Meatless Monday: Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

When I made Creamy Baked Zucchini last week, Mr. Foodwhore loved it. During dinner, he commented that the ingredients would make really good toppings for a pizza. I agreed. And since I had leftover ingredients, I decided to give it a go. He was right. It was a delicious alternative to the usual pizzas we make.

Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups kale leaves
prepared pizza dough
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe and pre-bake it in the oven. While the dough is cooking, combine the garlic, basil, olive oil, cream cheese and 2 tbsp of parmesan in a small food processor. Blend until you have a creamy pesto blend.

2. In a small sautee pan, cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. You don't want to cook it completely, just get it started. When done, remove from heat, and set aside.

3. In the same small pan, heat more olive oil and lightly sautee the onion. Add in the kale and cook until the leaves are all wilted.

4. When the crust is done pre-baking, remove it from the oven. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crust.

5. Add the kale and onions, spreading evenly over the pie.

6. Arrange the slices of zucchini around the pizza and top with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan.

7. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

 Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Sausage and Roasted Tomato Thin Crust Pizza

We've been super in to thin crust pizzas lately. It took us a few tries to perfect the crust, but I think we might finally have found our favorite crispy thin crust recipe. Now that we have the crust down, we've been experimenting with a variety of toppings. This one has been one of my favorites for the roasted tomatoes.

Ingredients
pizza dough
1 cup grape tomatoes
olive oil
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chopped sausage
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
garlic powder
oregano

Directions
1. Prepare the pizza dough and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. While the dough is rising, roast the tomatoes. Lay the tomatoes on a greased baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 20 minutes at 400*.

3. To make a thin crust pizza, cut the dough in half. The other half of the dough can be saved in the frige for up to 3 days. Roll out half of the dough until it's approximately 12" across.

4. Place the dough on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with oregano and garlic powder. Bake for 20 minutes at 400*.

5. When dough is done baking, top with sauce, ingredients and cheese and bake for another 10 minutes (or until cheese is bubbly and slightly browning) at 350*. 

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Spicy Black Bean French Bread Pizza

Having a sister who is a vegetarian has exposed me to a new type of cooking and the impact of being a carnivore.  Countless studies lately have shown the impact that eating meat has on the environment and humans around the world. By eating just one meat-free meal a week, we can make a huge impact (in a good way)! 

Becoming vegetarian (or vegan) is a personal choice, and not one that I am trying to push on anyone. I tried it once, and it wasn't for me (meat is just too tasty!). But I do propose that you step outside your comfort zone and get creative in preparing meatless meals on a regular basis. I've found that it's fun and inspiring to create meals that provide good protein and are filling without being centered on a meat. You may even surprise yourself (or your meat-loving man) with new foods. 

I've already created a section of vegetarian recipes, but I'm going to try to post more frequently as we try to eat at least one meatless meal a week. 

Here's this week's recipe: Spicy Black Bean French Bread Pizza.

Ingredients:
your favorite french bread loaf (we actually used ciabatta bread this time)
1 cup spicy black bean dip
1 cup salsa
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
hot sauce (optional)

Directions
1. Slice the loaf of bread in half long ways.  Spread half of the black bean dip on each half.

2. Top each half with salsa, pepper, avocado, and cheese.

3. Sprinkle with hot sauce (optional).

4. Place in oven at broil until cheese is bubbly and browned slightly.

5. Cut loaf halves into pieces and serve!

Serving Suggestion: Serve with tortilla chips and leftover salsa and black bean dip on the side. Or slice up the remaining half of the avocado to cool your mouth after the spicy pizza!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Moroccan Chicken Pizza

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
2/3 cup cilantro
2 chicken breasts shredded
3/4 cup red onion, diced
2 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp water
Pinch crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste
pizza dough
1 1/2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese

Directions
1.Place red peppers, 2/3 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup onions, 1/4 cup oil, paprika, cumin, garlic, tomato paste, water, and crushed red pepper into blender; blend until smooth.

2. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Season chicken with salt and pepper then place in pan with 1 tablespoon oil; cook and stir 3–4 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

3. Reduce heat to low and add sauce; cook 1–2 minutes or until warmed. Top pizza crust with chicken mixture. Stir 1/4 cup onions into yogurt; spoon lightly over top of chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cilantro.

4. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350* for approx. 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Based on 8 slices in a pizza, this recipe is 421 calories a slice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Pizza / Calzone Dough

Note: over the years I have tweaked this recipe little-by-little. I think I've finally found the perfect pizza crust (at least for my household). I've amended this recipe to what I now do.

My friend A shared this delicious pizza dough recipe. It's so easy, and only takes 30 minutes to allow the dough to rise. I've used this for thin and thick crust pizza...haven't tried it for calzones yet, but I bet it works great. 

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pkg regular or quick active yeast (2.25 tsp)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup very warm water (120 - 130 F)

Note: while healthier, it does affect the density of your crust. I like to include at least a 1/2 cup, sometimes more. All white flour will be a much lighter crust. To make a more flavorful crust, sprinkle in some garlic powder and oregano.
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

2. Add oil and warm water.

3. Mix the ingredients well with a spoon or fork.

4. Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 5 - 8 mins. or until dough is smooth and springy.

6. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. Continue as directed below for thin or thick crusts.

Note: we usually divide the dough in half and make one thin crust pizza that night and reserve the other half for later in the week. Dough will keep in the frige for 3-4 days.

Thin crusts: Heat oven to 400*. Grease a cookie sheets or pizza stone. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough until it's approximately a 14-16" circle. Place dough on stone. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Add toppings and cheese and bake at 350* until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Thick crusts: Grease 2 9" square pans or 9" round pans with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide dough in half. Pat each half in bottom of pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place 30 - 45 mins or until almost doubled in size. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375, partially bake 20 - 22 mins or until crust just begins to brown. Add toppings and bake at 345 for 20 mins.

Calzones: make Pizza Crust disregarding thin/thick and let dough rest 30 mins. Heat oven to 375 and grease 2 cookie sheets with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Divide dough into 6 equal parts. On lightly floured surface, roll each part into 7" circle with floured rolling pin. Top half of each dough circle with desired toppings within 1" of edge. Sprinkle with pepper or basil, if desired. Carefully fold dough over filling; pinch edges or press with fork to seal securely. Place calzones on cookie sheets and brush with egg (1 large egg, slightly beaten). Bake 25 mins. until golden brown.

Makes a large pizza when rolled out for a thin crust pizza.  Based on 8 slices per pizza, this crust is 91 calories per slice.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Chicken Pesto Flatbread Pizza

Yum, yum, yum!  A delicious and easy pesto pizza.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded/sliced
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
ready-made pizza dough
sun-dried tomato pesto
4-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2-3 cups mozzarella

Directions
1. Grease and pre-heat grill to 350.  When it reaches temp, place the bell pepper and slices of onion on the grill.  Flip after 3 minutes and cook the other side.

2. When onions and pepper are done, sliced them into thin strips.



3. Roll out the pizza dough on a greased piece of tin foil.


4. Spread the pesto evenly onto the crust.  Make sure you don't have too much concentrated in the middle or it will sag a lot when you pull away the slices.


5. Sprinkle the crust with garlic and basil.



6. Top with mozzarella cheese. We usualy go with 2 cups since we like lighter cheese on the flatbread pizzas, but feel free to go for 3+ cups if you're a big cheese-lover.


7. Top with chicken, onions, and peppers. 


8. Transfer to grill to cook.  I slide the foil onto a large cutting board. I've found that's the easiest way to carry it from the counter and slide it on to the grill.  Cook for around 12 minutes.  It's done when the crust is a light golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted.




Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Mexican Flatbread Pizza

I've already made one kind of Mexican pizza, but we decided to give it another try last week.  This time we went more pizza and less Mexican.  But it was equally delicious.

Ingredients
Ready-made pizza dough
1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
taco seasoning
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cups shredded cheese (I use a Mexican blend)

Directions
1. Preheat grill to 325.

2.  Roll out pizza dough and place on greased foil.  (I place the foil on a large cutting board, which makes it easy to transfer the pie on to the grill.)

3. Cook the ground meat and add the taco saeasoning.  Once it's done, spread evenly on the dough.

Note: You might want to add enchilada sauce if you like a "wetter" pizza.  There's no real sauce on this recipe, and we'd probably try that next time.



4. Top pizza with tomatoes, onion and cheese.


5. Cook on the grill for about 10-12 minutes.  Pizza is done when crust is light golden brown color and cheese is bubbly.


Bon Appetit!
The Foodwhore

BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza

Somehow I didn't end up with any pictures of this one.  Maybe because it was so delicious looking that I couldn't control myself long enough to find a  camera.  I just dove right in.  Trust me, this looked good.

Ingredients
pizza dough (I prefer the store-bought kind because it's easy)
your favorite BBQ sauce
1 chicken breast
1/2 red onion
1 4 oz can chiles
1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Pre-heat the grill to 350. 

2. When grill reaches temp, cook the chicken (approx 4 minutes on each side depending on thickness).  Also add slices of red onion to the grill.  These grill better if you slice them thick, like 1/4"-1/2" thick and keep the rings all together.

3. While chicken and onions are cooking, roll out the pizza dough and place it on a greased piece of foil.

4.  When chicken is done, slice or shred it.  Also dice the onions.

5.  Spread a layer of BBQ sauce on the pizza dough. I used a mix of Carolina Gold and Sonny's BBQ Sweet Sauce. 

6. Top with mix of cheeses.

7. Add your chicken, onion and chiles.

8. Cook on the grill (on the foil)  for approx 10 minutes at 350.  You'll know it's done when the crust gets light brown and the cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The Foodwhore

Grilled Summer Vegetable Flat Bread Pizza

I am obsessed with flat bread pizzas these days. I can't seem to get enough. They are so simple and so diverse. With dozens of fresh toppings, the combinations are endless. And the best part: by grilling these, you don't have to heat up the kitchen to cook a delicious meal.

Ingredients:
store-bought pizza dough
1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 small yellow squash, sliced thinly lengthwise
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup marinara sauce
1/3 cup goat cheese crumbles
3-4 basil leaves, julienned
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Heat the grill to 350/medium heat. While grill is heating, mix squash and peppers with olive oil and salt and pepper.

2. Place the veggies on the grill. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side.

3. While veggies are grilling, prep the other veggies and cook the bacon.

4. Roll out the dough. You can use home-made dough, but on a week-day evening, I prefer store-bought ready-to-use dough. Spread the sauce thinly on the dough.

Note: I find it easiest to place the rolled out dough on tin foil. Then use a pizza stone or cutting board to transfer the pizza to the grill. Cook the pizza on the foil to prevent sticking to the grill.

5. Add the grilled veggies, onions, tomatoes, basil, bacon, and goat cheese.

6.Top with mozzarella cheese.

7. Place pizza on the grill and cook on medium heat until cheese is bubbly and melted and the edge of the crust is a light golden brown. When you lift the edge of the crust, it should hold it's shape and not feel soft/malleable.

8. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Goat Cheese and Chicken Sausage Grilled Flat Bread

We had to do something with the leftover chicken sausage and I had been craving pizza. But I didn't want a thick, heavy pizza, nor did I want to heat up the kitchen. So I whipped up this light flatbread pizza that can be cooked on the grill.

Ingredients
Pizza dough
2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 white onion, sliced thin
3/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
2 chicken sausage, quartered and chopped
2-3 cups grated mozzarella
5-6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin

Directions

1. The last time I made pizza dough, it didn't rise. Bad yeast, I suppose. So this time, I bought ready-made dough at Publix. Either way, prepare the dough and roll out into a thin layer on a greased large piece of tin foil. It doesn't have to be a circle. We opted for an oddly shaped rectangle of sorts.



2. Spread on a thin layer of spaghetti sauce. Leave just a thin edge of crust, and make sure you don't put to much in the middle. That will make it hard to hold a slice if the middle is too heavy.



3. Sprinkle on tomatoes and onions.



4. Add your goat cheese and sausage.



5. Top with mozzarella and fresh basil.



6. Cook on a grill pre-heated to 350. I used a large cutting board to transport the whole thing out to the grill. You'll cook the flatbread still on the foil, so just slide the whole thing onto a cutting board, take it to the grill and slide the whole thing on to the grill.

7. It will take about 15-20 minutes to cook. Check periodically. You're looking for the crust to darken and the cheese to bubble up. Lift a corner of the crust to see if the bottom is getting crispy and light brown. That's a sign that it's done.



Bon Appetit!
The FoodWhore

Eat at Satchel's; See NE Gainesville

Super Bowl Sunday is the number one day for pizza delivery. More people will order more pizzas tomorrow than any other day of the year. To commemorate this record-breaking day for the pizza industry, I thought I would take a break from the recipes and tell you a little bit about my favorite pizza place.

Satchel's is a small, artsy pizza place in an unexpected neighborhood in my town. The area is not known for great restaurants, or bad ones for that matter. Located in the industrial park, Satchel has managed to draw people from across town to sample his delicious pizza, calzones and salads. Yep, just three menu items. But with more than 30 toppings (ranging from pineapple to ground beef to tempeh) the possibilities, and the menu, seem limitless.

Mr. Food Whore and I love to head over to Satchel's, just minutes from our crib, to share a salad and gorge ourselves on the Mama Calzones (4 toppings of your choice). Or, if we're hungry enough, we go for the deep dish pizza, which is divine.

So what is it that makes Satchel's so special? Maybe it's the experience, from browsing their junk shop (Lightening Salvage) while waiting for a table or dining in the vintage van or enjoying live music on a Friday night or soaking up the beauty of their lush gardens. Or maybe it's the food. I'm convinced Satchel puts crack in his sauce. Mike would drink it, I believe, if given the opportunity (and a thick enough straw). The salad is also a force to be reckoned with, topped high with nuts and cucumbers and apples and cheese and tomatoes. And don't forget the tasty home-made dressing.

One of my favorite things about Satchel's is the not the food, but the vibe. The employees get paid a fair wage. They split tips and get paid vacation. They also get health benefits. And with happy employees serving delicious food in an unique, artsy locale, that's a recipe for success.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore