Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

How about pizza tonight? Homemade pizza nights should be fun and easy, and that’s where this pizza dough recipe comes into play. It’s ready in 15 minutes,…

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whole wheat pizza dough recipe

How about pizza tonight? Homemade pizza nights should be fun and easy, and that’s where this pizza dough recipe comes into play. It’s ready in 15 minutes, start to finish. That’s a lot faster than delivery!

This quick pizza dough yields a crust of medium thickness that’s crisp across the bottom and a little chewy in the middle. It has a lovely, yeasty flavor with just a hint of whole wheat. I love this dough so much that I shared it in my cookbook, Love Real Food.

proofing yeast for pizza dough

This dough doesn’t have the elusive, stretchy, chewy, sourdough texture that I crave in authentic brick oven pizza. This homemade dough is fantastic, though. A few reasons to love this recipe:

  • It’s made from scratch with basic, wholesome ingredients.
  • You can make it in your food processor (or by hand).
  • This dough requires zero proofing time. You can make your pizzas right away.
  • The dough requires minimal effort—just a couple of kneads and a few rolls with a rolling pin.

Let’s make some pizzas!

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Pasta alla Norma

We’re going back to Sicily! Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, marinara and basil. I’m excited to introduce you to this dish…

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pasta alla norma recipe

We’re going back to Sicily! Pasta alla Norma is a delicious Sicilian pasta dish with eggplant, marinara and basil. I’m excited to introduce you to this dish because it is a completely satisfying vegetarian dinner. I’m craving a bowl as I type.

Most pasta alla Norma recipes are made with fried eggplant, but this recipe features roasted eggplant. Eggplant really absorbs oil like a sponge, so this lightens up the dish. Another plus? Roasting eggplant is easier and less messy.

I further lightened this classic recipe by using more eggplant and less pasta, so this dish won’t put you to sleep. It’s nice and saucy, just the way I like it.

pasta alla norma ingredients

I don’t speak Italian, so I first assumed that “norma” meant eggplant. Not the case! Norma is capitalized because she’s a lady. Or an opera, depending on how you look at it.

Here’s the backstory: Pasta alla Norma comes from Catania, a city on the eastern coast of Sicily. Catania is the hometown of Vincenzo Bellini, an Italian opera composer who lived in the early 1800s. One of Bellini’s most famous operas, Norma, is named after its lead character.

Folklore has it that playwright Nino Martoglio, after his first bite of this pasta dish, exclaimed, “Chista è ‘na vera Norma!” (“This is a true Norma!”) That’s quite a compliment.

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Easy Tomato Salad

We have a surplus of tomatoes this summer, and it’s glorious. I dreamed up this simple tomato salad recipe to make use of the excess. I simply…

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best tomato salad recipe

We have a surplus of tomatoes this summer, and it’s glorious. I dreamed up this simple tomato salad recipe to make use of the excess. I simply sliced ripe tomatoes into bite-sized pieces, then I added some crisp red onion, lots of fresh basil, and drizzled it all with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar.

The end result is so delicious! This salad really lets raw, peak-season tomatoes shine. The recipe is also quite versatile, so you’ll never tire of it. Try adding some cucumber, mozzarella, avocado, arugula or even peaches.

Serve this tomato salad as a fresh, healthy side salad to any summer meal. It’s best when it’s freshly made, so I recommend cutting the recipe in half if you’re not serving a crowd.

tomato salad ingredients

I grew heirloom tomatoes from seed for the first time this spring. It was a fun process that proved easier than expected. In fact, I underestimated how many of the seeds would sprout. I grew so many tomato plants that we filled our family’s three garden plots and passed along the extra to friends.

Strangely enough, our growing tomato plants have provided a sense of continuity and hope during a tumultuous year. I’ll do it all again next spring, but maybe leave some room for more peppers and cucumbers. Or maybe I need a bigger garden plot. I think I’m hooked!

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Colorful Veggie Sesame Noodles

These sesame noodles are colorful and completely irresistible! I’m always excited when I find sesame noodles amongst a plethora of dishes at a gathering. As a solo…

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sesame noodles salad recipe

These sesame noodles are colorful and completely irresistible! I’m always excited when I find sesame noodles amongst a plethora of dishes at a gathering. As a solo dish, I crave noodles with a little more color, perhaps, and more texture and flavor. Must be the “maximalist vegetarian” in me. Always more veggies!

This riff on sesame noodles is exactly what I’ve wished for. This recipe features tender noodles and green onions, of course. I replaced some of the noodles with tons of crisp raw veggies, plus I added tiny sesame seeds, toasted to bring out their best.

The bold but simple seasonings include soy sauce, sesame oil, fresh ginger and garlic, and a generous sprinkling of fresh cilantro (omit it if you don’t like it). I added some chili flakes for extra heat, which you can scale up or down to suit your preferences.

sesame noodle salad ingredients

From what I’ve read, sesame noodles likely originated in the Sichuan province of China (please let me know if you know more). These noodles are not authentic, but they are tasty. I can’t stop going back for more.

Bring these noodles to a gathering or serve them as a side dish. They are nice at room temperature or chilled. Or, turn this recipe into a light meal by adding shelled edamame, crispy baked tofu or a fried egg or two. This recipe keeps well for several days in the fridge, and packs well for lunch.

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Quick Chana Masala

Chana masala is one of my favorite menu items at Indian restaurants. It’s a hearty, saucy chickpea and tomato dish with warming spices. I bet you have…

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vegan chana masala recipe

Chana masala is one of my favorite menu items at Indian restaurants. It’s a hearty, saucy chickpea and tomato dish with warming spices. I bet you have the ingredients to make this easy homemade version in your pantry already!

I shared this recipe back in 2014, and wanted to revisit it as we’re all spending more time at home. I thoroughly enjoyed the fragrant 20 minutes I spent over the stove for this recipe.

chana masala ingredients

To make this chana masala, you’ll need onion, ginger, garlic, and several good-for-you spices, including coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Garam masala is the traditional spice blend for chana masala, but if you don’t have that on hand, you’ll find alternatives below.

I’d like to start cooking Indian recipes more often. Which one would you like to see next? For more pantry-friendly recipes, check my healthy pantry recipes roundup.

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Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & Ricotta

Spring is here! It switched on like a light bulb about a week ago in Kansas City. The daffodils are on their way up, the birds are…

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Lemony Green Pasta with Peas & Ricotta

Spring is here! It switched on like a light bulb about a week ago in Kansas City. The daffodils are on their way up, the birds are chirping, and Cookie and I are thrilled. I’m literally humming, “The hills are alive,” on our walks around the neighborhood.

Today, I wanted to share a shockingly green pasta dish with you. It’s easy to make, nourishing and comforting, which is exactly what we need right now. I wouldn’t blame you if you find the color off-putting, but I promise it’s so tasty!

ingredients

The cool thing about this dish is that we use the same pot of water to cook the kale (including the kale stems), pasta and peas. You’ll need to set a few timers. It’s not complicated, but maybe wait to pour another glass of wine until you’re sitting down to eat.

Once it all comes together, this dish almost tastes like deconstructed ravioli. It’s bright green and punctuated with tender peas and creamy ricotta. Make some for dinner tonight?

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Favorite Breakfast Tacos

These “breakfast” tacos are a quick and satisfying meal any time of day. They’re full of fluffy scrambled eggs and seasoned sautéed vegetables, and topped with whatever…

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best breakfast tacos recipe

These “breakfast” tacos are a quick and satisfying meal any time of day. They’re full of fluffy scrambled eggs and seasoned sautéed vegetables, and topped with whatever you have handy—hot sauce or salsa, maybe some avocado or guacamole if you’ve got it.

My husband makes great breakfast tacos, and he makes them often. I’m a lucky lady. I’ve been studying his technique as I sip my coffee, so I’m sharing his recipe (give or take) with you today.

breakfast taco ingredients

These egg tacos are a great way to use up your random leftover veggies. Or, if you’re in a hurry to get home and make them, follow his lead and stop at the grocery store’s salad bar for a variety of prepared vegetables and cheese. Why didn’t I think of that?

Make this flexible recipe a couple of times and you’ll have it memorized. Breakfast tacos will save the day.

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