Over kneading or stirring the biscuit dough will develop the gluten in the flour and make the biscuits a bit denser and not so awesomely fluffy.  As soon as you see the softness and smoothness of the dough, restrain yourself and just step back and admire it for a second!  It is a really beautiful thing!!!

Rolling the dough out and folding it a few times makes a more layer-y biscuit that pulls apart easily.

I hope you enjoy!!!

Friday Night Mexican

My daughter, my mom, and I LOVE Mexican food, and since Ed spends 55+ hours at a Mexican-ish restaurant each week, we indulge in it Friday nights (as said restaurant is crazy busy serving $.10 beers on Friday, preventing Ed from being home for dinner). Yesterday, Em requested Enchiladas for Friday Night Mexican; I later found out from her that she actually wanted empanadas, which is not something I ever consider for Friday night dinner, since they take ALL day long for me to make. Thankfully, she misspoke. So enchiladas it is!
Anyhooo....I don't know if you have ever read a can of "enchilada sauce", but it consists of only about 20% of what I would actually consider eating, so we make our own. And it goes a lil' sumpthin' like this (queue beat box):

1 T olive oil (spanish, if you have it)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
~1/2 onion, diced teeny weeny
1 t dried oregano
1/4 cup-ish chili powder (more or less to taste)
1 t ground cumin
1 t garlic salt
a little more than a half a can of beer. Yep, beer - I used my favorite Rocky Mountain Pale Ale. You could also use some sort of stock if you choose (forgoing beer, I personally would use the organic vegetable flavored "Better than Boullion" + water, but I use that for EVERYTHING that I don't use beer for).

Heat the oil in a saucepan over low heat and saute the onions gently until they are soft. Add the tomatoes and spices, and then, when hot, add the beer or stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes.


That's it! You now have some yummy sauce! Fill up some tortillas with whatever you want, put 'em in a pan, cover them with sauce and cheese, bake for 30 at 350, and you have dinner!

Tonight, I stuffed them with some refried black beans and leftover red jasmine rice pilaf that I stuffed some acorn squash with last night.

Here they come!


Let me finish by saying, since this is just my second post, I am not a measurer. Unless I am actually making little baked goods, I rarely measure anything (and sometimes even then I don't). I use what looks like the right amount. Please understand this if you see the word "-ish" listed anywhere.....well, anywhere, because it just occurred to me that I am not really a timer either. It's just cookin' ya'll.