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

Looking for a Cookie

Creating a low sodium cookie is not an easy feat. The main problem is that both baking soda and baking powder contain sodium. Yes, there are lower sodium forms available, however I discovered that they are not requested often enough to place on the shelves of the food stores I frequent. Therefore, I would need to order them. As I tossed around the idea I grew impatient. Cookies now!

My searching produced a recipe for shortbread cookies. Aha! No baking soda or powder required and maybe I could try these cookies without the little bit of salt called for.

They were simple to make, had a nice gentle crunch, and a smooth, buttery texture. I added mini chocolate chips for some interest. A nice option when the world of cookies offers a limited selection for those on special diets.

No Salt Chocolate Chip Shortbread

• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Happy Holidays – Have a Cookie

Take a look at these festive cookies. Can’t you just hear the holiday music lilting in the background? You know how perfectly rich, dark chocolate pairs with bright, sweet peppermint!

This cookie leaves out the egg yolk and gets a fiber boost from whole wheat pastry flour. It’s the texture of the cookie though, that has me so full of cheer. A traditional crunch may be what you are expecting as you approach one of these treats. Then, you realize as your teeth sink soundlessly into the rich wafer, this is not a crispy cookie. This recipe produces more of a shortbread . . . a deliciously, deep cocoa shortbread. The only jolt comes from the bits of peppermint candy which decorate the top.

There are two types of unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or nonalkaline and Dutch process. Nonalkaline is the type to use in this recipe. There is an important difference in flavor and in the science of baking.

Dutch Process or alkalized unsweetened cocoa powder treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. It is reddish-brown in color, has a mild flavor, and easily dissolves in liquid.   Its delicate flavor makes it ideal for baked goods where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients.

Natural nonalkaline cocoa powder tastes very bitter and gives a deep chocolate flavor to baked goods.  Its intense flavor makes it a good choice for brownies, cookies and certain chocolate cakes.  Natural cocoa (an acid) in combination with baking soda (an alkali) create a leavening action that causes the batter to rise during cooking.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure peppermint extract
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup nonalkalized cocoa powder
• 1 egg white
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
• ¼ cup peppermint candies, crushed

It’s Bread Baking Time

OK, it may not exactly be the most convenient time of year for traditional bread baking, but maybe you need a little break. Actually, this project isn’t all that time consuming and the rewarding aroma of freshly baked bread may be just the thing to sooth frayed nerves.

These petite loaves are chock full of nuts and seeds. They contain a little crunch, a lot of fiber, and some omega-3′s. They were inspired by a recipe from one of my favorite food/ photography sites, 101 cookbooks by Heidi Swanson. I marvel at the food she creates. She has no fear of venturing outside the culinary lines. Her recipes contain more than the traditional combination of ingredients. She will include a multiple collection of seeds, flours, or vegetables, etc. in one dish. Delightful to taste and gorgeous in a photograph.

So I went into my kitchen, which I have now classified as a mini-mart due to the number of cooking ingredients I have collected. It’s time to decrease my cooking and baking inventory. Healthy food does not have a long shelf life and that’s a good thing!

From my freezer I gathered several types of nuts and seeds. From the pantry I chose a few types of flour. It’s always lovely watching a bread dough go from a few isolated items to a warm, soft ball of live bread dough. So neat and tidy the shaped rolls look arranged in rows on the baking sheets waiting to be baked in the oven. We enjoyed these crunchy rolls still warm from the oven and ripped into bite-sized pieces. Very rewarding . . . and soothing.

Many Seed Bread Rolls

• 2½ cups bread flour, (11.25 oz)
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour, (9 oz)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, chopped
• ¼ cup amaranth
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional)

❶ Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the dough hook, mix and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
❷ Portion the dough into 12 equal balls. Place on 1 (if you like them to bake touching each other) or 2 baking sheets lined with silicone sheets or parchment paper. Cover with a towel and let rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375℉.
❸ Place risen rolls in oven to bake for 15 – 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter after removing from oven, if desired.

Meatless Monday with Eat Well Meal Plans: Blueberry Ricotta Scones

We are BIG scone lovers. Our all-time favorite scones contain oats and dried fruit. However, I am all for trying a new recipe. This one includes ricotta cheese which I knew would increase the protein in the scones and affect the moisture. I had to experience the results.

I usually do not have the patience to flour a surface and pat the dough down nice and evenly in preparation for carefully slicing scone wedges. My preference is to get out the scooper and plop rounds of dough right onto the silicone liner. No muss no fuss! I found some energy somewhere for these uncharacteristically square scones though.

Next time I would sprinkle the surface with some sparkly, crunchy turbinado sugar crystals. Nice!