One week closer to the end of senior year!  I'm pretty excited for my classes this semester because two of them are SCIENCE!!!! I didn't have any science classes last semester and missed them.  They're both AP though, so maybe I should wait a bit before I get too excited. ;)

So, let's start with a question:  What do you do when you're craving pizza but only have ingredients for pasta?  

Got it yet?  

How about now? 

Ready or not, here's the answer:  Make a....

Pizza Pasta Bowl
Of course, when you're craving pizza and have ingredients for the real thing, go for it!  But this recipe uses staple ingredients and is quick to put together, so your pizza craving can be fixed at any time.
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 serving whole wheat pasta (or other pasta)
• 2 tablespoons pesto or tomato/pizza sauce (I used 1 tablespoon of each)
• Toppings of choice, such as mushrooms, olives, onion, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, broccoli, etc. 
• 1 ounce shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
2. Transfer the cooked pasta to an oven safe bowl and spread the pesto or pizza sauce over it.
3. Layer your toppings over the sauce, and then sprinkle the cheese on top.
4. Place the bowl in an oven set to broil and broil for 6-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to brown and bubble.

Still have a pizza craving?  Try my pita pizza.  How about one utilizing tortillas?  Or employing english muffins?  I have a Mexican flavor with english muffins too!

There's recipe 1 of 50+!

Question:
How do you curb your pizza craving?

My mom is thinking about calling a psychologist.  She is convinced that my obsession with squash is not normal.  Maybe she's right, but I think she forgot to take into account that I'm not normal and thus my abnormal thoughts are actually normal, for me.  But I guess that depends on you definition of normal, and since I consider myself abnormal, my definition of normal maybe someone else's definition of abnormal thus making me normal.  Normal or not, I'm moving on to the point of today's post...

Spanish class is inspirational.  At least it was this past Monday.  I was sitting with a few minutes left in class, and I began thinking of a burrito.  Of course, I knew I had no tortillas at home.  Major dilemma?  No, because I also knew I had english muffins.  And thus Mexican English Muffin Pizza was born during passing period.  

Recipe?  Oh right, let me run and get me notebook. (*Scrambles to backpack, pulls it open, yanks the notebook from the tight row of other notebooks, textbooks, an empty lunch bag, Beloved, and In Cold Blood -- my current literature class reads, and flips through Spanish notes, this weekends homework assignment, notes for my paper in lit class, dance vocabulary and the warm-up that I created, and then, at last, the recipe.  Rambles back to the computer.*)


Mexican English Muffin Pizza
The ingredient list may be long, but it actually comes together rather quickly!  Even though it may not be quite as quick as frozen pizza, the unique taste will make you glad that you took the extra time.
Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 english muffin, split in half
  
• 2 tablespoons salsa of choice
  
• 1/4 cup black beans (if using canned, drain and rinse)
  
• A small handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
  
• 2 tablespoons corn, fresh or thawed frozen
  
• A handful of fresh cilantro leaves, lightly chopped (I actually didn't have any, but I think it would be a wonderful addition!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 oz shredded cheese of choice (I used mozzarella because it was what I had, but I think any kind would work)
• 1/2 a small avocado, sliced (optional)
• A spoonful of Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Directions:

1. Cover a small baking sheet with aluminum or parchment paper.  Set your oven to broil.
2. Spread each english muffin half with a tablespoon of salsa, and place the english muffin halves on the prepared pan.
3. In a small bowl, mix the black beans, tomatoes, onion, corn, cilantro, and spices.  Spoon half the mixture onto one english muffin half and the remaining mixture onto the other muffin half.
4. Evenly sprinkle the cheese on the muffin halves.
5. Place the pan in the oven and broil for about five minutes -- until the cheese melts and begins to brown.
6. Transfer the pizza to a plate and top with the avocado and sour cream.  Enjoy!

And now I want to share a couple of random meals from the past week!  There's no such thing as to many food pictures, right?  Right? ;)

Let's see, above we have steamed brussel sprouts, delicata squash (think candy, only better), Whole Foods avocado sushi, and Katie's One Minute Chocolate Cake.  Who says you can't have cake for lunch?  I tried the cake with just stevia to see how it would turn out, but I think I would use some real sugar next time (yes, there will definitely be a next time :P).  It's so nice be able to have chocolate cake only a minute away!

Sorry for the lighting!  I was hungry and didn't want to go all the way downstairs to my light box!  So instead, I snapped a quick picture and then dug into steamed corn, steamed brussel sprouts, roasted kabocha (my first stab at my newly acquired squash collection), and a whole wheat english muffin topped with a mixture of Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and peanut butter.  And no, I couldn't possibly limit myself to that little amount of squash... kabocha was also my appetizer and dessert. ;)  And along with dinner, I had my first kombucha:

It was quite yummy!  Definitely something I would get again.


Questions:
Do you ever get recipe inspirations from class?
Do you have an obsession with squash?

Also, thank you for the compliments on my new header!  I'm so glad you guys like it!

Let's do a little comparison game, shall we?  Pizza is round, pancakes are round. (Well, my pancakes at least slightly resemble a round shape.  Most of the time they're more squarish or jagged on the edges.  Character. Yes, it gives them character. ;)  Pizza has toppings, pancakes have toppings.  True, the toppings are quite different... pizza has tomato sauce and cheese, maybe veggies, pepperoni for many while pancakes have butter and maple syrup, or Greek yogurt and peanut butter (!!), possibly coconut butter (!!)... but still, a topping is a topping.  Pizza is eaten for dinner, pancakes are eaten for dinner.  Who wants to wait until the next morning for pancakes when you can have them that night?  Um, not me.  Now the most obvious similarity is, of course, the taste.  Pizza is delicious, pancakes are delicious.  And these two recipes are nothing less.  

Sun-dried Tomato and Pesto English Muffin Pizza
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 english muffin, cut in half (I used Rudi's whole wheat english muffins)
1-2 tablespoons basil pesto
About 3 sun-dried tomatoes, torn into small pieces (if using dried, soak in water for a few hours prior to making the pizza)
1 oz shredded mozzarella

Directions:
Cover a small baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper.  Set your oven to broil.  Spread each muffin half with half to a full tablespoon of pesto (depending on how pesto-y you want it).  Arrange the tomato pieces evenly on top of the pesto, and evenly sprinkle on the cheese.  Make sure the tomatoes are under the cheese or your tomato pieces will burn.  Put the pizzas on the baking sheet, and put the baking sheet in the oven.  Broil for about five minutes or until the the cheese melts and begins to brown.  Enjoy!

The pizzas are so easy to make but are extremely yummy!  You could even make lots of them and then arrange the pizzas on a big plate and take them to a party!

Side note:  I ate the pizzas above with some raw snap peas and a package of spinach, steamed and then mixed with balsamic vinegar and garlic powder.  Got my greens for sure!

Now for the pancake recipe.  These aren't your basic light and fluffy pancake - they're much softer and denser.  But as we've previously discussed, different pancakes are actually good!  As long as they're cooked in a pan, I think they qualify as pancakes. 

Okay, so today I was down town with my mom (we went to this amazing Indian place for lunch <3), and we stopped at this cute little kitchen store called The Cupboard.  I found the perfect cup in the sale section.

I am freeeeeee!!!  I don't even have to think about school for over a week!!  Mid-terms are officially OVER!  Woooohoooo!!  (Can you tell I'm excited ;)

And, even more exciting, I will be in California in less than 48 hours!  I'm hoping to be able to post Sunday morning before I leave, and I might even take my computer and blog from California, but if not, this will be last post until next Thursday (I can't think of it - too depressing!)  Instead of contemplating that, I will move on into my top eats of the week (although honestly, I love mostly everything I eat!)  

I didn't have a lot of time to cook due to finals, but I did manage a few different eats.  Take this yummy pizza for example:

For my brother's birthday (which, by the way, I wanted to thank all you amazing people for wishing my bwudda a happy birthday - I got a genuine smile from him when I told him about your comments :D ) we made pizza!!  We bought fresh pizza dough from Whole Foods (I used the whole grain variety) and topped mine with pesto, fresh basil, tomatoes, olives, onions, and LOTS of broccoli (and cheese, of course)  Homemade pizza is way too good!!

Another yummy eat?  How about my banana scramlette?

I love this even more every time I eat it!!!  And it's the perfect post-workout snack! :)

And I just found my second favorite sandwich (pesto still comes in first)

I topped a piece of Rudi's 14 grain bread with baked sweet potato, coconut butter, carob chips, and another piece of bread.  Wooooow you guys!!!  That was out of this world amazing!!

We also made spring roles this past week!!  I <3 spring roles!  But my favorite part?  My Creamy Peanut Sauce!


Creamy Peanut Sauce
(Adapted from Vegan With a Vengeance)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Asian chile oil
Peanut butter (i just add spoonfuls until it gets kind of thick and creamy)

Directions:
Whisk all ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.

Spring rolls are way too much fun! :D

Then last night, I threw together something really quick, and it turned out to be one of my favorite dishes that I'm sure I will make again and again (and again... ;)


Quick, Cold Pasta

Ingredients:
1 serving cooked pasta
A handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced
A handful of fresh basil, torn
1 ounce of goat cheese, crumbled
Olive oil, to taste (I recommend a generous amount)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste)

Directions:
Place all ingredients together in a bowl...

.... and give a good mixin'!

Truly amazing!!!  Especially when accompanied with lot's of steamed brussel sprouts! :)

Now lets take a look at some recent breakfasts....  
Here we haves some cold cereal!!!!  SO exciting, I know ;)
But actually, it is kind of exciting for me since I only eat it like once a month.  I find if it kind of funny that most of my friends would give anything to not eat cold cereal in the  morning, and I find it exciting :)

1/2 cup kashi go lean granola + 1/2 cup Ezekiel golden flax + a handful of roasted peanuts = an amazing mess of goodness swimming in a pool of almond milk.  Have you ever had peanuts in your cold cereal?  If not, then do!!!  Really, it's AMAZING!!

Oats in a jar.... amazing as always!

And I also did a spin on oatmeal using Katie's blended grain technique!!

Sweet Potato-Peanut Pudding Oats

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
Liquid for cooking the oats (I used about 1 cup of water)
1/2 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A spoonful of peanut butter (probably about 2 tablespoons?)
2 tablespoon to 1/4 cup almond milk (depending on how thick you want it)


Directions:
Cook the oats according to package directions.  Next, dump the oats and the remaining ingredients into a blender and blend away!  

There's nothing like pudding for breakfast!!  Thanks, Katie, as always for your amazing recipe ideas!!!  And I'm definitely making your cake batter milk shake tomorrow!!! :)  SO excited - I know it will be absolutely fabulous!  Your recipes ALWAYS are!! :D

And finally, I took my breakfast to shcool this morning!!  I went early to start my chemistry final, and I knew I couldn't do it on an empty stomach.  So I made my breakfast the night before, stuck it in the fridge, and away it went with me the next morning!

I'm probably the only one at my school who gets excited about taking their breakfast to school ;)

Oh, oooooone more thing, if you aren't bored to tears yet (I really hope you aren't!)  I finally tried a (wait for it)....

I think it's very safe to say that these little guys will be making frequent appearances in my life! ;)

Ok, enough about me, what about all of you wonderful people?  How was your week?  Did you have finals?  Any particularly fabulous eats?


Have a great weekend everyone!!  Love you guys!