veganmofo - weird combo + artichoke dip pizza

Day 4 of #vgnmf15! We are asked to share a weird food combo.

To me, "weird" food combo is very relative and what might be weird for me, might not be for you. So, at the risk of not following the rules, I will first list a few combos that I think are a little odd, and then I'll get down to business.

Seaweed and Coconut Ice Cream
Nutritional yeast and Chocolate
Pickles with Vanilla Frosting
Almond Butter and Vegenaise Sandwich
Applesauce on Pizza
Caramel Sauce and Ketchup
...you get the idea.

Now for the story behind what turned out to be my actual post.

My daughters and I were brainstorming together for the prompts for VeganMoFo. When the prompt for Day 4 popped up, my youngest teen offered her opinion of what a "weird" food combo is:

Artichoke dip and Pizza

At that point her older sister googled "artichoke dip + pizza," switched the results to "images" and turned the computer to face her sister. No words were needed, as the entire screen lit up with images of pizza with artichoke dip on them. Not as "weird" as she had thought!

[I advocate using Goodsearch instead of Google, though, since you can donate to a good cause each time you search, such as for Farm Sanctuary.]

Although we had a good laugh, it did offer a good opportunity to share this Artichoke Dip Pizza with you, which appears in Everyday Vegan Eats (Amazon, B&N) and first appeared on my publisher's site, Vegan Heritage Press.

The absolute "weirdest" part of this story is that the pizza below is her FAVORITE pizza and we make at least once a month on Pizza Night, but, more often, twice a month! I'm thinking the name threw her; the book has it as Spinach-Artichoke Pizza, which is how she has come to know it.

For this special mofo, I went ahead and renamed it to keep with the theme ;)

Artichoke Dip Pizza
Makes 2 (9-Inch) pizzas
From Everyday Vegan Eats by Zsu Dever. ©2014 Zsu Dever. Used by permission from 
Vegan Heritage Press.

1/2 (10-ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 (6-ounce) jar artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 pound pizza dough
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)


1. Preheat the oven 450°F. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Squeeze the excess moisture from the thawed spinach and transfer it to a food processor. Add the cream cheese, scallions, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper, to taste. Process into a paste, scrapping down the sides of the bowl, as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning and set aside.
3. Squeeze the excess moisture from the artichokes, chop them and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well and set aside.
4. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. On parchment paper or a lightly floured, clean dry surface roll out one of the dough pieces into a 9-inch circle. Spread 1 tablespoon of oil on a baking sheet. Transfer the pizza dough to the baking sheet.
5. Spread half of the spinach mixture over the dough using an off-set spatula or the back of a spoon. If using, sprinkle half of the cheese over the spinach. Add half of the artichoke mixture.
6. Bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Slice and serve hot. Repeat with the other pizza dough.

veganmofo - q&e + thai panang curry bowl

Our prompt for day 3 of veganmofo is quick, easy and delicious.

Right away I knew which recipe I would post!

Panang Curry is our whole family's favorite Thai dish, I kid you not! To think that you can make this curry dish in less than 30 minutes is awesome - but to make the dish into a complete meal is even better, and the icing on the cake.

This recipe appears in Vegan Bowls (Amazon, B&N), but I couldn't help but share it with you today!

Basically, Thai curry is coconut milk that is cooked into curry paste. The paste can be made of green curry (using fresh green chilies) or  red curry (using dried red chilies). Panang uses red curry paste with the addition of peanut butter.

Because I am aware that red curry paste is difficult to find vegan (some have shrimp or fish sauce), or when found, a little bottle is sold at an outrageous price, I have included a wonderful, fragrant and most of all, easy, Red Curry Paste in Vegan Bowls.

In addition to being easy and delicious, the Red Curry Paste I offer is low in heat. Using more dried Anaheim peppers (a.k.a California chilies) than small red hot chilies is the key to adjusting the heat level of the paste, and, in turn, the heat level of the curry. Not everyone loves a lot of spice, and my recipe offers great flexibility in that department.

The recipe below uses store-bought curry paste, but if you get the book, you will also receive your very own curry paste recipe.

Enjoy this easy and simple vegan bowl!

Thai Panang Curry Bowl
SERVES 4 
This is such a simple recipe that it almost feels like cheating. In addition to being quick, this curry is super flexible; use any variety of vegetables that you please. (Recipe from Vegan Bowls, copyright © 2015 by Zsu Dever. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press, LLC.)


QUINOA
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup green peas, thawed if frozen

CURRY
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk, divided
3 tablespoons red curry paste 
2 tablespoons peanut butter
3 (2-lobed) kaffir lime leaves
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
5 cups coarsely chopped vegetables (carrot, winter squash, summer squash, green beans)
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
Sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup Thai basil or Genoese basil

SOY-FREE OPTION: Substitute coconut aminos and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt for the tamari.

QUINOA: Heat the quinoa, broth, garlic and salt in a small saucepan. Cover, bring to boil over high heat, reduce to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and add peas before serving.

CURRY: Heat 1/4 cup coconut milk in a large pot over medium heat. Add the curry paste and cook until the milk reduces a bit, about 1 minute. Add another 1/4 cup of the milk and the peanut butter and cook for another minute. Add the remaining milk, the lime leaves, tamari, and 1/4 cup of water. Add the tough vegetables (carrot, winter squash) and cook for 4 minutes. Add the soft vegetables (summer squash, green beans) and simmer over medium until the vegetables are tender. Add the bell pepper and cook until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Add more water if the curry is too dry. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, divide the curry and quinoa among 4 bowls. Garnish with the basil.