Easy Thin Crust Pizza

The current weather has me feeling very...FALL-ish
EEEKKK
I have to admit it
I Can't help it!!!
It is only late August buttttt
cooler morning's / evening's,
Grey skies,
The return of the only slightly unfamiliar drops of wetness falling from the sky
These things have me feeling like I should be practising such festive activities as....
picking mushrooms,
chopping/stacking fire wood
...making bread...soup...
you get the picture here
EEEK
Summer is not yet a novelty!!! I am NOT ready!!!

(we read this morning that some of our family in Iqaluit experienced white stuff falling from the sky last Tuesday...ahhheemm we love you guys ..you are major champs please excuse my for my very whiney Blog post...i love you)

SO .....I make soup
Browse Blog posts pondering the idea of creating my own Sour Dough Starter
and because Bodo starts school next week I have no choice but to prep for school lunches
the school lunch thing uggggggg!

Enter the thin crust pizza recipe (pretty much flat bread)
This is very fast and easy to prepare then freeze
So your very fussy  wonderful son who will not eat sandwiches will have fun lunches that he will actually eat (insert double fist pumping mommy victory chicken dance here)
I understand your disgust....claiming it is my own fault.... I am creating a spoiled child monster
...Oh MY NOT my sweetheart lil Bodie Odie!!!
Friends I just simply cannot stand opening up that lil lunch bucket at the end of our long day to find a full lunch that I have to throw away since it has been sitting unrefrigerated for 8 hours :(
I am committed to making my son a nutritious lunch
He is my lil champion ...on the Judo mat, on the Rugby Field (Gooooo Hornets!) and in the Drum Studio...you have to fuel this sort of Glory
This is my most important job
(end of rant)

Ahhemm The recipe:  I made two versions you will see in the picture.
One with Spelt Flour
One with White Flour

Thin Crust Pizza Dough
makes 2 12-inch round pizzas
Ingredients:
Water 3/4 cups (lukewarm)
Active Dry Yeast 1/2 teaspoon
All Purpose Flour 2 cups
Salt 1/2 tsp 

Add the yeast to water and stir to dissolve.

Put the flour and salt in to the mixing bowl, attach the dough hook and set the mixer to “stir” to mix. Then slowly add the water mix until you get a solid ball of dough.  Alternatively of course you can mix this in a large bowl and knead knead knead...works just as well and I think sometimes is much better than dragging you mixer out from whatever cupboard you store it in.

Cut the dough in half and place one portion aside. Roll, press or stretch to dough out into a 12 inch circle on a piece of parchment paper or fancy food bloggie silicone matt.  You can spread on a thin layer of olive oil...and even minced garlic, if that’s your sort of thang

 Cook at 500F in a preheated oven for 5 minutes.  At this point you can stick your beautiful thin yummy crust onto a cooling rack.  Cool.  Then freeze on a cookie sheet...then pop into a large feeder ziplock bag to be cracked out in the wee hours of the morning as you prepare the oatmeal etc for the Chaos of the morning...pre heat oven..spread tomato sauce sprinkle with cheese...bake it off Voila Fresh Kiddo Pizza...."My mom makes the BEST pizza" (insert double fist pumping mommy victory chicken dance here)  Twice in one blog post ...hmmmm showing off now you got an audience (Newfy voice)

Beautiful Beet Soup

Beets are absolutely BEAUtiful Super Food

NOT just because of their most beautiful colour but consider THey give a big nutritional punch loaded with potassium, magnesium, fiber, iron and vitamins A,C, and B6 which by the way is responsible for how your body metabolizes amino acids and lipids...Tons of make you smile and dance energy as well as Mega Magical Muscle Building !!!

I mean Beets are really cool okay

This soup started out as a Sauce for Rice Bowls and Steamed Veggies ...but somehow became so much more when a bunch of Beautiful BEETS and Onion jumped into the Blender ..added a few more tweeks and VOILA 

Beautiful Beet Soup

Ingredients: 

Coconut Oil 

1 Large Onion, chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

2 Cups Chopped Beet

1/2 Cups Tahini

2 TBSP Miso 

5 TBSP Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed ...nothing else is acceptable here ..its just not the same 

2 TBSP Tamari or Braggs liquid aminos

1 TBSP Ginger

3 Cups Water

In a Large skillet sauté Onion and garlic in Coconut oil, when onion is translucent add Beets about 1/4 cup water just a bit to take a bit of the raw out of the Beets

Blender or Food Processor:  Put all your ingredients in including you sautéed Beet onion mix (this will smell fabulous) Blend about 2-4 mins in Vitamix 

Low Fat Corn Bread TOO!

OH yeah ...since I included corn bread in the picture I might as well include the recipe in case you want to make it too.  Corn bread is super fast and easy...and I think compliments any soup or salad into a meal...kids LOVE corn bread

For some reason Corn bread makes me remember Taisa Hart ...I once tasted her corn bread at Aroma cafe when she absolutely insisted that I eat some... If anyone else remembers Taisa you will understand how much she tolerated someone saying no to her...even no thank you...just give in and eat the Corn bread....and I'm glad I did cause I am certain I have never tasted a better corn bread since...Mandolyn do you have her recipe?

So here is my recipe:

Corn Bread: 

1 Cup  Rice Flour or Spelt Flour (you can also use all purpose Flour)

1 Cup Yellow Corn Meal

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

1 Cup 0 Fat Greek Yogurt

1 Cup Water

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, melted 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees prep 9x5-inch loaf pan 

Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking Powder, and salt in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl whisk together Egg, Greek Yogurt, Water, and melted coconut oil 

Stir Wet into Dry

Mix until just barley combined

Spread batter into your prepped loaf pan and bake for 22-25 mins 

A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean

Serve in slices

TIP...1/2 cup tahini + 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup ....spread this on your corn bread ...

Oh My GOSH !!!

enjoy your soup and bread my lovelies 

xoxo

Ashie Girl 

BBQ Salmon low carb sushi & Miso Dipping Sauce

I guess I probably Blog the same stuff a lot
But I think each time the ingredients are just a little bit different
I think My Blog is meant to inspire ...so pretty pictures of all new meals even if they are repeats STILL inspire...I feel inspired...do you??? lol
Nori Rolls are definitely a staple at my house
This Miso Tahini Dipping sauce adds a ton of flavour and is less salty than plain ol' Tamari / soya sauce
ALso it adds nutrition - bonus!!!

Todays Roll: ingredients makes
2 Nori wraps
2 TBSP 0 Fat Greek Yogurt
1/4 Cup Long grain Brown Rice
1/4 Cup BBQ Salmon (leftover from last nights yummy dinner)
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (I discard the yolks for this recipe I only want the whites)
4 Snap Peas
Yellow pepper Strips
Organic Salad Mix

Building from the Nori wrap up:

Nori Wrap (shiny side down)
Smear of greek yogurt
1/2 of your brown rice (sprinkle in a long thin line on top of your yogurt)
Add chunks of your Egg white and BBQ Salmon
Line up your snap peas and your yellow pepper
Top with salad mix
Wrap it up!!!

Miso Dipping Sauce:
Prepare to be obsessed with this stuff ...you've been warned!

2 tsp Miso Paste
1 tsp Tahini
1 tsp Braggs/tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp Dijon
1 clove garlic, minced
3 TBSP water

Just add these ingredients to a small canning jar or container with a lid
SHAKE it

Gluten Free Baked Brown Rice Pudding

Growing up my mom always made Rice Pudding with leftover brown rice
COMFORT FOOD ALERT
I still love this
I thought I would make a batch today and see how Boden likes it
I hope he likes it as much as I always have
as for desserts go I think this would be somewhat of a healthy one
Brown rice, milk, and just enough sweet
Cinnamon and vanilla extract
To me it just sounds like a big cookie pudding!
Only thing I did different was I used organic coconut milk
my mom always used canned milk
I am hoping it will come close to how amazing it was when she made it

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cooked Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
1 Organic Egg, lightly beaten
1 3/4 Cups unsweetened Coconut Milk
2 TBSP Agave (I used Local Honey)
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 Cup Organic Raisins
2 tsp Cinnamon

Heat Oven to 350 degrees

SO Easy!!!
In a Medium sized Bowl lightly beat Egg.  Add Coconut Milk, Agave, Vanilla, salt, Raisins.  Mix in your Brown Rice.  Pour into 2 Quart Casserole Dish
I lined my dish with parchment paper
I sorta dislike scrubbing dishes
parchment paper is pretty fabulous
It makes it so you don't have to grease your pan (yay)

Bake @ 350 for 1 hour
Cool and enjoy

Almond Butter Zucchini Cookies

A Visit to Quadra in August = Zucchini
Now what to cook!
How about Cookies?
I usually make some healthy 'cookies' for my lunch
I don't want butter
I don't want sugar
I don't even want flour
I just want something a little bit sweet to go with a cup of tea sometimes
Is that too much to ask?
Of Course not!
My cookies usually include rice flour, egg whites and stevia
Pretty standard
But since I had Zucchini
and Zucchini bread is super fabulous
why not throw some in the mix
Here is the invented Recipe
If you make some you COULD throw a few raisins or Choc chips
maybe some nuts or things that you think 'MAKE' a cookie
I think for some people having some chocolate chips in a healthy cookie bring happiness
Feeling satisfied with your food is huge
Being on a Diet forever....not realistic
Making healthy changes to the way you eat should not be something that lasts a few weeks or months while you get 'bikini body ready'
This is just silly
You sort of need to find a way to eat healthfully....and that is just the way you always eat
Eating mostly healthy but eating the things you love too
This is how I would like to live
AND
This is how I would like my kid to understand how healthy eating works too
That feels right

*Pre Heat Oven to 400 Degrees*

COOKIES
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/4 Cup Hot water
4-5 squirts liquid Stevia
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Liquid Egg whites
2 Cups Grated Zucchini

1 Cup Rice Flour (you could use oat flour, spelt flour for fun)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon

Method:
In a large Bowl mix almond butter with hot water until combined.  Add the remaining wet ingredients in order listed.
In another bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add Dry to wet

Spoon onto silicone lined cookie sheet with tea spoon.
Bake in Oven 20 minutes
Cool
Enjoy!!!
xoxo
Ashie Girl