Vegan pizza!

I always struggle with having easy, inexpensive, vegetarian dinners on hand. On a day like today I usually just fold and order something.

Lately, I've been making an extra effort to keep things in the fridge that I can throw together quickly and inexpensively.

Tonight we had "homemade" vegan pizza. You can have most of these ingredients for weeks, making it a meal you don't have to do too much planning for.

Ingredients:
Frozen organic wheat crust from whole foods
Daiya mozzarella vegan cheese
Organic low sodium sauce
Fresh basil
Garlic salt
Pepper
*wheat flour to keep the dough from sticking

1. Defrost frozen crust

2. Roll out with some organic wheat flour.

3. Spoon out some sauce on it.

4. Top with vegan cheese, and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper

5. Bake for about 15 minutes (check directions on crust), and then put some fresh basil on it. Bake for. Few more minutes (I did about 5.)

I served it with a side salad from our CSA http://njorganicfarms.com/ (the basil was from there too).

Delish, easy, quick, and cheap! Plus... Although, it wasn't a "diet meal" it was definitely more healthy than just ordering a pizza! And it got a thumbs up from my most important audience...

Isla makes herself some pancakes adding only organic soy milk and coconut oil.

Malmond milk

I was pretty happy with my 20.00 target blender, but I come from a long line of women who, as my mom put it, "like the gimmick." Magically, and with the help of $300.00 in Bed and Bath and Beyond gift certificates and a partially chewed on 20% off coupon (I didn't do it) my old blender transformed itself into a Vitamix.

I'm pretty happy with it so far. Today Isla and I made almond milk in it. I will post the recipe in it's entirety, but here's Isla's take on it:

Ficken Pot Pie

This recipe is one of my favorites.  It is a little complicated, but totally worth it! It takes the same amount of effort to make 2…so I usually make more than one, eat the first, and freeze the rest!

It can be made vegetarian or vegan depending on what ingredients you choose!

• 1 Carrot cut into cubes and steamed lightly
• 2 Stalks of lightly steamed celery
• ½ cup frozen peas steamed lightly
• ¼ cup earth balance
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 cup vegetable broth (I like to make one from a vegetable bouillon cube. I try to keep the sodium low.)
• ¾ cup rice milk
• One pie crust (I use frozen/vegan)
• One half package grilled ficken (I like Morning Star Chik'n strips) defrosted

Pre-Steam the veggies in advance.

Preheat the oven to 350

Cover the edges of the pie crust and heat until the bottom starts to look a bit flakey, but don’t over-cook, or burn the edges. Don't forget to poke holes in the bottom!

In a large pan, lightly sautee the onion in the earth balance. Lower the heat and pour in the broth.  Add the carrots, celery, peas, and ficken.  Keep on low heat and stir.

In a separate pot, on low flame, heat the milk.  Add the flour, and stir.   When it gets  little thicker, remove from heat, and slowly mix into the vegetable/ficken mixture.

Heat for about five minutes stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour into crust. Top with additional crust, and cover the edges with aluminum foil. Poke a few holes for steam to escape.

Bake for about 30 minutes, checking after 20 to see how the crust is doing.  When the top starts to look like it is browning a little, remove the foil to cook the edges.  Cook about another 15 minutes or until done.

Enjoy with a side salad!