Vegetarian Pizza (from Scratch)

This particular pizza had green peppers, onions, and celery on it. Yum!

Edit: I finally took pictures! About time, right?

I know it's been a while since my last post and I apologize sincerely for not updating sooner. However, school has started (!) and I promptly left my camera at home. That's a horrible excuse, I know, but it's true -- and I can't very well post pictures without a camera.

That being said, I thought I'd just hop on and leave you a quick note to tell you I'm still alive and kickin'. I also wanted to share a recipe that's not only easy, which is definitely a plus, but also a crowd-pleaser: Vegetarian Pizza from Scratch.

You're probably thinking, "From scratch?!? That is way too hard!" But believe me. This is probably one of the easiest recipes you could ever make, and that is saying something, because... well, toast is pretty darn easy.

But I digress. This is a recipe I got from Mark Bittman's cookbook How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and I have to admit I use it all the time.

The really great thing about making pizza from scratch, by the way, is that you can top it with whatever you want. The recipe I've included below just happens to be the one I make most often, but the version I make for my husband adds sausage and pepperoni as well, for example. Don't be afraid to get creative!

The far half is the veggie side. The one closest to the camera is the meat side (sausage and pepperoni).

Vegetarian Pizza from Scratch
adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

*Note* This recipe can easily be doubled for larger or multiple pizzas.

Dough:
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp active-dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 C warm water

Toppings:
1/2 C pizza sauce (store-bought or you can make your own)
3/4 C shredded Mozzarella cheese
3/4 C shredded Colby Jack or Cheddar cheese
1/4 C diced onions
1/4 C diced green peppers
1/4 C diced black olives


1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt with a wooden spoon. Add 1 Tbs olive oil and 1/2 C water. Mix with the spoon as long as you can, and then use your hands. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour; if it's too dry, add water 1/8 - 1/4 C at a time.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times before rolling into a ball. Clean out the bowl you already used and add 1 Tbs olive oil to the bottom. Roll the ball of dough in the oil until evenly coated, cover with a towel, and let it sit while the oven preheats.
3. Preheat oven to 500F. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings. Dice the onions, green peppers, and black olives; set aside.
4. When oven is preheated, knead the dough a few times on a floured surface before transferring it to an ungreased cookie sheet. Using a rolling pin and your fingers, roll the dough out into a rectangle on the cookie sheet, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.
5. Spread pizza sauce all over the dough and top with Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle onion, green pepper, and olive chunks evenly over the surface. Finish with Colby Jack or Cheddar.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes, or until edges are brown and cheese is melted. Allow to cool a few minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Homemade Bread and Butter

It is hot out. Like, 110 in the shade kind of hot. I never thought I'd be looking forward to snow as much as I am now! Maybe my longing for cooler temps has made me crave Fall food, but I do know that, for about a week and a half, I've been craving apple pie, pumpkin muffins, hot apple cider, and lots and lots of bread. Since the apple pie, muffins, and cider would undoubtedly make me sweat just thinking about them, I decided to indulge my cravings and make some homemade bread and slather it with butter!

I was really lucky to find this fantastic recipe over on one of my favorite food blogs, 101 Cookbooks, since I literally woke up thinking about bread and Heidi had just posted it! It was fate.

The original recipe calls for 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole wheat, but since I ran out of whole wheat flour, I opted to use 2 cups of all-purpose instead. The finished product was delicious, but I'd love to try it with the wheat next time.

The not-so-secret ingredient of this bread that really makes it POP is the honey! It adds just enough sweetness to counteract the yeast, but not enough to make it a dessert bread.

The smell that filled the house while it was in the oven was heavenly! I kept walking into the kitchen just to sniff it. Is that weird?

The hardest part is letting it rise. I really really really wanted to just plop it into the oven so it'd be done sooner, but I'm glad I was patient. It turned out so much better than if I hadn't waited... Doesn't everything, though?

After the bread's done baking, turn on the broiler for about 20-30 seconds and the top darkens just enough to cause a little crunch when you bite into it. Perfection!

When all is said and done, you can't skip out on the butter. It makes the world go 'round. I also topped it with jam the next morning for breakfast. I don't regret it.



It'd also be super easy to make this recipe vegan! Just use agave nectar instead of honey and replace the butter with Earth Balance margarine. Eat. Repeat.

Easy Homemade Bread
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 1/4 C warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast (2 packets)
1 Tbs honey (or agave nectar)
2 C all-purpose flour
1 C rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs butter, melted, for brushing

1. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir until it dissolves. Add the honey, stir, and set aside for a few minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix flour, oats, and salt in a large bowl. Mix the wet mixture into the dry and stir until completely combined.
3. Brush a loaf pan generously with the melted butter before transferring the dough into the pan. Cover with a slightly damp towel and set in a warm place for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle. Once the bread has risen, bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and pulling away from the sides.
5. Turn on the broiler for 20-30 seconds and watch closely, removing the bread once the top reaches a slightly darker cooler. Turn the bread out of the pan almost immediately, allowing to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter.