delighted to be

Recipe: Arugula Goat Cheese Pizza / may 28, 2014

arugulagoatcheesepizza

Something I’ve been craving a lot at the end of this pregnancy is salad. With all three pregnancies, I crave salad like a madwoman in the first and last trimesters. (Kind of gross to be craving it when I’m nauseated and puking, huh?)

We tried out Blaze Pizza at the Carlsbad Outlets a week ago, and Tyler had arugula on his pizza. I tried a bite and found myself at Trader Joe’s the next day picking up a bag. :) I’ve always avoided it because it gets deemed as a “spicy” and “peppery” lettuce, but it turns out I really like it!

We’ve been making pizza about once a week around here, and this is my new go-to recipe. Next time I’d even add toasted walnuts – they’d be incredible!

Arugula + Goat Cheese + Caramelized Onion Pizza

Serves 2-4

NOTE: I have found the best way to use Trader Joe’s pizza dough is to give it a good, long rest on the counter before you use it. It says to take it out of the fridge 20 minutes before baking, but I like to give it a rest out of the fridge for 40 minutes to an hour. I oil a small bowl, plop the dough in, and spread some oil on top to keep it moist. Then I just let it sit for a bit while I’m prepping my pizza ingredients.

1 batch pizza dough (we like the herbed kind at Trader Joes)
1 onion (red, white, or yellow is fine)
2 tiny red potatoes
honey goat cheese
a few big handfuls of arugula
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
s&p

Preheat your oven to 500-degrees. If you have a pizza stone, make sure your stone is in the oven preheating as well.

Set your pizza dough aside. While it’s resting, slice your onion very thinly and toss it in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil. Cook it for at least 20 minutes on medium-low heat until it is nice and caramelized.

While the onions are going, slice your potatoes very thinly. Keep them in a bowl of water until you’re ready to use them so they don’t brown. (Dry them with a paper towel before putting them on your pizza.)

When your onions are almost ready, thinly roll out your pizza dough*. Brush your dough with olive oil, and evenly distribute the caramelized onions on top. Then crumble on some goat cheese, and layer with the potatoes. Salt and pepper it, and cook it in the oven until it’s got a nice, golden crust.

After pulling the pizza out of the oven, top with arugula, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Slice and enjoy!

*There are tons of methods for doing this, but we have found the easiest for us is to roll it out on parchment paper on top of a thin flexible cutting board. Then when it’s time we just slide the pizza and the parchment onto our stone in the oven.

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Dinner Idea: Sweet Potato, Lentil, & Veggie Bowls / april 16, 2014

sweet-potatoes

I’ve been digging dinner that comes in bowls lately. Chipotle bowls, sweet potato bowls, white chili, you name it. To feed my family I’ve basically been buying staples from the store each week and if we’re not feeling pasta, I concoct veggie bowls for us instead.

They always turn out a little different and unique depending on what I use and the seasonings. Last night’s was especially delicious. Here’s how I made it, in probably twenty minutes or less:

1 | I baked, diced, and lightly pan-fried a medium sweet potato in coconut oil until it was crispy and browned. Set aside.

2 | Using that same pan, I tossed in a variety of chopped veggies – celery, green & red bell pepper, onion, garlic, and carrots. I sautéed these until they were just barely soft.

3 | While all this sweet potato/veggie sautéing was happening, I started a pot of rice. Brown rice would be the better choice (or quinoa!) but we used white because it’s quicker. And because that’s what I’m capable of right now. ;)

4 | I had cooked lentils from the night before in the fridge, so while everything was finishing up I decided to make my own version of madras lentils.* I tossed some (cooked) lentils, tomato sauce, onion powder (or sautéed onions would be even better!), chili powder, salt, earth balance, and silk soy creamer into a small pan and heated it through. I’ve also added red or pinto beans in the past, if I have them on hand.

5 | While my lentils simmered and my rice finished, I chopped up an avocado. I serve everything in separate bowls, and then each person can put it all together in a bowl or plate – rice on the bottom, then lentils, and then all your veggies.

*I tasted some seriously incredible lentils at Costco a month or so ago, but upon reading the ingredients it contained a bit of dairy (which we try to avoid). So I made my own, and they’re our favorite way to eat lentils now.

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on green thumbs / march 22, 2014

basil

I have this dream that someday I’ll grow a huge, fruitful garden. I’ll share all the abundance with my neighbors and friends. My kids will excitedly pick their own vegetables for dinner and eat peas like it’s candy right off the vine.

But alas, I don’t have what they call “a green thumb”.

I remember when I was little there was a tree that was dying in our yard, just at the bottom of a huge bank of iceplant. My dad was going to rip it out and replace it, but I insisted I could take care of it and bring it back to life (most likely inspired by Fern in Charlotte’s Web). Everyday after school I would go out there with my homework on a blanket and talk to the tree. I read it books. I watered it diligently and faithfully, and fertilized it. It was, for a short period of time, my very own Giving Tree.

I don’t remember what happened to the tree, whether it lived or died. My parents moved away so I will never know. But I do remember how important saving that tree was to me, and how badly I willed it to thrive and grow.

I haven’t successfully grown much since then. Two summers ago (the summer Amelia was born) I had the inclination to start a huge garden. It was our first time having a backyard space and I’ll admit we were a little overzealous with our planting. My tomatoes grew, and I think I got about two zucchini before the plant was diseased. My cucumbers never sprouted, and neither did any of my herbs. I think we got one tiny pepper from our pepper plant the entire season. And then after Amelia was born, I stopped watering it and everything (well, the tomatoes were the only thing left out there) died. It was a bust and I was so disappointed in my lack of ability to keep things (plants, children) alive.

gardening

But today we started new, and I really hope it goes well. We started small, using containers left from the previous homeowners, and bought already-sprouted-and-thriving plants from the hardware store. We even invested in the “moisture control” soil that is supposed to help with over- and under-watering (believe it or not, overwatering is a HUGE issue with a garden-excited preschooler, haha!). While I don’t think I’ll be out there with a blanket talking to the plants, I do hope they thrive where they’ve been planted. And it sounds strange (it’s a vegetable plant!) but I sure hope they’re happy and fruitful.

Good luck, little garden. You’re going to need it.

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes / march 20, 2014

Screen-Shot-2014-03-20-at-1.26.43-PM

We basically just call these banana pancakes at our house, but now that I think about it they do indeed taste like chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! And for breakfast? Even better.

I don’t remember where I stumbled across this recipe but I’m so very grateful I did. They take less than five minutes to whip up and Jack loves them. And did I mention they’re vegan?

I won’t post the recipe here because it isn’t mine, and you really should hop on over to minimalist baker and see her pretty photos anyway. :)

We found that this makes the perfect amount for the two of us. And we don’t need any maple syrup, either! I also use a real egg if I have it on hand, which in these pregnant days, I do.

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