ROSEMARY POTATO PIZZA

for each pizza you will need:

1 tortilla or 1 pita bread
a few thin slices of potato
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
shredded mozzarella
salt, pepper, and minced rosemary, to taste
red pepper flakes, optional

preheat the oven to 450.

in a bowl, combine the potato slices, salt, pepper, rosemary, red pepper flakes (if using), and 1 tbsp. of oil. mix until the potatoes are nicely coated.

to assemble the pizzas, drizzle your tortilla or pita bread with a little olive oil. place cheese over top and then the potatoes.

bake 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through.

SHALLOT OVERLOAD SPAGHETTI

this pasta is sooo good. i love the mixture of shallots and parmesan. this is another case of my picture doing the dish no justice.

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
10 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. spaghetti
2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2-2 c. vegetable broth
3/4 c. parsley

heat oil in a large pan on med-low heat. add shallots and garlic and season with salt and pepper. cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the 2c. broth.

meanwhile, cook pasta to al dente. drain and set aside.

add the pasta to the shallot mixture and combine with the cheese and parsley. add more salt and pepper, to taste.

BAHARAN'S SAVORY SWEET POTATO SOUP

so here's the deal...i have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with sweet potatoes. I'm just not a fan usually. THIS recipe, however, is awesome. Baharan made this soup and it's not sweet! it's really good!!!

1 white onion, finely chopped
4 sweet potatoes, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
4 c. vegetable broth
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1/4 tbsp. garlic powder

saute the vegetables in a large pot, uncovered, with the oil, salt, and pepper at just over med-high heat. stir occasionally until they start getting soft (about 15 minutes). Add the broth and seasonings and bring to a boil with the lid on. let it simmer on low until the vegetables are tender (about 10 more minutes) and then blend them to your desired texture.

it should taste savory, not sweet, so adjust the seasonings if you need to.

great served warm or cold.

CURRIED TOFU "EGG" SALAD

this stuff tastes like the real deal!!!

1-14 oz. pkg extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1/2 c. diced red onion
1 carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 tbsp. curry powder
1/2 c. mayonnaise ( I used earth balance mindful mayo)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. honey
salt and pepper, to taste

in a steamer basket, steam the tofu for 10 minutes. remove from the heat and place in a towel-lined bowl to remove the excess water.

while the tofu is steaming, combine all the other ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. when tofu is done, add it to the mix also.

allow this to chill in the fridge for 15-30 minutes for best flavor.

i served this with tortilla bread and spinach....but it would taste good just on sandwich bread. i'll definitely be making this again!

STRAWBERRY AND SPINACH SALAD

so trey and i always have this argument over spinach.....i prefer it cooked and he prefers it raw. since i'm such a nice wife, i wanted to try some more recipes with raw spinach so i made this salad. i used a raspberry vinaigrette for this salad but really i'm sure any oil/acid blend dressing would taste good with it.

spinach leaves
strawberries, sliced
sesame seeds
salt and pepper
raspberry vinaigrette

HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

this picture does not do this soup justice. this soup was really good and really easy to make!

1 lb. veggie beef (i prefer morningstar farms)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 1/2 c. water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 3/4" cubes
1-14 1/2 oz. can italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. sliced carrots
1 tbsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. dried basil
1 bay leaf

in a large pot saute the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil with the salt and pepper. cook over med-high until vegetables soften.

meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. drain and set aside. in the same pot you cooked the potatoes in, cook the beef according to package directions and set aside.

when vegetables are cooked through, add the water, diced tomatoes (with their juices), tomato sauce, dried parsley, dried basil, and the bay leaf.

bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 10 minutes. When there is only 2 minutes until the soup is done, add the beef and potatoes and stir together well.

make sure to discard the bay leaf before you serve!

BRUSCHETTA

if you haven't had bruschetta, all you need to know is that it is essentially pizza. this bruschetta is easy to make and really good! if you have any leftovers of the tomato mixture it makes a great salad!

1/2 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch thick slices
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
3 yellow tomatoes, diced
large handful of basil leaves, julienned
1 c. mozzarella, shredded, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

preheat oven to 375.

bake the bread in the oven for 4 minutes, just until it begins to get toasted. remove and set aside.

meanwhile, over medium heat, cook the garlic in the olive oil until it becomes fragrant. this should only take a few minutes...don't let the garlic brown!

in a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper.

take your garlic oil mixture and brush it over the slices of toasted bread.

top the toasts with mozzarella and then top each with a bit of the tomato mixture.

bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.