Fresh and Easy Flat Bread Pizza

 

 

California is an agricultural hub and particulary here on the Central Coast, we are really lucky to have access to fresh, local produce. For me, a short drive down to Moss Landing once a week takes us through fields of fresh brussels sprouts and artichokes, along the foggy coastline and ends at one of my favorite produce markets.

 

Here you can also view the marina, go kayaking, shop for shells or visit excellent restaurants.

 

But my purpose in making the trip each week is to get amazing, seasonal, local produce at an unbelievable bargain.

 

This week, I picked up peppers, onions, mushrooms and squash. I admit, it's been a challenge to switch to buying seasonal vegetables, as I have to then find a recipe to use them in, rather than shopping to complete my planned recipe. But I'm adapting.

 

This week's culinary creation came via inspiration from a recipe I saw in Sunset magazine. I'm blogging from memory of something I saw while sitting in the dentist's office (probably trying to distract myself  from the impending procedure. I hate dental work, don't you?)

 

Fresh, thinly sliced veggies are layered on to a large lavash bread, then baked at high heat for a short amount of time. I admit I was skeptical at first that the lavash would hold up, instead expecting a soggy mess. But it did hold up. I recommend slicing your veggies very thinly to avoid too much liquid escaping and ruining your meal.

 

 

 

The result is a very fresh pizza, with vegetables that are barely cooked but very delicious. The crust is very crisp and would make an excellent appetizer, although we ate them as a meal. If you are adverse to nearly-raw onion, I would omit them.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lavash or other flat bread per person

1 yellow squash or green zucchini, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced into half moons

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup of herbed goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup good-quality grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste.

chopped tomatoes and arugula for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place your lavash bread on an inverted cookie sheet and brush with oil. Sprinkle garlic over the top and layer the squash, pepper, mushrooms and onion over it. Crumble the goat cheese evenly, and top with parmesan. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, slide onto a cutting board and top with chopped tomatoes and arugula. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

I hope you enjoy them, we have made them three days in a row because they are that delicious and easy!



Cherry Tomato and Zucchini Galettes.

 

 

 

It seems sometime after June, I fell off of posting regular recipes here. It sometimes goes like that. We didn't stop eating, I just either lacked the incentive to post it, or we scarfed it up too quickly to photograph it. Or more often then not, I was in a mode of recycling tried and true recipes and not coming up with anything new.

 

 Maybe I was kidnapped by ravenous vegetarian ninjas. But if I was, I'll never tell. They've sworn me to secrecy.

 

 

So hi again, and welcome back. Or maybe you never went anywhere at all, and waiting patiently for me to post something new, and so I'll say it's good to be back.

 

This recipe was so delightful, and screamingly easy  to make. I cheated a little bit here and used pre-made pie dough (which I almost never do, but I was short on time, so there you have it.) If you have the time to make your own pie crust, I recommend it. 

 

Each pie will serve about 3 people.

 

 

 Zucchini and Cherry Tomato Galletes.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup ricotta

1/2 cup good-quality parmesan cheese

1 pie crust

olive oil

about 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes or zucchini

2 Tbsp basil, chopped, for garnish

 

 

 

 

1. Mix the ricotta and parmesan together in a bowl and spread evenly on the pie crust(s). Leave about an inch wide border, this will be turned up and over to form the frame of the galette.

 

2. Arrange your veggies on top of the ricotta/parmesan mixture.

 

 

3. Fold up the edges of the pie crust around your veggies.

 

4. Sprinkle a small amount of olive oil over the top.

 

5. (Optional) brush pie crust with milk or egg wash.

 

6. Place on an oiled cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until the pie crust is golden. Let cool slightly and garnish with basil. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

 

Goes well with a fresh green salad. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tofu Street Tacos (Vegan).

I love tacos. It's my answer for everything:

What time is it? Taco time.

What's for dinner? Tacos

What could make this dinner better? Put it in a taco.

Seriously, it's become a joke around my house, and even in yoga. After one particularly grueling class, and after a delightfully blissful savasana, I went to the local taqueria.

I should insert here, that maybe I shouldn't be allowed to drive after savasana.

I approached the counter and asked the nice young lady for "taco."

Did I ask what kind? No. I just walked away, content that my taco endeavor was complete. She thought I was nuts.

Better, then, is when I make my own, complete with functioning brain. But it's hard to get vegetarian tacos, street style. So here is my version (hint: it's all about the toppings).


Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, crumbled
1 tsp each chili powder and cumin
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
6 tortillas

for garnish:
chopped green onion
sliced radishes
olives
tomatoes
salsa

Heat some oil in a large skillet and fry the tofu until slightly browned. Add the onion and continue to cook until the tofu is brown and the onion is soft. Add the garlic and spices and cook 1-2 more minutes.

Serve on warm tortillas with all the fixin's.

Chickpea Wraps with Tahini (Vegan)

I picked up a jar of dukkah the other day at Trader Joe's because I've never tried it before. That's pretty much how I discover new things; when something looks interesting, I buy it. Then I have to figure out what to do with it.

This was kind of an impromptu lunch I threw together that is sure to become a regular favorite. Most of my meal planning is centered around dinner, which can leave me high and dry for lunch, when I hit the house just after yoga, ready to devour anything in sight. But this recipe so screamingly easy and you can make it the day before for extra ease.

Ingredients:

Filling:
1.5 cups of cooked garbanzo beans
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/4 of a red onion, minced
1 green onion, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of pre-made Dukkah (or feel free to substitue another spice blend)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (you can substitue lemon juice if you prefer)

Sandwich:
flat bread of your choice, 1 per wrap
spinach and tomato for garnish
tahini

Combine all of the ingredients for the filling in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

Layer onto your flatbread some spinach, the filling, and top with tomatoes. Drizzle tahini all over and enjoy!

Chickpea and Rice Soup (Vegan).

This flu season has hit my family hard, ya'll. It seems like one of us has been sick since December. This week, we have yet another bug that is taking its time to make its rounds through our house.

I haven't left the house in five days except to teach a yoga class. I think I may have forgotten what actual human interaction  really feels like.

No one has been eating anything substantial, despite my best efforts. There's been lots of crying, more coughing, and a ton of sleeping going on, except not, you know, at night.

 And all hail the wrath of an angry, sick 4 year old. There's nothing quite like it.

When I was little, I remember eating chicken and rice soup when I was sick. Comforting, hearty, it was always the perfect just-getting-over sickness soup.

This is my best version of it to date. I've made it in the past, but like  yoga , cooking is a practice. And I think I finally perfected this baby. Every one ate, sickness or not, and loved it. Finally, some good nutrition into these sicky little bodies.

Cole, my soup-lovin' middle son, actually gave it two thumbs up and told me "It's awesome! Write that!" (So there you go).


Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (or about 1/4 tsp dried)
3/4 cup of rice
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons
3 carrots, diced
4-5 cups of vegetable broth (chik'n flavored veggie broth would be best if you can find it)
2 14 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained
2 cups of de-veined and chopped rainbow chard
salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add in the rosemary and thyme, cook 1 minute. Add in the broth, rice, carrots, zucchini and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Add in the chard, garbanzo beans, salt and pepper to taste, and cook another 5 minutes.

Serve warm with a fresh baguette.

Kourkouto (Greek Zucchini Cake)

This dish is savory and comforting, and was a big hit with the whole family. We paired it with a large salad.

A little like a quiche, but decidedly different, this zucchini cake simply divine. It uses only a handful of ingredients, and would be great as a breakfast, dinner or appetizer. I suggest serving it warm, or at room temperature.

Serves at least 5 for a meal (more as an appetizer).

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large zucchini, diced
1 zucchini, sliced into disks
5 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, combine zucchini and onion. Saute until soft. This helps to release the liquid from the zucchini, so cook down until there is very little liquid left, but the zucchini shouldn't be mooshy.

Meanwhile, in a mixer, combine the 5 eggs, beaten, add in the sour cream, then the flour and baking powder.

With a rubber spatula, fold in the cheese and zucchini/onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.

Oil a large glass pan (about 14x10) and pour your mix into it. Spread it out evenly over the top with your rubber spatula and top with sliced zucchini.

At this point I find it helpful to brush a  little olive oil onto the zucchini slices, as it helps them to brown instead of just wither.

Cook for about 40 minutes, or until set and lightly browned on top.

Orange Glazed Tofu with Cashews (Vegan)

A few years ago, I was in Colorado for a Yoga Journal conference. While there, I had the opportunity to hear a woman named Sally Kempton speak on the Hindu goddess Kali. I was so moved by her. Not only for the quality of her knowledge and lecture, but for the depth of her own warmth and enthusiasm on the topic.

For that reason, I picked up her new book recently.

Not my usual kind of read, if I'm being honest. I usually gravitate toward the ancient texts or toward asana (poses) and therapeutics. But I so clearly remember how I felt when hearing Sally Kempton speak, that I knew this would be a good one.

And it is. In only the first two chapters I already have a clearer understanding of how to more fully appreciate and incorporate these devis into my life. Maybe the most inspiring for me is how she draws parallels between the stories of the goddesses, their qualities, and how we can use them in our lives. For example, the quality of being a good mother, or devoted wife, or how to use our anger only when appropriate.

It hits home for me, as so much of my practice is not on the mat, but in service to my family. There are, truly, times when I feel a little bogged down by it all. It helps to shift perspective from one of "heavy load" to one of "service." And I do need reminders to communicate more clearly and less from the emotional state, from time to time.

This week's recipe was like that. I really, really didn't want to cook that night, my husband was at work, and it would have been easy to just grab something for the kids. But with a few centering breaths, some letting go of the "work" of it all, something really nice evolved. I hope you like it.

As for the recipe, I love that it has little sugar compared to the commercial or restaurant version, no breading of the tofu, and no corn syrup.

Orange Glazed Tofu with Cashews.

For the glaze:

1/4 cup each water and rice wine vinegar
3 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated (also known as "Cuties")
1 inch of ginger, peeled
1/4 cup of raw sugar
1 tbsp corn starch

In a small pan combine the water, vinegar, oranges, ginger and sugar. (the cornstarch will be added later). Use the bottom of a cup or jar to smoosh the oranges a bit, so they can release their flavor. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the vinegar smell becomes less prominent. Remove and discard the ginger. Remove the pan from heat, set aside.

For the tofu:

1 block of extra firm tofu, cubed
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup of unsalted cashew pieces
soy sauce

Heat a few Tbsp. of oil in a wok or large frying pan. Cook the tofu over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Add in the cashews and a few light dashes of soy sauce, and continue to cook about 1 minute. Stir in the green onions.

At this point, stir the cornstarch (I usually dissolve it into a bit of water first) into the orange glaze, and add the glaze into the tofu. Heat until shiny and thick, about 1-2 minutes. Serve over rice (the first time we had this, it was over brown rice, and we all agreed it was better than over white rice). Enjoy!