Spinccoli Pizza

December 27, 2012 by

I’m backkkk! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your loved ones! As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I made the trek from Phoenix to Cleveland last week to spend the holidays with my family. After a long trip like that, a break was certainly needed. Sometimes it is so nice to just not touch your computer for a few days!

This pizza recipe is not holiday-ish…obviously. But, it is freaking delicious! This deep dish spinccoli pizza was inspired by the spinccoli pizza at Pizzeria Uno. It has been years and years since I have last been there, but I used to love their spinccoli pizza and I got a wicked craving for it last week. I have actually never tried making deep dish pizza. The filling was really good, but my only complaint was the crust. There was just way too much of it around the edges. So in the photos,  please ignore the thickness around the edges. I have cut down the amount of dough in the recipe.

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Spinccoli Pizza

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: serves 2

Ingredients

  • About 3/4 lb. pizza dough
  • 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 14.5-ounce can plain diced tomatoes, drained
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup tomato sauce
  • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-inch cake pan (or deep dish pizza pan) with parchment paper or grease and set aside.
  2. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, spinach, and diced tomatoes. Cook until the broccoli is fork tender (about 7-8 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
  3. Place the dough on a floured surface. Roll out into an even circle about 11 inches (about 1-inch thick). Place the dough into the cake pan and push down around the center and edges. Pull the edges up towards the edge of the pan and press against the sides.
  4. Pour the sauce onto the center of the dough and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cheeses over the sauce, reserving 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese. Spoon the broccoli and spinach mixture on top of the cheeses, Sprinkle the remaining cheese(s) on top of the broccoli and spinach mixture.
  5. Bake the pizza for about 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown on the bottom and along the sides. Let cool for about 5 minutes, slice, and serve.

Notes

Recipe inspired by Pizzeria Uno

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/12/spinccoli-pizza/
Filed Under: Entrees, Pizzas, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: , , , , , 14 Comments

Fig, Prosciutto, and Arugula Pizza

September 14, 2012 by

I wish I had a gazillion dollars. Yes, a gazillion. If I had a gazillion dollars, I would pay people to pack and move all our belongings and then when we get to Arizona, they would unpack for me and buy furniture and decorate and get everything all set up and it would be exactly the way I want it to be. Oh, and of course, our cars would just be brought there. Oh, and if anybody has a connection with someone who has access to a teleporter, that would be so incredibly wonderful. I would also settle for just winning the lottery, 125 million dollars would suffice. I mean, I’m not asking that for much here, people. And all that leftover money would go towards paying student loans and buying more Coach bags, btdubs.

I officially had my first panic attack yesterday. It occurred to me that we have less than 2 weeks to pack up our apartment and we have yet to pack even one box. Not even one. I started being all cranky and my husband said I was totally unbearable. I came home this afternoon from work to find that my sweet husband started packing all of our books and DVDs and broke down the cheap bookshelves. Even though it wasn’t a lot of boxes, just seeing boxes piled in the corner makes me feel a little better. We are going to be in a packing frenzy next week. So, yeah…if someone wants to give me a gazillion or at least 125 million dollars…

Cooking has been very useful in helping me procrastinate from packing. Figs were on sale at my grocery store last week so I had two big containers to go through. First up, pizza! Fig, prosciutto, and arugula pizza to be exact. This pizza has such an interesting flavor combo. You get that sweetness from the figs, saltiness from the prosciutto, and then a bitterness from the arugula, which I also doused in balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I just used mozzarella cheese since that is what I had on hand, but blue cheese crumbles or goat cheese would also be wonderful!

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Fig, Prosciutto, and Argula Pizza

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. pizza dough
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (can also sub or use in combination with blue cheese, gorgonzola, or goat cheese)
  • 7-8 fresh figs, stems removed and sliced into 1/4-1/3-inch thick slices
  • About 4-5 slices prosciutto, torn into smaller pieces
  • 6 cups arugula, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 tbs. balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Roll out the dough on a floured surface so that it is about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle the cheese over the dough and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the bottom and top of the pizza is a light golden brown.
  3. Remove the cooked dough for the oven. Evenly distribute the sliced figs and prosciutto pieces over the pizza. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the figs and prosciutto have been heated.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, and the salt and pepper. In a larger bowl, add the arugula and drizzle in the dressing. Toss to coat the arugula and spoon over the pizza. Serve.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/09/fig-prosciutto-and-arugula-pizza/
Filed Under: Appetizers, Entrees, Pizzas · Tagged With: , , , , , 22 Comments

Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

March 19, 2012 by

Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

I have a new favorite pizza. If I could, I would change my facebook status to say that I am in a relationship with this pizza (sorry husband), that’s how much I love this pizza.

Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

It’s been in high 80′s here in sunny Florida. Spring has arrived. And while I despise the hot weather (mostly because of the humidity that comes with it here), I have been craving fruits, vegetables, and salads like it’s nobody’s business. We like to make homemade pizzas on the the weekend. I wanted some pizza, but I also wanted a big salad. I love to have salads with pizza. I love to dip the crust in dressing and I always find myself putting my salad on my pizza. So why not just make a salad pizza?! This Greek salad grilled pizza was the perfect choice. It has a nice thin, crispy crust and it’s piled high with a simple, but delicious, Greek salad! The vinaigrette is light, but adds great flavor to the salad. It just screams spring and summer!

Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

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Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb. fresh pizza dough
  • 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups fresh arugula (or lettuce of your choice)
  • 1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbs. chopped red onion
  • 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
    • For the vinaigrette:
  • 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbs. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat a grill or grill pan on medium heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough until it is about 1/4" thick. Brush half of the olive oil on one side of the dough and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the oiled side down on the heated grill/pan and grill for about 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. While the first side is face down on the grill. Brush the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with more salt and pepper on the other side. Turn the dough over and grill for an additional 3-4 minutes until browned.
  2. Remove the dough off the grill/pan. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top. It will melt as the dough is still warm.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
  4. Spread the arugula, tomatoes, red onion, olives, and feta evenly over the pizza. Drizzle as much of the vinaigrette as you desire over the pizza.

Notes

You can also mix all of the salad ingredients in a separate bowl and mix with the dressing and then you can add it to the pizza. Whatever works best for you! If you use an outdoor grill for your pizza dough, be careful! I recommend only lighting half the grill and cooking the dough on the side that is not lit to avoid burning. You may also want to flip your dough more frequently. If you don't want to make your own dressing, you can also use your favorite Greek-style dressing.

http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/03/greek-salad-grilled-pizza/

Greek Salad Grilled Pizza

Like this pizza? Then you must try my Cobb Salad Pizza!
Filed Under: Appetizers, Low-Fat, Pizzas, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: , , , , , , , 77 Comments

Whole Wheat Margherita Flatbread Pizza with Balsamic Reduction Sauce

January 11, 2012 by

Ok, I think I know one of the reasons I don’t like going to the grocery store. It’s the hoard of people. Perhaps it’s the small town that I live in, but seriously, my grocery store is always packed when I go. So packed that I can barely get down the aisles. WHY?! Is there nothing better to do here than go to the darn grocery store?! And let me just say that I don’t like crowds. I don’t like people being all up in my grill!! And why, oh why is that that whenever you get to where you want to be, someone is always in the freaking way of the food I want to grab. For example. I wanted to get some mozzarella cheese for this pizza. It took me at least 5 minutes to finally get to it because a couple just stood in front of all the cheese and were discussing what types of cheese they needed for the week. I stood there thinking, “DUDES, I know what cheese I want, get the heck out of my way! BLARGHHGHGHGHGHGHGH!”. I know, I have zero patience. I’m like the scrooge of the grocery store. And of course, it didn’t help that I was still pretty sick this weekend. Within 5 minutes of walking in, I was getting all sweaty. BLARGHGHGHGHGHGH! Ok, I’m done with my rant and my BLARGHGHGHing.

I hope you enjoy this pizza. It’s good…and stuff…

Whole Wheat Margherita Flatbread Pizza with Balsamic Reduction Sauce

Flatbread Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

– 1 tsp. baking powder

– 1/2 tsp. salt

– 1/4 tsp. black pepper

– 1/2 cup water

– 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for brushing

– 3 garlic cloves, minced

– 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

– 2 medium sized tomatoes, sliced thin

– 2 tbs. fresh basil, chiffonade

– salt and pepper to taste

– 1 cup balsamic vinegar

– 1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. In a sauce pan, dissolve the brown sugar with the balsamic vinegar. Bring the balsamic vinegar to a light simmer. Simmer until the vinegar is reduced by half (about 15-20 mins). Let the vinegar cool and it should thicken. You can make this reduction sauce in advance if you would like.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, water, and olive oil with your hands until a dough forms. Then place the dough on a floured work surface. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. You do not have to worry about rolling the dough out into a perfect circle or square! I think the odd shape makes it look nice and rustic :) . Place the dough on a baking mat or on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for about 5-7 minutes just until the dough just slightly starts to crisp up. Remove from the oven.

3. Brush the top of the flatbread with extra olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Distribute the garlic, then the cheese, tomatoes, and the basil evenly over the flatbread. You can also sprinkle the top with another pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the balsamic reduction over the pizza. Bake for another 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining balsamic vinegar if desired.

Notes:
- You do not need to use all of the balsamic reduction if you don’t want to! Feel free to use as much or as little as you like!
Filed Under: Appetizers, Low-Fat, Pizzas · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 48 Comments

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

May 28, 2011 by

My husband loves buffalo chicken and this is his favorite pizza that I make. I am not usually a fan of buffalo sauce, but I will say that this buffalo chicken pizza is pretty tasty and very easy to make. Unless I already have cooked chicken handy in my fridge, I like to buy a rotisserie chicken from our grocery store so that I can just shred up the meat. I make my own buffalo sauce for this one, but you can certainly just use a bottled buffalo sauce. The trick with this pizza is that since you are already using cooked chicken and you want to avoid drying it out, you have to cook the dough about halfway on its own before adding chicken and the cheese.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

Serves 4

– 1 lb. chilled pizza dough
– 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
– 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
– 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
– 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. Tabasco sauce
– 1 Tbs. garlic, minced
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. black pepper
– 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pizza stone or pizza pan by brushing a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil onto the stone or pan.

2. Coat dough and hands in the flour so that the dough does not stick to your hands. Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/2 inch thick.

3. Using a pastry brush, brush the extra virgin olive oil all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for approximately 5-7 minutes or until a very light golden brown. Remove dough from oven.

4. While dough is baking, melt butter in a bowl and mix in Tabasco sauce (by the way, if you don’t like a lot of hot flavor, you might want to do less of the Tabasco sauce), reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce, toss chicken into the bowl and coat chicken evenly with remaining buffalo sauce.

5. Brush the 2 tbs. of buffalo sauce onto the precooked dough, spread cheese and chicken mixture evenly and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese is fully melted.
Filed Under: Chicken, Entrees, Pizzas · Tagged With: , 2 Comments

Broccoli and Feta Pizza

May 27, 2011 by

My mom started the tradition of making homemade pizzas every weekend back when I was in high school. Instead of eating at the dinner table, we put a big tablecloth on the coffee table in the family room and eat in there while watching a movie together. Now as an adult, I still enjoy making homemade pizzas on the weekend. This broccoli and feta pizza is one of my favorites! My husband and I very rarely order pizza because we much prefer the taste of our own pizzas compared to the popular pizza chains out there and because we can control the ingredients (and the grease!)!

When it comes to the dough, I don’t usually make my own. My grocery store (Publix) carries raw pizza dough in their bakery and it is much easier (especially on a Friday night!) to just buy it ready-made. It tastes the same as if I would have made it myself without all the fuss! But, if you want to make your own, I love the Olive Oil Pizza Dough recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I originally found it through another food blog that I like to read, My Baking Addiction. You can get the recipe here.

Broccoli and Feta Pizza

Ingredients:

Serves 4

– 1 lb. chilled pizza dough
– 1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
– 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
– 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
– 1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese (crumbled)
– 1 Tbs. garlic, minced
– 1/2 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. black pepper
– 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare pizza stone or pizza pan by brushing a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil onto the stone or pan.

2. Coat dough and hands in the flour so that the dough does not stick to your hands. Roll out the dough until it is approximately 1/2 inch thick.

3.Using a pastry brush, brush the extra virgin olive oil all over the rolled out dough. Brush garlic evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle salt and pepper evenly. Spread cheese evenly over the pizza. Sprinkle broccoli* and feta cheese.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the crust and the bottom . Once the top is a light golden brown, I like to slide the pizza off the stone or pan directly onto the oven grate so that the bottom of the pizza can get nice and brown.

5. Remove pizza from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut it up, pour yourself a glass of wine, pop in a movie, and you have yourself a perfect Friday night!

*Notes: In order to cook my broccoli, I usually steam it over the stove or in the microwave in a bowl of water. Before you put the broccoli onto your pizza, make sure that it has been drained, otherwise your pizza might be watery. I like to squeeze out the water by putting the broccoli onto a paper towel.

Filed Under: Entrees, Pizzas · Tagged With: , , , 6 Comments