One smart way to make clean eating easier

Chickpea skillet pizza recipe

This grain-free pizza features a blend of savory Middle Eastern flavors. It’s kind of like a deep-dish pizza — best enjoyed with a fork and knife. If you like, drizzle the finished pizza with your favorite pesto.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup heirloom tomato sauce (see recipe below)
• 1 cup finely chopped curly kale
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
• 1 small scallion, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup carrot cashew herb sauce (see recipe below)
• Crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, cumin and coriander; mix well. Slowly whisk in the broth until the mixture is as smooth as pancake batter.
2. In a medium cast-iron skillet on the stovetop, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the flour mixture so that it completely coats the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, about 5 minutes, and then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown, another 3 – 4 minutes.
3. Heat the broiler.
4. Add the heirloom tomato sauce, using the back of a large tablespoon to coat the entire surface of the crust, except for a 1/2 inch around the edge. Top with the kale, mushrooms and scallion, and then drizzle with the carrot cashew herb sauce. Place under the broiler until the kale turns crispy, 4 – 6 minutes. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, and serve warm.

Carrot cashew herb sauce recipe

Yields 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup finely chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch chili powder, plus more, to taste

Directions:

Combine the carrots, cashews, basil, parsley and spinach in a food processor, and process until smooth. Add the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and chili powder, and pulse to combine. Add more chili powder if you like a hotter sauce. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days

Heirloom tomato sauce recipe

Yields 3 cups

This tomato sauce is pure and sweet — it lets the tomatoes really shine. You can also add fresh parsley or leave out the basil, if desired.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 – 4 large heirloom tomatoes (about 3 pounds), seeded
• 8 fresh basil leaves, cut into a chiffonade
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and basil, and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove and discard the basil leaves. Using a handheld blender, purée the sauce, and then return it to the stovetop over medium heat. (If you don’t have a handheld blender, transfer the sauce to a regular blender, allow to cool a bit, and then purée; return it to the pot.) Season with the salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Text excerpted from Eating Clean, © 2015 by Amie Valpone. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.