More Pizza. Because Pizza with Eggs.

Like my last post, this one is a little bit of a repeat, but whatever. I have a special place in my heart (and stomach) for golden, runny egg yolks. A very, very special place. And an even more special place for pizza with eggs. For this pizza, I found inspiration from all of the wonderful broccoli rabe recipes floating around the internet. I love the bright greens of spring. I love when eating light and eating healthy tastes and looks so great. To keep this pizza light and healthy(ish), I made it sans sauce (although a creamy white sauce would probably be amazing) and instead brushed olive oil on the crust. I also kept the cheese fairly light. The star of this pizza really is the broccoli rabe and the eggs. AND I made my own crust for this pizza. I hate taking the time and effort to measure things out, so I don't often bake but I decided to challenge myself today. I had to use my extra-concentration powers. If you know me at all, you know this is seriously difficult for me.

Once I made the dough, I realized it probably wasn't going to be quite enough for me and my guests, so I decided to make another pizza. When I saw Meyer lemons at the store, I remembered a recipe I had seen a long time ago for a pizza with Meyer lemons and decided to try it out. [This is the link to the original recipe - http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/01/meyer-lemon-pizza/]. For my version, I decided to grab some arugula, mozzarella, and parmesan, mostly because I couldn't remember what went onto the pizza other than Meyer lemons.

To go along with this pizza and keep the seasonal produce theme going, I served this pizza with one of my all time favorite salads. The recipe comes from this article - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?pagewanted=all - which is full of amazing salad ideas. I have tried a number of them, but the "red salad" with strawberries and tomatoes is my favorite with the carrots and blueberries being a close second. Anyways, the strawberries here in Santa Barbara have been extra lovely and abundant this year because of a fairly mild winter. And cheap. So cheap. When I saw that local strawberries were on extra sale, I knew I had to make this salad.

Beautiful!

Most of the ingredients for the red salad...except for the tomatoes with I forgot to put into the picture. Whoops! But seriously, such a delicious, easy, and fresh salad.

I believe that is enough rambling for now. Actually, first I must share this: http://www.factzoo.com/top-10-pygmy-animals.html. Teeny tiny animals are just amazingly cute. I want to carry them all around in my pockets and I would also like to snuggle them.

Okay, okay. Now recipe time.

Dough

- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp. rosemary or other herbs
- 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- pinch of pepper

1. Add flour and baking powder to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine dry ingredients. Create a well in the center.
2. Add wet ingredients and spices to the well. Slowly incorporate all ingredients. I found it was easiest to use my hands to combine all of the ingredients.
3. Lightly flour a surface and knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. I found that I had to add a little more water and oil to my dough.
4. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out on a floured surface.

Ready to be mixed!

All done! 

Broccoli Rabe, Potato and Egg Pizza

- Prepared dough, recipe above (or use a store bought crust)
- 1 Yukon Gold potato
- 2 cups or so mushrooms
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
- Mozzarella - preferably fresh and enough to lightly cover the pizza
- 2-4 eggs
- Parmesan - just enough to sprinkle on the top

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Thinly slice the Yukon Gold potatoes and toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay the slices out on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Flip the potatoes and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until crispy.
3. Turn the oven up to 450.
4. Slice the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil or butter over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper at the very end of cooking.
5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bunch of broccoli rabe and blanch for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and put in an ice bath. Once the bunch has cooled, drain it and let it dry on paper towels. Once mostly dry, cut into 1 inch pieces. Saute the rabe with olive oil, salt, pepper, and the crushed red peppers for 30 seconds.
6. Brush the dough with olive oil. If you used a store bough dough, rub with a clove of garlic as well.
7. Place the potatoes on the dough, followed by the mozzarella, then the broccoli rabe, and finally the mushrooms. Sprinkle with parmesan.
8. Bake for 8 minutes.
9. Pull the pizza out and create wells for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the wells and place back into the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the egg whites have set.
10. EAT!

Lemon Arugula Pizza

- Prepared dough, recipe above (or store bought)
- 2 cups arugula
- Pinch of crushed red chili peppers
- 1/5-1/4 cup of mozzarella
- 1-2 tbsp. parmesan
- 1 Meyer lemon, thinly (VERY THINLY) sliced

1. Heat olive oil over medium/medium high heat. Add the arugula, cheese, salt, pepper and crushed red chili peppers. Stir and cook until the arugula is slightly wilted and the cheese is melted.
2. Brush the dough with olive oil (and crushed garlic if you are using store bought dough).
3. Spread the creamy arugula mixture over the pizza. Arrange the lemons on top. I sprinkled on more parmesan on top.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 or until crust is golden brown.
5. Nom.

*Notes:
While I enjoyed this culinary adventure, I am going to be trying this one again. The lemons were still pretty bitter and the arugula was not the perfect accompaniment. I think spinach would work better. The original post also used mascarpone, which is a little sweeter than mozzarella and would help to offset some of the bitterness a little more than mozzarella. I have some other ideas for what I want to do with this pizza. I will update the post as I make adjustments.

Before they went into the oven. It was too dark by the time I finally baked them to get a good final photo, but I can assure you that they looked gorgeous!

But Seriously, Roasted Root Veggies

This post is simply to provide evidence of my obsession with root vegetables and also to show the world just how beautiful these humble vegetables really are. They spend their lives hidden under dirt and forgotten by many, but when scrubbed clean and given a little attention, they shine brighter than any other vegetable. For this root vegetable medley, I used turnips (my first time!), beets, golden potatoes, red onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Simply. Amazing. Next time I post, I swear it will be something new. Although I can't promise it will not include some roots.

Feast your eyes (so punny) on these photos:

Look at the color on dem beets!

They look even BETTER up close.

Served with a fried egg. Breakfast perfection

Roasted Root Vegetables

Confession: I am addicted to root vegetables. I can't get enough of them. I have always loved carrots, potatoes, and onions but I recently discovered that I adore beets. They have the most gorgeous color EVER and they dye your hands a lovely shade of red purple. And they are ridiculously tasty. Although the weather is bright and sunny right now, the weather forecast is predicting that the week is going to be wet and cold. What better time to make bright and colorful roasted root vegetables than when the weather is dreary and grey?! I know, you can't think of a better time either.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

- 3 beets (reserve greens for Sauteed Beet Greens, recipe below)
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 1 red onion
- 4 carrots
- 6 gloves of garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Peel the beets and carrots.
3. Cut all the vegetables into cubes. Try to keep the size of the cubes uniform.
4. Toss all the vegetables, along with the garlic cloves, with some olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Roast the vegetables for 25-30 minutes. Add the thyme. Stir and put back into the oven for about 15 minutes or until tender and slightly browned.

Warning: The following thought may not make sense unless you happen to have a weird mind like mine. Once I peeled the beets, they reminded me of little gnome hats. So naturally, I imagined an entire beet gnome conversation between them. It was really funny in my mind.

I swear all these potatoes are okay....some of them just got a little beet juice on 'em.

Carrots are a bright and beautiful vegetable. I don't think they ever have a bad day.

So. Beautiful. 

I don't think any combination of foods is as simply gorgeous as this.

Time for the close-up. Flawless.

Sauteed Beet Greens

Ingredients:

- Beet greens from 3 or so beets
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- Juice from half of a lemon

Directions:

1. Thoroughly clean the beet greens. Separate the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces.
2. Heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add the beet stems. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the leaves, cooking until wilted and tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper. Finish with lemon juice.
6. Serve with a little parmesan cheese. I ate this over some cous cous, but it would also work with quinoa or even pasta or brown rice. Pine nuts would add a tasty crunch to this dish.

Is It Possible to Overdose on Veggies?!

For the last two weeks, I have been OBSESSED with eating salads. Salad for lunch, salad for dinner, salad ALL the time. And when I wasn't eaten salad, I was eating some other form of vegetables. Sautéed spinach, edamame, green beans, etc. I think you get the point - I love my veggies. But today, I took my veggie obsession to the next level.

http://instagr.amveggiejuiceawesomeness
The Greens n' Ginger from SB Juice Ranch. 3-4 pounds of juiced veggies. HEAVEN. I am already planning my next trip there. http://juiceranch.com/

For dinner, I couldn't bear to leave my veggies behind, so I decided to throw together a delicious pot of delicious soup. I based this soup loosely on this recipe (http://www.birdandcleaver.com/2013/01/spicy-black-bean-quinoa-soup.html) but adjusted it a little bit according to what I had in my cabinet and to add more veggie goodness to it. So my recipe looks like this....

You Will Need:

- 3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp. cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 2 tablespoons salsa verde
- 1 can of black beans, drained
- 1 - 2 cups cooked rice (I used a wild rice variety from TJ's)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- cilantro, for garnish [you can also add sour cream, yogurt, avocado, etc.]

Just the veggies. MMMMMM. 

The How-To:

1. Heat a little olive oil in a large pot. Add the celery, carrots, and onion and cook until slightly tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Add all the other ingredients. Simmer until all of the ingredients are warm. I simmered mine a little longer to incorporate more of the flavor into the rice. [Side note: I will cook the rice in veggie broth next time to add more flavor to the rice.]

3. Garnish with cilantro and any other desired toppings! I added a little more heat to mine by adding sriracha to mine because the jalapenos I purchased were NOT spicy enough.

In conclusion, I have yet to overdose from vegetables. I will keep you updated.

Soooouuuup there it is!! [Thank you Chelsea for that zinger!] Also, I wish I could have taken this picture under natural light so you could see all the yumminess. Perhaps I will retake it. HA. That involves work.

Still not the best picture, but I am digging this one more :D

Chilling with the Chili

After one of the most boring Saturdays EVER, I decided I needed to bring a little fun into my Sunday.To accomplish this goal, I decided to invite over two of my good friends, Brendon and Davey, and cook them some vegetarian chili. A few hours after inviting them over, they showed up at my door in full ugly Christmas regalia...and I could not have been more excited. Granted, they looked a little insane and they were wearing women's clothes from Kmart, but it is the thought that counts (?). To continue with the holiday theme, we played a game of Risk. Well, actually, Risk has nothing to do with the holidays...unless your holidays involve a lot of yelling, luck, and crazy strategies. So really, nothing to do with the holidays, but fun nonetheless.

ANYWAYS, the chili was awesome. Wanna make it? Of course you do. Because you love chili. And you love me. DUH.

Super Duper Awesome Veggie Chili

Gather:
4 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
5 gloves minced garlic
2 jalapenos
2 bell peppers
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon crushed red chili pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup veggie broth
1 - 1/2 cup brewed coffee
3 cans of beans (I used 2 cans of black beans and 1 can of kidney beans)

Preparation:

1. Heat some oil in a medium - large pot. Add the celery, carrots, and onion, chopped. Stir for about 1 minute and add the garlic. Add the bell peppers. (My bell peppers were frozen so I just cooked them until they were thawed and cooked through). Cook all of the ingredients until cooked thoroughly. Add the spices and cook for another 30 - 60 seconds to incorporate the flavors.

Mierpoix

2. Add the tomatoes, broth, and coffee. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

3. Add the beans and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Serve with your favorite toppings - cheese, avocado, sour cream, etc.

This + cornbread = HAPPINESS.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Fall weather has FINALLY arrived in Santa Barbara! Of course, fall weather here is not quite the fall weather that most of the nation knows. Fall here is marked by a little bit of wind and temperatures below 65 degrees or so. Even though this is not quite as chilly as the 40 degrees in my old city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, I still like to believe that it qualifies as soup weather. I don't think there is anything better than sitting on the couch with a warm bowl of soup and a good book or something good on the TV.

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 - 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 carrot
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- Salt & pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 2 cups milk
- 6 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

1. Heat some olive oil in a large pot and add the onion, cooking until soft. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
2. I really wasn't in the mood to chop up all the veggies, so I chose to toss them into the food process and chop them up pretty small. Then I threw them into the pot and stirred them around for about 5 minutes to soften them up.
3.  Add the vegetable broth and seasonings. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to incorporate the flavors.
4. Add the milk. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes and then add the cheese and stir.
5. Eat! I ate mine with some crusty french bread and artichoke - the leaves make excellant spoons!

A Fall Favorite

Fall is all about grilled cheeses, soup, leaves, coffee (does it get much better than a Pumpkin Spice Latte?!), and lazy days cuddled up with a good book. I love fall for all of these reasons. In Santa Barbara however, the fall months are not exactly fall-like most of the time. Today it was a blazing ninety degrees...not exactly the crisp fall weather one expects and craves in October. Because real fall days are few and far between, I jump on every one of them and try to do all the cliched things I can possibly think of. So when the temperature hit a somewhat cool and fall-like 60 degrees last week, I took the chance to make a delicious grilled cheese and heat up some tomato soup. I made one of my all-time FAVORITE grilled cheeses - enjoy :) [The pictures do not do the sandwich justice, unfortunately. I really need to get some better lighting in my kitchen. Just trust me on this one and try it!]

Gruyere and Apple Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

- Ciabatta bread

- Olive oil

- Garlic clove

-Red onion

- Salt

- Pepper 

- Gruyere cheese, sliced

- Apple, thinly sliced (I used a Granny Smith)

- Cinnamon

How to:

1. Start by roasting some red onion. Thinly slice some red onion - 1-3 slices per sandwich should be sufficient. Toss the onion with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and broil, flipping once the onions are starting to crisp up on the first side. When the onions are crispy on the second side, remove them from the oven.

2. Slice the ciabatta bread in half. Drizzle the cut side with a little olive oil. Take a garlic clove and cut the top off. Rub the bottom portion on the ciabatta bread. Place the slices on a cookie sheet on the middle shelf and broil until they are golden brown.

3. Place the slices of apple on the bread and top with a little sprinkle of cinnamon. Layer the gruyere on top of the apples and top off with the red onion. Stack the top of the ciabatta onto the sandwich and stick 'em in the oven at about 350 until the cheese is melted! YUM!