Recipe Review: Portobello Pizzas!

Oh, pizza!  How we love you!  The kids were happy to try this pizza recipe that was recommended to Daddio by one of his colleagues.  Yummy!

Portobello Pizza

A few days ago we became vegan.  Yesterday, we had portobello pizza.  It was amazing!  It is basically mushroom pizza.  I enjoyed it.  It had vegan cheese, pizza sauce, and sautéed zucchini.  I liked the zucchini the best.  Also, the mushroom we had it on was chewy and slick.  It gave the pizza a meaty flavor.

Written by Belle, age 9.

Portobello Pizza

Recipe adapted by Moma

Ingredients:
-5 portobello mushrooms
-pizza sauce (we actually used organic spaghetti sauce)
-zucchini, quartered & sliced
-vegan cheese
-olive oil

1.  Gently twist portobello stems to remove them, and scrape the gills out with a spoon.  Wipe gently with wet towel.

2.  Rub olive oil on both sides of portobellos.

3.  Place the mushrooms, gill side down, on the grill for 8 minutes (ours was set about 400 degrees).

4.  While the mushrooms are heating on the grill, sauté the zucchini pieces in olive oil on the stove top.

5.  Remove mushrooms from heat, place gill side up on a baking sheet.  Top with sauce, cheese, and sautéed zucchini.

6.  Place mushrooms back on the grill, topping side up. ;)  Close lid and allow grill to work like an oven, melting the cheese and toppings into gooey goodness.  This takes about 5-7 minutes.

7.  Remove portobello pizzas gently to a baking sheet and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.  This helps everything kind of thicken up so it's a bit more manageable.

We ate our portobello pizza alongside roasted asparagus, a family favorite.

**This recipe was a hit with everyone, including our 3 year old!**

Recipe Review: Lentil Tacos

A couple days ago our family decided to go vegan.  A vegan is someone who doesn't eat anything produced by an animal (eggs, milk, cheese, meat, and animal fat).  The very first night we ate lentil tacos.  I wasn't sure how it would taste  Usually, our mom makes tacos that have beef or turkey and cheese, which we couldn't have.  Instead, we substituted lentils for beef, and soy-based cheese instead of dairy.  It was delicious, just like a regular taco!  It did have a yummy twist though, because of the lentils.  They had a smooth texture and slightly different flavor than beef.

I was afraid that I would miss the flavor of the foods that we're used to eating.  I think it's just a matter of finding delicious substitutes, like lentil beans and soy-based cheese.  It may be different but it still tastes great!

Written by Sunshine, age 13.

Lentil Taco

Lentil Tacos

Recipe by Moma

Ingredients

* 1 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 1 teaspoon canola oil
* 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth*
* 1 cup salsa
* 12 taco shells/tortillas
* 1 1/2 cups shredded lettuce
* 1 cup chopped fresh tomato
* soy-based, dairy free cheese

Directions

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.  (To be totally honest, I usually have to add more broth and let it continue simmering to get the lentils to the consistency we like.)
2. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and Tofutti sour cream.

*I used homemade veggie broth:  I added about 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 4 bay leaves, a cup of broccoli, two cups of carrots, and a head of celery to a large stock pot.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cover pot, reduce to a simmer, let cook for an hour.  Strain veggies for purée, remaining liquid is your veggie broth.  Add salt and white pepper as desired.