My Perfectly Simple Pizza Salad isn't just a side dish recipe - it's a necessary component to pizza night. I crave this salad with my pizza pie! And it's super simple to prepare, so it grants your "easy dinner" wishes: Phone in order, prep your salad, grab some bevies - done!
The Best Friday Night. There's nothing better than a Friday night at home snuggling with your family, watching a good movie and ordering a pizza from your favorite neighborhood pizza guru. If you're vegan and lucky, you've found a pizza joint that humbly makes you a delicious cheese-free pie loaded with fresh veggies, maybe even some Daiya vegan cheese melted on top.
Pizza Salad. Every perfect pizza deserves a perfect pizza salad: crunchy chopped veggies over fluffy fresh greens, all marinating in a zesty-sweet vinaigrette dressing with a heavy handed dose of fresh black pepper on top. Stick your delivered pizza in a warm oven, because this salad is going to attract your forks' attention for a while. Get my recipe and find out my fave pizza toppings..
Perfectly Simple Pizza Salad:
Red Wine Vinegarette Dressing:
My fave pizza toppings: kalamata olives, spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, fresh basil, roasted garlic, capers, red onions, hemp seeds (if available), thin lemon slices, broccoli and tons of mushrooms - preferably the exotic kind. No I don't get all these toppings on the same pizza! I like to change it up once in a while.
And I'm not really into the 'veg meat' pizza toppings. My whole life I've been ordering veggie pizzas with no cheese, and I've really grown attached to them. Give me some chewy crisp crust, a perfectly herbed and zesty san marzano tomato pizza sauce, pile on the veggie toppings and I am in pizza heaven. Whole wheat or spelt crust is also a nice touch. And yes, I will go for the Daiya vegan cheese once in a while.
Don't Pay for a "House Salad" - Make it at Home. Why pay $5-$10+ for a House Salad when you can easily make an amazing, fresh, made-with-love pizza salad in your own kitchen, and in just a few minutes. Your "house salad" will soon become a pizza night favorite. And shaving a few bucks off your delivery bill will feel good.
Salad Ingredients. Hydrating, zesty, crunchy, salty-sweet ingredients are a must! The crunch-factor is essential. My fave ingredients are buttery white button mushrooms sliced thin and long, salty sliced black olives, super fresh ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, sweet rings of thin onions and a few chunks of bitter-sweet white grapefruit thrown in:
I love adding tons of fresh black pepper to my pizza salads:
Enough pizza talk, let me get to this mouth-watering crunchy salad recipe...
Perfectly Simple Pizza Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
vegan, serves two
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
1 red or sweet onion, sliced into thin rings
4 large white mushrooms, peeled and sliced thin and long
1 white grapefruit (or other large citrus), peeled and diced
1/4 cup olives, sliced
4-5 cups of mixed greens
*arugula, spinach, romaine, baby greens, etc.
*pass on using iceberg lettuce
2 tsp red pepper flakes
tons of fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup vegan croutons (store-bought or homemade)
optional: 3 peppercinis, sliced
extra: EVOO/red Wine Vinegar for marinating veggies
Red Wine Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp EVOO or chile-infused EVOO
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 Tbsp aged red wine vinegar
1 tsp agave syrup
fresh black pepper
squeeze of leftover citrus juice
note: you can also use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, if you'd like.
Directions:
1. Prepare your dressing by whisking together ingredients, set aside.
whisk the dressing:
2. Prep your veggie ingredients: chop the cucumber, dice the tomato, slice the mushrooms, dice the citrus, slice the onions and slice your olives. Place all these veggies in a large mixing bowl.
Prep the Veggies:
3. Add a drizzle of red wine vinegar and a drizzle of EVOO to your chopped veggies bowl. Grind in a plentiful amount of fresh black pepper. Toss gently. Set aside.
4. Gather your salad bowls and your greens. Divide the greens between the bowls. Leave room for the veggies though! Drizzle a small amount of dressing over the greens.
5. Spoon a plentiful amount of your veggies mix on top of the greens. Pour the leftover veggie mix into a small bowl for easy veg refills.
6. Add another drizzle of dressing over top and cover the veggies in fresh black pepper. Add 1 tsp of red pepper flakes to each salad as well.
7. Dot salads with croutons and serve!
The Perfectly Simple Pizza Salad. Salad Recipe Series.
New Jamba Juice Organic Hot Blends. Vegan Hot Bevs!
Perfectly Chocolate Chai Tea, Heavenly Green Tea Latte and Classic Hot Chocolate (all vegan when made with soymilk) are just a few of the new Organic Hot Blends menu items at Jamba Juice. So it looks like Starbucks tried smoothies and now Jamba Juice is trying hot beverages. Interesting. Let's peruse and find out why they might triumph over Starbucks hot tea bevies...
The new Organic Hot Blends vegan products include:
Perfectly Chocolate Chai Tea with soymilk
Heavenly Green Tea Latte with soymilk
Classic Hot Chocolate with soymilk
Original Spiced Chai Latte with soymilk
Tea Varieties:
Organic Breakfast, Organic Green Dragon, Organic Earl Gray, Organic African Nectar, Organic Spring Jasmine, Detox Infusion.
Different From Starbucks? So why would you go to Jamba Juice instead of Starbucks for your soy chai tea latte? One reason: Jamba Juice's teas are all organic. Starbucks TAZO teas are not all organic. From the TAZO website I found these products that are certified organic:
Darjeeling, Envy, Om and Tazo Chai Filterbags, Tazo Iced Tea, Tazo Iced Green Tea Bottled Tea and Organic Tazo Chai Concentrate.
Comparing Nutrition, Starbucks vs. Jamba Juice:
16 ounce Jamba Juice Hot Original Spiced Chai Tea Latte with soymilk:
Calories 230
Total Fat 7g
Total Carbohydrate 29g
Fiber 2g
Sugars 24g
Protein 14g
Calcium 8% RDA
Vita A 0% RDA
Iron 20% RDA
16 ounce Starbucks Hot TAZO Chai Tea Latte with soymilk:
Calories 230
Total Fat 3g
Total Carbohydrate 47g
Fiber <1
Sugars 42g
Protein 5g
Calcium 25% RDA
Vit A 8% RDA
Iron 6% RDA
Interesting! Look at the difference in protein content, as well as sugar and even calcium. While they have the exact same amount of calories, JJ has more calories from protein and fat and Starbucks more calories from sugar.
Starbucks triumphs on calcium and vita A. But it lacks in protein, iron and is higher in fat and sugar.
Jamba Juice has a nice 14g of protein per 16oz. As well as a hefty 20% RDA of iron.
But that 25% RDA of calcium in Starbucks is pretty nice as well. Tricky! I'm guessing the variety of soymilk is a big factor in these nutritional facts.
Powder vs. Liquid. Of note, according to the online ingredients, Jamba Juice appears to use a soy milk powder in many of their hot bevies. (however the dairy-containing beverages do not appear to be a powder). Slightly odd. I'd love to know more about how JJ's hot bevies are made. I know they have liquid soymilk on hand for smoothies, so why would they use powder in hot beverages?
And of course you want to keep in mind that nutritional fact labels can sometimes vary from actual product to product. After reading these facts I'm dying to do a head-to-head taste test. Will have to look into this...
Have you tried them yet???
When I do I'll let you know what I think...
You can check out more nutritional info on JJ's website.
You can always simply make a hot chai tea bevie at home with your own favorite soymilk. Poor Man's Fire Chai.
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Reality or Not?
On March 26th at 9pm, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution reality show premieres on ABC. Jamie travels to Huntington, West Virginia, aka the unhealthiest town in America as deemed by the US government, and embarks on a journey to save the health of the entire town, around 50,000 residents.
Health problems plague this town: half of the town is obese, and the diabetes and heart disease rates are soaring. The school children couldn't even name a tomato, they called it a potato. Thus not surprisingly, the show has ignited controversy...
You say Potato, I say Tomato. In the trailer for the show, there is a clip of a classroom of elementary school students who don't know that tomatoes are tomatoes. They call them potatoes. There is another clip of Jamie reacting in shock when greasy pizza is being served as 'breakfast' in a school cafeteria. Then there is another clip of a wilted-faced obese woman sobbing in frustration to Jamie over an enormous pile of greasy, processed, high fat/sugar foods like pizza and snack cakes. Can Jamie, save her, her town and spark a food revolution in America?
"We don't want to sit around and eat lettuce all day." - radio show host in WV, as he remarks critically to Jamie's arrival.
The radio host went on to say, "I don't think Jamie's got anything that can change this town. He can try all he wants though."
Jamie responds later by saying: "I thought there were only miserable bastards like that in England."
Obviously Jamie's arrival was met with some criticism from the town. And quite frankly, I usually have doubts too when I hear someone (especially on a reality show) say they are going to "save" someone else. In my experience, you can only save yourself. We are all responsible for the decisions we make.
On the other hand, I am incredibly hopeful that Jamie will work nutrition miracles (and inspire a nation) simply because of his record of success. He has lead the war on childhood obesity in the UK and helped to make drastic improvements in a school lunch program there. You can read his manifesto here. He was also recently awarded the TED prize. And TED has a grand reputation for honoring genius-minded individuals. So is Jamie a nutrition savior of sorts for Americans?
Reality or Not? It is obviously admirable to want to 'save a town' from their fatally unhealthy ways. But the real question I keep asking myself is: is Jamie's blueprint plan for saving Huntington realistic for the rest of America? It's easy to put down the box of Ho Ho's when you have a 5 person camera crew two feet from your face. And it's easy to be motivated if you have a public weigh-in that will air across the nation. And it's easy to say 'yes!' to health when your have a motivating and talented Chef like Jamie Oliver leading you by hand. But will the healthy changes last? Will the town truly be changed forever? Will fruit and veggie sales go up and processed junk food sales go down at area supermarkets?
Can Jamie really have a Food Revolution on his hands?
These are the questions I ask myself. I also question the self-awareness an overweight person has when they continue to eat unhealthfully. Do obese individuals have a choice to be healthy. Maybe they are like drug addicts and are addicted to their unhealthy lifestyle and junk food. In that case, wouldn't they need a therapist and not a Chef?
The Reality Show Effect. We've all seen reality show participants get healthy, lose weight and kick addictions on national TV, only to resume their unhealthy ways a few weeks later. But yes, there are other cases, such as on The Biggest Loser, where contestants have maintained their healthy lifestyle. But is it social pressure to not fail? The, "we'll be back to film your results in two months" mentality of fear to succeed? Or is it a true and whole-hearted lifestyle change? I do not have the answers, but I am hoping that a few of these questions will be answered when I watch the show later this month.
Nutrition Nightmares? Jamie's Food Revolution show sounds a bit like Gordon Ramsey's famous reality show "Kitchen Nightmares". Only instead of dealing with hit-rock-bottom, failing restaurants, Jamie will be dealing with failing hit-rock-bottom people and their health. You can't simply scream at them about their customer service skills, show them how to properly saute some mushrooms, summon their finance records and point out specific errors, buy them new dining room furniture, repaint the walls and say voila! to increased clientele. Changing people from the inside out, in regards to their lifestyle, requires an emotional and intellectual connection to them that requires heart, persistence, creativity, skills and energy. Has Jamie got it? We'll see.
What do you think? We can learn so much from each other. Reality television shows can not only entertain us - but they can teach, awaken and educate us - even if "reality" really isn't reality.
I'm very interested to see what Jamie will uncover in this town and how successful he will be in the short and long term. I'll be watching. Will you watch?
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution premieres Friday, March 26 at 9pm on ABC. Produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Fresh One Productions
Read more about Jamie's Food Revolution on JamieOliver.com
Mexican Fiesta Salad, with Zesty Lime-Agave Dressing.
For recipe number one of my Salad Tour Recipe Series, we travel to California for a Cali-Mex-inspired Mexican Fiesta Salad with Zesty Lime-Agave Dressing. Vegan ingredients like avocados and citrus mingle with sweet corn and black beans. Tons of fragrant cilantro blended in. Jalapeno and chipotle spices, optional...
I've combined my favorite Cali-Mex-inspired flavors to create this vegan spin on a fiesta salad. Get my recipe and lots of step-by-step photos... 
Did I Mention, I Love Mexican Food? My long lost Italian ancestors would probably dump a bucket of pasta sauce on my head for saying this, but if I had to eat one variety of food for the rest of my life, I'd choose Mexican food. The avocados, citrus, lime, cilantro, corn, black beans, tomato rice, spicy chilies, pico de gallo, salsa verde with tomatillos, plantains, nopales, tamales and mushroom fajitas all leave me smiling in glee and craving a big fiesta feast. Growing up in Northern California, I had my fair share of delicious, authentic Mexican food. And even today, I am inspired by my childhood memories of those flashy or fantastic hole-in-the-wall Cali-Mex joints.
Cilantro Tip. One of my favorite tips regarding Mexican cooking is to first off, always use fresh cilantro. The second part of this tip: use the entire plant (stems and leaves). Even though you may be used to using only the leaves and soft stems of other herbs like parsley and dill, use the stems of cilantro. Finely chop everything: leaves and stems. Cilantro stems are crisp and juicy and add a celery-like crunch to you Mex recipes. My favorite burrito stand in California would literally fill 1/3 of their veggie burrito with a plentiful scoop of fresh chopped cilantro (stems and leaves). So good.
Fresh Cilantro:
Let's get right to it!...
Mexican Fiesta Salad
vegan, serves 2 as and entree, 3+ as a side salad
1 onion, diced
1 vine-ripened tomato, diced
4 corn tortillas, toasted in oven
1/4 cup sliced olives
1 avocado, diced
1 orange, diced
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
4 cups baby spinach
1 cup fresh or canned corn, unsalted
1 cup black beans
fresh black pepper grinder
garnish: fresh cilantro
Optional:1 tsp chipotle spice, 1 jalapeno, diced and de-seeded
Zesty Lime-Agave Dressing
1 juicy lime (or 2 less-juicy limes)
1 Tbsp agave syrup, dark grade
1 Tbsp EVOO
3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
black pepper
Directions:
1. Gather your ingredients and a large serving bowl.
2. Whisk together your Lime-Agave Dressing, set aside.
3. Dice you onion and dice your tomato, put both in a small bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and fold into the tomato and onion mixture. Grind fresh black pepper on top. Set aside. Note: If you would like a spicier salad, mix in 1 diced jalapeno and 1 tsp chipotle spice to this mixture.
4. Peel your orange and dice. Place in another small bowl. Dice your avocado and put into same bowl as oranges. Toss a bit so orange juice coats avocado. This prevents browning. Black pepper on top, set aside.
5. Open your can of black beans and corn. (You can also use fresh corn) Place one cup of beans in a small bowl. Heat in microwave (or stovetop in pan) until warm. About 90 seconds in microwave. Take 1 cup of corn and mix it with the warm-hot black beans. Set bowl aside.
6. Turn on oven - warm for toasting. Opt'l: brush each tortilla with EVOO and sea salt.
7. Toast your corn tortillas in the oven or a toaster - until crisp. Set aside.
8. Slice the olives, set aside.
Prep is Done, Salad Layering Begins:
9. Now we can start to craft the layered salad! First, place the baby spinach in your large serving bowl. Mix the greens with 3/4 of your dressing. Set aside the remaining dressing for later.
10. Over top the spinach. add the tomato/onion/cilantro mixture.
11. Next add the orange/avocado mixture to the edges of the salad bowl - create a border along the sides of avocado and citrus.
12. Tear your tortillas into triangles and squish along the border of the bowl to create a wall of crisp tortillas.
13. Add the beans/corn mixture to the center of the dish in a large pile.
14. Add the olive slices.
15. Lastly, add the remaining drizzle of dressing over top.
16. Serve!
More Recipe ideas: this salad would make a delicious burrito filling! Add lime-agave marinated tofu for some extra protein. More photos are below... 
