Today Marks the Beginning of Week 3!

Check out my book collection! It's growing by the day. While some I own, most are checked out from the library. I'm so grateful to have access to such a great library system - word up again to PLCMC - and for the librarians at ImaginOn who are scouting out the best books for me!! Thanks Amy W!

So, last night we totally redeemed our great-pizza-disaster of 2009!! We made Isa Pizza from Vegan with a Vengeance. Instead of making our own dough and red sauce, we bought 99cent ready-made whole wheat dough from Trader Joes and a jar of bruscetta topping (why not?!). Then we made a fresh batch of the vegan pesto we posted a few days back (in the entry called 'Meltdown') and a big bowl of vegan "ricotta". Then we layered it up - red sauce on the bottom, big blobs of pesto and ricotta on top, and then black olives and mushrooms. To keep the mushrooms from burning or drying out, we brushed them with a little olive oil. It's not cheesey, but it's delicious! We'll definitely make it again. ... and pretty much have to ... the recipe quantities could make two-three pizzas!


Here's the recipe, again, you may want to cut it in half:

BASIL TOFU RICOTTA

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. firm tofu
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash black pepper
Handful basil leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c. nutritional yeast

METHOD

Cut tofu block into rectangular slabs - blot each side with paper towel to remove excess water.

In a large bowl, mush the tofu with your hands until it's crumbly.

Add lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and basil. Mush with your hands again until you achieve ricotta consistency.

Add olive oil and stir with a fork - it'll be too sticky to use your hands now. Add the nutritional yeast and it all well.

While we had the olives out, we made some quick tapenade too. I used to despise olives ... and then one day, in Athens, GA, my darling friend Rebecca convinced me that I was seriously missing out and encouraged me to try some tapenade ... and I've been hooked ever since. Now, I consider olives in my top three favorite foods. (Capers are right behind them!) Calling for both kalamata olives and capers, this tapenade is beautiful - deep purple and earthy green - yum! If you're not big on lemon, you might want to cut the lemon in half at first and then add more if you like. The lemon definitely brightens it up ... but it can be overpowering, so be warned!

OLIVE TAPENADE

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. pitted black olives
2 tbs. capers
1 garlic clove
1 tsp. fresh thyme (we didn't add any; didn't have any!)
2 tbs. olive oil
1-2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

METHOD

Chuck it all into a food processor/blender and give it a decent whirl or two. You want it to be chunky, but not too much so.

According to the Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, "olives are excellent sources of oleic acid, an omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid. Olives also contain tocopherols, which is why they are a good source of vitamin E." There are other benefits too ... but my computer battery is about to die ... so I'll have to wrap this up.

Good night!