Tag Archives: recipes

Asparagus, Kale + Mushroom Skillet Pizza

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What goes together better than Friday and pizza?

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If you ask me, not much. Friday + pizza + perhaps a beer, if that’s what you’re into (I am).

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This great combination just got even better. Pizza made in my beautiful cast iron skillet, with slightly sweet caramelized onion sauce, fresh asparagus, crunchy kale, balsamic mushrooms and salty parmesan cheese. O yes, Friday (or any day) is even better with this pizza.

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The inspiration for this pizza came from two places.

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The method came from the great Bev Cooks blog. I love Bev’s blog. She makes food that looks amazing and she is seriously hilarious. You have got to check out her blog. And this pizza idea? Brilliant.

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The flavor combination was inspired by a great restaurant, Earth Bread + Brewery in Mt. Airy, Pa. Earth is the coolest little restaurant. It was the first restaurant that Greg and I tried in Mt. Airy and we were obsessed from the very first bite of hearth-baked flatbread. Earth makes flatbreads and they make them well. They are cooked in a wood-fire oven with ingredient combinations that just blow your mind.

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We haven’t had anything there we don’t like, including their selection of small-batch, house-brewed beers.

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One night not too long ago, we tried their “special” flatbread of the night. It had an onion marmalade as the sauce, kale, asparagus and mushrooms. Well, not too much later, I tried recreating it and this is what I came up with.

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The delicious ingredients mixed with the skillet method makes for one great pizza.

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You have got to try it!

Ingredients
1 ball of pizza dough
Olive oil
1 large red onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 bunch of asparagus
2 cups chopped kale
4 oz. mushrooms
4 oz. parmesan cheese

First work on caramelizing the onion. Slice the onion thin. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan over medium high heat on the stove. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt, stir and let cook about 5 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar and brown sugar and stir well to incorporate into onions. Turn down heat and cook on medium low, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 25-30 minutes.

While onions are caramelizing, prep all of your veggies. Preheat oven to 350*. Chop the asparagus into thirds.Toss asparagus and kale with olive oil to coat the veggies well and roast in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Slice the mushrooms. Toss with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Once onions are caramelized add to a food processor or mini food chopper (what I used). Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the onions and process until they are completely broken down and are thick and “sauce” like.

Now get ready to assemble the pizza. You can read the skillet method in-depth here. Place your cast iron skillet on your stove over high heat. Preheat your oven’s broiler. On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough to fit into the skillet. Mine was 8 inches. Bev used a pizza skin to transfer her pizza from the counter top to the skillet. I don’t have a pizza skin so I used an extra wide spatula. Transferring the uncooked pizza from the counter to the skillet is tricky, so make sure you have a plan before you add the toppings.

For the pizza, spread a thick layer of the caramelized onion sauce onto the rolled out dough. Top with cheese. Then add on the asparagus, kale and mushrooms. Transfer the pizza to the hot skillet. Quickly transfer the skillet to the oven and broil. Bev said her pizza took 2 to 3 minutes, however, mine took around 10. Keep in mind that cooking time will vary depending on your oven.

Once the dough is cooked through and crust slightly crispy, remove the pizza from the oven, slice and enjoy!

*Notes:
-You can definitely make your own pizza dough like Bev did in the link
-I used a store-bought pizza dough that was 8 oz.
-You could also use the asparagus, kale and mushroom combination on a pizza without using the skillet method
-Do what works for you!

Fresh Apple Upside-Down Skillet Cake

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I’m so excited about sharing this!

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This recipe, yes. I love upside-down cake. Especially peach upside-down cake. And I have been craving peaches lately. I can’t wait for them. Since peaches aren’t ready yet though, I decided to try an  upside-down cake with apples. Not only do apples top this cake, there are apples throughout the entire thing, too. It’s so good!

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But! What I’m really excited about is the skillet part of this cake. I made the cake in a skillet!

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I showed you last Saturday that I received a cast iron skillet as a sweet + thoughtful gift from Greg’s mom and stepdad. It’s just so perfect. I have been wanting a cast iron skillet and never did I dream that I would get an authentic, beautiful antique one! It is just so exciting!

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When I got it, Greg asked me what would be the first thing I made in my skillet. Sooo many options ran through my head and I just didn’t know how I would choose.

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The decision seemed so important and I felt like I needed to put so much thought into it.

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Well, this apple cake just happened. I wanted cake. I wanted apple cake.

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And I can say, I will always be happy that it is the first thing I made in my beloved cast iron skillet. 🙂

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I will always appreciate beautifully decorated cakes. But there is something comforting about throwing ingredients into a skillet, letting it bake, and then serving it without much thought to decorating. I would call it rustic. A cake that is “rough around the edges.” Beautiful, but in a very different way.

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And the taste. Oh my goodness the taste. I based the batter off of this cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I substituted apples for carrots and made a few other minor changes. It is such a good base recipe. It’s perfectly spiced, so moist. The brown sugar/butter/apple upside down part of this cake is soft, sweet and the perfect topping for the already soft cake.

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If you make this, be ready to want to dig in, right after the skillet leaves the oven.

Ingredients

1  3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
4 tablespoons butter
3 large apples, 1 sliced thin and 2 diced small
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk (I used almond)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350*. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-low heat and add the butter. Let the butter melt and then sprinkle 3/4 cup of the brown sugar over the butter. Place the one thinly sliced apple on top of the brown sugar and melted butter. Turn stove heat to the lowest setting and let sit while you prepare the cake batter.

In a bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add in yogurt and milk and beat well. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating well between the addition. Add in the vanilla and beat well to combine.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. With a spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones. Gently fold in the golden raisins, chopped pecans and diced apples until everything is just combined.

Spoon the batter over the butter/sugar/apples in the skillet. Smooth the top with a spatula. Place the skillet in the oven and bake 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serve and enjoy!

*Notes:
-If you don’t like raisins, feel free to leave them out!
-If the batter is too thick at the end, add another splash of almond milk at the end, right before you add the batter to the skillet. It should be thick, but stir-able.
-Baking time could vary. I made this once and it took a little under 35 minutes and another time it took a full 45 minutes.
-I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet. It developed a very thick cake. A larger skillet would definitely work too.

Fresh Veggie + Cabbage Slaw

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I’ve made you some slaw!

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And I’ve got a couple of things to say about it.

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1. This would be a great side dish (or topping!) for these veggie burgers. Great combo + so delicious!

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2. I’ve done quite a few strange things since I’ve started this blog, but I’ve got to say that photographing a large pile of raw chopped cabbage at 9 a.m. has got to be the strangest. 🙂

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3. I’m calling this slaw (and any other slaw I may someday make) just slaw instead of coleslaw. What does coleslaw even mean? The only thing I think of when I think of coleslaw is what I was served in my elementary school cafeteria. Trying not to compare the two.

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4. This recipe is brought to you by Cabo Fish Taco. Cabo Fish Taco is an amazing restaurant that Greg and I discovered a couple of summers ago in Charlotte, NC after seeing it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (love that show!). We went once and luckily have made it back a couple of times since and each time was just as good as the last. We always get the BBQ mahi fish tacos that taste like a plate full of fresh. The tacos come topped with this amazing slaw and the recipe is available on food network! The recipe is for the entire taco, and for this post, I just made the slaw. The only changes I made were adding more veggies and less mayo.

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5. As I mentioned above, I never really liked slaw (coleslaw). But this is different.  This tastes so fresh and light! And so flavorful. If you haven’t had a great past with coleslaw, you should definitely try this!

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6. Mayo. Another thing I’ve had a rough past with. I’ve never liked it. And if it is in something I’m eating, I try to forget about it. Like this dip. The dip is soo good, and I wouldn’t change a thing about the recipe. So, if I can forget there is mayo in it, it’s all okay. Does anyone else do this? But now, I’ve discovered something that I can come close to saying I sort of like! This. Has anyone else tried this and/or had this experience?

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7. This slaw is so good. It’s a summer recipe. Light, fresh, bright, delicious. It has a lovely kick with the chili powder and cayenne but is balanced with the cilantro and all of the cool, refreshing fresh veggies. It also isn’t overly creamy like traditional coleslaw, especially if you leave out some of the mayo. I hope you get to try it and love it too!

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Find the recipe here. Enjoy!

Homemade Balsamic + Dijon Dressing

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What is your favorite salad dressing?

Do you like something creamy or oil-based?

I would say that for me, a lot of times, my favorite salads are undressed.

The first time I made this roasted beet salad for Greg and I, he wanted to know what kind of dressing we were having. Oops. I just thought that everyone liked undressed salads? That thought was definitely off. He liked the salad anyway. 🙂

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For the past couple of years, I’ve struggled with salad dressings.* I grew up  loving ranch, but now, I can’t really stand the thought of drenching beautiful, clean vegetables in creamy ranch dressing. It just doesn’t seem right. Ranch on french fries, yes. Why not? But ranch on lettuce, I’m not loving lately.

Then I have the problem of buying salad dressing. I feel like there are sooo many options and I just get tired of reading all of the different flavors. So I buy one, use it once and then two years later I find it in the fridge and wonder if it’s still good. Does anyone else have this problem?

And one more. The ingredient list on salad dressings. If I’ve never heard of half of the ingredients, I’m not overly excited about eating it. Or dressing my lettuce with it.

So, I guess that’s why I’ve gravitated toward undressed salads. Load lettuce up with sweet, juicy fruits and you won’t even miss the dressing. But now. Now, I’ve played around with this homemade dressing and I am so excited!

Salad dressing problems, no more!

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I love this dressing. You can’t go wrong with balsamic vinegar. And the Dijon** is just so good. It not only adds flavor but also a touch of creaminess. This is definitely a wet-oil-based dressing but the Dijon adds just the right touch of creaminess to make the dressing sort of stick to the lettuce. I love the flavors of balsamic + Dijon together, and the honey adds just the right amount of sweetness to balance the bite from the vinegar. I added 1.5 tablespoons but add as much as you need according to your taste.

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Delicious, easy and only five ingredients! This is my new favorite dressing. 🙂

*I feel bad calling this a struggle, but you know what I mean. 🙂
**Every time I typed dijon, it was correcting it to Dijon with a capital D. I googled it and the d gets capitalized on Dijon because it is referring to the region in which the dressing originated — Dijon, France. Who knew!

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1.5 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1.5 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. olive oil

Add all ingredients to a jar or bowl. Shake/stir very well to combine. The dressing should be well blended. If separation occurs after sitting in the refrigerator, shake/stir before eating.

Enjoy!

Roasted Mushroom, Potato and Carrot Salad + Homemade Garlic Croutons

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I think you are going to love this!

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A healthy salad! That is delicious!

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I’m telling you, I am in love with this salad.

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I mentioned the other day that I am ready for light summer food and this is just that.

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Roasted mushrooms are unbelievable. If you have never roasted mushrooms, you need to. And if you have, I hope this is a friendly reminder of how to-die-for they are.

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I feel like I am kind of at a weird in-between stage with fruits and veggies. I’m sort of done with winter produce and ready for summer foods but it’s just not time yet. But, I feel like it is always a good time for potatoes. And carrots. And I’ve discovered that cubed fingerling potatoes roast up so nicely. And carrots too! Why is everything better roasted?

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And, these croutons. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with croutons. They are yummy and a nice crunchy addition to salad, but have you ever looked at the ingredient list on store-bought croutons? If you haven’t and you have any desire to eat minimally processed foods, don’t look and don’t buy. Make these instead.

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I’ve had problems with homemade croutons in the past. They seemed confusing and have turned out either too soft or hard as rocks. These turned out perfectly. The garlic flavor is subtle but delicious. These were slightly soft but had a nice crunch. And so super simple. They take no time at all. I feel like I will start to make a big batch of these to keep on hand.

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The whole thing together is amazing. Everything works together so perfectly. The veggies, greens and croutons. There is nothing I love better than a plate full of veggies that tastes delicious and is satisfying!

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And, come back tomorrow to see what I dressed my salad with. It. is. amazing!

This is what I used to make probably four servings
Ingredients
8 oz. mushrooms (I used baby portobello)
3 large carrots
10 oz. fingerling potatoes
Fresh ground black pepper
Greens, I used spring mix lettuce, probably about 6 cups
4 pieces of grainy/seedy bread
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced

Method

Preheat oven to 375*.

Cube the carrots and the potatoes and cut the mushrooms in half. I left the stems on. All veggies should be about the same size. Add veggies to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, about 1-2 tablespoons, just enough to coat the veggies. Toss to coat well and season with pepper. Transfer veggies to a baking sheet and roast until soft and nicely browned. I roasted for 25 minutes.

While veggies are roasting, cube the bread slices. Add them to a bowl. Add about 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the garlic is soft. Pour the oil and garlic over the bread cubes and toss to combine well. You can add the bread cubes to the same pan as the veggies or get a new one, but they will need about 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until just crispy.

Assemble the salad by placing the greens in individual bowls or one big bowl. Top with the roasted veggies and garlic croutons. Drizzle on dressing and toss to combine everything well.

Tomorrow I’ll share my dressing recipe!

Enjoy!