Donny Osmond Flair

Have you heard of the All-American Prophet,

The blonde haired, blue eyed voice of God?!

With 14 nominations and 9 wins, it's safe to say that The Book of Mormon, Broadway's most popular new musical, dominated the 2011 Tony Awards. We at the VegBerger household were 100% team Mormon, and we needed some way to show our support. Yea, we could make t-shirts, but let's face it...you can't EAT a t-shirt. PIZZA IT IS!

We drew our inspiration from the musical's song, "All American Prophet" and came up with this delicious combination of ingredients which gave the pizza some...Donny Osmond flair.

The All-American Pizza

Pizza Crust, either store-bought or home-made

For the Sauce
3/4 cup Pizza Sauce
1/4 cup smoky BBQ Sauce

1. Mix together and spread on Pizza crust

For the Toppings

Vegan style "Chicken Nuggets", quartered
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Thinly sliced red onion, to taste
Vegan grated Cheddar cheese (Daiya is always best for PIZZA!)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Scatter "Chicken" and vegetables on Pizza.
3. Top with Vegan cheese. Garnish with pepper
4. Bake Pizza on middle rack of oven for 10 minutes.
5. If you like a crispier crust, transfer Pizza to lowest rack for 5-7 minutes. If not, keep it where it is for the last 5-7 minutes.

We also made a traditional Margherita pizza with regular pizza sauce, tomatoes, fresh basil, and a sprinkling of black olives. Because let's face it, one pizza is NEVER enough.

The Finished Products!!

KT and her best friend, Robyn, chowing down on the All-American Pizza while watching the Mormons take home the awards!!

(Side note: Later that night, we legitimately saw 2 Mormon missionaries riding their bikes around our neighborhood. Perfect.)

***

With all this God talk, Pam will leave you with a word about Veganism:

"Cruelty to animals is as if man did not love God...There is something so dreadful, so satanic, in tormenting those who have never harmed us, and who cannot defend themselves; who are utterly in our power"

-Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)

Peace, Love, and Latter Days,

Pam and KT

Chocolate Covered Blondies!

There's another Katie in the blogging world. Not only do we share a first name, but we are both obsessed with all things chocolate, we're both vegan, and we both baffle people with our diminutive stature ("how do you eat so many cupcakes and keep your stick arms?!" ...tact, people. TACT.)

Based on all of these things, I often lust over the amazing desserts she features on her website. When she posted the recipe for these chocolate chip peanut butter blondies, I was sold!

I LOVE fudgy, ooey-gooey brownies, but I've never had a blondie that fits that same texture profile. These were PERFECT, all because of a secret healthy ingredient that all my hummus enthusiasts out there will appreciate. CHICKPEAS! It sounds weird, but seriously...if I give you one piece of advice this summer, it would be MAKE THESE BLONDIES. They are game changers!It looks like I'm making hummus!!

These blondies taste so decadent but are extremely easy to make! They also happen to be vegan, gluten-free, and soy free. Find the recipe here!

Thanks Katie!! From one skinny girl to another: My tummy is forever grateful.
Peace, Love, and Chocolate

Pam and KT

Out of the Box : Week 3

Another week's bounty!! Thanks Tarleton Tavern Farm!

Week #3:
Beets
Raddishes
Broccoli
Lettuce
Kale
Collard Greens
Chives
Oregano
Day Lillies!

Last week we used our produce to make dishes such as: salads, sauteed collard greens with pine nuts and raisins, Fresh Dill-Basmati Rice with Chard and Chickpeas (from Veganomicon), and our Summertime Broccoli and Pepper Stir-Fry.

Peace, Love, and BEETS!!

Pam and KT

Eating Seasonally

One of our favorite things about summer time is the season's bounty, and thanks to our weekly delivery of fresh produce, eating in season has never been easier. And to be honest, food just tastes better when you know it came straight from the farm to your plate! In this delicious stir-fry fresh broccoli from our CSA box played the starring role, helped by garlic stems, scallions, and cilantro.
Summertime Broccoli and Pepper Stir-Fry

For the Rice
4 cups cooked rice (Prepare rice however you prefer, we used our handy dandy rice cooker!)
1 garlic stem (One clove of garlic would work just fine)
2 tsp. grated ginger
3 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 small scallion, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
I Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1. Combine soy sauce (or alternative), garlic, ginger, and scallion in a small bowl. Whisk in lime juice and toasted sesame oil.
2. Pour mixture over cooked rice and toss with fork to combine. Keep warm.

For the Stir-Fry
2 Tbsp. Peanut Oil
1 Scallion, finely sliced
1 Garlic stem, finely chopped (or 1 Garlic clove, finely grated)
1 and 1/2 tsp. Ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 pound broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips
Handful of mushrooms, sliced (We love baby bellas!)

1/2 package of Vegan chicken cubes or tofu (optional)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, tamari, or Braggs
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Heat peanut oil in Wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add scallion, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes, stirring constantly, for just a few seconds.


2. Add optional protein (vegan chicken or tofu), fpllowed by the broccoli, red bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring constantly for approximately 3 minutes
   

3. Add soy sauce (or alternative) and 3 Tbsp. of water. Stir, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until vegetables are tender but still have their bright color. This will take about 3 minutes.

4. Add Cilantro and toss.
5. Serve over warm rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds!

You should definitely do your best to find some fresh, local broccoli this summer! It stole the show in this dish, and we couldn't get enough! It's safe to say it was the best broccoli either of us had ever tasted. Happy eating!

Peace, Love, and Broccoli

Pam and KT

Strawberry Fields Forever

You didn't think we were going to stop at one frappucino cupcake, did you?! Of course not! Next on the list is the Strawberries and Creme frapp, which lends itself perfectly to a delicious, summery cupcake! This is an easy one, folks!

Strawberries and Creme Cupcakes
(For 12 cupcakes)

2 cups fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. strawberry extract (optional)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Puree in food processor strawberries, canola oil, sugar, vanilla, and strawberry extract.
3. Sift together in large bowl flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add puree to dry ingredients. Stir together.
5. Scoop batter into liners. Bake 25 - 27 minutes.

For the "Buttercream" frosting
1/4 cup vegan shortening
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. non-dairy milk

1. Beat shortening and margarine together until well mixed and fluffy.
2. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and non-dairy milk alternately and beat until fluffy.

(To garnish, we drizzled strawberry jam and sprinkled chopped nuts on top of the beautiful, pink cakes)
These creations were enjoyed by Andy (the oldest VegBerger sibling!) and his girlfriend, Kara !

I think they really liked them.

Peace, Love, and Strawberries,

Pam and KT

Out of the Box: Week 2!!

Another week of amazing produce from Tarleton Tavern Farm!!

This week we recieved:
Collard Greens
Broccoli
Early Red Onions
Swiss Chard
Raddishes
Loose Leaf Lettuce
Tarragon
Chives
Lemon Balm

In addition to using last week's produce on our pizza, we made a delicious Mediterranean green pasta sauce using the collard greens, green onions, and oregano. The buttercrunch lettuce and raddishes made many appearances in delicious salads! Check back later for recipes including the treasures we recieved this week!

Peace, Love, and Broccoli

Pam and KT

Rockin' Moroccan Pizza

Here's the thing...we're obsessed with pizza. In our minds, pretty much anything that tastes good should (and will) go on a pizza crust. Since we also love to travel, literally and in our imaginations, one of our favorite things to create are pizzas based on different world cuisines. Today's creation is inspired by the flavors of Morocco.

Before we get to the flavors ON the pizza, one must first acquire a crust! You can buy it pre-made or dough from the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Being over-achievers, we prefer to make ours from scratch. The bread machine is a well loved appliance in our kitchen for this very purpose.




Crust in the making!










Rockin' Moroccan Pizza

For the sauce:
1 cup pizza sauce (such as Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro (From our box!)
1 and 1/4 tsp. Moroccan spice blend (made from combining 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon)

1. Mix ingredients together and spread on pizza crust.

For the toppings:
1/2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (From our box!)
1 cup chickpeas, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup olives, sliced
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup Vegan mozarella cheese shreds (Daiya is the best for pizza)
1/8 cup fresh parsley and 1/8 cup fresh mint leaves, combined and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Lay zucchini and eggplant slices out on a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Spread coarsely chopped chickpeas on pizza.
4. Saute zucchini, eggplant, and green onion in about 2 Tbsp. olive oil, until lightly browned. Distribute over pizza.

5. Scatter sliced olives. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. Top with mozzarella "cheese."

6. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

7. When pizza is done, immediately scatter chopped parsley and mint on to the melted "cheese."

8. Slice and enjoy!

Peace, love, and spices,

Pam and KT

Out of the Box: Week 1

Welcome to a new weekly feature of VegBergers!! Out of the Box!
Every Friday morning we receive a box full of delicious, locally grown produce from Tarleton Tavern Farm as a part of our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) membership. This week we acquired the following:
Collard Greens
Green Onions
Buttercrunch Lettuce
Cilantro
Oregano
Endive
Garlic Stems
Radishes

You'll be seeing these freshly grown ingredients in some our upcoming posts!

Peace, Love, and Greens

Pam and KT