Guest post: vegan pizza

photo by pwisenberg

Hi lil' birdies!

My name is Danni and I write a style/design blog, denj. Robin and I met a few years ago in university and we've been cooking yummy dinners together ever since (although I confess, Robin almost always wears the chef hat during these dinners, I'm... the sous-chef?) Anywho, Robin is a busy girl these days at law school, so she asked me to post this yummy vegan pizza I made for a get-together we had a few weeks ago (the very same get-together that we had Robin's Mac n' Cheese from her last post! We were full beyond belief by the end, so much yummy food!) I've never met a soul who didn't love a good pizza, this recipe is a fun spin on a classic. I made this particular one completely cheese-less (vegan or otherwise) but you could always throw a bit on top if you so desire!

Sweet Potato Pizza
Serves 8 as an appetizer 

To buy:

1 flatbread
1 large sweet potato
2 medium tomatoes
5 mushrooms
1/4 red onion
1 red pepper
1/4 cup tomato sauce
fresh basil
1 tsp. olive oil
salt n' pepper

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 400. Chop up your veggies lengthwise, and your sweet potato into wide flat pieces (chip shaped). Saute your veggies (excluding tomatoes) on the stove to soften. Next, spread your tomato sauce evenly over the flatbread and arrange the veggies on top, drizzle with olive oil, and finish off with fresh basil, salt, and pepper. Pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Let cool for a few minutes, slice, and serve!

xo danni

The sweetest potato

photo by pwisenberg

I've never met anyone who doesn't enjoy a good sweet potato fry, myself included. Although this soup may not look anything like fries, I was inspired by their flavour so it definitely tastes like them! I slow roasted the potatoes before hand in a mix of spices (think paprika, thyme and cayenne) to get that yummy charred taste. And seriously, when you're having sweet potato fries, a creamy garlic dipping sauce is completely obligatory, so I added just that (with a hint of lime) on top. This soup is thick and rich and has just the right amount of heat, perfect for a cold winter's day, which we're all getting sick of around here. Paul and I had this dish for Sunday dinner with fresh crusty bread and it was both filling and fantastic! Plus the leftovers will be feeding us all week... always a bonus.

Sweet potato (fry) soup
Serves 6-8

Roasted potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp each of cayenne pepper, dried thyme, paprika, sea salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Soup

Roasted potatoes (see above)
1/2 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
5-7 cups veggie stock (depending on desired thickness)
1/2 cup milk (I chose plain almond milk)
juice of 1/2 a lime

Creamy garlic lime sauce

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
zest 1/2 lime
juice 1/4 lime
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with the olive oil and spices and roast until fork tender and slightly charred, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and sautée the onions, carrots and garlic until softened. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper and lime juice and sauté another minute or two. Remove potatoes from oven and add to the pot. Cover with the veggie stock and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in milk, add salt or more lime juice if needed.

To make the sauce, combine the yogurt, garlic, lime and salt until smooth. Garnish each bowl with a dollop and a twist of lime zest. Enjoy with fresh bread on a cold day- so good!