Spinach and Tomato Tart (Vegan Pizza)

I miss pizza sometimes. Friends in places like San Francisco do not understand this, as they have things as amazing as vegan pizzerias there. I was a bit shocked. However, I am in Ireland. So, I'll have to make my own. I'm reluctant to call things like this a pizza. Vegan-phobic people then pounce on it as a fake, a poor replacement for the real thing. 'Vegan pizza,' they'd say, 'No. You can't have a pizza without cheese because you just can't and if we start challenging everything where would we be? You'd drive yourself mad.' That kind of thing. So, that's why I'm calling it a tart, mainly, with vegan pizza in brackets.

 

Spinach and Tomato Tart (Vegan Pizza)

It's very easy to make. The prep time is about 5 - 10 minutes, and cooking time is about 10 - 15 minutes. I mixed some strong white flour with organic olive oil and water and made a nice dough. I was hungry, and so dispensed with the traditional addition of yeast and the subsequent hour or so for it to rise. I rolled the dough out thinly on a floured board, then placed it on a baking tray (a good trick is to put it on the tray before adding the toppings - it's harder to keep it all together when it's overloaded), and pre-heated the oven.

I made a quick tomato sauce from tomato puree, olive oil and oregano and spread it on the base. Then I made the thing that goes where the cheese would normally go (not a replacement, mind you). I blended up lots of baby spinach, some olive oil, nutritional yeast, capers and a bit of crunchy peanut butter. And I threw in some other things I had to hand till it tasted nice. I think there was carrot. There was definitely Frank's Hot Sauce. Always.

Being silly, I put all the toppings on before I added this spinach-sauce layer. Underneath it and unseen there sits; onion, pepper, sweetcorn, tomato, and thickly-sliced (cooked) beetroot, which gives it a nice bite. I threw on a few cashew nuts and a bit of rocket to top it all off, and threw it in a hot (not cold - fool me once) oven till I was satisfied and could wait no more (about 10 - 15 minutes). It was surprisingly good and I ate the whole tart (pizza) at once. I say surprisingly, as I often do in these entries, as cooking for me and Gwen is always an adventure. Generally it turns out pretty well. Rarely do you get lost in the woods without a map and get eaten by a bear. And certainly not this time.

- Dara

Banana & Cherry Slices

I've been considering cutting down my refined sugar intake. Or maybe cutting it out completely. I met someone else who is already doing this and it sort of re-enforced my thinking. So, when I went skipping (see my last post) and found 2 boxes or cherries, 6 bananas, and lots of oranges, I decided it was a good time to start some sugar-free baking. The recipe is incredibly simple and I really enjoyed these treats. They have a lovely subtle sweetness with more character than the sugary buns I had been baking. Now I'm sold on this sugar-free lark, and well on my way. Here's what I did.

I took the pips out of the cherries, squeezed the juice out of a few oranges and a lemon, and blended this all in a bowl with the 6 peeled bananas (like a lovely, thick smoothie). I added flour until I got a nice sloppy consistency, and I chopped up the other box of cherries and threw them in to get a nice chunky sweetness in the slices. I added a bit of oil and some nutmeg and cinammon. I poured the whole mixture onto a baking tray, thinly so it would cook within a reasonable amount of time.  Then I sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top for a laugh. And that's it. Let them cool and they're even nicer. Sugar-free and vegan. Beautiful.

- Dara