Pizza Night

I made pizza last week. I swear to you, as I am sitting here typing up this post I can actually SMELL pizza. It is possible my neighbors are having pizza, but it's more likely that I'm finally losing my mind. Either way, I really want pizza, like... NOW! 

This pizza crust is a great healthy alternative to regular wheat crust. Since its made without yeast, meaning it doesn't need time to rise, it's quick and easier to throw together too. I would normally never dream of making a from-scratch pizza crust on a weeknight after work, but I did that here and dinner was ready before I knew it. Give this a try if you're trying to cut back on white flour like me, or if you just enjoy the chewy wholesome bite of whole grains.

The pizza you see here is topped with a simple white sauce, plus loads of sautéed mushrooms and spinach. To be honest though, I think I missed the tomato sauce. I might have even enjoyed the boys version more (not photographed), which had tomato sauce, spicy capicolo, and roasted peppers. For next time I'm thinking spicy chicken sausage, fennel and olives... or maybe a seafood pizza, the options are endless.

I love pizza night. 

100% Spelt Pizza Crust

Another benefit of this recipe is that the absence of yeast makes a less elastic dough, which is VERY easy to roll out. No more tossing and tugging!

Makes 2 X 12 Inch Round Pizza Crusts

Ingredients

    2 Cups whole grain spelt flour, plus  more for kneading

    2 Teaspoons baking powder

    3/4 Teaspoon fine sea salt

    1/2 Teaspoon sugar

    1 Cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

    1/4 Cup whole milk

    2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    1 Egg

 

1. Combine the spelt flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl - or the bowl of a stand mixture - and whisk until combined. Push the mixture up the sides of the bowl to make a well.  In a separate bowl, beat together the ricotta, milk, oil and the egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the centre of the well. Mix gently, gradually incorporating the flour into the wet ingredients, until a moist dough forms.

2. Fit your mixer with the dough hook attachment and set the bowl on the stand, kneading on medium for between 30 seconds to 1 minute, or just until the dough comes together in a smooth, but still tacky, ball. Alternately, lightly flour your hands and briefly knead the dough by hand for 7 to 10 turns, to get the same result.

Note: During this step I added 1-2 tablespoons additional flour to my dough, as I found it was too moist and was sticking to the sides of the bowl.

3. Cover your dough and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, this step is meant to let the bran in the whole spelt flour soften up. Meanwhile, you can prepare all of your other pizza ingredients and preheat the oven.

4. Unwrap the dough and divide into two parts. Begin to roll one half of the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper with a rolling pin. Lightly flour the work surface and rolling pin as you go, turning and rolling in each direction until the dough is a large uniform circle. Lift the parchment and use it to slide the pizza onto a pizza pan or peel, it should slide off easily. Repeat with second pizza crust.

Cover pizzas with sauce, cheese, and your favourite toppings. Bake at 500 F. until toppings are cooked and the crust is crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

 

Easy Little Dark Chocolate Mousse Cups

Some days call for indulgence. Maybe you’ve stuck to your diet for a whole entire month and deserve a treat. Perhaps you passed economics with flying colours, went through with a tough-to-make-decision, or have a special anniversary to celebrate. Or maybe its just a rainy Thursday.  

Whatever your reason, these light, creamy little cups of heaven will fit the bill. They are simple enough to make, but to me, feel oh so special.

My mom used to make chocolate mousse from time to time when I was growing up. Most likely it was the Jell-O brand kind from a box, but I don’t remember having any problem with that.  What I do remember is creeping to the fridge and taking a big chocolatey spoonful before it was “ready”, and praying I wouldn’t get caught.

As an adult – if that’s what I’m calling myself these days – Chocolate mousse holds a certain nostalgia, while still feeling like a very elegant  and grown up dessert.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

8 Ounces best-quality dark chocolate, chopped

¼ Cup unsalted butter

3 Eggs, seperated

1 ½ Cups Heavy cream (I used 33%)

3 Tablespoons icing sugar

1. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Combine chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and set on top of the pot to form a double boiler. Stir often, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside.  

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs yolks, cream, and sugar. Slowly add the egg-cream mixture to the melted chocolate, stirring constantly.

3. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they hold very stiff peaks. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture.

4. Pour into individual serving bowls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped cream and berries for serving.

Recipe adapted from Chocolate.

I'm Back!

Hello there! How are you? I missed you! I had to take an unplanned vacation from my beloved little bloggy world for a while, but life has re-arranged itself quite nicely and I'm confident I will be seeing you all much more from now on  :)  Now that things have settled down and I'm back in full cooking-baking action, I'd like to share my latest foodie adventures with you.

Although they are really not that adventuresome. Maybe adventures is too strong a word. Let's call them... goings on.

Moving on.... I went to San Francisco. And it was GORGEOUS! The sun came out to say hello. It was a glorious little break from Vancouver rain. 

We dined on many a patio. I wore tank tops. And sunglasses. It was lovely.

Brunch at MarketBar at the Ferry Building. I think this was a glorious shrimp and avocado omelette. And pancakes and bacon for the boy as per usual.

The Entertainment.

The Ferry Building.

Me looking like a kid in a candy store at Miette.

Caffeinated at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. Loved the New Orleans style iced coffee!

Back off Mr. Seagull. Get your own cake.

Touristy stuff at The Pier.

Of course, it fogged over right when we reached the viewpoint for Alcatraz and the bridge, so these are the best photos we've got. Bummer.

I was shocked by the line-ups for the Street Car. I think we waited over an hour. Pure insanity. Also, no one told me it doesn't rain here. It mists. I was damp all over but never felt a single rain drop fall. Totally bizarre.

We had a wonderfully romantic little dinner a Cafe Zuni: Oysters on the half shell. A mountain of crispy little fries. A lovely bottle of wine. The most scrumptious, flavorful, amazing chicken you will ever taste. And a tart little lemon meringue dessert to end it all perfectly. 

The infamous Café Zuni chicken was no doubt the culinary highpoint of this trip. It took some sweet talking to swing this reservation, but boy am I glad I did. The chicken takes an hour from when you order it, as they make each one to order. And then you are served this mountain of the most flavourful, tender chicken and crispiest skin, on a bed of bread salad with sweet little currents and tender greens. We were seriously moaning with each bite. Boy, our neighboring tables must have felt awkward.

You can find a copy cat recipe for this chicken Here or Here. I am SO going to have to give this a shot at home.

Here it is in all its glory:

And here we are. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, it was taken by our very kind waiter.

Afterwards, we saw some cool local artist perform at some cool local venue. I felt cool.

I'm really not.

Brunch at Bar Tartine was a must. Behold: Henry's french toast with caramelized apples and whipped mascarpone-something-or-other, and my less photogenic eggs Benedict. Absolutely loved the caraway hollandaise, lighter than normal, and the sprouted bread it was served on. Yum!

We hit up the bakery aswell, but it was too packed for photos. Either that or I was too distracted by pastries. So instead I'll show you a picture of my blood orange mimosa... boy do I love my bubbly!

Bi-Rite Ice Cream!

A delectable Trio: Salted Caramel, Vanilla with Peanut Brittle and Fudge Swirl, Brown Sugar with Caramel Ginger Swirl.  I could do with more of this right about now.

Oh, and I met Joy the Baker! I ventured accross the city on my own one night to make it to her book signing. I was a huge dork, but she is an absolute sweetheart!

 Union Square Sunshine...

It was such a fun trip, now I'm itching to get out of town again!

I'll see you all very soon. Until then I've got one word for you: Chocolate.

XO,

M

What I Really Eat

As much as I'd like to, I don't eat cupcakes for every meal. 

A girl can't survive off pie, cake pops and lattes for long. My sugar rush always seems to come to a crashing halt sooner than I expect, which can make these long, busy winter days pretty hard to get through.

Most weekdays I'm lucky if I have time to throw dinner together at all. Too many times I’ve ended up starving at 7PM, searching my cupboards for something (Anything?!) that can be made into a healthy meal in 5 minutes or less. 

This is never very successful.

I have been known to down an entire bag of tortilla chips with salsa, a spoonful of peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips. Then call it "dinner". So nutritious!

 

For this reason, my favourite favourite favourite thing to do is to take a couple of hours on Sunday afternoon and prep a big pot of soup and a hearty grain or noodle salad to last us the week.  If I have the time I like to throw together some muffins or bars for a healthy snack, too.

Being prepared makes me SO HAPPY. Seriously. It might be unnatural the amount of joy I get from having a fully stocked fridge. It chases my worries away. The world could crumble to bits and at least we would have delicious food.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Yams and Chickpeas

I enjoyed this salad a number of ways... Most common was on the go, straight out of a tupperware container in my backpack. But it was also delicious warmed slightly, with a poached egg or two nestled on top (let the yolky part run into the salad, so good), or with warm roasted beets and extra feta. Mmm. Easy, healthy, and seriously yummy.

Ingredients

Dressing:

2 Tablespoons white wine Vinegar

1 Tablespoon dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

2 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely chopped

½ Teaspoon each salt and pepper

½ Cup olive oil

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, slowly add olive oil while mixing vigorously to form an emulsion. Or combine all ingredients and use an immersion blender to mix well. 

Salad:

½ Cup quinoa

About 2 cups yams, peeled and cubed (for me this was 3 small yams, 2 larger ones would do)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

½ Teaspoon each, sea salt and pepper

2 Cans chickpeas (14oz), drained and rinsed

1 Carrot, peeled and grated

1 ½ Cups spinach leaves, cleaned well and coarsely chopped

½ Cup parsley, chopped

½ Cup feta cheese, crumbled

½ Cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss yams in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes, turning once. Allow to cool.

3. Combine chickpeas, vegetables, sunflower seeds and feta with the quinoa and yams in a large bowl. Toss with dressing.

Enjoy at room temperature or warmed slightly. Follow with a handful of chocolate chips for good measure ;)

Recipe adapted from the Whitewater Cooks Cookbook.

I'm off to beautiful San Francisco later this week. I've never been and will have lots of time to explore. If you have a favourite restaurant or foodie place (or just a place) to visit please share in the comments!! I'll be sure to share the highlights of my trip on the blog. Hoping that it stays sunny for us :) So excited! Have a lovely week friends!

 

XO, 

Maia