Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza

I looove deep dish pizza. Yes, Lou Malnati's sans cheese is vegan but sometimes I prefer to make my own. Not gonna lie, this one took a while to make, but totally worth it. Bring on the yumminess. There are a lot of cross-referenced recipes so I recommend reading them all before you begin, though you can be flexible with the timing if you prefer to do the steps in a different order.

Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza (serves 4)

1 recipe deep dish pizza dough
1 recipe TVP sausage (skip the last step; don't fry it)
1 recipe spinach basil pesto
1 portobello mushroom cap
2 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls. brown sugar
3/4 cup vegan mozzarella cheese
2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Canola oil

To start, make the sausage and pesto and set both aside.

Make the pizza dough. While it is rising, wash the mushroom and slice thinly. Heat a drizzle of canola oil over medium heat and sautee the mushroom slices for a few minutes. Turn the heat up a bit and add the balsamic and sugar, cooking until the mushroom slices are glazed, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Slice the tomatoes and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the mushrooms with the cheese. Once the pizza dough is ready and has cooked for the first 5 minutes, layer on the sausage, cheese/mushroom mixture, pesto, and sliced tomatoes.

Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before slicing.

Deep Dish Pizza Dough

I have a thin crust pizza dough recipe here, but deep dish needs something with a little more oomph. This one is easy to make and you can modify it by adding different herbs or spices as you wish. I used it to make this pizza, and my was it tasty!

Deep Dish Pizza Dough (serves 4)

1/2 Tbls. sugar
1/2 cup warm water (plus more if needed)
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbls. cold vegan butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. wheat gluten

In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the water. Stir in the yeast and let sit for a few minutes, until foamy and bubbly.

In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients with a fork to incorporate the butter.

Add in the yeast mixture with a fork, then switch to kneading. Add more water if needed to help the dough stick together and knead for 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Flour your work surface and roll out the dough into a circle about a foot in diameter. Grease and flour a 9" pie pan and carefully place the dough into the pan, pressing down at the bottom and around the edges. If needbe, tear off any outlying pieces of dough to fill in gaps along the sides.

Bake the dough for 5 minutes before topping.

Spinach Basil Pesto

My mom has been making pesto since I was a little kid. Because she is a real grown-up she can afford to use ingredients like basil and pine nuts, and man is her pesto good! Because I am still living in the land of grad school debt I needed to find a cheaper way to make tasty pesto sauce. I also needed to get that acid pop in there that the parmesan cheese typically provides. I think this one turned out pretty well but I guess my mom will have to be the judge of that. Use it on pasta, pizza, sandwiches, or as a dip for veggies.

Spinach Basil Pesto (makes 1 cup)

4 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup packed basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cashews, lightly toasted
1/4-1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Add all of the ingredients except the olive oil to your food processor and pulse about 10 times until the spinach is chopped. You may need to scrape down the edges of the food processor with a spatula.

Run the motor on high and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Blend for a few minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies

As is often the case when I am with people for an extended period of time, the fact that I eat a plant-based diet came up in conversation with my fieldwork supervisor the other day. After which she kindly asked to try some vegan cookies. Aaron pointed out that my immediate future as an OT does to some degree depend on what she thinks of me so you know, no pressure. I hope she likes them!

Peanut Butter Coconut Cookies (makes 16-18 cookies)

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. vegan butter, softened
1/3 cup liquid coconut oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp molasses
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine the first five ingredients.

In a large bowl combine the rest of the ingredients except for the coconut, using a fork.

Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed.

Form the dough into small balls using about a tablespoon of batter. Press the dough into the coconut to flatten and coat with coconut on one side. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Oreo Elvis Ice Cream

I hope it's safe to say that the fact that Elvis Presley's favorite sandwich was peanut butter and banana is a part of our collective pop-culture knowledge. What started out as a desire to make chocolate banana ice cream became chocolate banana ice cream with peanut-butter covered Oreos. If you prefer just chocolate banana ice cream feel free to leave out the peanut-butter covered Oreos. Or add in whatever you want. As a side note, I think it's also part of our collective pop-culture knowledge that Elvis' middle name was Aaron. Free batch of ice cream for the person who can put two and two together.

Chocolate Oreo Elvis Ice Cream

2 cups soy cream

1 cup soy milk

2 ripe bananas

2 Tbls. cocoa powder

2 oz. baking chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 Tbls. vegan butter

2 Tbls. soy milk

6 Oreos

To make the ice cream batter, blend together the soy milk and bananas until smooth. Combine with the soy cream, cocoa powder, baking chocolate, and sugar over medium heat and whisk until the chocolate has melted. Let cool and whisk in the vanilla extract. Refrigerate until cool.

For the Oreos, melt the peanut butter and butter for 30 seconds in the microwave. Whisk in the soy milk until smooth. Crush the Oreos and stir into the peanut butter mixture. Line a small tray or plate with parchment paper and spread the Oreos in a single layer. Seal in a plastic bag and freeze for several hours.

Make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions. In the last few minutes of churning, add the Oreos.

I know it just looks like chocolate ice cream. I swear there are peanut butter-covered Oreos in there.

Italian Salad Dressing

Aaron brings the exact same lunch to work every. day. Maybe not the exact same lunch. Sometimes he brings peach yogurt instead of strawberry banana, or a kale salad instead of spinach. His salad dressing is something that also has a few varieties, but it's usually a vinaigrette of some sort. He goes through it like it's his job so my response to his "I'm almost out of salad dressing" comment the other day was "I'll make you some." He approved. This post is also sponsored by my friend Alex who recently referred to me as "The Dressing Queen." I admittedly do make really good salad dressings. I'll have to post more soon.

Italian Salad Dressing (makes a little over 1 cup)

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbls. + 1 tsp. agave nectar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each of onion powder, black pepper, dried basil, and dried oregano.

Combine all ingredients in a water bottle or some other easily-shakeable container. Shake to combine, and store in the fridge. Shake well before serving.

Breakfast Bowl #1: Cilantro-Garlic Tofu and Black Beans

Through the graduate school scheduling powers-that-be my days are such that I leave the house at 6 and don't get to eat lunch until 1. At the risk of naming the #1 first-world problem, 7 hours is a long time to go without food, especially when you are running around. Thus, I need to have an enormously hearty breakfast to keep me going. This dish is inspired by a very generous chef who spent the entire summer of 2009 making me cilantro-garlic tofu for breakfast because the cafeteria I had to eat at when being housed for an internship was not the most accommodating to a vegetarian-transitioning-to-a-vegan. Before you scoff at eating cilantro-garlic tofu for breakfast, let me assure you that this is possibly the best flavor combination ever to join forces with tofu and this chef totally knew what he was doing. Bring on the day.

Cilantro Tofu and Black Beans Breakfast Bowl (makes 5 servings)

1 1/4 cup dry rice
2 1/4 cups water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 block tofu, pressed 
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbls. Bragg's Liquid Aminos/tamari/soy sauce
1 avocado, diced
Canola oil
Sea salt

To make the rice, boil the rice and the water, stir, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Keeping covered, remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.

While the rice is cooking, press the tofu. While the tofu is pressing, chop the garlic and cilantro and prepare the beans.

Heat a drizzle of canola oil in a medium pan. Dice the tofu and cook until just browned.

Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the cilantro and cook for another minute or so, seasoning liberally with sea salt.

Stir the tofu and beans into the rice, and add the Bragg's. Top with 2 Tbls. diced avocado and garnish with cilantro.

Garlic Greens Pasta

Admittedly this was a cleaning-out-the-dregs-of-the-refrigerator dish. But aren't those sometimes the best? I like mixing together random ingredients when you need to use them up because you create flavor combinations that you might not have otherwise thought of. And if it's not good, you're not really at a loss! And if it is good...you blog about it and want to eat it for the rest of your life. Plus it's super easy to make, and you can substitute whatever herbs you've got on hand if you don't have or like parsley.

Garlic Greens Pasta (makes 2 servings)

2 servings any kind of pasta
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup kale, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbls. chopped cashews, toasted
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over low-medium heat. While the oil is heating, peel the garlic and smash it to smithereens. I did this using a mortar and pestle (mainly because I am always looking for a reason to use this fun and destructive kitchen toy) but smash the garlic between a cutting board and the flat side of a large knife if you don't have an M&P.

Cook the garlic in the oil for a few minutes until it just starts to brown. While the garlic is cooking, chop the kale and parsley. Add the kale to the garlic and cook until it just starts to wilt. Now is a good time to chop and toast the cashews, if you haven't done that already.

Drain the pasta and lower the heat on the garlic/kale mixture. Add the pasta and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cashews before serving.

Chili

Chili is pretty awesome - easy to make, tasty, and perfect for a gloomy winter day. I've been home sick for the past few days and needed something low-key to make for the week. It freezes well so if you're in a cooking mood, make a double batch to save for when you're not in a cooking mood. Vary this chili as you wish by using different beans or seasonings or adding different veggies or herbs. Serve with dinner rolls or cornbread (for which Aaron has an amazing recipe that he will post about soon!).

Chili (serves 4-6)

1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans beans (15 oz each), any kind you want (I used kidney and cannellini)
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz each)*
1/2 jalepeno pepper, chopped**
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbls. chopped parsley
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

*Using the tomatoes as-is makes the chili nice and chunky. If you prefer it to have a smoother texture, puree some or all of the tomatoes to your liking before adding to the chili
**Using this amount with seeds makes for a medium-spicy chili. Adjust to your liking.

Chop the onion and garlic (this is easiest if you have a food processor). In a large pot heat the olive oil over low-medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions until soft and transleucent (about 10 minutes). While the garlic and onions are cooking, drain and rinse the beans and open the tomatoes, pureeing if desired (see note above).

Add the tomatoes (with juice) and beans and bring to a boil. Stir and lower to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes. While the chili is cooking, chop the pepper.

Stir in the pepper, oregano, corn, salt, and pepper and simmer covered for 15 more minutes.

If you want to thicken the chili a bit, bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until some of the liquid has evaporated.

Top with fresh parsley before serving.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of my favorite things about vegan baking is that you are not limited to the quantity of the egg. For this reason I often make a cookie (yes, a cookie) on a whim - mixing together a little of this and a little of that and enjoying whatever it happens to be. Aaron requested an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie the other day so I modified our makeshift recipe to make an entire batch because the single cookie was pretty darn good. And I added peanut butter because how could a cookie not be better with peanut butter in it? If peanut butter isn't your thing, substitute oil, applesauce, or a different nut butter.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 16-18 cookies)

1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. vegan butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. soy milk
1/2 Tbls. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small bowl mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a large bowl beat together the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream

I think that chocolate and peanut butter are the greatest flavor combination ever to be discovered. Aaron and I created this flavor together so even though the chocolate peanut butter covered pretzels are a pain. in. the. butt. to make and the peanut butter swirl is equally as frustrating, they're worth it sometimes for tastiness such as this. I modified the pretzel part slightly from this recipe (which I have made in its entirety, the verdict from Aaron being that it was as good as if not better than the "real thing"). Allow plenty of time to prepare this ice cream. I promise your hard work and patience will be rewarded.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream

2 recipes chocolate ice cream
1 cup peanut butter, divided
1 Tbls. PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (can't find it? Just add in an extra tablespoon of powdered sugar instead)
2 Tbls. powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
5 pretzel rods

Make the ice cream batter. While it is cooling, make the chocolate peanut butter covered pretzels, as they take some time. Prepare a small baking pan or plate by lining it with parchment paper. The pan should be small enough to fit in a large Ziploc bag. Make sure there is room in your freezer to lay the pan flat.

Crush the pretzels into large chunks and set aside. Melt 1/2 cup of the peanut butter for 20-30 seconds and stir in the pretzels. Spread in a single layer on the baking tray and cover with a second sheet of parchment paper. Seal in a large Ziploc bag and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Melt 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and spread evenly on top of the peanut butter covered pretzels. Cover again with the parchment paper, seal in the bag, and freeze for at least 30 minutes. Then melt the remaining 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, flip the pretzel block over, and repeat the chocolate layer on the other side. Freeze until it's time to make the ice cream.

Make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions. Once it has started, remove the pan and parchment paper from the plastic bag of pretzels and crush the pretzel block. Place back in the freezer until the last few minutes of churning.

You should still have time to make the peanut butter swirl while the ice cream is churning. Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of peanut butter for 15-20 seconds and stir in the PB2 and powdered sugar until it is smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature.

Add in the pretzels during the last few minutes of churning the ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze for an hour.

Drop blobs of the peanut butter swirl mixture on top of the ice cream (below), and use a butter knife to swirl in.

EAT IT ALL.

Lemon Ginger Ragout

I'm not gonna gripe about the Chicago weather right now. Everyone's freaking out but it's been colder than this, guys. Chill out. That being said, this is the perfect dish for a cold winter day (or night) - savory, easy to make, and versatile based on whatever you've got in the fridge. Serve it as a side dish or as a main course with a hearty piece of cornbread (which Aaron makes all the time but has yet to blog about...)

Lemon Ginger Ragout (serves 4-6 as a side dish)

1/4 red onion
2 garlic gloves
4 leaves rainbow chard
2 roma tomatoes
1 can cannelloni, navy, or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 lemon
1 Tbls. grated ginger
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the onion and smash and dice the garlic. Separate the stems from the leaves of the chard and slice the stems. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion for a few minutes, then add the chard stems and saute for a few more minutes.

While the garlic, onion, and chard stems are cooking, dice the tomatoes and chiffonade the chard leaves. Add the tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes.

Add the chard leaves and beans and continue to cook until the leaves just start to wilt, then grate in the ginger and the zest from half of the lemon. Cook for a few more minutes, seasoning to taste.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the ragout before serving.

Tortillas

On the recommendation of my uncle I've been reading Born to Run by Chris McDougall, and the food of choice in the book is bean burritos. Thus, I was inspired to make a bean burrito for lunch today and had everything on hand but the tortilla. So I made some myself and I was pretty happy with the results. I'm not an expert tortilla maker though, so if you have words of wisdom, please share. Experiment with different flours or non-dairy milks for different results.

Tortillas (makes 3-6, depending on size)

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. sugar
Dash of salt
1/4 cup warm water
2 Tbls. warm soy milk

In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the water and soy milk and stir until fully combined. You may need to add a bit more warm water. Knead for a few minutes until the dough forms a ball. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into portions of however many tortillas you want to make. I made 3 fairly large ones but do as you please. Knead each portion for a minute or so, form into a ball, and cover with a wet paper towel for 20 minutes.

Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the tortillas one at a time as thin as you can. Cook on each side for a couple minutes, until small bubbles start to form and the edges tortilla pulls away from the pan. While one tortilla is cooking, roll out the next one. Cool on a wire rack.

If you're not serving them immediately, heat them up by wrapping in a damp towel and microwaving for 30-40 seconds.

Blueberry Chia Smoothie

I've gotten into a chia seed kick lately, inspired by the book Born to Run by Chris McDougall. Most of us were probably introduced to chia seeds in our childhood with the Chia Pet fad (and if you're like me, grew exactly one crop of chia fur on your terra cotta cat before it grew mold and your mom threw it away). I was worried at first that the texture would be too gelatinous but it's much more liquid-y than I expected it to be. And so many opportunities for flavor! Chia seeds, I think you are here to stay...in my fridge, not grown on the kitchen counter.

Blueberry Chia Smoothie (serves 1)

1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp. agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbls. chia seeds
Dash of lemon juice

Blend all ingredients together. Let rest for 10 minutes in the fridge (if using frozen blueberries) or freezer (if using fresh blueberries) before enjoying.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

My family has very conflicting tastes when it comes to ice cream. My dad doesn't like mint, my mom doesn't like peanut butter, my brother doesn't like chocolate, and my sister typically likes only chocolate. Along with my parents, my grandparents, and my brother's girlfriend (who is gluten-free) we were all together for dinner the other night and it was a challenge to come up with an ice cream to please all! But cookies and cream did the trick. I made this with Glutino Gluten-Free Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies but regular Oreos or your favorite cookie would work just as well. You didn't know Oreos were vegan? Check out PETA's list of "accidentally vegan" foods for more gems.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream

2 cups soy cream
1/2 cup soy milk
10 large vegan marshmallows
10 Oreo (or Oreo-style) cookies

Combine the soy cream and milk with the marshmallows in a large pot. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to a simmer and stir while the marshmallows melt. Once they have melted about halfway into the cream, use an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender to blend the mixture together. Refrigerate until cool.

Before making the ice cream put the cookies in the freezer to chill. Make the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's directions. During the last few minutes of churning, crush the cookies and add to the ice cream.