Tag Archives: dutch oven

the weather was cool enough tonight to allow me to do one of my favorite things: heating up the house with delicious smells! i made a large pot of soup to work as lunches for a few days this week and a super un-traditional pizza for dinner. i tried to be efficient as possible by tag teaming my cooking and had both the pizza and soup done in about and hour and a half. take that rachael ray! to do the same, make your crust first, and while it rises prep your toppings and get the soup into the pot. by the time the pizza is baked, your soup will be ready to cool for portioning. you could also start the soup first, and serve it as a starter with the pizza to follow. if only i had squeezed in a dessert! maybe next time

Confetti Peppered Pizza Crust

makes one medium (12-14 inch) crust

serves 3-4

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 c warm water

1 c whole wheat all purpose flour (or use all white flour to really see the speckles!)

1 1/4 c unbleached white all purpose flour

1 tbs Penzeys California Blend Seasoning*

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tbs oil

place yeast in a small bowl, add the warm water and stir. let sit for 10 minutes. combine the flour, salt, sugar and the pepper blend. once 10 minutes has elapsed, add the oil to the water, and add to the dry ingredients and mix until a dough forms. knead the dough on a floured counter top until smooth and elastic. place in a lightly oiled, non reactive (glass, ceramic, not metal) bowl. cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm to rise for one hour.

*if not available try mixing 1 tsp black pepper with 1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder. you will miss the red and green bell pepper speckles though;(

Pizza Toppings

1/2 c barbecue sauce. i used Organic Ville tangy.

1/4 c sweet corn, fresh or frozen

1/4 diced red onion

6 crimini mushrooms, sliced

1 recipe smoky tempeh (below)

Smoky Tempeh

1 8 oz package tempeh, sliced or cubed

1 c water or stock

1 tsp smoked spanish paprika

1 tsp cider vinegar

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tbs Braggs

preheat the oven to 425

combine the water, Braggs, smoke, paprika and vinegar and mix well. place the tempeh in a non stick pan with the water mixture and bring to a simmer. keep simmering until all the liquid has been absorbed. add 1-2 tbs oil to the pan and brown the tempeh on all sides, proceed with your pizza!

lightly dust a pizza peel or wooden cutting board with cornmeal. punch down your dough. place dough onto the board and roll out to about 14 inches round. using your fingers, dimple the dough allover to help “hold” more sauce. spread the sauce to 1/2 inch from the edge of the crust. sprinkle the crust with the onions and corn, and layer with the tempeh and mushrooms. using a long spatula, slide the pizza onto a pizza pan, or heated pizza stone carefully. i find the best technique for me is to slide the spatula under the lip of the pizza farthest from me, and line that up with the back of the stone/pan and then drag the board out from underneath with the spatula guiding the pizza onto the stone/pan. bake the pizza for 25 minutes, or until the edges are a deep golden brown. if desired, drizzle more bbq sauce on the pizza before serving.

p.s. i didn’t use soy cheese but that doesn’t mean you cant!

dimple your dough!

before.....

after!

sexay sexay pizza

Creamy Chickpea and Sweet Corn Soup

serves 4-8

5 cups vegetable stock, divided

1 cup diced yukon gold potato, about 1 medium

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 c bell pepper, any color combination, thin 1″ slices

1 serrano or jalapeno, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, peeled, 1/4″ slices

3 cups sweet corn, if possible, grill or roast for extra flavor! (450 for 15 minutes)

1 tsp each, chives and parsley. use dried if necessary

salt and pepper to taste

*this soup is awesome because it gets its creaminess from pureed potatoes and chickpeas rather than a milk substitute, which can sometimes separate or curdle when brought to a boil*

in a dutch oven or large soup pot, saute the potatoes in 2 tbs oil. once lightly browned, add the chickpeas and one cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. cook covered for 5 minutes to soften the chickpeas. remove from the heat and carefully place into the bowl of a food processor or your blender. puree until smooth and set aside.

to the same pot, add 2 tbs oil and cook the onion and garlic until softened, about 8 minutes. add the carrot and saute for 5 minutes more. now add the peppers (and the corn if it wasn’t grilled) and cook until slightly softened, about 15 minutes. add corn now if it was previously grilled. add your reserved chickpea paste, and stir in the stock until all lumps have dissolved. bring to a low boil and season with salt and pepper to taste. simmer on medium-low until the flavors have combined, about 20 minutes. remove from the heat and add the fresh herbs. serve immediately, or cool and portion for later use!

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