Salad Pizza

During the first few years of our marriage, Hey, Babe worked as a manager for a fast food pizzeria.  Considering that it was the same place he had worked for all through high school and had returned to it for a few years after college while we were waiting for me to graduate and get married, it is no wonder that he had long since tired of their food.   I found this rather frustrating since it would have been quite convenient if he had been able to bring dinner home on the nights I didn't feel like cooking.  Especially considering Pizza is one of the foods I love and can eat over and over again in nearly any configuration.

One of the only ways Hey, Babe was willing to accommodate me was to on rare occasions bring home a not-from-the-menu salad pizza.  He and his brother had worked at the pizzeria together through high school, and upon tiring of all the heavy, greasy, salty pizzas readily available, they began instead to create various versions of this salad pizza when hunger struck them.  The salad bar and various pizza toppings available made it quite easy both to assemble and to switch up the ingredients by making it spicy, or with chicken, or bacon, etc.  It wasn't always the same exact ingredients, but it was always good.

I know this is another pizza recipe and I have posted several already, but since pizza is so awesome can you really blame me?  It really is one of my favorite things and because you can change up the toppings so drastically you never have to eat it the same way twice.  Coming up soon...Pepperoni Personal Pan Pizzas.

Salad Pizza
Ingredients
1 lb or so of your favorite pizza dough (I've even used this No Knead Dough)
4 oz. Cheddar Cheese
4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup Creamy Dressing (we use Ranch, but Italian or Caesar could work too)
1 Red Onion, diced
4 cups Romain Lettuce, thinly sliced (you could also do spinach, iceberg lettuce, etc.)
2 small Tomatoes, chopped
2 Carrots, thinly sliced or grated
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Cucumber, chopped

Optional Ingredients
Cooked Chicken
Bacon, Chopped
Hot Peppers
Olives
Sausage, Chopped

Instructions
Preheat oven (and pizza stone if you have one) to 450ºF.

On a piece of parchment paper, roll out your pizza dough into a circle of your desired thickness.  Sprinkle cheddar over the dough followed by mozzarella both to within an inch or so of the edge.  The mozzarella is less likely to burn and should go on top of the cheddar.  Place on preheated pizza stone and bake 12-14 minutes or until crust is golden brown and the cheeses are melty and starting to turn golden.

There are now two ways you can assemble this.  The first is to mix all the remaining ingredients, including dressing and your selection of optional ingredients into a bowl, toss them together and then spread them evenly on the pizza.  This works fine but then you get a big bowl dirty and you chance there being an uneven distribution of ingredients.  Instead, I usually spread some of the dressing on the top of the cooked pizza and then start layering the ingredients on, scattering them evenly over the top sometimes finishing with a little more derssing.  It's your choice.  Either way, slice with a pizza cutter and serve it warm.

Brazilian Rice and Beans

When I make our meal plan it is sometimes with specific recipes in mind, sometimes with specific dishes in mind (though not the exact recipe) and sometimes with just a vague idea of an ingredient or two that I'd like to base the meal around.  Usually it is a combination of all three.  For this meal I knew that I wanted to make something with rice and beans and that was all I had.  So I did a google search to see what I could find. 

Since rice and beans are rather common ingredients my search brought me a lot of results but the one that piqued my curiosity was one I found on Naturally Ella.  The gorgeous photos of this dish of not just rice and beans but the addition of sweet potatoes convinced me that I should try it.  It was delicious.  The addition of sweet potatoes added even more to the heartiness of the rice and beans but without becoming an overly heavy meal.  The rice was gone after dinner but there was a little bit of the sweet potatoes and beans mixture left and so I had those the next day alongside a scrambled egg.

I made no real change to her recipe other than reducing how spicy it was going to be (Little Man will eat a long list of things but spicy foods are not included on that list).  I also found that a little shredded cheddar and some sour cream were wonderful accompaniments.  I am sure that I will be perusing Erin's blog again.  It seems that she is mostly vegetarian and so may be a good source of inspiration for vegetarian entreés, something I try to include often in our menu.  I have plans for a huge garden in the spring and I know I am going to need resources to use up all my homegrown produce.

As I said, I made no changes to Erin's recipe, as such I feel I shouldn't post it.  If you would like to try it please see her original post.  Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach

There are a lot of foods that while they might be incredibly appealing taste wise, are rather difficult to honestly say look appealing.  For me, creamed spinach is one of them.  I never thought it looked like something I wanted to eat and so for a long time I didn't even try it.  Not that there was a lot of opportunity to do so, but when those rare opportunities presented themselves I quickly passed them up.  I can't clearly recall when this changed but I do know that I am quite glad it did. 

 

Creamed spinach is rather simple to make and because it is so full of leafy green spinach (which I know is good for me) I can pretend that it is super healthy too.  Or at least I can  for as long as I can ignore all the heavy cream I'm generously adding to the pot.  There is always the option of being less generous while making this, but considering that cream gets first billing in the recipe I find that hard to do.  Personally, I would always rather have less of something incredible than be able to have more of a less tasty diet version.  This is exactly why I add an ingredient not usually called for, freshly grated Parmesan.  It snuggles in with the cream sauce and adds a further depth of flavor to an already wonderful dish. 

Ironically, I paired a diet-like version of a recipe with this creamed spinach.  It was not for health concerns that I chose to serve oven fried chicken over deep fried chicken.  I dislike the waste of oil, the lingering smell (and sometimes residue) in my kitchen, and the potential for danger (that oil is HOT) that deep frying nearly always implies. The recipe for the chicken comes from Cooks Country magazine but since I was a bit torn in my opinion regarding the results I will not be posting the recipe (if you are interested it is on their website which you need a paid subscription to access, or it is also in their Oct. '05 issue).  While I loved how tender and flavorful the chicken was after marinating it in some buttermilk, I was not impressed with how incredibly salty and dry the "breading" made of a combo of corn flakes and bread crumbs turned out to be.

Next time I will stick to my instincts and avoid a "diet" version of a recipe.  That and make more creamed spinach because it was good.

Creamed Spinach
Ingredients
2 pounds fresh baby spinach, washed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
2-4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions
To a large saute pan add a tiny bit of water, enough to barely cover the bottom and place over medium high heat.  Add the spinach and cover, allowing the spinach to wilt and start releasing its moisture (don't worry if it looks like it won't all fit, it will cook down a LOT).  Remove as much water as possible by either adding the spinach to a fine mesh strainer and pressing with a large spoon, grabbing fists full and squeezing (ouch it's hot), or rolling inside a dark (to prevent staining) dishtowel and wringing it out. Finely chop the spinach and set aside.

In your now empty saute pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute,stirring, until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and keep stirring, just until the liquid is released. Add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and Parmesan, and cook until the Parmesan is melted and the cream is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with some crusty bread available so that you don't waste any of the creamy goodness.

Minestrone Soup

I don't think that I have ever taken advantage of soup weather as much as I have so far this fall.  In October I made six different soups, three of them being black bean soups.  Soups are hearty.  They fill you up by themselves but they also are nicely accompanied by sandwiches, fresh bread, or a salad.  This Minestrone is no exception. It is a hearty, healthy, chock full of good for you vegetables kind of soup.

I use to think that I didn't like vegetable soups, and now I'm beginning to realize that I don't like canned vegetable soups.  The flavors are muddied from having sat in a can too long, the veggies are mushy and slimy, the noodles are several times their intended size from over absorbing the broth.  All problems easily rectified by slicing up a few vegetables, or in my case whizzing them through my food processor, and letting them simmer in a pot of good stock.

Minestrone

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 - 3/4 lb. stew beef, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cups beef broth
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 14 1/2-ounce can tomatoes cut up, (I used crushed tomatoes because it is what I had, I think I prefer it this way)
1/2 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup celery chopped
2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cabbage (I easily doubled this as I didn't want the leftovers to go to waste)
1/2 cup thinly sliced zucchini
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans drained
1/2 cup small macaroni uncooked
3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter and cook the stew beef until browned. Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, onion, celery, parsley, salt thyme and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

Add the cabbage, zucchini, carrots, garbanzo beans and macaroni. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the macaroni is done, stirring occasionally.  Serve, topping bowls with Parmesan if desired.

Amazingly Moist Salmon

Anyone who has glanced at our monthly meal plans may feel safe in assuming that we eat a lot of fish.  After all, it is on the menu at least once a week.  That assumption would be incorrect.  Though it appears regularly on the menu, it appears quite irregularly on our plates.  Hey, Babe doesn't really care for fish, for him seafood is only a vessel for either tartar or cocktail sauce.  He does, however, want us to eat more of it because fish is good for you, and so it is my backup meal. 

I do not typically plan into the menu any potential leftovers, so I know that we are going to have more food than days in the month.  As the kids get older, eat more, and get a bit more predictable in what they will eat, this might change. Or I might just make more food and still have leftovers.  For now, I have two fail-safes in place to make sure that we don't have a fridge full of leftovers going to waste.  One is that I plan on eating leftovers from dinner for my lunch the next day, especially when there is only enough left for one person.  The second is scheduling in fish.  If we do not need to make another meal because of a plethora of leftovers, fish night is what gets skipped.

On Sundays we tend to be out and about, going to church and visiting family, so I have taken to planning salmon salad sandwiches for Sunday's dinner.  Since it is Hey, Babe's only day off, if we are home for lunch or dinner on Sunday I don't want to spend it standing in the kitchen and sandwiches are the quickest thing.  I know that this is the reverse of most people, they plan on big Sunday dinners because they are home to cook.  I would rather take the opportunity for family time and cook more meals during the week.

I was surprised when Hey, Babe told me that he liked this dinner, and even more surprised when he actually finished his entire piece (actions speak louder than words, especially when it comes to fish).  Not because I didn't find it delicious, (I did) but simply because it was fish.  I didn't use Salmon, replacing it instead with milder Tilapia.  Right now we use salmon for sandwiches and Tilapia for the occasional cooked dinner.  Eventually I am hoping that fish will grow on Hey, Babe and we can move on to Salmon.  I prefer it, and I believe it is supposed to be healthier. 

The Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole was something that I threw together at the last minute in an attempt to get Little Man to eat more of his broccoli.  It didn't really work, but since Hey, Babe and I found it to be delicious I will definitely be making it again.  Thankfully I am beginning to develop the habit of noting measurement down when I am experimenting in my cooking.  This makes it much easier to reproduce a recipe I created on the fly, such as this one.  This casserole may undergo further experimentation in the future, perhaps being turned into a full meal in itself with the addition of chopped chicken and then spread into a casserole dish, topped with more cheese and baked in the oven until heated through.  Until then, I can still recommend it as it is, a wonderful and filling side dish.

Amazingly Moist Salmon

Ingredients
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
dash powdered thyme
pinch Old Bay Seasoning
4 salmon fillets (or tilapia!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 500F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray (important! I forgot this and mine stuck a bit). 

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, parsley and spices.  Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and pepper. Coat each fillet with some of the mayonnaise mixture and set on the baking sheet.  Roast 10 to 12 minutes, until done.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Ingredients
6 cups water
1 cup brown rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onions
1 cup half and half
1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 bag frozen broccoli florets, defrosted

Instructions
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and add the rice, salt, and onions.  Continue boiling 30 minutes, uncovered.  Using a fine mesh strainer, drain the water off the rice, allowing rice to stay in strainer for the moment.

In the now empty pot, heat the half and half, cheddar, salt and chili powder over medium heat until cheese is completely melted and mixed in.  Return rice along with broccoli to the pot, stirring until thoroughly combined.  Keep over medium low heat, stirring, until broccoli is heated through.

Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Soup

 

Last month I selected several black bean soup recipes for our meal plan, and this was one of them.  When I think of black beans I always think Tex-Mex because that is that capacity in which I am most familiar with them, but if that is what you are expecting from this soup you will receive a pleasant (I hope) surprise.  This soup is far from that style of black bean.  This is a more more woodsy, herbal, country cottage with a vegetable garden kind of soup.

I keep wanting to call this a vegetable soup because all of the colorful vegetables took up so much of the spotlight that I forget that there even was chicken in it.  To me that means the chicken was superfluous and so next time I will leave it out, turning this into the vegetable soup it is at heart.  I don't typically like vegetable soups but I think the black beans nestle in and fill it out so perfectly that I am tricked into giving this one a pass.  Go ahead and take advantage the soup weather that has come upon us by setting a pot of something delicious to simmer on the stove.

Chicken, Corn, and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions diced
1 green bell pepper ribs and seeds removed, diced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, chopped bite sized (optional, I'm leaving it out next time)
6 plum tomatoes diced
1/4 cup dry red wine (or Worchestershire Sauce, which is what I used)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
1 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
shredded cheddar cheese to serve (optional, but man oh man was it good with it!)

Instructions
Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, thyme, 1 1/2 tsps salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste; add chicken and saute until it is no longer pink.  Add the chopped tomatoes, wine, and 2 1/2 cups water (feel free to add more wine and less water). Cover and bring simmer, about 15 minutes.

Stir in corn and black beans, and continue to simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve on a chilly autumn day.

Another Black Bean Soup

When I make out our monthly menu, I try to be conscious of the source of protein that the meal is going to be based around.  For example, we don't usually have red meat more than once a week, I try to schedule in a bean based meal each week, and I try to also have a fish meal (although, since Hey, Babe really doesn't like fish, that is the meal that usually gets skipped entirely when we start juggling the menu).  I didn't realize that this month I had picked three different black bean soup recipes.  So far this one is at the top of the charts.

When I started to read over this recipe I realized that the ingredient list and the instructions did not completely coincide and that I was going to have to wing it.  Since I tend to do that anyway, always tweaking a recipe as I make it, that wasn't going to be a problem.  The original recipe was to turn out a very smooth, almost creamy soup, mine is decidedly not.  I left out ingredients such as jalapenos, since I wanted Little Man to eat it and he doesn't do spicy, and beer since we don't drink and I only rarely splurge and buy alcohol for cooking.  But it was the ingredients I added that really made the soup for me.  I swapped out one can of black beans for pinto beans (and did not puree them), and chopped up some bell peppers, tossing them along with a bag of frozen corn into the pot towards the end of cooking so that neither of them got too soft.

It was divine.  I loved the textural contrast between the soft pinto beans and the still firm peppers.  The corn added delightful notes of sweet among the savory beans and vegetables.  Although the soup was delicious on its own, a dollop of sour cream or guacamole and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar completed it.  As typically happens in the cases of soup, it was even better reheated the next day for lunch.

Black Bean Soup 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion-diced
6 cloves garlic- minced

2 carrots, chopped fine
1 jalapeno-seed and ribs removed and minced (optional)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup beer (I used beef broth)
1 -15oz cans black beans- rinsed

1 -15oz can Pinto beans- rinsed
32 oz. chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large bell pepper, chopped small

1 bag frozen corn

Toppings:
monterey jack cheese-shredded
avocado-sliced or made into guacamole
tomato-diced
cilantro leaves
sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the onion, carrot and jalapeno. Cook on medium until the veggies are very soft. Add the garlic and lower the heat to medium- low. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn't burn. Add cumin, cardamom and ancho chili powder, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add the beer/broth and the can of black beans, continue cooking until liquid is reduced by half.  With a potato masher, smash the beans until most of them are broken up.  Continue cooking until the liquid is quite reduced and the mixture pulls away from the bottom of the pan as you stir.

3. Add the stock and the can of pinto beans and the bay leaves.  Cook for 30 minutes or until beans and veggies are tender and flavors are melded.  Add the peppers and corn.  Continue cooking until the peppers have soften to your desired consistency about 5-10 minutes.  Add more chicken broth or water if he soup becomes too thick. Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasonings to taste.

4. Pour soup into bowls and top with toppings of your choice.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup and Rustic White Bread

 
When the pumpkin was done roasting and being pureed I checked the time and decided that it was a little too early to start the soup.  Since homemade bread alongside homemade soup is a wonderful end to working outside on a chilly, drizzly day, and since I had plenty of time for it to rise before dinner, I decided to make some.  I chose this really easy looking recipe (it only has four ingredients) that I had marked ages ago from Smitten Kitchen's site.

It was as easy as it had looked.  Of course I still made adaptations, which I have a habit of doing.  I always have good intentions when I'm making a recipe for the first time.  When I start out I plan on following the measurements and instructions to the letter, and I nearly always end up modifying it somehow.  It seems that I can't help myself.  For this recipe I changed the method a bit (see Smitten Kitchen's site for the original version).


While the bread dough was rising, I started making the soup.  It was still a bit early but the Storm Sprite was sleeping, and when soup simmers gently on the stove for a while it allows the flavors to mingle even more.  I'm not sure where I originally saw this recipe, I do know that I've had it for a while.  This is another one that I modified as I went (it's a curse! I can't help it!).

When I think of pumpkins I never think of savory things.  My thoughts immediately jump instead to pies and breads and puddings and ice creams.  I am going to have to change this habit now, because this soup was delicious.  We all enjoyed it, even Little Man.  His bowl had frozen corn thrown in to help cool it off, and I may just add corn to the ingredient list next time.  It added visual appeal and I believe it would go nicely with the other elements of the soup.

Black Bean Pumpkin Soup Ingredients 2 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans 1 cup crushed tomatoes 1 1/4 cups chopped onion 4 garlic cloves minced 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter 2 cups beef broth 3 cups pumpkin puree 1/2 pound cooked ham cut into 1/8-inch dice Garnish: sour cream and coarsely chopped lightly toasted pumpkin seeds (optional) InstructionsIn a food processor coarsely puree beans with the tomatoes. In a large pot, cook onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in butter over medium heat, stirring, until onion is softened and beginning to brown. Stir in bean and tomato puree. Stir in broth and pumpkin.  Simmer uncovered and stirring occasionally for 25 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Just before serving, add ham, stirring until heated through. Season soup with salt and pepper. Serve soup garnished with sour cream and toasted pumpkin seeds. Rustic White Bread Ingredients 2 cups warm tap water about 110 degrees 2 1/2 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast 5 1/4 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons salt 1/3 cup flour for dusting the loaves Cornmeal for the pans  InstructionsTo mix dough place 5 1/4 cups of flour and the salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add water and yeast and mix on low speed to form a smooth, elastic and slightly sticky dough, about 5 minutes. Incorporate the remaining flour a tablespoon at time if the dough is too soft. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning dough over so the top is oiled. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise at room temperature until doubled.  To shape loaves, press the dough down to deflate it. Divide the dough in half, shaping one piece at a time. Place half the dough on a well floured surface and press it into a square, then roll it up tightly. Rotate the dough 90° and roll it up again from the short end. Arrange dough seam side down, cover with plastic or a towel and let it rest of 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining piece of dough. Dust pan with cornmeal. Working from the middle of the loaf outward, roll each piece of dough under your palms until it is the desired length.  Place loaves seam side down on cookie sheets and dust each loaf heavily with flour, using about 1/3 cup in all. Cover with plastic or a towel and allow to rise until doubled. Preheat oven to 500° and set racks at the middle and lowest levels. Set a pan on the lowest rack to absorb some of the excess bottom heat and keep the bottom of the loaves from burning. Right before placing the loafs in the oven, use a very sharp knife to make 3 to 4 diagonal slashes in the top of each loaf.  Immediately place loaves in oven and lower temperature 450°. After loaves have baked for 20 minutes lower temperature to 350° and continue baking 20 - 30 minutes longer, or until bread reaches an internal temperature of about 220°. Remove loaves from oven and cool on a rack.

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

My kitchen smelled heavenly today.  When I finally woke up around 10 this morning (waking up not being the same as getting up, which I had to do at around 6) I decided that it was time to do something with the pumpkin Hey, Babe bought at the farmers market last week.  We were scheduled to have Pumpkin Black Bean Soup for dinner and rather than use the puree from a can I decided to make my own.

Pumpkin Puree may just be the simplest make-it-yourself-instead-of-buy-it-prepared item I have ever attempted.  You start by preheating your oven to 350° and washing a pumpkin,

slice it in half,

scoop out the guts and seeds

and turn the two halves over onto a pan with some water and put it all in the oven for about an hour and a half until it is soft.

Yeah, that looks pretty soft, it's starting to pucker and warp a bit.

Scoop out the flesh

and then the last step is to run it through your food processor and you are all set

 

Some recipes have you then strain the pumpkin so that it is the same consistency as the canned stuff, others have you cook it until the liquid is reduced.  For my purposes (soup) I left it as it was.

I have never actually had homemade pumpkin puree before (at least not to my knowledge).  It looked like the baby food I painstaking made for Little Man when he was a baby, to which he without fail turned his nose up.  It smelled delicious and I had been smelling it for over an hour by this point. Not knowing what to expect I went ahead and tasted it.  I really liked it.  I like winter squashes, so I'm not sure why this was such a surprise.  It would be delicious as a side with just a pat of butter and some salt and pepper.  But this puree was destined for other things.  Next up, Pumpkin Black Bean Soup.