Best Pizza Sauce (and topping) Ever

You can't go wrong with fresh basil.  And fresh mozzarella.  And homemade pizza sauce.  Mmmm.  No wonder I make pizza so often--just writing this is making me hungry.  I love this sauce because it is easy, cheap, and packed with flavor.  (Use Best Pizza Dough with this recipe--the tomatoes can drain while the dough is rising).

*You really do need to let the tomatoes drain in a fine mesh strainer after you puree them--then the sauce is nice and thick.  When I don't have fresh basil, I use liberal amounts of dried basil in the sauce.

I made yummy "grownup" pizza tonight,
with ham, tomato, and fresh oregano

Spicy Chickpea and Rice Soup

Allen made this soup for dinner last night.  And today, only one day later, I made a recipe card--because this is going to be a monthly staple at our house.  I don't know when I have tasted better soup.  It was so delicious and satisfying and flavorful and different.

This is why some people rhapsodize about soup!  It can be the best meal of your life!

It doesn't hurt that it's a pretty darn healthy vegetarian soup, either.

A couple things: we couldn't find any harissa paste, so we didn't use any.  The original recipe called for bulgur wheat instead of brown rice.  Again, none to be had in our small town.  And we used sour cream in place of creme fraiche.

So yummy.  I had a huge bowl for lunch today and wished there was more.

Coconut-Vegetable Curry (with optional shrimp)

This is a vegan recipe, and is also salt-free and contains only 1 tablespoon of oil (coconut oil, which is pretty much the healthiest fat in the world).  If you are not a vegan, you can add some protein and flavor by including shrimp--which always pairs well with coconut.

I prepared my brown rice in my rice cooker (3 cups brown rice + 5 cups water) with a whole tablespoon of Mrs. Dash (garlic and herb blend) and it was a lovely alternative to salt.  I prefer it, in fact--it made my house smell heavenly while it cooked.

The dish is aromatic, savory, and spicy (but not HOT spicy--just herb-spicy), and is very forgiving if you substitute whatever veg you have on hand.  The first time I made it, I used broccoli instead of red bell peppers, and it was delicious.

In addition to being absolutely yummy and satisfying, it's also ridiculously healthy.  Bonus.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

This is, hands-down, my favorite vegetarian meal.  It is hearty, filling, and every bite is delicious.  It also happens to be salt-free and oil-free, but is still super flavorful comfort food.  Cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth is a must!  It gives the whole dish a much richer flavor.  

Allen and I have been adhering to a (pretty much) vegan diet since January began (we have been having fish once a week, and eggs every Sunday morning).  It's been tough (especially the first two weeks), but food like this makes it easy!  I have made these stuffed peppers every single week, because it's a vegan meal that I could eat every night and never get tired of.  Cilantro and lime juice is my favorite topping, but spinach and salsa is also delectable.  The original recipe called for CANNED corn (gross), but it is an easy (and healthier, and cheaper, and delicious-er, I might add) fix to use a cup of frozen corn instead.

This is the first time I have ever used "nutritional yeast" in a recipe, and though the name is totally unlovely, it's a pretty delicious substitute for cheese.  From Wikipedia: 

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast . . . in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of cheese.

But you do not have to be a vegan to enjoy these scrumptious stuffed peppers!  However our diet changes in the future, this recipe is going to remain part of my weekly repertoire.

You can't really beat avocado and cilantro.

Dr. Fuhrman's Walnut Vinaigrette

This is for YOU, my vegan friends!  No animal products dressing!  It's also gluten-free, oil-free, and salt-free.  I'm sorry if you have nut allergies--it's not nut-free, alas.  (***Sidenote: you can substitute almonds or cashews to taste, or if you have allergies to walnuts only***)

But let's say you are not a vegan, and you love creamy, zesty dressings on your salads and other foods . . . this dressing also happens to be utterly DELICIOUS.  And delicious is the number one requirement for a recipe to make it to this site.  The fact that it's totally healthy is just a really great bonus.

Raisins make it sweet, the walnuts make it--well, nutty, the balsamic vinegar gives it some bite, and the mustard and garlic smooth out the entire dressing and add a warm, mellow flavor.  An Italian seasoning blend works just fine in place of thyme.  

I store the dressing in an Adam's Peanut Butter
jar and keep it in the fridge.  It'll stay fresh for
a month in an airtight container.

It's January!  Back in the saddle!

Greek Feta Dip with Baguettes

My sister Bonnie is one of the best hostesses around.  Not only does she make delicious food that people love, she is also better at setting a pretty table and arranging everything to look its best than anyone I know.  When she told me about this Feta dip, and raved about how quickly it had been devoured, I knew I had to try it.

I made it when I last hosted book club, and it was a hit!  I had people calling me the next day for the recipe.

The best part is that this has got to be one of the easiest recipes on this blog.  There is no actual cooking involved.  It's all knife and spoon work, people.  In fact, you can make it by looking at these pictures--you don't even (gasp!) need the recipe card.

Step 1: drizzle olive oil in large platter

{Dice your tomatoes & chop your green onions}

Step 2: scatter diced tomatoes over olive oil

Step 3: add green onions

Step 4: crumble Feta over top of tomatoes & onions

Greek seasoning is what MAKES this.  You can find it with the
spices in almost any grocery store.  I have never had it before this
recipe, but it's delish!  Plus "an ancient Greek formula" sounds
soooooooo official . . . 

Step 5: Sprinkle generously with Greek seasoning

Step 6: gently combine all ingredients in platter

Serve and enjoy!

I made TWO platters of this stuff at book club and they were all gone before the night's end.  I loved it so much I made it again three days later so my husband could enjoy some.  Thanks for the great party food, Bon!

Book club party food.  We read the book The Egg and I by
Betty MacDonald--one of my all-time favorites.

Thai-Style Squash Soup

There are never leftovers of this soup.  As soon as the "fullness" wears off from eating my first three bowls, I polish off the rest.  It is so flavorful and unique, and delicious with bread sticks for dipping.  By far my very favorite soup to eat.

I put the first seven ingredients in the saucepan first, then add the oil and turn on the heat--otherwise it starts smoking before you can get all the ingredients in.

You can definitely make this without the
Nam Pla (fish sauce)--I hardly notice the
difference, though it's more authentic with
real Thai ingredients, of course.

After you've simmered until the squash is tender, it's a cinch to blend it up in batches--I usually pour two servings worth right into a Tupperware container to freeze so Allen and I can have some later.  My kids do like it, but not as much as Allen and I do.  It's yummy to stir in cooked rice or steamed broccoli . . . or, if you can't stand eating an entirely vegetarian meal, crumbled bacon is always good, too.

Spinach Enchiladas

Leave out the chicken and these are delicious vegetarian enchiladas.  This recipe is especially yummy with my homemade speedy enchilada sauce.

Speedy Enchilada Sauce

I never buy enchilada sauce, because 1- this stuff is easy to make and I always have the ingredients on hand, and 2- I don't make enchiladas often enough to justify buying enchilada sauce.

Of course, it's not surprising that a homemade sauce tastes so much more delicious.  It's yummy with my spinach enchilada recipe.

Perfect Asparagus

Is asparagus grown-up food?  I never liked it when I was a kid, but now it's, like, the most delectable vegetable on earth.  It takes three years to grow your own so that it will keep coming back, and we are on year two.  I can't wait to harvest as much as I want for days on end.

In the mean time, this is my favorite way to prepare asparagus.

Curry Coconut Sauce

Oh my, anything tastes good over rice if this is the sauce. I'm a fool for coconut milk, what can I say? I love having sauce recipes, because then I can stir fry whatever meat and vegetables I have on hand. With this sauce, I usually do some kind of chicken/broccoli combination, but I know it'd be good with a shrimp or pork stir fry, too.

I used this sauce over a yummy chicken stir-fry I made up with the veggies I
had on hand--onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and asparagus.  Yummers!

{If you haven't read it elsewhere on this blog, I am all about Jasmine rice--it's the yummiest rice out there}.