If I had a penny for every "There's nothing to eat in this house!" I hear, I would be a millionaire by now. Particularly coming from my 15 year old son.
Now, considering what I do for a living, how is that even possible?? There's so much food in my house from all the cooking we do for the blog, I don't even have room to store it all. My refrigerator is so full, my husband calls it the booby trap. So every time I hear my teenage boy complaining about the lack of food, my blood boils. Especially because every single suggestion I give him is met with a look of disgust or an "Ugh, I don't like that".
But I just realized, finally, what he means by "no food". "No food" really means, no snacks. No treats. Nothing "good" (meaning, unhealthy). And to be quite honest, he does have a reason to complain.
Since I've been trying to keep the amount of processed food we have around the house to a minimum, our snack cabinet has been pretty empty lately, and so is our candy drawer; our freezer is filled with frozen fruit and maybe some vegan ice cream, but that's about it. So in a sense, he is right.
I think I've found the solution though. It's gonna take some extra work and effort on my part, but it will definitely be worth it, for many reasons. I'm going to turn into the homemade snack master! So I can make all the "good" stuff he likes, but still control what goes in it. Since I already spend most of my day in the kitchen, might as well, right??
Some imagination and good quality ingredients is basically all you need for this task (well, knowing you kid's food preferences helps too of course...).
First one on my list, "pizza" hand pies. Made with vegan GO Veggie! Shreds and cream cheese alternative to keep it dairy and cholesterol free and lower in saturated fat. Also a great excuse to sneak in some veggies in there! Beats those frozen pizza roll thingies you find in the grocery store, right?
And because we've been using GO Veggie! products for a while now, I know for sure they will be creamy and cheesy, and most importantly, my son will eat them!
What are your go-to home made healthy snack ideas? Please share them with us, we'd love to hear them!
Some Fabulous Kale Recipes to Try Today
- Cannellini Bean, Quinoa & Kale Soup
- Purple Kale Farro Bowl
- Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Mushroom Bacon bits
- Meatless sausage and kale soup
- Braised Kale with Spiced Chickpeas
- Penne Pasta with Cauliflower and Kale Pesto
- Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Tempeh Bacon Bits
- Vegan Garlicky Kale Pizza Hand Pies
- how to cook kale guide.
Did you like these kale pizza hand pies? Scroll down to the comments and leave us a rating! Did you love it? Share it or leave us a comment on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook! Wanna see more? Subscribe to our blog and remember to follow us on Pinterest!
Garlicky Kale Vegan Pizza Hand Pies
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cup chopped kale (chopped small)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp pepper (optional)
- 6 tbsp GO Veggie! Mozzarella Style Shreds
- 4 tbsp GO Veggie! Vegan Garlic & Chive Cream Cheese Alternative, at room temperature
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- For the dough:
- 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 tbsp GO Veggie! Vegan Garlic & Chive Cream Cheese Alternative
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- To prepare the filling, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add kale, salt, garlic powder and pepper (if using) and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Set aside
- In a large bowl combine cream cheese, shreds and oregano and mix well. Add cooked kale and mix until well incorporated. Set aside
- To prepare the dough, combine flour, salt, baking powder and cream cheese in the food processor. Pulse about 10 times until combined
- Add olive oil and water and continue pulsing 10 to 15 more times, making sure to scrape the sides so all the ingredients are well incorporated
- Transfer mixture to a floured surface and and work it with your hands to form a dough
- Roll out the dough onto an approximately ⅛ inch thick disk. Using a round 3.5 inch cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Gather the extra dough, reroll it and cut out more circles. Repeat the process until you've used pretty much all the dough (you'll have about 12 dough circles total)
- To assemble the hand pies:
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Place heaping teaspoon (close to a teaspoon and a half) of kale filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold it over to make a half moon, pinching the edges together. Using a fork, press the edges to make sure the pies are sealed. Transfer to the lined baking sheet
- Bake at 375F for 12 minutes
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Lisa Jay
Looks delicious. Can't wait to try it.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you!!! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Heather Mason @NuttyNutrition
Hi Ruth!
I just found your blog and I think it is great! I love your sense of humor and your recipes. I'm doing a turmeric round-up and I saw your pear and turmeric muffins.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much! Glad you found us 🙂
meryl
I have 2 boys, age 17 and 14, and I constantly hear the same thing - "there's nothing to eat in this house!" Like you, I have cut out almost all processed foods over the last year or so, and the snacks were the first to go. I've tried to teach them the value of putting real food in their bodies, and also the pleasure of cooking - it's ALMOST as easy to toast a piece of bread and spread on some honey, or to scramble yourself an egg, as it is to pop some processed junk in the microwave. I have to admit, they still complain and ask for things like goldfish crackers, but maybe over time they will develop some skills that will serve them later in life, and be healthier in the long run.
I love your blog! Keep up the good work!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Meryl!