Vegan leek miso pesto pizza

There have been a few posts recently from Kelsey, Laura, and Kathryne that have really resonated with me. Their words, soaked with honesty and authenticity. They reminded me of why I started this blog and inspired me to keep on going. Thank you, ladies. With that I thought I'd share a peek into my kitchen with you today (along with a pizza post below!).

We live in a rental apartment so the red, open cupboards came that way. We dream of the day when our cabinets have doors to hide all of our stuff. This is what it looks like when I'm cooking, but it doesn't stay like this long. I'm sort of a neat freak and love a clean kitchen (as does the husband).
Ok enough about me, let's get back to why you're really here. Pizza!

This week's Food Matters Project recipe is a no-work mostly whole wheat pizza dough with toppings. I followed Bittman's dough recipe to a tee—except I cut it in half, since we're just two people—but had some fun with the toppings, like he suggests. Check out the full recipe over at Niki's blog and see what other bloggers made here.

This pesto isn't just any pesto. It's vegan and the cheese is replaced with healthful miso. Miso!? Yes, miso. Miso is an amazing food. It's benefits are endless. I was taught this trick by Chef Kelly in my natural healthy cooking class last fall. It's a great way to add that umami flavor without the dairy.

Miso walnut pesto
Makes almost 1/2 cup
3 c loosely packed basil
1/3 c walnuts
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp miso
juice of 1 lemon
2 T walnut oil
cracked pepper

Pulse the basil, walnuts, and garlic in the food processor until coarsely ground (or you can do this by hand with a mortar & pestle). Put the miso in a small bowl and add the lemon juice. Use a fork to stir and dissolve the miso. Add to the food processor along with the walnut oil. Pulse until smooth or just let it run for a minute or two. Add a hearty grind of cracked pepper.

We went to our CSA cocktail kickoff last week and I grabbed a few of these beauties to take home. I'm excited to go back to the farm this week and load up on more leeks, radishes, bok choy, chard, and other Spring goodies.

Pizza night is great, because the toppings are endless and everyone is happy. I wanted a pizza loaded with veggies and the husband added mozzarella and chicken to his. Halving the dough recipe was perfect for two, as we each got our own personal pizza. We'll definitely be making this pizza dough again. It was little work, tasted delicious, and was done in minutes.

Vegan leek pesto pizza
1 recipe (or half, like I did) for Bittman's dough or this GF alternative
1/2 c miso walnut pesto, recipe above
1.5 tbsp ghee and olive oil (I like to mix both)
2 leeks, rinsed thoroughly and sliced thin
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
2 c kale, rinsed and chiffonaded
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 asparagus stalks, rinsed and chopped small

Make the dough 12 hours before, if you have time. The longer it sits, the better the flavor. I made ours in the morning and let it sit in the windowsill all day.

Preheat the oven to 450. Half the dough and roll out onto an oiled baking sheet. Cover until ready to use.

Add the ghee and olive oil to a sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, add the leeks. Add a dash of sea salt, pepper, and red chili flakes, stirring well. After five minutes, add the kale. The leeks should be cooked and starting to brown in places. After about 2 minutes, toss in the garlic. Stir well. When you can smell the garlic and notice the kale has reduced in size, remove from heat.

Take a big spoonful of the pesto and spread over the dough. Add a good amount of the leek and kale mixture. Top with asparagus pieces. Feel free to get creative with your own toppings.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before eating.

Hearty kale salad

In the winter,  I don't crave salads like I do throughout the spring and summer. Colder temperatures make me yearn bowls of piping hot soup, roasted veggies over wholesome grains, or these stuffed sweet potatoes. When I do have a salad this time of year, it needs to be hearty, packed with healthy fats and protein. 

This salad was rather impromptu. I had a big bunch of curly kale, leftover lentils, and a small jar of roasted cherry tomatoes. It couldn't have been more perfect. The lentils and feta gave it substance, the tomatoes added a burst of flavor, and the celery provided that nice crunch. Not-to-mention the heartiness of the kale as compared to your normal salad full of cool romaine or spinach.

Hearty kale salad

2 tbsp walnut oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp sea salt

4 cups kale, small bite-size pieces

1 celery stalk, diced small
1 c cooked lentils

1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes (or sundried tomatoes)

1 tbsp dill, minced

1/4 c feta, optional

Whisk walnut oil, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a small bowl. Put kale in a large bowl and drizzle vinaigrette over top. Massage with hands for about 5 minutes or until the leaves have broken down some. Mix in celery, lentils, roasted tomatoes, and dill. Sprinkle feta over top. Makes 2 large salads. 

Pomegranate-orange rice salad with kale

Thanksgiving has really snuck up on me this year. I can't believe it's already that time. We've decided to stay put this year. I'll be running the turkey trot Thanksgiving morning, which I've always wanted to do. That way I can work up an appetite before the big meal. I'm not sure what I'm making this year, so I thought I'd share some last-minute ideas here with you.

Sarah's poppy seed-crusted butternut squash
Brussels sprouts with hazelnut & pecorino
Decadent pumpkin soup
Roasted cranberry sauce
Ashley's cider vinegar-braised greens
Warm lentil salad
or anything listed here
Jacqui's pumpkin hazelnut bread

Do you have your meals planned out already? What are you making?

Several years ago I made a celery and pomegranate flecked rice dish for Thanksgiving. I had forgotten about that until I picked up a few pomegranates at the store over the weekend. I decided to make a simple brown rice salad packed with kale, carrot and celery. I love the color the seeds bring to the dish as well as their burst of flavor. Pomegranates are also an excellent source of antioxidants.

Pomegranate-orange rice salad
Serves 4-6
2 cups cooked brown rice (warm or cooled)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium celery, diced
seeds from 1 pomegranate
1 T orange zest
1 T fresh orange juice
2 T sesame oil
1 tsp tamari
1 tsp minced ginger
1 T minced dill
2 c raw kale, cut into bite size pieces
dash of olive oil

Mix the rice, carrot, celery and pomegranate into a large bowl. Whisk the orange zest, juice, oil, tamari, ginger and dill together in a smaller dish. Put the kale in a small dish and drizzle with a dash of olive oil. Massage well with your hands for five minutes or until the greens start to break down. Add the kale to the rice mixture, pour the dressing over top and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

The perfect fall lunch

It's amazing how our bodies react to cooler weather. We tend to yearn for warm foods like soups and stews instead of cold salads and raw foods. Warming spices like cinnamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg seem to find their way into our soups, coffees and baked goods. Pumpkin-spiced latte anyone?

This dish is the perfect fall lunch or dinner. Caramelizing the onion not only makes this dish taste better, but also heartier. It also takes advantage of those winter squashes that are popping up all over the market—acorn, butternut, kabocha, spaghetti or pumpkin. Feel free to substitute the acorn squash in this dish for your favorite winter squash.

Kale with squash, chickpeas, caramelized onions and cilantro-yogurt dressing
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil
1 bunch kale, washed
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
dash of pepper
dash of red chili flakes
1 acorn squash, cooked and cut into cubes
1 c cooked chickpeas
1 T cilantro, minced
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp tahini

1 bunch of cilantro, rinsed and roughly chopped

1/2 c yogurt

In a saute pan over low heat, add 1 T olive oil. Add a dash of sea salt and the onions. Let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's best if you walk away from the stove and start prepping the kale, so you won't be tempted to stir. The onions should slowly start to brown and caramelize.

Destem the kale leaves with your hands. Keep the stems and dice small. Take the leaves, roll them, and slice thinly into a chiffonade (very thin slices). Heat remaining 1 T of olive oil over low-to-medium heat. First add the kale stems (since they take longer to cook than the leaves), then add the salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, stirring frequently. About five minutes later, add the kale leaves. If the leaves start to stick to the pan, add a little water. Cook for a few minutes or until the kale starts to wilt. Add the garlic cloves, cooking until fragrant and remove from heat. The kale will cook down to about half the size it was, when you put it into the pan.

In a large bowl, add the squash and chickpeas. In a small bowl mix together the cilantro, lemon juice and tahini. Pour over the squash and chickpeas, and mix carefully.

Blend the cilantro and yogurt until smooth.

To assemble, start with a bed of kale. Add the squash and chickpea mixture and top with caramelized onions. Drizzle the dressing around the dish.

Makes about 4 servings

Feel good chickpeas & kale

The weather has been surprisingly cool and rainy for NC this time of year. Our spring is usually very quick with temperatures soaring into the 80s by May. I'm not complaining, I love this weather, especially when the afternoon is filled with rain.

Have a bunch of kale (or any green) on your hands that you need to cook? Here's a quick and delicious recipe to whip up for a light lunch or a side with dinner. I love the mixture of garlic and ginger, it gives this dish a punch of flavor as well as health benefits from these amazing spices.

Feel good chickpeas & kale
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 bunch of russian kale (or any kind), rinsed and cut into thin ribbons
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 inch knob of ginger, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1.5 c chickpeas or 1 can, rinsed (or use any bean on hand)

Add the coconut oil to a saute pan over low-to-medium heat. When the oil has melted, add the cumin seeds, cook until fragrant. Toss in the kale, garlic, sea salt, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes, until fragrant and the kale starts to wilt. Mix in the chickpeas and cook until warm, just a few minutes longer.