Homemade Pizza

I found this pizza dough recipe on 100  Days of Real Food.

Take one cup warm water and add 2 tsp active dry yeast.  Let it sit until it bubbles.  Then add 2 tsp salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Mix it all together, then add to 3 cups of whole wheat flour.  Mix into a dough, then knead.  This only takes about 2 minutes.  Place the dough into a bowl and cover for one hour, up to overnight, while storing in the fridge.  This makes enough for two pizzas.  We ate one pizza for dinner, then kept the dough overnight and had the second pizza for dinner the next night. 

We brushed our dough with olive oil, then sprinkled garlic powder, basil, and oregano on top.  Then we added sliced up mozzerella and fresh parmesean, along with some spinach leaves.  My daughter was a great help with sprinkling ingredients!

Bake at 500 F for 8 minutes.

Muesli

Tired of oatmeal but still wanting a healthy breakfast?  Try muesli!  I tried Bob's Red Mill version, which is made of whole wheat, date crumbles, sunflower seeds, raisins, whole grain rye, whole grain barley, whole grain oats, flaxseed, almonds, and walnuts.  It can be eaten hot or cold.  Today I tried it hot (add water and microwave) with a side of fresh berries.  This was very filling and would be a great Daniel Fast meal! 

Menu plan (80% plus Daniel Fast approved)

I planned this menu with the goal of striving for at least six servings of veggies/fruit per day.   It seems hard to reach this goal if you don't plan it out in advance.  This week, our protein will mostly come from beans, fish, and nuts.  It isn't 100% DFA, but you could easily modify a few things to reach that goal if you are interested.  If you are thinking about a Daniel Fast, this menu would certainly help prepare you as it is mostly based in plants. You would only need to eliminate the fish, make a few small adjustments on the stir fry recipe (no alcohol or added sugar) and avoid adding cheese to the lentil casserole and baked potato. 

Sunday:  Whole grain cereal with fresh mango
                Baked potato with baby green salad
                Lentil and green bean casserole
                Nectarine

Monday:  Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins
                 Brown rice tortilla with peanut butter and granny smith apple
                 Grapes
                 Baby carrots
                 Grilled tilapia with squash and zucchini

Tuesday:  Whole grain cereal with banana
                 Brown rice tortilla with peanut butter
                 Clementine
                 Homemade trail mix (dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and grain)
                 Cabbage kale salad with chickpeas and pear (recipe later if this is good)

Wednesday:  Oatmeal with cantaloupe
                      Leftover salad with grapes
                      Veggie tacos

Thursday:  Whole grain cereal and a clementine
                   Leftover veggie tacos
                   Apple
                  Chinese veggie stir fry with rice

Lemon Apple Veggie Juice

This juice is tart and tasty!

1 lemon
2 Granny Smith apples
1 bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard
2 handfuls parsley
2 cups of spinach
4 large carrots


It makes about 22 ounces, which is enough for two people to have a full glass. 

Square foot gardening

I started my first square foot garden this past week.  I am using the above book for a reference guide.  I started off with a kit I purchased at Sam's club.  For soil, I used 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 blended compost.  The vermiculite was the toughest ingredient to find; I had to go to a plant nursey.  The big box stores don't carry it.  Maybe one day I'll have my own compost pile, but for now I purchased a couple of different composts.  To mix all the ingredients together, I layed them onto a tarp and mixed them up, then shoveled them into the boxes.  My daughter had a lot of fun mixing the dirt with me.  I have cute pictures but need to find the thingamajig that allows me to upload from the camera.  :)

I measured some latts I bought at the hardwared store and cut them to size to divide each box into squares.  Latts are cheap; I spent about 4 dollars and had leftover wood.  Each square is about a foot, give an each or so.   I planted seeds of different veggies into each square and labeled the squares on the latt.

Voila! 

I will keep you posted on how this turns out!  Hopefully I will find the thingamajig so I can share some photos soon.

Mediterranean Pasta with Chickpeas

Adapted from Clean Food

Cook 1 pound 100% wheat bowtie pasta.  Rinse, drain, and return to pot.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, saute the following for about 3 minutes:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic glove, minced
1 shallot, chopped (could use 1 small onion here instead)

Add to the dutch oven and saute for about 5 minutes:
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups diced tomatoes with their liquid
2 tablespoons tomato paste

Add 1 small bunch of kale, chopped into bite size pieces to the dutch oven, cover and cook about 3 minutes.

Uncover and stir to combine all ingredients, including the pasta.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Carribean Style Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans over Brown Rice

From The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen cookbook


Get your brown rice started

Cut up 3 sweet potatoes into bite size pieces
Place sweet potatoes and water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.  You want the potatoes to be tender but not falling apart.  Drain and set aside.


In the same saucepan, whisk together:
3/4 cup orange juice,
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil until thickend, whisking constatnly.

Stir in sweet potatoes and 1 can black beans (after rinsing).  Cook, stirring until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Serve warm over the rice.