International Blogging!

It is amazing to me that:

a) There have been 55 page views on this blog since yesterday- actually, a mere 19 hours ago.

b) These page views have been in Canada, USA, Australia, Germany and Russia.

c) How small our little world has become.

I am looking forward to being in touch with so many new people both from Victoria BC and around the world. Hopefully we can collect recipes and stories to share on this blog.

If you have any recipes that you would like to share, please send them along! 

Cheers, AJ

Goooooooo Veggies!

Vegetables are such a helpful food for your digestive system, excretory system, skeletal system (bones), blood pressure and overall health. By eating a diet rich in colourful vegetables you are giving your body:

• Abundant antioxidants that can help to keep away diseases like cancer, cardiovascular problems and stroke. 
• Vegetables deliver ample vitamins, such as folate, vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin B6, 
• They also are a great source of beta carotene from carrots, lycopene from tomatoes, zeaxanthin from greens, lutein from spinach and collard greens. 
• Eating a diet rich with vegetables is shown to help keep you at a healthy weight and promote healthy skin and hair. 
• There have been innumerable studies all over the world that show eating fresh green vegetables on regular basis is beneficial to your overall heath.

So listen to your Mom and eat your greens at every meal! Your body will thank you for it :) 

Let's make Pizza!!!

A few years ago I got this recipe for "tried and true" pizza dough. I copied it out of friend's recipe binder and have made it HUNDREDS of times! It makes two 10-12" pizza crusts (depending if you want thin crust or a bit thicker) I will share it with you because I think everyone should have an easy pizza dough recipe. There really is nothing like home made dough.

Here you go!

You'll need
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water (on the hot side)
1 tbsp honey (we use Babe's on Vancouver Island)
2 cups of organic unbleached white flour
1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tbsp organic olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp corn meal

~Preheat your oven to 200*
~Pour yeast into a large mixing bowl and add warm/hot water and honey. Mix, cover with a dish towel and put into the 200* oven for 5-10 minutes until mixture is foamy. Turn off oven.
~Meanwhile,combine both flours and set aside
~Add olive oil and salt to yeast mixture using a wooden spoon and mix well.
~Add one cup of the flour mixture and stir until smooth
~Add a second cup of flour mixture and continue to stir until dough forms a soft and sticky mass that comes a way from the bowl

~Flour your work surface and you hands with some of the remaining flour
~Turn the dough out of the bowl onto floured surface and knead in more flour until dough is smooth and elastic.

~Shape the dough into a ball. Put some olive oil on the inside of the bowl with your hands so the dough ball will not stick while rising.

~Cover the bowl again this time with plastic (I use an old grocery bag but cling wrap will work too). Put the bowl back into the oven that was turned off but remains warm, close the door and set a timer for 45-50 minutes.

~We use pizza stones but regular pizza pans work just fine too. (the pizza stone really crisps up the crust nicely)

~Put cornmeal on your pizza stones or spray oil onto 2, 12" pizza pans
~Punch down dough, divide in two balls and roll out to circles.

Now, here's the fun part!!!

Spread your choice of sauce (we often use yummy organic pasta sauce with garlic or mushrooms in it but really, you can use whatever you choose!)

Place meat on the sauce, follow with cheese and then your chosen toppings.

Remember* put toppings on your pizza from driest to wettest (Wettest ones going on the top so they dry out when cooking in the oven)

~Preheat your oven to 450* and cook from 13-17 minutes until cheeses are bubbly and crust is browned a little.
~Let the pizza sit for 3-4 minutes before cutting and enjoy!

mmmm...

Our new blog!

Hello and welcome to AJs Organic Cafe & Catering's Blog.


We will be posting recipes, info, ideas and anything that we find interesting and fun! 


Hope to see you here lots!