Calzones

Since I enjoy making pizza dough, and the kids want pizza every couple weeks, I decided that this time I'd make calzones for Sleek and myself. The dough recipe from VWaV makes enough for two large pizzas, so I made the kids their usual cheese pizza and had just enough dough for two calzones. I decided to fill them with a mixture of ricotta, mozzerella, fresh spinach and lightly steamed broccoli. I went really light on the cheese and heavy on the veggies for mine. I honestly had no idea how these would turn out, but I hoped for the best. I baked them on a pre-heated pizza stone at 500 degrees. I'd say they baked for 10 minutes or so. I didn't time them, just kept an eye on them.

Well...They turned out AWESOME. Holy smokes, I almost can't wait to make them again. Next time I want to just do veggies. Maybe some sauteed eggplant, sundried tomatoes and onions. Now THAT really sounds good. You could really put anything in these. I dipped mine in some pizza sauce I'd made. I use pureed tomatoes with some salt, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. I swear, it's so much better than any pre-made pizza sauce I've bought. YU-HUM! Sleek actually said it may have been the best calzone he's ever had.

Last night, I made another recipe from Vegetarian. It was a sweet and sour bean hot-pot. Really interesting, and very good. Some different flavors for sure. It had limas, great northerns, chickpeas and green beans. Also shallots. The sauce was made with tomato sauce, ketchup, apple juice, cider vinegar, dry sherry, butter (I used Earth Balance), soy sauce and brown sugar. With a little thyme and marjoram added before baking. All this was topped with sliced potatoes that had been blanched. The liquid came up over the potatoes while baking, so the topping wasn't as crisp as the one in the cookbook photo. It was very good, though. Super-easy too. I forgot to take a pic before I dug in!

Enchiladas, Casserole, Snobby Joes and Tag

Well, I've been "tagged" by Carrie. It's my first time, so I guess my "tag-cherry" is officially popped. LOL So, I need to think of five things about myself. I don't know why this is so hard for me, but here goes:

* I have a fascination with serial killers and other morbid-type things. I watch lots of horror movies, and also real-life shows about serial killers and forensics. I also read lots of horror fiction and Appalachian ghost stories.

* I'm agnostic.

* I have extremely normal-looking ears.

* I did LOTS of drugs in college. I mean, LOTS! (And graduated in 4 years!)

* I'm really good at Trivial Pursuit. (I guess all those drugs didn't hurt my brain too much!)

So, there's some inside info about me. Most people who post here have been tagged before, so I understand if you don't want to play along. I'll tag: Sleek, Rebecca and Olives. (I know you don't have a blog, Olives, but you can do your tag as a comment in this post.)

Okay, now onto the food...

Thursday night, I made some bean enchiladas. Holy smokes, they turned out good. I started by sauteeing an onion and some garlic. Then I added probably 4 cups or so of cooked pinto beans, and some no-chicken broth. I mashed it all together, and seasoned it with salt, chili powder, cumin and a few drizzles of hot sauce. Honestly, it was so tasty I could've just started eating it out of the pan! I made my enchilada sauce using this recipe. It was really good, and very easy. As I was cleaning up the kitchen that evening, I realized that I had left the tomato sauce out of the sauce! Crazy, but it was still really good. Whew!

Friday night, I wanted something really easy. I found this recipe for an Italian Veggie Casserole on vegweb. It looked simple and tasty, so I gave it a try. I used a whole-wheat blend rotini for the pasta. I also made the breadcrumbs with whole-wheat bread. I just put them in the food processor, and then mixed a little melted Earth Balance in with them. I have to say, the simplicity of the ingredients and recipe had me worried that this casserole would just be mediocre. It was actually really good, though. I think if I make it again, I'll use 2 zucchinis instead of one. I swear I thought I took a pic, but it sure isn't on my camera!

Yesterday, I made up another batch of Snobby Joes. I tell you, I think a meat-lover could try these and be fooled. They are so freaking good! I could eat them once a week. I think Sleek could too. Today we had lots of leftovers to eat, and I didn't cook a thing.

The weather has improved somewhat here in WV. I've been walking/jogging nearly every day. I'm still trying to lose a few pounds, so I've been eating raw fruit, vegetables and nuts for two of my meals each day. Then I eat a normal, but healthy, meal. No snacking at all. I also have given up all beverages besides water, coffee and green tea. No more diet soda, which I drank regularly but wanted to stop for a long time. I have to say that I feel like the fog is lifting. I feel better than I have in a long time. I haven't been posting as often because I haven't been sitting around online very much at all. So, I think that's a good sign. Spring is in the air!