Roasted Portobello Sandwiches

I've found that like seasons, I go through food phases. Right now I'm in a sandwich phase. A big one. A breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I'd-marry-a-sandwich if I could phase. I think I like them because you can make them as complicated or as simple as you like and they still taste good. There's enough variables to keep things interesting, and they go really good with soup(my other current winter food obsession).

Anything with the word portobello involved is probably something I want to eat, and when I saw portobellos at the grocery store as big as my face I knew what I had to do. Huge portobello mushrooms remind me of last summer when we'd have BBQs at midnight on Mondays just because we could. We'd go to Loblaws and find the biggest shrooms there, then coat them in olive oil and steak seasoning and BBQ them into deliciousness. Then I'd usually douse them in hot sauce which sounds strange but is weirdly delicious. Anything that reminds me of summer right now is okay with me!

I threw some roasted zucchini on there as well, cause the more roasted veg the happier I am. Avocado is super tasty in this as well, and maybe onions if you like those sort of things.

Roasted Portobello Sandwiches

1 ciabatta bun
1 Portobello(the biggest you can find)
Half a zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 tsp and 2 tsps olive oil
salt and pepper
dried parsley
hummus
1/4 avocado sliced
handful of greens

Preheat oven to 400, destem the portobello and lay it gill side up in a pan. Drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Roast for 15 mins, or until soft(depending on the size of your mushroom).

Place zucchini in a pan, drizzle with 2 tsps olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley. Toss to coat and roast for 15, or until soft. Top with greens, mushroom, zucchini, and avocado and serve!

Slice bun in half and place under broiler for a minute, then cover one slice with hummus.

Gluten Free Vegan Pizza

An issue I hear a lot from people who are interested in vegetarian and vegan food, is that they don't know what to make. They think it's time consuming, involves complicated ingredients, or is just plain difficult. While some of it can be, a large majority of it is simple, and can be even easier to make with a few ready to use products. While processed food is generally something I avoid, by reading labels you can figure out which products are similar to something you might make at home. I usually try to avoid additives, preservatives, food dyes and colourings, and artificial sweeteners. Whole Foods or Natural Health stores can make it easier to find these products, and they're becoming more readily available in conventional food stores as well.

This pizza only cost me about $13 to make, and it makes 2 12in pizzas! You don't need to use gluten free dough, and ready to use pizza dough is available in most grocery stores. Using a pita also works if you want to make individual pizzas. My oven is currently broken, so I made this in a toaster oven which worked surprisingly well! I topped it with mushrooms and broccoli, as well as Pepperjack Daiya cheese(my favorite vegan cheese), and some dried basil.

Vegan Gluten Free Pizza

Bob's Red Mill Pizza Dough Mix
Canned Organic Tomato Sauce
Daiya Cheese
Chopped veggies

Prepare pizza dough according to directions on bag.

Roll into 2 rounds, and sprinkle each with 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with tomato sauce, then add veggies on top. Sprinkle on more cheese, and bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes.