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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Pumpkin Pizza and Peanut Butter

How do those two fit together, you may ask. Well they don't but they do. Pumpkin pizza sounds strange by itself but then adding peanut butter to the mix, say what?

Well I made pumpkin pizza for dinner and made chocolate peanut butter truffles for dessert. So there, that is how they fit together.

So pumpkin pizza?? What is it. Well not exactly what you may think. I made a pumpkin crust for my pizza then topped it with cheese (yes I am eating cheese again), spinach and tomatoes. How ever did I make it? Here you are...

Pumpkin Pizza

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon each coriander and oregano
1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach, wilted
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
4 slices cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix the pumpkin and spices together.

Add in the garbanzo bean flour first.

Then once combined, mix in the brown rice flour.

Add in the parsley.

I made two rectangle "flat bread" like things, but feel free to mold your crust however you wish.

Bake for 20 minutes on one side.

Then actually flip the crust over with a spatula and bake for another 10 minutes.
Re-flip, add cheese (I used reduced fat provolone cheese) and place back in oven so it can melt.


Top with spinach and tomatoes.
Reheat for another 5 or so minutes. Eat!!

It was really yummy. Who would have thought pumpkin and cheese went together so well?

So chocolate peanut butter truffles for dessert? Well it is now warm out side and it sucks to turn on the oven and make the entire house hot (because it is too early to put the ac on) so instead make raw truffles. Well they are more like a mix between a cookie, a larabar, and a truffles. And they are super easy to make and require only three real ingredients!

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Truffles"

10 ounces of pitted dates
1/2 cup peanut butter, unsalted
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hersey Special Dark)
1/4 cup water (this is the unreal ingredient)
1/4 cup cocoa powder (to roll truffles in)


In a food processor, pulse the dates until chopped.

Add in the peanut butter, process until it comes together.

Add in the water and the 1/2 cup cocoa.

Now roll into 1 inch or so sized balls, coat in the extra cocoa powder and Eat!

Easy, chocolaty, peanut buttery, goodness. Get in my belly!!

Oh yea!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Slacker

That I am and I am very sorry about that. I have been in a recipe funk as of late. I have been in an overall funk as of late really, so I am truly sorry for being such a slacker. I'm going to get my act together asap! Promise!

What I do have for you is a quick recipe for a ginger soy sauce. It is almost as simple as it sounds. I have this strange obsession with eggplant and crimini mushrooms with roasted cashews in the above mentioned sauce. They are just heavenly together. (The recipe below is for one little me, so you may need to adjust or add in some soba noodles or something =].)

Eggplant, Shrooms, Cashew Ginger Soy Stir Fry

1 small eggplant (like those baby ones), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 pint crimini mushrooms, chop into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup roasted cashews
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
2 mandarin oranges (optional), peeled and segmented
1 teaspoon walnut oil (or any oil of your choice)

Sauce:
1/4 cup low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons cornstarch
zest from an orange (the two mandarin if using) (optional)

Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with the oil, add in the shrooms and eggplant. Let them cook for a while about 10 minutes, until the shrooms give off their liquid and the eggplant softens. You may want to lower your heat to medium if the veggies start to brown/burn.

Start to make the sauce, mix the corn starch and water together, add in the ginger, zest, and tamari Whisk or mix with a spoon.

Once the shrooms and eggplant are nice and soft add the sauce to the mix. Let it bubble up and thicken. Add in the cashews, sesame seeds and orange segments if using. Done!

Ok so I got my tax return money and may have gone on a little shopping spree at Trader Joe's to stock up on my missing nuts and a few other items. While there I checked out a burger they have that I use to like. I looked at the ingredients and said hey I bet I can make something like this. Well I tried and my first attempt was a little sad I must say. They looked and smelled great but taste wise was a little lacking and I should have not made them into burgers maybe croquettes would have been better. But if you want I can still show you guys the recipe then once I tweak it I shall really post it. So here I guess, if you care:

Curry Potato Patty

1 large baked potato
1/4 cup of water
2 tablespoons and 3 tablespoons whole wheat white flour
1/2 teaspoon curry powder (more if you like it, which I actually suggest)
(1/2 teaspoon onion powder, I should have added this but completely forgot too, crazy)
1/4 teaspoon each coriander, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper
(if I had any I would have also added in some fresh parsley)
1/4 cup frozen corn

Place baked potato in the food processor and add in the spices

Pulse a few times until it looks like rice.

Add in the 2 tablespoons of flour and water while you actually run the machine until a stiff "dough" forms. (You may or may not use all of the water.)

Place corn in a medium sized bowl, add in the potato dough.

Form into four patties.

Place the 3 tablespoons of flour on a plate. Coat the patty in the flour. Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat.

Place the flour coated patties on pan. You may want to sprinkle a little bit more flour on the side of the patty that is facing up because the flour tends to get soaked up by the patty and the heat of the pan.

Let the patty brown for about 5 minutes on the one side, then flip and allow to brown another 5 or so minutes. Adjust heat and time accordingly so you do not burn the patties.

They were not bad but not that great. Like I said I shall attempt them again adding a few tweaks here and there. And maybe next time eating them with some ketchup. We will see.

Again, I am very sorry for being so MIA lately. But on that note I will leave you all with a picture of the chocolate lovers cuppy cakes I made for my brothers birthday!

The recipe is from here.