Spicy Mushroom, Kale and Onion Pizza with Goat’s Cheese

Happy last day of February! I cannot wait for March to be here. Although the weather will still be uncomfortably cold for the foreseeable future, in my mind I’ve always associated March with spring. So I’m thinking happy spring thoughts for March this year and maybe some positive thinking will let the warm weather come a bit earlier than normal. But until then, I’ll just focus on cooking and baking up a storm. Thinking of tasty new recipes to try always takes my mind off the weather!

So today I thought I’d share with you a delicious pizza recipe. This pizza is a Spicy Mushroom, Kale and Onion Pizza with Goat’s Cheese.

It is a quick and delicious pizza piled high with veggies! Fridays are always the perfect day for pizza, hope you enjoy!

Spicy Mushroom, Kale and Onion Pizza with Goat’s Cheese

Makes one pizza

1 whole wheat pizza crust

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

10 oz baby cremini mushrooms, chopped

8 oz frozen, chopped kale

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (15 oz), drained

2.5 oz goats cheese

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

To make this pizza, start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees (or whatever temperature your crust calls for).

While the oven is preheating, sauté the garlic, onions, mushrooms and kale for about 5-7 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and warmed through.

Once the veggies are done, start assembling the pizza! The first layer of the pizza will be the fire roasted tomatoes, then pile the sautéed veggies on top of the tomatoes, and lastly sprinkle with goat’s cheese. Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you’d like, and then bake according to package directions (mine cooked for 13-15 minutes). Enjoy!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #55

Another week has gone by and it’s time for another round of What I Ate Wednesday! A wonderful day filled with food, friends and lots of fun!

Yesterday I started off with a delicious breakfast. Banana Kodiak cakes topped with a berry medley, chia seeds, almond butter and more banana! Definitely one of the tastiest breakfasts I’ve had in awhile! My sister and I made these pancakes when she visited a few weeks ago, and I hadn’t stopped thinking about them since. These pancakes are deliciously light and fluffy and take a mere two minutes to cook. Yum and yum.

Mid morning I had a typical snack of pretzels. While I love these pretzel slims I’ve found at Trader Joe’s, they are a bit too salty for me. I wish they had an unsalted version!

After spending the whole morning working on grad school projects, I took a break for lunch. I enjoyed this tasty salad with almond pulp, tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, along with some carrots and hummus. I ended up eating the apple later that afternoon, and instead ate a piece of toast with tahini. This simple and delicious meal was eaten while watching an episode of The Office, way back in season 2. I can always count on that show for a good laugh!

During my nutrition class I ate some raisins and pistachios for a snack. They were pictured at home before I left, but they sure helped me power through the three-hour long course.

Once home that evening I snacked on a few more pretzels before I had some amazing “Enchantiladas” that my brother made for dinner. These are a take on your typical enchiladas except he made them vegetarian by using tempeh instead of meat, and in place of enchilada sauce they were smothered in a habanero salsa. Taste! These lovely enchiladas were filled with kale, black beans, bell peppers, onions and some delicious seasonings. I topped mine off with some fresh cilantro and have to say they were enchanting indeed.

I ended my night with a slice of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie I made the other night. The rich, velvety texture of this is absolutely wonderful! I used a pre-made crust from Trader Joe’s, which was pretty boring, but I’ve been enjoying scooping out the filling for a delicious dessert!

Make sure to stop on by Jenn’s page, the wonderful host of this WIAW gathering!

TGIW,

Sydney

Happy Monday Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Happy Monday! Hope you are enjoying your last Monday in February! March is right around the corner and that means spring is not too far off. Hallelujah!

Now let’s talk about this pie. This is what I like to call a Happy Monday Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie. Because, honestly, nothing will make your Monday more happy than by baking and consuming this pie!

Look how glorious it is. The thick and velvety chocolate peanut butter filling that melts in your mouth is so smooth and creamy you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.

With coconut shavings sprinkled on top as the finishing touch, it just enhances the chocolatey goodness of this pie.

Happy Monday Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Makes one 9″ pie

Inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie

1 prepared pie crust

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 1/2 cups of plain greek yogurt

2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp honey

Sprinkle of sea salt

Coconut shavings

Start by cooking the crust to package directions (or try making a no bake crust of your own!).

While the crust is baking, mix the rest of the ingredients (except the coconut shavings) together by hand in a large mixing bowl. I heated up the peanut butter in the microwave a little bit so it was easier to stir.

Next, when your crust is done baking and cooled off, spread the filling into the crust.

Place the pie in the fridge for a couple of hours to chill, and eat once set and chilled through. Enjoy!

Happy Monday,

Sydney

Homemade Fire Roasted Tomato Soup (vegan)

Soup! I finally made soup! I’ve never actually made homemade soup before, and I don’t know what I’ve been waiting so long for.

This tomato soup is ridiculously easy and so flavorful. Perfect for a chilly winter day!

It’s also got a bit of a kick to it so if you’re looking for a spicy tomato soup this is the recipe for you!

Homemade Fire Roasted Tomato Soup (vegan)

Serves 6

Adapted from Vegetarian Times Magazine

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (15 oz)

4 cups water

1/2 vegetable bouillon cube

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

Dash of cayenne pepper

In large sauce pan, saute olive oil and onions over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently.

Add in tomato paste, garlic, tomatoes, water, bouillon cube, balsamic vinegar, thyme, rosemary and cayenne.

Turn up heat and bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes.

When soup is done, blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Enjoy!

The comfort of soup,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #54

Happy Wednesday all! Hope you’ve all had a fantastic week thus far and it continues to be wonderful all week. Today the high is in the mid-forties, perhaps spring is finally on its way! So let’s start celebrating with another fantastic WIAW with all our foodie friends!

These are my eats from Monday, which was a no-school day for me because of President’s Day. Yay! So I started off my day with a simple and classic combo of a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter sprinkled with cinnamon, and a banana on the side. Even my breakfast looked happy!

I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast reading The Circle, I wish every day were like this! I’ve just started the book but so far it’s great. Have any of you read this yet?

For lunch I had a pretty tasty wrap that was a new combination for me. Along with it I had some pickles and clementines on the side. The wrap turned out to be delicious, and it was made of arugula, almond pulp (basically ground up almonds-my leftovers from making homemade almond milk), dried cranberries, and tahini.

Later on I had some pretzels for a snack. Love me some zals.

And a bit later I had a mango blueberry fruit bowl (in a little ramekin type dish). So yummy! I had both frozen mango and frozen blueberries on hand so I defrosted them in the microwave for a few seconds and had a delicious snack!

Then for dinner I made a huge and scrumptious vegan bowl filled with veggies, grains and fruit galore! I will definitely be making another bowl like this again. The foundation was arugula, then I topped it with cayenne citrus spiced brown rice, edamame, sweet potato, raisins, garbanzos, carrots and sun dried tomatoes. A big scoop of spicy hummus in the middle and a little drizzle of balsamic and I called it a meal! So colorful, flavorful and filling!

Later that night we received a Valentine’s day package from my Mom. She sent us some of her homemade baked goods and I couldn’t wait until morning to try them. I had one of her mini ginger pumpkin loaves. So good! And so gingery!

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting!

TGIW,

Sydney

Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Jalapeño Hummus (vegan)

Za is back. Finally. It’s been awhile since I’ve made pizza at home, and I’ve been craving it for awhile.

This Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Jalapeño Hummus is a savory delight!

The sweet potato and veggie combination with the zesty hummus sauce is unbelievable. Who knew beans and hummus could make such a velvety, flavorful sauce!?

If you enjoy pizza, you’ve got to make this soon. Get into your kitchen and have fun cooking!

Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Jalapeño Hummus (vegan)

Serves 4-5

1 large sweet potato, pre-baked and chopped

1/2 a large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cups of frozen kale, thawed and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of cilantro jalapeño hummus (from Trader Joe’s)

2 tbsp of stone ground mustard

1 whole wheat pre-made pizza crust (I also used Trader Joe’s)

To make this pizza start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, chop all the vegetables and rinse and drain the beans.

Next make the sauce for the pizza by mashing the cannellini beans together with the hummus and mustard.

Then, assemble the pizza! This is the easiest recipe ever. Start by spreading the olive oil over the crust, and on top the oil evenly spread the hummus bean sauce.

Now layer the kale on top of the sauce followed by the onions and sweet potato (the sweet potato in this recipe is pre-baked, I had cooked mine the day before for 40 minutes at 400 degrees).

When the oven is ready bake according to the crust’s package directions (mine baked for about 13 minutes).

Enjoy warm from the oven!

Sydney

Blueberry Banana Blast Smoothie with Honey and Flax

Yes, it’s still winter. Yes, it’s still cold outside. But here it’s finally in the mid 30’s so it’s basically spring!

And I thought this “heatwave” deserved a tasty treat. So I made myself a Blueberry Banana Blast Smoothie with Honey and Flax. Boy was it worth it!

I miss smoothies and all their creamy, dreamy loveliness. So even though it’s still February I figured I’d make the best of the slight increase in temperatures, make a smoothie and just pretend I’m sipping it on a beautiful, lush tropical island. Make this smoothie and picture yourself wherever your warm-weather oasis is. It’ll be a wonderful five minutes of smoothie-sipping paradise!

Blueberry Banana Blast Smoothie with Honey and Flax 

Serves 1

3/4 cup almond milk

1/4 cup old fashioned oats

1 ripe and frozen banana

1/2 cup blueberries

Drizzle of honey

To make this smoothie simply blend together all ingredients (except the honey) in a blender until smooth. Pour smoothie into glass of choice and drizzle honey on top to your liking. Enjoy!

Smoothies are still good in winter,

Sydney

PB Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Glorious. That’s what these are. Just glorious.

PB Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies are my new favorite dessert. A healthier spin on the classic chocolate chip cookie bar/brownie combo, this dessert is a crowd pleaser!

A luscious, velvety brownie layer is the foundation of this dish, and it’s topped with a combination of all the greats. Peanut butter. Banana. Dark chocolate chips. Oats. Need I say more?

PB Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Makes one 9″ cake pan

Inspired by Yeah…Imma Eat That

Brownie Layer

1 cup of black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips, melted

1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt

1 flax seed egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of sea salt

Cookie Dough Layer

1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1 cup of old fashioned oats

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Dash of sea salt

1/4 cup of natural peanut butter, melted

1 banana, very ripe and mashed

2 tbsp honey

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

To make these brownies, start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″ cake pan.

Next, in a food processor combine the ingredients for the brownie layer (black beans, melted dark chocolate chips, greek yogurt, flax egg, vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder and sea salt) until smooth.

Pour the batter in the cake pan and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While the brownie layer is cooking, prepare the cookie dough layer.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, salt and chocolate chips. Then stir in the peanut butter, mashed banana and honey.

When brownies are cooled, gently press down the cookie dough layer on top. Place the brownies in the fridge and serve chilled. Enjoy!

Brownies are the greatest,

Sydney

What I Ate Wednesday #53

Hey all, Happy Wednesday! Welcome to another week of What I Ate Wednesday, graciously hosted by Jenn over at Peas and Crayons. Hope your week is off to a wonderful start so far! My week has been very busy and it’s gone by quickly, which is nice because my sister is coming to visit for the weekend and I cannot wait!

But let’s get to the food! For breakfast I had a scrumptious yogurt bowl. It was filled with plain Greek yogurt, banana, blueberries, chia seeds, my Mom’s homemade granola and some almond butter. Such an amazing combination of flavors and textures!

Mid-morning after a short workout I finished the last of my carrot juice leftover from my Trader Joe’s trip last weekend.

For lunch I had a tasty bowl of BBQ beans and kale with sweet potato.

And some lovely fresh pineapple!

Later on that afternoon in my long nutrition class (3 hours), I had a leftover Strawberry Coconut Muffin.

And also some cranberries and pistachios.

Dinner was eaten in class number two of the night. It consisted of two clementines, yum!

And a quinoa and black bean enchilada bake (recipe to come soon!). This enchilada bake was amazing! I topped it with avocado and some cherry tomatoes. I couldn’t snap a pic in class so this is a picture from the other night!

When I got home from class I was still hungry so I had a tasty snack of pretzels and dark chocolate chips (times 2). And then after I took the pic I added a spoonful of peanut butter for good measure!

TGIW,

Sydney

Pretty in Pink Strawberry Coconut Muffins (vegan)

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching I thought I’d try to create a recipe that would be simple, delicious, and festive!

And these Pretty in Pink Strawberry Vanilla Muffins are just that!

They are perfect for a Valentine’s Day breakfast or snack. A hearty and moist muffin with a strawberry coconut flavor profile that’ll delight your tastebuds!

Pretty in Pink Strawberry Coconut Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Dry ingredients

3/4 cup of whole wheat flour

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 tbsp ground flax seed

3 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp shredded coconut + 1 tbsp for sprinkling on top of muffins

dash of sea salt

Wet ingredients

8 oz of strawberries, fresh or frozen and thawed ( I used one half of a 16 oz. bag of frozen strawberries)

1/2 cup of almond milk

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

To make these muffins start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Place all the wet ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.

Stir wet ingredients into dry and scoop muffin batter into 12 muffin lined or greased muffin tins.

Bake for 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffins comes out clean. Enjoy!

Pink is beautiful,

Sydney