The Best Homemade Pizza

The goal: to create a 100% whole wheat pizza crust that tastes yummy. I have now spent years perfecting this recipe and this is the version I keep going back to. It's simple, delicious, and yeah, I think you can call it healthy for pizza. Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 cu warm water (around 110° F)
1 package (2 & 1/4 t) yeast
1 T honey (you could use 1 T sugar, agave, or maple syrup instead, but don't use fake sugar - the yeast need food to make bubbles)

2 cu whole wheat flour (plus more for kneading)
1 T olive oil
1 t salt

Variations:
If you want to make a thinner crust add 1 t apple cider vinegar
You could also add seasonings to the crust, such as oregano, crushed red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, sub spinach or kale juice for the water, you get the idea!

This recipe makes 2 thick or 4 thin crusts. Sometimes I'll make 2 flatbread pizzas and freeze the other two for a quick meal another day.

Instructions:
Combine the 1 cu warm water with the 1 T honey and 1 package yeast. (I mix this up right in my glass measuring cup.) Let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 2 cu WW flour, 1 T olive oil, and 1 t salt. Include your variations here too if you are using them.

When 10 minutes is up, combine the yeast mixture into the flour  mixture and stir until just combined (you may need to use your hands). Lightly dust your countertop with flour and knead for a few minutes. Form dough into a ball and return to the large bowl. Cover with a towel (or the lid of a pan like I do) and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400° F.

When 30 minutes is up, divide dough into 2 or 4 smaller balls (depending if you want thin or thick crust). On a floured surface, roll into desired pizza crust shape and place on baking sheet. Dock with fork, and blind bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with desired sauce and toppings, and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Let cool, cut, enjoy!

Bonus! Here is my super simple sauce recipe:

Ingredients:
1 - 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
Any seasonings you like. I use:
crushed red pepper
oregano

Instructions:
Combine ingredients in a blender. Boom.

Enjoy.

Vegan Chocolate Cuppy Cakes

Forget milk, oil, and eggs - everyone who has tried these cupcakes demands the recipe! And with a recipe this easy and delicious, there is no reason to buy a box of premade mix ever again!

Ingredients:
The Wet:
1 cu almond milk (or another milk substitute)
1 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 cu apple sauce
3/4 cu sugar
1 T vanilla

The Dry:
1 cu whole wheat flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/3 cu cocoa

Chocolate Glaze:
1 T cocoa
3 T powdered sugar
2 T almond milk

Before

After

Super Easy Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes. (Quick science lesson: The apple cider vinegar curdles the almond milk and gives it an acidic property which allows it to react with the baking soda resulting in a light and fluffy cuppy cake!)
3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together lightly to integrate baking soda and powder well.
4. When your 10 minutes are up, pour the wet into the dry. Mix with spatula until just combined.
5. Pour mixture 3/4 full into lined muffin tin.
6. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Rotate once front to back during cooking. Allow to cool as long as you can stand it until you just have to eat one!

These are delicious as is, but to make 'em fancy, you can add a glaze by whisking together 1 T cocoa, 2 T powdered sugar, and 2 T almond milk until smooth.

This exact recipe makes a great chocolate birthday cake as well. Just allow a few more minutes for baking in a larger vessel.

Enjoy!

Vegan Cinnamon Crumble Coffee Cake

It's my birthday! In lieu of birthday cake, I thought I'd share with you my recipe for coffee cake that recieved rave reviews at a business meeting this week. It has a lot of ingredients, but I'll bet you have most of them in your pantry. Plus, with whole wheat flour and applesauce in place of oil, it just doesn't feel entirely right calling this a "cake."

Crumbley topping ingredients:
1/2 cu whole wheat flour
1/4 cu brown sugar
2 T buttery spread (I use Earth Balance, you could also use the same amount of canola or vegetable oil)
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t salt
1/4 cu chopped or crushed walnuts

Cake ingredients:
The Wet:
1 cu almond milk
1/2 cu applesauce
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 T vanilla extract

The Dry:
1 cu whole wheat flour
1/2 cu white sugar
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
2 t cinnamon
1 t ginger (I love ginger!)
1/4 t salt

You will also need:
A bundt cake pan
Non stick cooking spray
3 bowls
A spatula and/or whisk

The dry. The wet. The muffin method.

Delicious cake in 10 easy steps:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Mix the wet ingredients listed above in a medium bowl and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. This will effectively curdle the milk and give the cake a tangy flavor, but you will not taste the vinegar. Don't skip this step!
3. Melt the butter and mix with other topping ingredients. Mix until nice and crumbly. Pour into the bottom of a well -reased bundt cake pan. (It must be well-greased or you are not getting this thing out!)
4. Mix the dry ingredients listed above. in a large bowl Use a spatula or whisk to ensure that the baking soda, powder, and spices are well integrated with the flour. 
5. Add the wet to the dry and use a spatula to just mix the ingredients. Some lumps are okay.
6. Pour into the bundt cake pan overtop of the crumbly topping.
7. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes at 350° F until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
8. Let cook in the pan for 5 minutes.
9. Invert pan onto a plate and allow to cool for at least 10 more minutes.
10. Enjoy!


NOTE: If you don't have a bundt cake pan, you can make this in a regular square or round cake pan, but you will want to pour the cake batter in first and put the topping on top.