copycat

Have you ever had a meal so delicious that it haunts you and you are compelled to try and recreate it at home? That was my husband's and my reaction to this pizza. This amazing pizza.

Last fall, we traveled to Boulder, CO and I coerced him into having lunch at Leaf, a vegetarian restaurant. This place is fabulous and I highly recommend it. Not only is their menu entirely vegetarian, but they have created their own farm, to provide fresh, local, organic produce that is sustainably farmed. I'm gushing, I know.

Here's us taking in Colorado :)

Check them out here: http://leafvegetarianrestaurant.com/

So, this pizza. (Sidebar: I devoured a fantastic "crab cake" sandwich. That will be copycatted eventually as well.) Dru, my loving, meat-eating husband, indulged me, and at lunch, he ordered the thing he found least offensive on the menu. When our meal arrived, he donned his best optimistic smile and dove in. Boy, was he in for a surprise! "You've gotta try this!" :)

This is our recreation, completely from memory, as it is sadly no longer on the menu...for now.

Copycat Leaf Pizza

Ingredients:

• Flat bread crust (I used naan pizza crust and it was a little thick for my taste)
• Some variety of pepper jam. It's best if it has a little kick!
• Fresh Brussels sprouts
• Medium red onion
• Bleu cheese
• Oyster mushrooms

Directions:

• Prepare your crust according to the directions.
• Spread your jam around the center of the crust, leaving a 1/2" around the perimeter, in lieu of sauce. That's right. It's got that sweet, spicy thing goin' on.
• Chop and caramelize your onion, then sprinkle the pieces all over the jam.
• Halve or quarter your Brussels sprouts and roast them for about 15 minutes, then evenly distribute on the pizza.
• Toss the mushrooms and bleu cheese on.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until everything is nice and toasty.
• Enjoy!

Of course, I don't include amounts because it's really dependent on your own taste. It has been suggested that we could add chicken.  It has also been suggested that it doesn't need any meat. Really, just try your own version and please let me know if you discover something amazing!

One of the wonderful things about vegetarian cooking is that I'm not worried about the ingredients being "safe." Just cook the pizza until things are tender!

Be well,

M