Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Mesquite Crust Pizza

craving pizza. We haven’t indulged in a hot, homemade pizza in a while. As I scanned the shelves of my pantry to collect the necessary ingredients, an unopened package of mesquite flour caught my eye. Hmmm, what would that taste like mixed into my tried-and-true pizza crust recipe?

Tried-and-true recipes are just sitting there waiting to be messed with anyway if you ask me.

How many of you are familiar with mesquite flour? You probably recognize mesquite as the wood chips you use in the grilling process to impart a smoky flavor to some meat or poultry, or even veggies. Well, this is made from the dried and ground bean pods of the mesquite plant. It’s a leguminous plant so for you that means more protein than your all-purpose wheat flour has. And, speaking of wheat flour, mesquite flour is gluten free! It has a sweet, slightly nutty flavor and is a good source of fiber, calcium, and magnesium.

I only used mesquite flour for a portion of the total flour called for in my original crust recipe. The substitution here is mostly for the sweet, nutty flavor it will contribute to my pizza crust.

You could use your taste bud imagination to come up with a variety of toppings. I selected these yellow cherry tomatoes which are little tomato flavor bombs, some fresh mozzerella, and chopped parsley. Next time I might go the way of a dessert pizza, fresh berries, shaved dark chocolate, and dollops of ricotta!

Mesquite Crust Pizza

• 4 cups white whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup mesquite flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 ¾ cups warm water

Isa Chandra’s Eggplant Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream

i just want to tell you, these veggie friends are serious about their food. Ok, I’ll admit I didn’t realize that the dish I contribute to this veggie food swap is pretty important. It will be the much anticipated lunch during a grueling, perhaps uneventful workday. Or it might be the well-deserved dinner treat for an over-extended mom.

With that in mind, I attempted to bump it up a notch this week. I went back to a cookbook which I thumb through often, marking pages containing recipes I really want to tackle . . . when I have more time. Well, it seems I rarely get back to them because I never make the extra time.

This week I had the excuse. I wanted to offer a dish that was as interesting to look at as it was to taste. This is a vegan creation from Isa Chandra Moskowitz via her cookbook Veganomican. She recommends saving this one for a Sunday Night Dinner due to the time investment needed to prepare it. I used a mandolin which helped to move things along a bit and kept my layering nice and even.

The pine nut cream was easy to whir together and would be delicious dolloped over steamed vegetables, a pasta dish, or as a repalcement for the cheese on a vegan mushroom pizza.

Eggplant Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream

adapted from Veganomican

Vegetable layer:

• 1 pound eggplant
• 1 pound zucchini
• 1 1/2 pounds long russet baking potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup red wine
• 2- 15 ounce cans crushed tomatoes, with juice
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Pine Nut Topping:

• 1 pound soft tofu
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1 clove garlic
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Extra pine nuts for garnish

❶ Preheat oven to 400℉. Lightly oil three baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

❷ Wash and trim stem from eggplant and zucchini. Scrub and peel potato. Slice the eggplant, zucchini and potato, lengthwise, into approximately 1/4 inch thick slices. Salt eggplant slices and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Rinsing with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel .

❸ Place the eggplant slices on one baking sheet, the zucchini on a second, and the potato slices on the last sheet. Distribute 1/4 cup oil between the three sheets and sprinkle the zucchini and potato slices with some salt. Toss to coat, making sure each piece is completely coated with oil. Spread vegetables out with minimal overlapping. Roast the zucchini and eggplant for 15 minutes or until tender. Roast the potatoes for about 22 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.

❹ While vegetables are cooking prepare the tomato sauce. Add remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and minced garlic to a large heavy bottom sauce pot. Bring to medium heat and let garlic sizzle for about 30 seconds, then add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and simmer until slightly reduced, another 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, ground cinnamon and bay leaf. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce should reduce slightly. Turn off the heat, remove bay leaf and leave it chunky or purée with an immersion blender.

❺ Make the pine nut topping:
In a food processor blend together pine nuts and lemon juice, scrapping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula until a creamy paste forms. Add tofu, garlic, arrowroot, nutmeg, salt and white pepper. Blend until creamy and smooth.

❻ Lightly oil a 9 x 13 pan and preheat oven again to 400℉. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce in the pan, then add a layer of the following; eggplant, potatoes, sauce, and half of the breadcrumbs. Spread all of the zucchini on top of this. Top with a final layer of eggplant, potatoes, sauce and breadcrumbs. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread the pine nut topping over the entire top, smoothing out any uneven spots. Scatter a few pine nuts on top if desired. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until top is lightly browned and a few cracks have formed in the topping. Allow to cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

The Most Delicious Granola

Coconut Pecan Granola

Gluten-Free Chocolate Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting

Gluten-free options seem to be popping up all around these days. Cookbooks, restaurants, mail-order companies. I have a few friends who are desperate to discover these GF sources. I recently read an email from a gluten-restricted individual who described her discovery of a 100% gluten-free bakery in her neighborhood. She wrote about how she was brought to tears by the thought that it was OK for her to eat ANYTHING in the shop! It really made me ponder the experience of those who are not free to choose from the abundance of eateries all around us. So it’s really great to know that the options are increasing.

You might find something like Quinoa with Roasted Asparagus and Shrimp on a GF restaurant menu. It may not appear to be a special diet restriction at all. Although it contains no gluten, this is a healthy meal option for almost anyone. It offers a lean protein, a vegetable, and a whole grain.

I wanted to create a food that might be more a challenging GF treat. Doughnuts are one item that is sorely missed if you are avoiding gluten or wheat. My creation is more of a mini cake, but is baked in doughnut pans.

Ice them as soon as they can be handled comfortably. They taste best when eaten the day they were baked.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Doughnuts with Peanut Butter Frosting

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Chocolate Tropical Fruit Bars

more energy bars! I had to try a combination with cocoa powder mixed in. Wow! These turned out great. I threw one into my purse and nibbled on it through all of my errands to avoid ravenous hunger.

Now you can substitute other dried fruits for the ones used here. Choose your favorites. If your fruit seems a bit too dry, soak in some warm water for a few minutes and drain before adding to the recipe.

I have a feeling that almost everyone except me enjoys a sweet meal replacement bar. I came to this conclusion after scanning through all the flavor options for any bar on the shelf. Cookie or pie-flavored bars are not exactly what I’m looking for, which is why you will always find tamari almonds in my bag, car, or house for a quick nosh.

My alternative choice is dried mango. Yes, it’s sweet, but not white sugar sweet. These are a nice combination of nuts and dried fruit without the slap-in-the-face sweetness. They also contain fiber to provide a slow and steady feed of energy. The intense chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder elevates them to rectangular awesomeness!

Chocolate Tropical Fruit Bars

• ½ cup dried papaya, soaked in warm water, drained, chopped
• ¼ cup dates, pitted
• ¼ cup dried pineapple, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened coconut
• ½ cup raw almonds
• ½ cup raw pecans
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

❶ Place the papaya, dates, and pineapple in a food processor and pulse 7 times. Add coconut, nuts, and cocoa powder and process until nuts are chopped and combined with the dried fruit.
❷ Transfer the mixture onto a silicone liner or a cutting board. Press into a rectangle and slice into 6 bars. Store in the refrigerator.