White Pizzas with Spinach, Mushroom & Shallots

I made this one up all on my very own and I think it was pretty damn good. So good, I'm not even going to try to be funny about it. Mostly because there is still some left & I'm trying to hurry through my blogging so I can go eat more.

I used pre-made pizza crusts for this one. I got whole wheat min-pizza sized ones from Sunflower Market. This will make 4 mini pizzas or one medium sized pizza. If you make your own crust, maybe par-bake it first.


White Pizzas with Spinach, Mushroom & Shallots




4 mini whole wheat pizza crusts
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
4-5 handfuls of spinach, pat dry & torn up
1 or 2 shallots, sliced very thin (I only had one but was wishing for 2)
1 recipe Garlic Peppercorn White Sauce

Make the sauce first.

Garlic Peppercorn White Sauce
1/2 head of garlic
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS Earth Balance, or other vegan butter
1 1/2 Cups unsweetened almond milk
1 1/2 TBS all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground mixed peppercorns
1 pinch ground nutmeg

1)Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F . Slice off the top third of the head of garlic so the tips of the cloves are exposed. Place in a small baking dish, and add just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the garlic, then cover with a lid or foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

2)Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the flour and milk so there are no lumps, and pour into the pan with the butter. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skin, and mash. Stir garlic into the sauce, and season with salt, peppercorns, and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350.

1) Spread a very thin layer of sauce on each pizza crust. You'll need most of the sauce for the top later.

2) Layer shallot slices and spinach onto the pizzas.

3) Place the mushrooms on top of the spinach. Try to cover the spinach with mushrooms as completely as you can, or it will burn.

4) Bake at 350 on a pizza stone or baking sheet for about 12-15 minutes.

5) Leave the sauce on very low heat while the pizzas are cooking. If it thickens up too much, you can add a little more almond milk, flour, and butter (as well as seasonings if needed) to thin it out. Just put VERY small amounts in, stirring and tasting as you go.

5) Remove from oven. Drizzel each pizza with remaining sauce. Let stand for 5 minutes, slice up, & eat!

You down with TVP? Yeah, You Know Me.

What now?

Textured
Vegetable
Protein

Mmmm, sounds so appetizing, right? Haha. Well, if you're a non-cow eater like me and you've ever bought these:



you've eaten TVP. Veggie crumbles are easy to find at any store & aren't too horribly expensive... until you find out how cheap the ingredients are to make it yourself! You can make your own for about 1/4 of the cost. Plus, this brand has eggs and dairy in it. Boo.

Step 1: Go to Sunflower Market, Whole Foods, or other hippie-type grocery store that has a bulk isle. Scoop yourself up a nice bag of TVP.


It looks like Grapenuts. Weird. Do not buy Grapenuts.













Step 2: Find a recipe that normally would contain ground beef.

Step 3: Make up some TVP ground beef & put it in the afore-mentioned recipe.

If you don't have any brilliant ideas or are thinking that if you had a great recipe idea, you wouldn't be wasting time reading a cooking blog, then I will pick one for you. Make stuffed peppers! Now!


Make the "meat" first or you will be waiting what seems like years to eat.

Meatless Ground Beef
1/2 cup TVP
2 and a little extra cups water
3 to 4 tablespoons low sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons oil
pepper, to taste
a couple shakes of liquid smoke (optional) (I opted not to)

1) Place dry TVP in a skillet and cover with water and about 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce. The water should completely submerge the TVP.

2) Cook over low-medium heat until the water is completely absorbed. - completely means completely. I mean, don't burn it or anything, but you don't want it mushy. Plan on 30ish minutes.

3) Add the oil, seasonings and more soy sauce, if desired. Fry over low-medium heat until the chunks are firm and the mixture resembles ground beef. It takes a little bit for it to dry out and firm up. Stir occasionally to make sure that it cooks evenly and does not stick.

4) Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Traditional Stuffed Peppers


1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup rice, uncooked
2 Large Bell Peppers, halved and cored. (I use a mix of red and green. Ees for fun.)
1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp Oregano
1 recipe TVP ground beef
A handful of shredded mozzerella cheese (optional)

1) Put rice and vegetable broth into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3) While oven is heating, sautee the onion and garlic with a little olive oil in a large skillet on med heat for about 5 minutes.

4) Add rice, ground "beef", oregano & about 1/3 of the tomato sauce to the skillet with the onions and garlic. Heat through.

5.) Place your bell peppers in a shallow baking dish and fill evenly with filling mixture.

6.) Pour remaining tomato sauce both over peppers and into the bottom of the pan . (Prevents burning)

7.) Cover with foil and bake at 350* for 45 minutes

8) Remove foil. Top peppers with cheese if you're using it and bake 15 minutes more.


That picture isn't of the ones I made, because Mr. Eat It, Fool ate them all so fast there wasn't time for pictures.

Note: stuffed peppers are a great place to put lots of veggies! In this recipe,however, I wanted to show case my mad fake-beef-making skills, so I went a more classic route. But, I freaking love stuffed peppers with lots of veggies in them and there's a good chance you'll see more stuffed pepper recipes in the future on here. Or just add them in on your own and stop relying on me for everything. Lazy.

Q: Why does this chick only post about mushrooms?

A: Because they're amazing.

A friend asked me for this recipe, which I did not create but certainly have made. And it is good. And full of butter and cheese. But good.
It's a lot of work, so I suggest planning ahead and making the spread ahead of time. And maybe just buy mushroom broth if you're not some kind of broth purist. And while I'm suggesting things. I suggest using Low-Fat Earth Balance instead of butter. And if you're feeling really ballsy, use vegan cheese. But don't try to make me eat it, then.


Anyway, here it is. One of the yummiest things I've ever eaten, both at the restaurant and in my kitchen. Thanks, weheartfood.com!

Cafe Flora's Mushroom French Dip.

http://www.weheartfood.com/2009/02/attention-shroom-lovers-eat-this-french-dip-a-la-cafe-flora.html

Broiled Portabella Mushroom Caps with Rosemary & Lime

I love mushrooms. Love them. If there's mushrooms in a meal, I'm in. Well, unless there's meat, I guess. Ha.

I adapted (and by adapted I mean used vegetable broth instead of chicken, but otherwise completely stole) the sauce recipe from one of my favorite dishes my mom makes. The famed recipe is also Derek's favorite thing to eat, maybe ever. Why not just eat that then? Because it oinks.

So, I set out to take those flavors and put them on something else. I figured, I love this sauce, I love mushrooms, there's no way this couldn't be good. And it was. The mushroom caps bring a completely different set of flavors to the table than pork does, so it pretty much changes the flavor of everything. But, that doesn't mean it doesn't stand on its own as good and totally worth making.

Broiled Portabella Mushroom Caps with Rosemary & Lime

2 big Portabella mushroom caps, stems removed. (Some people scrape the insides out. I say quit being a pansy and just leave them in)
1/2 C Vegetable broth + a little extra, reserved
Grated zest AND juice of 1 large lime
2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
1 tsp Fresh rosemary, pulled off the stem and chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
A little olive oil

Here's what I did:
1. Combine all ingredients except mushrooms into a measuring cup or small bowl and whisk together, set aside.

2. Take out saucepan large enough to hold both mushrooms and place the mushrooms in, gill side up. Don't put it on the stove.

3. Pour marinade mostly over the mushrooms, but make sure you get some in the bottom of the pan as well.

4. Put the lid on the pan and put the pan in the fridge. Leave it for 30 minutes.

I know what you're thinking....
You: "Bitch are you crazy? Why are you putting saucepans in your fridge?"
Me: "Because, I don't want to clean extra dishes or use uncalled for plastic bags. Mind your own business."
You: "That sounds pretty lazy."
Me: "Lazy like a fox!"
You:" That isn't the expression."
ME: "Yeah, well....I said mind your business!"

If you don't mind washing bowls or throwing away plastic, then put it in a bag or some sort of covered dish. Or if you keep your fridge adequately stocked with food like some kind of weirdo & there isn't room, then I guess you can put it in a ziploc bag then too. I like the saucepan idea & I'm doing it again.

Back to the recipe...

5. Preheat your oven to "Broil" and take the mushrooms out of whatever vessel you had them in.

6. If your marinade isn't already in your saucepan (like a chump) then I guess pour it into a saucepan. Also shake all the excess rosemary, garlic chunks, etc off your 'shrooms and back into the marinade. The sauce needs it, plus that mess will burn in the oven.

7. Place your now relatively naked mushrooms onto a broiler pan gill side down. Spray them with a little olive oil & put them in the oven. Broil for 5-8 minutes.
*note- I had my oven rack on the second highest rung. The highest seemed to close. Also put water in the under part of the broiler pan. If that makes no sense to you, google using a broiler pan.

8. While your mushrooms are broiling, bring the leftover marinade to a simmer at med high heat and reduce it until a lot of the liquid is gone and it is a thicker sauce, about 3-5 minutes. If you want a thinner sauce you can slowly add back in veggie broth a little at a time until you have the consistency you want. I did.

The cooking time on the mushrooms really depends on how thick they are. Mine were pretty huge and they ended up broiling for about 10 minutes. I suggest doing it in 5 minute increments until they look done, but probably no more than 10-12 minutes. It helps to flip them 1/2 way through, but isn't crucial. Take them out, put them on a plate, and pour the sauce over the top.

Eat, it fool! (Broccoli not included.)

Asian Salad with Baked Tofu and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

I made up this recipe today when I was craving an Asian chicken salad-type meal. I don't crave chicken itself...ever. I never liked it much in the first place.
But I do get cravings for the general vibe of chicken-centric recipes(the sauce, the other ingredients, etc.)
So, I tried to recreate one of my favorites- and I like this one better! It was super easy to throw together and didn't involve a special trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I got all the ingredients either from my pantry or from Fresh & Easy.

Will you think you're eating meat? No.
Will you think you're eating something delicious? Hell yes!


Asian Salad with Baked Tofu

1 package Wild Wood Baked Teriyaki Tofu, cut into thin slices
It looks like this: http://www.pulmuonewildwood.com/baked.asp
(You can make your own baked tofu, and it would probably be healthier, but it's kind of an ass pain & that is not the point of this recipe. It's important to use baked because it changes the texture and a lot of the flavor comes from the seasoning. I believe Trader Joe's has their own version of this as well.)

1/2 bag salad greens- whatever you like. I used mixed greens.
2 Green onions, chopped small.
1 Cup raw sugar snap peas
1 TBS raw slivered almonds
1/4 C carrots, sliced into very thin strips
1 recipe Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

I also added about 1/4 C of roasted edamame. I had originally wanted crispy chow mien noodles, but they didn't have any. So, to add some crunch, I bought roasted edamame. I threw them in the salad, and then after it was too late, pulled one out of the bag to taste it.
I felt it was reminiscent of the time in 2nd grade when I got curious and ate a handful of the dirty, dried pinto beans we were using to practice counting. But, that's just me. If you like them, pour 'em in! Once they got mixed in with everything, they didn't taste bad.

Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp, dried or fresh ginger (go a little easier on the amount if you're using dried)
2 TBS Sesame Oil (you can substitute others, but the sesame really makes it "asiany" tasting)
1 TBS + 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
2 TBS Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tsp Honey- or Agave Nectar if you're keeping it vegan.
2 TBS water
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 little squirt Siracha hot chili sauce (about 1/2 tsp) A little goes a long way! (optional)
3 "shakes" of red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a jar or small bowl and whisk them together. (Or put them in your fancy salad dressing maker that your mom gave you- I LOVE mine but it was dirty)


Toss all salad ingredients together and pour the desired amount of dressing over the top. Remember there is already sodium and flavor from the tofu, so add a little at a time and taste as you go so you don't over-do it.
Leftover dressing will keep in a sealed jar for 3-4 days.