This pizza makes no claims to be the one from my favorite pizza joint. It is quite delicious on its own, though, and satisfies all my cravings for only 300 Cals. That's one fourth a large pizza, which runs close to 600 Cals for the thin-crust spinach-feta-caramelized onion-balsamic reduction pizza at Lola's.
Yeah, I'm a fancy pizza eater. I also like grape-gorgonzola pizzas. It is a source of deep and unremitting shame.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups all purpose white flour
1 cup soft white wheat bran (I just use regular bran. Cut back to 3/4th or 1/2 cup if the dough is too branny for you)
2.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1 cup tomato sauce (On weekdays, I cheat by using store-brought sauce and heating it on the stove until it reduces to three-fourths the original volume)
2 oz parmesan cheese
2 cups of your favorite toppings ( I used half a pound of broccoli and baby spinach each, sauteing them first)
Knead together the flour, bran, yeast, sugar and salt using enough water to make a soft dough. Start with 1/2 cup water and add more as needed. Knead the dough for five minutes, then let rise for an hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Roll the dough out into a large 14-inch pizza, then let rise again for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your sauce/toppings.
Spread the sauce on the pizza, followed by 1 oz grated parmesan. Add the toppings, and the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the crust is crispy. Serve immediately.
Even though I'm officially off the diet, A and I like this pizza so much we make it at least once a week. The bran in the crust makes it chewy and sweet, and two slices make a large serving. Try replacing the bran with whole-wheat flour for a non-diet but still healthy version.
Perfect for the cold rainy-gray weather we've been having.
Adapted from this recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sumac (optional)
- 3/4 pounds kale, stems and ribs discarded and leaves thinly sliced
Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in upper third.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and paprika and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for twenty minutes or until golden brown. Spread
cheese and kale on top of potatoes and roast for another couple of minutes until the kale is wilted.
Beat together tahini, water, lemon juice, minced garlic and sumac until smooth.
Toss kale and potatoes with tahini sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
- Function: noun
- Etymology: Middle English heirlome, from heir + lome
- Date: 15th century
1 : a piece of property that descends to the heir as an inseparable part of an inheritance of real property
2 : something of special value handed on from one generation to another
3 : a horticultural variety that has survived for several generations usually due to the efforts of private individuals
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres, tuned with ropes stretched across the drums.
At my wedding, my parents gifted me a miniature pair, hand crafted from heavy silver. They gave my sister a similar pair, and the drums are now a treasured family heirloom. After coming to the US, they were the first thing I sent for.
I use them to keep cardamom and fennel seeds on the table, as a time-honored after-dinner Indian tradition. Cardamom and fennel are used in India as mouth fresheners, much like the American chocolate mint. Fennel seeds may or may not be toasted, and are sometimes covered with pastel colored sugar coating. Cardamom seeds may be sweetened and painted with silver dust for a more elegant presentation.
The picture goes to Jugalbandi September, which is paired with the Monthly Mingle- theme heirloom.
*Updated on 10/18/09- I won it! The elusive Click Spectra- for best capture.
Vegetable sizzlers are a family favorite- vegetables and potato patties in tomato sauce spread on a hot cast iron tray, drizzled with a butter-vinegar mixture for that special sizzle.
Enter the I Diet. This is week 5 of the 8 week plan, and I have lost 8 lbs. The diet is great in terms of nutrition, satiety and all that, but it leaves much to be desired in its vegetarian menu plans. I've been tweaking most of the recipes to make them more taste bud friendly. Thus, the spicy tofu stir fry morphs into the quasi-familiar Indo-Chinese sizzler.
You do need some kind of cast iron tray for this. A fajita tray, sizzler tray, or even a cast iron griddle will do, as long as you have a server that you can safely put under it.
Ingredients-
1 package (14 oz) firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes, cubed
1 lb broccoli, stems and florets trimmed and chopped
1 lb green peppers, chopped into bite size pieces
6 oz carrots, cubed
6 oz mushrooms, sliced thick
1 tsp canola oil
4 leaves cabbage (important- do not omit)
3 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp chilli garlic paste
1- 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp or more cilantro, chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
- Parboil the carrots and broccoli until they are cooked through but still firm. I microwave them on high for 2 minutes with a few drops of water, then quickly dunk them in cold water to stop cooking. Drain.
- Saute the mushrooms in a non-stick pan until they release water. (I didn't use oil.) Then add the peppers and saute some more. Finally add the carrots and broccoli along with 1 tbsp soy sauce. Stir around for a minute or so.
- Remove the vegetables.
- There should be some broth left over in the pan. I added the tofu cubes to this broth and let them steep in it until they absorbed the flavor. You could do that, or cook the tofu your favorite way- pan fry, steam or broil.
- Toss the vegetables and tofu together with the ginger and cilantro.
- Stir together the remaining soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chilli parlic paste. You can add any broth left over in your veggie pan to this, as well as a tbsp or two of dry sherry/water.
Now comes the fun part.
Heat the cast iron pan on the stove. Brush the oil over the pan with a silicone brush/ crumpled up towel. Wait until the oil barely starts to smoke. Lay down the cabbage leaves over the tray, covering the whole surface with a single layer of leaves. Heap the vegetable tofu mixture on top. You should start to hear the sizzle. Make sure your family and friends are at the table before you drizzle the sauce over. Voila..smoke and sizzle!
Carefully transfer the hot tray to the server. Be careful while serving/eating from the tray- hot cast iron is not friendly to the skin. Serve some rice on the side and enjoy!
