butternut squash + bokchoy breakfast pizza

 

when the crisp days of fall roll around, we do a lot more cooking at home. weekends included! one of my favourite things to cook together is pizza & flatbreads. i like to call this recipe a flatbread over pizza because i feel like you can include a lot more (not so traditional) ingredients on a flatbread. this recipe is inspired by my favourite chinese vegetable: bok choy. it features various flavours often found in asian cooking, such as sesame, garlic & soy. it also incorporates the must have ingredient of fall: butternut squash. i can't get enough butternut squash this time of year. i topped each flatbread with a fried egg because then it is considered breakfast, am i right? & who wouldn't want this for breakfast!

to keep things extra simple, i use angelic bakehouse's flatzza buddy crust. it is like a cross between a pizza crust & a flatbread. the buddy crust is the new personal size version of angelic bakehouse's popular flatzza crust. justin & i love using the flatzza crust for an impromtu pizza party, so i am pretty excited about the new personal size version. you can eat the whole thing to yourself & top it with whatever you like (i am talking to you pineapple pizza lovers). lastly, this crust is good for you too, as it is made with sprouted whole grains. it is one of those recipes that you don't have to wait until friday night to induldge in!

ingredients

  • 2 angelic bakehouse's flatzza buddy crust
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 100 grams sweet sausage, casings removed
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 pound baby bok choy, sliced
  • 1 cup roasted butternut squash, diced
  • 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon seasame oil
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup grated mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 2 fried eggs, for topping
  • everything bagel seasoning, for sprinkling

directions

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • line a baking sheet with parchment paper. place pizza crusts on tray & set aside until ready to use.
  • heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. add the sausage & cook until sausage is browned, about 5 minutes.
  • to the same skillet add the garlic, baby bok choy & butternut squash. cook until the bok choy is wilted, about 5 minutes.
  • stir in the soy sauce, seasame oil, salt & pepper. cook for an additional 2 minutes. remove from heat & let cool slightly.
  • drizzle pizza crusts with olive oil. sprinkle with mozzarella & feta.
  • evenly divide bok choy mixture between the two crusts. bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted & the crust edges are golden brown.
  • top with a fried egg & serve!

fall getaway @ brooklyn, new york

 

hello brooklyn! to kick off october, justin & i spent a week in new york city. it was the perfect fall getaway, even though the weather was in the high summer temps (i guess we just have to go back for round two of fall in the city). we seriously had the best time, i can't wait to visit again! it was justin's first trip to new york city & my first trip to brooklyn. we (ok.. i) decided to road trip up (which was an 8 hour drive) because i wanted justin to expereince the best of a new york state road trip. a pit stop for breakfast at cracker barrel, lunch at paneras & a scenic drive throughout pennsylvania/new jersey where we caught the start of the fall foliage. how can anyone not love this time of year?

we stayed at the hoxton hotel in williamsburg, brooklyn & it was so beautiful! i am in love with every little detail of the hotel. the interiors are stunning & the restaurant serves up a delicious brunch. the hoxton is london based, which makes the style so unique to new york. when you enter, there is a cafe serving up amazing baked goods, fancy coffee & fresh pressed juices. to the other side of the entry is the restaurant called klein's, which has a large outdoor patio. we enjoyed a few brunches here which i managed to photograph! the traditional english breakfast was a favourite (look at that tater tot). plus, each morning the hoxton delivers breakfast in a bag to your door which includes an overnight oats, orange juice & banana. we will call it first breakfast because on vacation the food never really stops.

we spent our first day exploring williamsburg (brooklyn) & east village (manhattan). i got to visit my favourite online shops in person! bird brooklyn, 7115 by szeki & caron callahan to name a few. i was fortunate enough to meet caron callahan herself (i think justin was fangirling more then me) who is one of the best designers i know. we had dinner at pies 'n' thighs, which served up some amazing fried chicken + waffles. the next day we walked over the williamsburg bridge & explored just about all of manhattan. we had coffee in the streets next to the flat iron building (which was one of the highlights of the trip), saw the empire state building, went through times square, radio city music hall, rockefeller center & central park. on the way home justin wanted to check out grand central station & we came across urbanspace vanderbilt. urbanspace brings over 20 artisanal + chef-driven food concepts to one space. it was so hard to choose a vendor, but we both settled on mian kitchen which served up some amazing bao, fried dumplings & popcorn chicken. justin said it was the "best popcorn chicken he's ever had".

the next day was the hottest day of them all, so we stayed in brooklyn & explored the greenpoint neighbourhood. it reminded me of toronto's queen west, where justin & i previously lived. such a quaint & artsy neighbourhood! we had coffee at homecoming, walked around the historic brownstones, shopped at home of the brave, ate lunch at fornino pizza & relaxed by the waterfront. i was hoping to see the brownstones in park slope as well, but because of the heat we decided to stay close to the hotel. our next two days were spent with red star yeast & the feed feed celebrating the launch of the new platinum instant sourdough yeast. more about this in my next blog post! for now, i will link to some of my favourite shops, cafes & restaurants below.

until next time new york! xo

cafes: partners coffee, homecoming, depanneur , dominique ansel bakery & oslo coffee roasters

shops: caron callahan, 7115 by szeki, bird brooklyn, home of the brave & wolves within.

restaurants: klein's (hoxton), pies 'n' thighs, chez ma tante, mian kitchen, fornino & chelsea market.

hotels: the hoxton, williamsburg

warm spiced pumpkin + tomato dip

 

FINALLY, real fall weather. we just got back from a trip to new york city & it was so hot. although i wish the trip would have lasted longer (i'll be sharing a post all about it this week), i am excited to return home to cooler temperatures so i can soak up all things fall. i spent my first day back home baking up a variety of homemade breads & this cozy pumpkin + tomato dip. it is the perfect recipe to welcome fall!

the dip has a middle eastern vibe as it is spiced with cumin, coriander & tumeric. the base of it is tomato, so it is important to use quality tomatoes such as pomi usa. pomi's tomatoes are fresh & 100% italian. in this recipe i used a mix of the strained tomatoes for smoothness & the chopped tomatoes for texture. the addition of pumpkin puree adds an extra kick of fall flavour & silkiness. i paired the dish with a variety of colourful vegetables to serve as an appetizer, but serving the dip with various breads & pita works too (similar to fondue).

happy october! xo

ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 can POMI chopped tomatoes (400 grams)
  • 1/2 cup POMI strained tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
  • pumpkin seeds, to garnish
  • fresh cilantro or parsely, to garnish
  • crumbled feta, to garnish
  • crunchy vegetables, for serving

directions

  • in a saucepan over medium heat sautee the olive oil, garlic & shallots. season with salt & pepper. cook until the shallots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  • add the cumin, coriander, turmeric & red pepper flakes.
  • whisk in the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree & pumpkin puree. season with salt & pepper.
  • simmer over low heat (covered) for an hour, until the sauce has cooked down.
  • garnish with pumpkin seeds, cilantro & feta. serve warm with crunchy vegetables for dipping!