Note: I haven't made something in the kitchen really since coming back to LA in June. This recipe is from the summer when I actually did cool things.
I’m not the best
when it comes to making food into something that tastes good, but I still am
occasionally super ambitious in the kitchen. And I try to be healthy, but being
on a college “money and time” budget, I struggle a decent amount – and
occasionally end up with breakfast, lunch and dinner pizza. So I go by the
“wholesome” model. Eat as healthy as you can, but don’t beat yourself up on
those days when you really just can’t do it.
With this in
mind, I’m always looking for simple substitutes for some of my favorite meals.
Thus, the Squash Pizza. This meal is
time intensive and some of the ingredients are a bit more obscure but I it’s a
perfect weekend evening meal.
This recipe is
slightly modified from the recipe found here
and makes one HUGE pizza. I could only eat two slices so there’re lots of
leftovers. Even my dad, who usually eats five. slices, could only manage two.
Let’s get
started....
Base:
1 Butternut
Squash
1 Cup Almond
Flour (or ground almonds)
¾ Cup of
Buckwheat Flour
3 Tablespoons of
Olive Oil (or Flaxseed – check the link above for that info)
1 tsp Dried
Oregano
A Sprinkle of
Salt and Pepper
A Sprinkle of
Garlic Salt
Toppings:
~400 grams of
pesto sauce
Cherry Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Red Onions
Spinach Leaves
Basil
Mushrooms
Non-Vegan Optional
Mozzarella
Cheese
Cooked Chicken
Strips (I used frozen, but you can make your own!)
1. Preheat the
oven to 390F. Wash and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Then, just like a
pumpkin, spoon out all of the seeds and pulp from the middle.
2. Place both
halves downward in a deep roasting tray and fill the tray with water until the
squash is halfway emerged in water. If you’re using a glass tray, decrease the
temperature to 375F. I had to use two trays because my squash was so big. Place
in the over for 40-45 minutes, until you can easily puncture the squash with a
fork.
3. Once the
squash is cooked, pull it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.
Then, using a spoon, scoop out all the flesh and roughly mash it in a bowl.
It’s okay if some of the squash is still hard – you only need 3 cups of mashed
squash – don’t bother to scrape out more than you need (and snack on it too!)
4. Mix in the buckwheat
flour, almond flour, olive oil, spices and salt and pepper. If you use flaxseed
check out the recipe linked above. Either line a baking tray with non-stick
baking sheet, or just spray with PAM. You can either use round or rectangle
depending on what style you’re feeling like.
5. Make sure the
oven is at 390F and bake the crust for 30-35 more minutes.
6. While that’s
baking, go ahead and cut up all the veggies and toppings that you picked. Once
the base is done, spread the pesto sauce on top and pile on the topping of your
choice. Stick it back in the oven for a further 10 minutes.
7. Go ahead and
eat up!
- E
