Caramelized Onion Pizza with Jalapenos and Mushrooms

Another caramelized onion pizza, but this one has fresh onions on it too. I love the combination of mushrooms, jalapenos and onions.

1 large white or brown onion, thinly sliced and caramelized in a little olive oil
Sea salt
1 yellow bell pepper, slivered
6-8 oz. crimini or button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. pickled jalapeno slices
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 pizza crust, store bought or home made

1)  Preheat the oven according to the instructions for the pizza crust you are using. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat and add the thinly sliced white or yellow onion and a sprinkling of sea salt. Toss the onion to coat with the oil and then leave it be for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown. Toss the onion around in the pan and leave it for another 3 minutes. Once it starts to get very brown keep tossing it around as it finishes caramelizing. It will take about 10-17 minutes total.

2) When the onion is done spread it out over the pizza crust. Add a little more oil to the pan and add the yellow peppers and mushrooms. Saute them about 3-5 minutes until softened. Sprinkle them with a little sea salt and then arrange the peppers and mushrooms over the caramelized onion.

I used red peppers this time, but I like it better with yellow.

3) Arrange the jalapeno slices and sliced red onion over the top of the pizza and bake according to the directions for your crust.

Indonesian Spicy Peanut Stirfry

I don't have much to say about this except that it's really good. Below I give an adaption for kids. And thank you, Indonesia, for spicy peanut sauce.

For the Stirfry:
2 tsp. peanut or canola oil
8 oz. diced tofu or tempeh
1 yellow or white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned
4-5 c. cooked brown rice (option: cook using coconut milk as part of the liquid)
Grated coconut, optional
Cilantro to garnish, optional

For the Sauce:
1/2 c. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
Juice of 1 fresh lemon or lime
1/4 c. water or coconut milk
Sriracha hot sauce or chili garlic paste to taste (I use about 1 Tbsp., but I like it really spicy so maybe start with 1 tsp.)
1 clove of garlic, pressed

1)  For the sauce simply whisk everything together in a small bowl and set aside.

2) Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or very large saute pan and add the diced tofu or tempeh. Toss the tofu or tempeh  around in the oil and then let it sit until it starts to brown about 5 minutes. Toss it around and continue let it brown for about 5 more minutes.

3) Add the onion and carrot and continue to stir fry along with the tofu for about 5 more minutes.

4) Add the rice, sauce and grated coconut (if using) and toss to coat everything with the sauce and heat through.

Garnish with cilantro if desired. This makes about 4-6 servings.

NOTE: I adjusted this recipe for my kids by omitting the hot sauce and using broccoli rather than carrots and onions and all 3 of them loved it:

Potato Leek Soup

This is my favorite soup to make in the late summer and early fall. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I think this is the best potato leek soup I've tried and I'm kind of a potato leek soup snob. Most of the time there is milk in potato leek soup, but this uses soy milk or any other nut milk. Just don't accidentally use vanilla flavored milk like I once did.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 leeks, sliced lengthwise and then into half-moons and washed
4 medium yukon gold potatoes, 1/2" dice
6 c. vegetable stock
1 c. plain soy milk
1-2 Tbsp. fresh herbs, my favorite combination is thyme and flat leaf (Italian) parsley
Sea salt and black pepper
Juice of 1 fresh lemon

1) Heat the oil in a soup pot and saute the leeks until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

2) Add the potatoes, broth and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

3) Turn off the heat and add the soy milk, fresh herbs and lemon and adjust the salt and pepper if necessary.

This soup is lovely served with home made Garlic Bread. This serves 6-8 depending on what else you're serving.

Kale Quesadillas

When my husband and I first got married we thought that making quesadillas was super fancy and grown up. We would make them together in our tiny kitchen and then light a candle and eat our quesadillas together.

We don't use cheese anymore and have come to like them much better with caramelized onion and sauteed kale instead. I don't really feel like quesadillas are fancy anymore, but I still like them and I would still eat them by candlelight with my husband.

You will notice below that if you use my recipe for refried beans you only need to add the onion and kale, but if you are using store bought canned beans there are more ingredients to add.

Kale Quesadillas with Scotch Bonnet Salsa

* Denotes an ingredient that is only to be added if you are using canned beans, but should not be added if you are using my recipe for Garlicky Refried Beans.

About 3 cups Garlicky Refried Beans or 2 15 oz. cans of vegetarian store bought refried beans
Extra virgin olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, diced and caramelized
4 leaves of kale, minced and sauteed
*2 tsp. chili powder
*1/2 tsp. ground cumin
*1/2 tsp. paprika
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*3/4 tsp. sea salt
*1/4 tsp. black pepper
*Several dashes of hot sauce or chipotle hot sauce
16-18 whole wheat tortillas

1) Heat a little oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the diced onion and a little sea salt. Toss the onion to coat it with the oil and then let it be for about 5 minutes. Once it starts to brown give it a toss and turn the heat down to medium. Leave it alone for another 3-5 minutes until they really start getting brown and then stir frequently until they are fully browned. This will take about 12-17 minutes total.

2) Meanwhile, as the onion caramelizes, place the refried beans into a large bowl and add the spices (if using). You can also wash and mince your kale at this time.

3) When the onion is done, add it to the bean mixture and place the kale in the same pan, you don't really need more oil for this. Just stir the kale around in the pan for about 3-5 minutes until it starts to get crispy and then add it to the bowl with the beans.

4) Stir the beans, spices (if using), onions, and kale to mix and then use a spatula to spread bean mixture onto the tortillas. I prefer to spread beans onto one side of the tortilla and then fold them over.

5) Once all of the beans are spread onto tortillas heat the same pan you used for the onions and kale over medium heat. Fry the quesadillas, 2 at a time, for about 3-5 minutes per side.

Serve with Scotch Bonnet Salsa, Salsa Verde, Guacamole or whatever else you like. This makes a lot of quesadillas.

Kamut Salad

This is my attempt at making my favorite grain salad from the deli at the local food co-op. I think I got it right because it tastes just the same.

 
for the salad:

1 c. kamut, sorted, rinsed and soaked for at least 1 hour
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 a small red onion, diced
2 small carrots, julienned
2 Tbsp. minced flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives
1/4 c. toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c green peas
1/2 c. dried cranberries

for the dressing:

Juice of 1-2 fresh lemons, about 3-4 Tbsp.
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. flax seed oil (or more olive oil)
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1) After the kamut has been soaked for at least an hour, rinse it off and place it in a sauce pan covered with about 3 inches of water. Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer, covered, for an hour. Make sure to stir it occasionally and add more water if it starts to evaporate too much.

2) As the kamut cooks chop all of the vegetables and herbs and place them in a large bowl with the sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.

3) Whisk together the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

4) Once the kamut is done cooking, drain it and rinse with cold water.

5) Add the kamut and dressing into the large bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine.

This makes about 6-8 servings.

Salsa Verde

This is the same recipe as the scotch bonnet salsa except it is green and not as hot. For this one I replace the scotch bonnet peppers with jalapenos and the red tomatoes with green zebras. If you can't find green zebras try tomatillos, they are the traditional salsa verde base (or you could secretly use red tomatoes and make red salsa verde).

15 green zebra tomatoes (or tomatillos) about 2 1/2 lbs.
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
3 tsp. agave nectar
Juice of 1 fresh lime, about 3-4 Tbsp.
6 jalapenos, roughly chopped
1 white onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 c. (handful) fresh cilantro
1 scant tsp. sea salt

1) Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

2) Transfer the salsa to a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low boil (more than a simmer) and let it boil with the lid off, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced to the thickness you want it to be. It usually takes about 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to a thickness I like.

3) Once it is done let it cool for a little while and then transfer to mason jars and store in the fridge.

This makes about 5 cups of salsa.

Brown Rice and Watercress Stirfry

Here's an easy way to get more brown rice and greens into your diet - both very healthy foods. Brown rice gives us a little protein, fiber, and energy through a steady and slow rise in blood sugar.

One of the most important things I learned through studying Macrobiotics was the difference between good carbohydrates and "bad carbs." I never got on the anti-carbohydrate band wagon, but I did sometimes wonder if maybe I shouldn't be eating things like brown rice and fruit. I was happy to find out that we indeed should eat whole food carbohydrates.

The bad carb issue relates to carbohydrates that are stripped of their fiber and nutrients (especially when other yucky things are added like sugar, high fructose corn syrup, copius amounts of sodium, and who knows what else). The carbohydrates we want to avoid include things like white rice, white bread, white pasta, candy, soda, chips, crackers, and all forms of processed foods. These foods cause our blood sugar to spike dramatically and, along with a host of all sorts of other unhealthy consequences, they will eventually lead to diseases like type 2 diabetes. Sorry to be dramatic, but it's true. 

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 white or brown onion, thinly sliced
4-6 oz. cubed tofu, optional
3-4 c. cooked brown rice (short grain, long grain, batsmati, any kind)
1 c. cooked cannellini beans, optional
1/4 c. shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. mirin (optional)
1-3 tsp. hot Asian chili paste such as Sriracha or a chili garlic paste, optional
Several dashes of brown rice vinegar, ume plum vinegar, or seasoned rice vinegar
1 bunch of watercress or 8 oz. baby spinach
Toasted brown or black sesame seeds to garnish, optional

 

1) Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. Add the onion (and tofu if using) and saute until the onion just begins to brown, about 7 minutes.

2) Dump in the rice (and cannellini beans if using) and then pour all of the sauce ingredients you are choosing to use over the rice and toss to combine. Stirfry for about 3 miutes.

3) Turn off the heat and add the watercress or spinach and toss to incorporate. The heat of the stirfry will wilt the greens enough.

This makes 4-6 servings.