BBQ Pineapple Pizza

Another delicious recipe from Chloe's Kitchen - Chloe Coscarelli and a great alternative for when you feel like a change from the standard pizza.

1 14 ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained
2 cups bbq sauce (it pays to get a really good quality one, or make your own)
2 large onions, sliced (i used red onions)
pizza dough 1 to 1 1/2 pounds or buy the base
1 cup diced pinapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

1. Press the tofu, cut into  cubes and toss with 1 cup bbq sauce. Bake in an oven at 325 degrees for 45 minutes turning a couple of times throughout. (Alternatively, to save time just grill the tofu which should only take about 10-15 min.

2. Turn oven up to 450 degrees F.

3. Saute onions until tender and caramelized about 20 to 30 min. Season generously with salt and black pepper.

4. Spoon remaining 1 cup of bbq sauce onto the pizza and spread, leaving a border along the sides, you may not want to use all the sauce, just enough to coat the dough.
layer the Tofu, caramelized onions, pineapple and cilantro.

5. Bake for about 15 to 20 min, until the crust is slightly browned or golden.

Heavenly Fettuccine Alfredo

This masterpiece s from Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli and is hands down the best Fettucine Alfredo I've ever had, and more! It is bursting with flavour, and while being comforting and filling doesen;t leave you with the heavy feeling cream does. I have not tried it iwth almonds yet and have a feeling they wouldnt blend up as easily as cashews.

TIPS: I made a few small changes to the recipe.
1. a less health version, I used Nuttlex to cook the onion and garlic, to give a more authentic taste (as the original is in butter
2. I added an extra clove of garlic
3. I added the full 2 cups of water but would suggest trying 1.5 first and then slowly adding the rest till you get the desired thickenss.
4. the tip about the blender is also very important! luckily i have a vitamix, but i know from past experience that a good blender can make a huge difference to the overall quality of the sauce. I also recomand grinding the nuts up in a coffee grinder before blending everything if you don't have a a blender with a lot of power.

SERVES 4 TO 6
1 pound fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup raw cashews or blanched almonds*
2 cups water
2 teaspoons white miso paste, optional
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and let cook until soft. Add garlic and let cook a few more minutes. Remove from heat.
In a blender, combine onions and garlic, cashews, water, miso paste if desired, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Process on high until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
Toss hot pasta with sauce until noodles are evenly coated. Adjust seasoning to taste. If sauce gets too thick, add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Garnish with parsley and serve.
*If you are not using a high-powered blender, such as a Vitamix, soak cashews or almonds overnight or boil for 10 minutes and drain. This will soften them and ensure a silky smooth cream.

Avocado Pesto Pasta

Whenever I make pesto, I always add avocado. Avocado makes such a fantastic, quick and creamy sauce. This recipe is super quick, you can have it ready in about 15 minutes but at the same time it provides a filling meal. Try using another nut like almonds if you don't have any pine-nuts, although you will probably have to grind them up first before adding the other ingredients as they are not as soft. Usually when I make this recipe I don't bother with measurements but here is the recipe I got the original idea from.

serves 6

• 1 pound dried linguini
• 1 bunch basil leaves (about 2½ ounces)
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about ½ of a lemon)
• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (optional)

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add pasta and cook to package directions. While pasta cooks, in a food processor, blend basil, pine nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Drain pasta. In a large serving bowl, toss pesto with hot, freshly cooked pasta and garnish each serving with a basil leaf. For an extra touch of color and flavor, top pasta with sundried tomatoes.

   
   

   Notes: 
   
   
   A delicious variation is to make this with pistachios instead of pine nuts! Definitely worth the extra effort of shelling them 

   - When making this myself I leave out the oil - the avocado and pine nuts have enough oil and you can instead add a little water if needed 

   - I will usualy use 1 small avocado or 1/2 avocado with 1/4 cup pine nuts for one person and about 1/2 lemon 

   - will still use a bunch of basil. So my own version may come out more lemony and creamy but it is something that is very easy to adjust to individual tastes.