Mama Mia! Garlic Knots!

Apologies for being so bad about posting lately. Work has been ridiculous and between there and the gym, I haven't had a spare moment to write anything lately. I've been super low on energy and not really prioritizing my cooking or blogging as much as I wish I could. Rest assured, I've still been eating very healthy and very vegan. I even tried out a couple of new recipes which I was very pleased with. I'll be posting them here over the next couple of days so that you too can try them out.

One of my most favorite places in the world is C&O's Trattoria in Venice Beach. Not only do they serve the most amazing, gigantic plates of pasta I've ever seen, but they have a very great hook as well. Three words. Unlimited garlic knots. You just sit down and order an entree, and the garlic knot guy will come to your table time and time again, filling your plate with delicious garlic knots that are warm out of the oven. I'm pretty sure that their garlic knots are vegan, because most pizza dough usually is, but I really should call to do some investigating. If the opportunity arises to visit there in the next 40 days, I will have to call them and find out if their delicious garlic-y goodness fits in line with my new lifestyle choices. If they tell me that they aren't vegan, however, it might be a real deal-breaker. It's debatable whether it would ruin my relationship with veganism or my relationship with C&O's.

Once upon a time, I was a Girl Scout. Our motto was to always be prepared. Thus, if C&O's doesn't come through for me, I have an excellent backup plan. That backup plan is my very delicious, previously top-secret recipe for garlic knots. It's super easy to make, but they always seem to really impress people. When I made a tray on New Years Eve, they were a big hit. Luckily, they're one of those things that are just naturally vegan. You could, I suppose, screw everything up by adding parmesan or romano cheese. If you really feel like you need that extra garnish, you should go ahead and pick up some vegan parmesan from your local Whole Foods. It's just as good.

Without further adieu, here is a totally simple, totally awesome garlic knot recipe. You could serve these as an accompaniment to a pasta dish, as an appetizer, or as part of a cocktail party spread. If you were feeling particularly lazy, you could probably put these out with some tomato sauce for dipping and call it a meal.

Garlic Knots
1 package vegan pizza dough (I just buy it in the bag from Trader Joe's, but you could make it as well)
6! cloves of garlic
1/2  c. earth balance
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt
1/4 c. fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Turn your pizza dough onto a floured surface. Knead it a few times before rolling it out to a rectangle about 1/4" thick and 5" long.
Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips that are about 1" wide.
Tie each individual strip into a knot and place on a nonstick baking sheet.
Brush tops with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until tops of the knots are a golden brown.
While these are done cooking, sauté minced garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil until it starts to turn golden.
Add the earth balance to the sauce pan and stir until completely melted.
Transfer the still-warm garlic knots to a bowl and toss with the garlic-butter mixture.
Chop the fresh basil and sprinkle over your garlic knots with a pinch of salt (kosher is best).