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Howdy, folks!

We’re participating in Hodgson Mill’s “Build a Better Pizza” Facebook Recipe contest, which means we need your help – and we have something for you!

This past weekend, we made a whole wheat pizza with turkey kielbasa, apple, caramelized onion, and balsamic reduction. Below, you’ll find our recipe using Hodgson Mill ingredients and a chance for you to win a $25 Hodgson Mill pizza prize pack.

First, vote for us to win a prize! To enter the drawing for a $25 pizza prize pack, follow these instructions.

1. Like Hodgson Mill on Facebook
2. Click on the “Vote for Pizza Recipe” contest tab
3. Find our recipe and vote for us!
4. Don’t forget to share your vote with Facebook friends and spread the word!
5. Comment on this post and let us know that you’ve completed steps 1 and 2, and we’ll enter you in the drawing for the prize pack giveaway!

As a bonus, Hodgson Mill will also pick 10 random contest voters to receive a $25 Hodgson Mill gift certificate, so you’re giving yourself two chances to win!

Now, here’s that recipe. Try it yourself! This pizza was mouthwatering perfection.

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

15 g yeast (we used Hodgson Mill dry active yeast)
3 1/2 cups white flour (we used Hodgson mill white flour)
3 1/2 cups wheat flour (we used Hodgson mill whole wheat flour)
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil 

Pizza Sauce

4 cloves garlic
2  tbsp olive oil
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 cup water
dried oregano
dried basil

Balsamic Reduction

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar (yields about 1/4 cup when reduced)

Pizza Toppings

mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
1 red onion, caramelized
1 red apple
1 1/2 cups turkey kielbasa

Directions:

1. Make dough: In a bowl, pour two cups of warm water with the honey and yeast.
2. In a mixer, pour flour and kosher salt.
3. Using your dough hook, add olive oil with the mixer on low.
4. Add water/yeast into dough, until the dough pulls away from the sides.
5. Place dough in a ball, and put into an olive-oil drizzled bowl.
6. Let rise for 1 hour, meanwhile:
7. Make sauce: Dice garlic. Open tomato paste can and whole tomato can.
8. Blend whole tomatoes until almost smooth.
9. Add olive oil to hot sauce pan, and add garlic. Let simmer one minute.
10. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and one tomato can full of water. Let simmer until ready to add to pizza.
11. Make caramelized onions: Slice onion. Add to hot cast iron (or non stick) pan with two tablespoons olive oil. Saute over low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring frequently.
12. Dump dough onto corn mealed surface after 1 hour, and let rise another 15-30 minutes.
13. Make balsamic reduction: Place balsamic vinegar in a pan. Let simmer for eight to ten minutes, until it reduces and thickens to a syrup-like consistency.
14. Thinly slice apples and kielbasa.
15. Lay out pizza dough, place in oven at 500 degrees for 2-3 minutes to bake crust.
16. Add sauce, cheese, toppings, balsamic.
17. Cook for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

 We hope this looks as delicious as it tasted – now go vote for us!

A few weeks back, a coworker had a  birthday, and requested something with peanut butter and chocolate. I saw these on Smitten Kitchen and knew this was the perfect dessert for the occasion!

First, you simply make rice crispy treats – easy!

Then, things get real. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Together, all in one bowl, melted, on top of rice crispies. You catch my drift?

Yes, that’s nice. Let this cool, and then, for kicks, we’ll add another layer of chocolate, of course.

Chocolate layer, peanut butter chocolate layer, rice crispy layer. Happiness, in one dessert.

Go make this, now, and bring me a couple if you think of it. Because, let’s be serious, sharing is caring, and sharing chocolate peanut butter is love.

What is your favorite chocolate peanut butter treat?

Photo credit: Martha Lear

It is finally October, and that means it is finally fall! I love fall. Pumpkin spice lattes are back, the weather gets chilly (yes even in Los Angeles), and best of all, it is also the start of Vegetarian Awareness Month! Some background on this delightful month: World Vegetarian Day was started in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society (aka NAVS). It is also endorsed by the International Vegetarian Union. I honestly didn’t even know we veggies have an International Union. Go team! The website has a ton of information for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The focus of this month is, first and foremost, to inform people about vegetarianism. As an interesting side note, they also offer a contest for non-vegetarians who go meat, fish, and fowl free for a day, a week or even the entire month of October. If you win the $1,000 prize, you have to share it with me since I told you about it!

Finally, the main goal of Vegetarian Awareness Month is to explain why vegetarianism is important to YOU personally. For me, whenever I mention that I’m a vegetarian, everyone always asks me the same three questions:

1) How long have you been a vegetarian? This one is easy. I have been a vegetarian for 11 and a half years, soon to be 12.

2) Why are you a vegetarian? Do you love animals? Or do you just hate meat? The short answer is both. Growing up, I was not a big meat eater. We never ate fish at my house because my mom, who is the cook, doesn’t like it. Red meat was rarely served, pork was never served. Chicken was the reigning meat in my house, and almost 12 years later, I don’t miss it. Animal treatment and a safe, healthy farm environment are also important to me. I’ve done my research on the mistreatment of animals and factory farming and it certainly doesn’t make me want to eat meat again. I do recognize that there is organic and free range meat available, and I hope someday that becomes the norm as far as meat production and animal treatment go.

3) What do you eat? Another easy one! If you are looking for tasty vegetarian dishes, you have come to the right blog! I post once a month about what I eat. Mostly, it is lots of veggies, a handful of fruits, and various protein substitutes. Greek yogurt (which is very high in protein, and luckily also delicious), organic free range eggs, various types of beans (garbanzo is my favorite), and of course tofu. I love to cook and bake, and I have yet to meet a vegetable I don’t like. I love to shop locally at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, and Trader Joe’s, which also carries local California produce. Someday, I want to have a garden to grow my own vegetables.

Be sure to check out the wealth of information on the NAVS website, the Holistic Nutrition Degree site, as well as the Vegetarian Awareness Month website. I leave you with NAVS’s list of benefits of vegetarianism:

• Reduce the risk of major killers such as heart disease, stroke and cancer while cutting exposure to foodborne pathogens
• Provide a viable answer to feeding the world’s hungry through more efficient use of grains and other crops
• Save animals from suffering in factory-farm conditions and from the pain and terror of slaughter
• Conserve vital but limited freshwater, fertile topsoil and other precious resources
• Preserve irreplaceable ecosystems such as rainforests and other wildlife habitats
• Decrease greenhouse gases that are accelerating global warming
• Mitigate the ever-expanding environmental pollution of animal agriculture

What is your favorite fall vegetarian dish?

I know that the kitchen can be a scary, overwhelming place that is full of weirdly shaped utensils that seemingly have no purpose. While some gadgets are important, I find it hard to buy something that serves one purpose, has too many removable parts, or has a function that can be replicated by another kitchen tool.

Here are ten items I think are worthy of being in your kitchen.

1. Tongs: Every kitchen needs a pair of tongs. Good for flipping things on the grill, lifting things out of boiling water, or dipping things into fry oil, they are a pair of high-heat hands that can do things you can’t! As well as the trusted service of affordable cooking oil recycling LA you might need one day.

image from skinny girls and mayonnaise

2. Wooden spoons: I have several (alright maybe like ten) of these in my kitchen, and I use them for all things cooking and baking and stirring. You’ll definitely want one or two of those around.

image from 4homeproducts.com

3. Rubber spatula: These babies are important for every kitchen – for spreading dough, making sure to get every last drop of brownie batter into the pan, and for getting the last of the peanut butter from the jar.

image from Allhamd

4. Jelly roll pan: This is a fancy way of saying a rimmed baking sheet. Use these to make sheet cakes for a crowd, steam squash in a bit of water, or make overcrowded cinnamon buns. I have two and they are my go-to for dinner or dessert.

image from Sweet Baking and Candy Making Supply

5. Mopine: A mopine is an Italian-American word for kitchen towel. I have ten or twenty of these, and keep one on my shoulder at all times in the kitchen for handling hot items, whipping up spills, drying dishes, cleaning counters. It saves on paper towels, keeps your hands burn-free, and you always have a napkin on hand!

image from the Juniper Moon Farm blog

6. Cast iron pan: I have one cast iron, and dream of the day I have several. I use it for most every meal. It’s good for frying eggs, sautéing vegetables, making stir fry, taco meat, etc. And, it adds a bit of iron into your food, making it good for people who are anemic, like me.

7. Dutch oven: I use my dutch oven for deep frying (think donuts, fried chicken), for making soups, stews, chilis, for making yogurt and bread, for pretty much everything and anything. If you have a dutch oven and a cast iron, you’re all set to cook!

8. Silcone mat: I have one of these that I use whenever I’m baking to keep counters clean, and to roll dough out evenly. The best thing about them is they can go in the oven, so you can use them to line your jelly roll pans for baked goods when they go in – think scones and cookies.

image from Crate & Barrel

9. A good knife: You need at least one good knife in your kitchen, preferably a set. Make sure you keep your knife sharpened and honed, or else the best knife will do you no favors. I like to sharpen my knives at least once a month, but it depends on how often you use them.

image from Amazon

10. A grater: A good grater can help you in many scenarios. Think outside the box: not just cheese, but ginger, vegetables, chocolate, and candy. Plus, who doesn’t love some nachos after a long day?

image from Amazon