February 18, 2013 · 4:39 pm

Mediterranean Veggie Pizza

ImageThis pizza is the ideal pizza to me – a crisp, thin crust; loaded with almost all of my favourite veggies and a little cheese (especially the feta!) This pizza is actually inspired by a pizza that I would order from Pizza Hut – but they took it off the menu a while back, which forced me to re-create it at home – never a bad thing, as I could make it “perfect”. I also feel a little “healthy” eating an extra slice of this pizza…hey, you have to get your veggies right?  Feel free to adapt this pizza to what veggies you have at home or to your preference. 

Enjoy!

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Mediterranean Veggie Pizza

Yield:  One Medium Pizza
Prep Time:  20 minutes of active prep
Cook Time:  15 minutes for pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 batch of pizza dough, or your favourite pre-made
  • 1 (small) can tomato paste (about 4 tbsp)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • dash of hot sauce
  • S&P
  • 4 cups of spinach
  • 1 cup green pepper, diced
  • 1 cup red pepper, diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 small can of sliced black olives, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (and if you have a pizza stone, preheat that as well).  It is good to allow your pizza stone to pre-heat in a 500 degree oven for at least an additional 15 minutes.

If you have a pizza peel, lay that on the counter.  Otherwise, prepare a sheet of parchment paper (either square or cut to shape of your dough).

Prepare your dough. On top of your parchment paper or your pizza peel, roll out the dough into a round pizza shape.  Leave an edge around outside for the crust. Once you’ve achieved the shape you desire, pinch the outside of the dough to create a crust. Then pierce the crust with a fork all the way around (this will prevent large air bubbles from forming in your crust while it bakes!).

Mix together the tomato paste, sugar, oregano, hot sauce and salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the top of pizza.

Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan for a few minutes.  Top the pizza with the wilted spinach, mushrooms, green and red pepper, cherry tomatoes, black olives and the mozzarella and feta cheese. 

Bake in your pre-heated oven for approximately 17 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

Enjoy!

JBean Cuisine original recipe, inspired by Pizza Hut

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January 30, 2013 · 9:13 pm

Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho

ChickenPho Shot1

One thing that I’ve loved over time is experiencing new foods and new regions of cuisine.  Vietnamese became one of my favourites – but I cannot remember when/where I first tried it.  I think it became a regular cuisine choice while we lived in Ontario while CH was in law school – there was a great place not too far from us and it became a date “lunch” venue – cheap, delicious and time together.  It has actually also become a comfort food to me, because nothing cures a cold, allergies or stuffy nose like Chicken Pho (at least to me!)

Making this recipe was a two time attempt – I first tried the traditional method of making pho, which involved roasting beef bones, many upon many hours of simmering and lots of little steps.  The result was fabulous, but with pho being so accessible and reasonable, making it myself like that wasn’t going to happen again.

And THEN, came this recipe.  When it popped into my reader, I was intrigued – could it really be as good as said?  One try of the recipe and we were hooked.  Yes, yes it could be.  It is everything pho should be – simple, delicious flavours, comforting and now, quick from my own kitchen!

Definitely give this soup a try – you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy!

ChickenPho Shot2

Quick Chicken Pho

Yield: 2 servings for us, original recipe states 4
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Ingredients:

SOUP BASE

  • 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
  • 1 whole chicken breast
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
  • 1-2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS

  • 1 lb dried rice noodles
  • 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
  • fresh cilantro tops
  • 1/2 cup shaved red onions
  • 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
  • sriracha chili sauce
  • hoisin sauce
  • sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions:

In a large pot – add the coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Immediately add the chicken stock, chicken breast, onion, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, discarding the bone (if you used a bone-in breast).

Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package and spilt between desired serving bowls.

Ladle the broth into bowls and divide the shredded chicken breast into each bowl.

Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, and other accompaniments as desired and enjoy.

Recipe from Love and Olive Oil

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Filed under Healthy, Mains, Soups & Stews, Uncategorized, Vietnamese

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January 14, 2013 · 1:19 pm

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Eggrolls

Bnut Eggrolls Shot 1

You know one of those recipes that you make again and again because it is so good?  Well, this is one of them in our house.  I’ve been making these for at least a year (probably more!)  They are a great recipes to whip-up and have extra in the freezer for a quick meal and they are definitely great for company too.  They take a little time to prepare (just because of the rolling) but they are sure to impress and important to note, they are very healthy and a great option for a meatless meal.

What’s even better with these?  The cilantro yogurt dipping sauce shown here.  TOTALLY takes them over the top good, and don’t worry, the recipe is also below.

Usually I make these with black beans (as the title eludes!) but when I went to make them last week I was out of black beans and so was my local store (odd, hey?).  So, I improvised, feeling confident because I had made them so often before.  I used 1 can of chickpeas and 1 can of red kidney beans.  Verdict – same result, same texture and just as good, so feel free to switch-up the beans to your liking.

Definitely give these a shot (and be sure to make the whole recipe and freeze the rest, you’ll be thankful for a quick, delicious and healthy meal on the fly).

BnutEggrollsShot2

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Eggrolls

Yield:  About 30 rolls
Prep Time:  40 minutes or so
Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
  • 2 lbs peeled, diced butternut squash (about 1 medium sized squash)
  • 1/2 jalapeño, minced or grated
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • dash of cayenne pepper
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (or use a mixture of your favourite beans, including chickpeas or red kidney)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 1 package (small/medium) egg roll wrappers (note, original recipe makes 30 with small wrappers > the ones shown above are with medium wrappers and I usually get about 20)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry your butternut squash.  Place the butternut squash, in its whole-form, in the oven and roast for 45mins – 1hour, or until a butter knife inserted into the flesh meets no resistance. Remove from oven, allow the squash to cool.  Cut in half, remove the seeds and remove the flesh.

(You can also cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and lay the halves cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes OR as the original recipe states, you can peel, dice and boil the butternut squash – however, I prefer to roast it, just because I feel as though it retains more nutrients).

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, jalapeño  cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper, and cook for a few more minutes. Add the black beans and stir to combine evenly. Remove from heat.Place the butternut squash and the onion mixture in a large bowl and mash lightly to combine. These will be best if the mixture is left a little bit chunky.To assemble the egg rolls, place a wrapper on your surface with one corner pointing down (diamond position). Place a some of the squash mixture onto the wrapper, and use a pastry brush dipped in water to wet the edges of the wrapper (or use you finger and just dip in a small bowl of water).

Fold the bottom corner up, then fold the outside corners in, and roll it all up. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue until squash mixture is used up; it’ll depend entirely on you how many eggrolls you get because it depends on how much mixture you use per roll.  It is generally between 25 – 30 eggrolls for me.

To Bake:

Place a baking sheet in the oven while heating at 400F. When it’s hot, remove from the oven, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and place the egg rolls on the sheet. Spray the top well with nonstick spray. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through.

Extra egg rolls can be wrapped well in saran wrap, placed in a freezer bag, frozen and baked straight from the freezer, adding about 2-5 minutes to total cooking time.

Recipe from Cara’s Cravings

Cilantro Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients & Directions:
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek is fine too)
  • 2 TBSP sour cream
  • 5 TBSP minced cilantro
  • dash of S&P

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, whisk to combine and that’s it.

Enjoy!

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Filed under Appetizers, Healthy, Mains, Mexican, Vegetarian and Vegan