Pantry Challenge Day 14 - Lovely Lemons and Sausage and Bean Soup

This past week was a very trying one. My dear friend lost her sister to cancer and her 15-year-old nephew to suicide within a few hours of one another. Sometimes there are just no words for the grief. I haven't given much attention to food or cooking since Monday.

So, it was a delightful surprise to come home yesterday to a UPS delivery on my front porch. It was a box of sunshine! Really! My friend Anile in San Francisco sent me lovely, fresh Meyer lemons from her neighbor's back yard (I hope her neighbor knows.....). Oh what a wonderful sight and smell on a cold, snowy Kentucky day! Paul laughed at me and suggested he give me some "alone time with my lemons" when I started dancing around the kitchen, sniffing in their fresh citrus-y scent!

I have several ideas for their use - hummus, to begin with. I'll keep you posted!

Thanks, Anile!

On a savory note, last night's dinner was a concoction of leftover. Paul always says he loves my "concoctions" the best. The photo may look just like a soup I made last week but it is quite different. And quite tasty!

Here is the list of leftovers. You can come up with your own "concoction" based on the leftovers in your fridge!

about 2 cups of leftover tomato-spinach pasta sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 can diced tomatoes (fire roasted, of course)
2 vegan sausages, sliced, then slices quartered
about 1 1/2 cups leftover basmati rice
about 1 cup leftover vegetarian baked beans

Threw it all together in a soup pot, brought it to a simmer, and left it there for 10 minutes. That's it. And it was hot and spicy and satisfying while the snow was falling outside and we watched reruns of "The Unit" inside.

Game Day Pizza! GO COLTS!!! GO VIKINGS!!!

Can't call this one part of the pantry challenge 'cause I went shopping for this one!  One of my friends made a post on Facebook early this morning about making pizza for today's playoff games.  I was inspired!  So off to Meijer I went and here is the result.  I intended to make one thin crust and one thick crust, but what I ended up with was one thick crust and one deep dish.  

I topped these with Glen Muir Organic Pizza Sauce, diced red onion, roasted red pepper strips, sliced criminis, crumbled, browned vegan sausage, and shredded vegan cheeze. The crust recipe is below.  

Thanks, Rene T., for the inspiration! 

GO PEYTON!!

GO BRETT!!


Pizza #1 - deep dish just out of the oven.

Move over, Bearno's!

 
Pizza #2 - thinner crust

Here is the crust recipe. I doubled this recipe and had enough dough left to make some bread sticks later in the week. 

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. (I used my Kitchen Aid.) Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it. **I pre-baked  these crusts for about 10 minutes before topping them.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.