Zucchini-Goat Cheese Pizza

 

  

It's been a crazy week so far.  It is flying by so quickly, I think having Monday as a holiday does that.  I'm here today to share a simple pizza recipe with you.  Sometimes you just need a recipe that you can throw together quickly and still avoid the fast food trap.  You can add any veggies you like to this pizza and with the farmer's markets in full swing, the possibilities are endless.  I will post the link to the recipe but to make it even easier, I used premade pizza dough and sauce.  Greg and I almost ate the whole thing in one sitting so if you are planning for more than two people you might want to make two pizzas.

Zucchini-Goat Cheese Pizza

from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
8 oz. (1/2 pkg.) prepared refrigerated pizza dough
1 3.5-oz. log goat cheese, thinly sliced or roughly chopped
1 zucchini, peeled into thin strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into rings

Sauce (I used jarred sauce but here is the recipe they suggest)
1 6-oz. can no-salt-added tomato paste
2 Tbs. finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. red wine or red wine vinegar

To make Pizza: Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large baking sheet or pizza pan with 1 Tbs. oil. (I highly recommend investing in a pizza stone if you like pizza as much as me.  You can find them for as little as $20 and they last forever.  You can also use them for baking bread.)  Spread pizza dough in prepared pan.
 
To make Sauce: stir together all ingredients with fork in small bowl.

Spread Sauce on dough. Top with half of goat cheese. Spread zucchini strips over goat cheese, 
top with bell pepper rings, then remaining goat cheese. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool 10 minutes, then cut into 6 slices.

Delicious, and (somewhat) nutritious!

 

Hope you are all having a great week.  Even though it was a short one, I'm ready for Friday!  I am planning on baking tomorrow morning and should be back with a weekend post for a Lemon Tart, yum! 

Shaved Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza

Oh boy do I have a recipe for you today!  I've been seeing shaved asparagus all over the web these days and actually had a taste of it at our fancy dinner out a few weeks ago.  Many people simply toss it in some oil and vinegar, add a little s and p and eat it as salad.  I wanted to take it up a notch by throwing it on a pizza with some goat cheese and prosciutto, yeehaw!  It's really quite easy and there is something satisfying about using a potato peeler to make long curls of asparagus.  Try this pizza today, you won't regret it!

 

Shaved Asparagus and Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients:
1 recipe pizza dough (I like the one from this recipe, but choose your favorite)
1 bundle of asparagus
2-3 oz. proscuitto, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic (about 1 clove)
2 oz. goat cheese (or more if you like)
salt and pepper

Begin by preparing your pizza dough.  The recipe I use needs to be made in advance but you could also use a premade crust to make it even faster.

Heat pizza stone in oven at 500 degrees.  If you don't have a pizza stone you can make your pizza on a baking sheet.
 
Don't worry about cutting off the ends of the asparagus.  Instead, use that part to hold onto as you  draw the peeler away from you to create thin strips of asparagus.  There will be some thicker and some thinner strips.  Don't worry, just go for it! 

Set the asparagus aside and heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic and stir until it begins to brown (this can happen fast so keep a close eye on it, burned garlic = bad!).  Add the goat cheese and stir until it melts.  My pizza had a very subtle goat cheese flavor so feel free to add more if you like.

Spread goat cheese mixture over the pizza crust.

Put asparagus strips in a large bowl and toss with proscuitto, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper.  Spread mixture over your pizza crust.

Bake at 500 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, until crust turns golden.

Cut into squares and enjoy with a glass of wine!

I have to admit, I usually stick with toppings like plain cheese or pepperoni for my pizza but this was a really tasty change.  What is the most unique pizza topping you've tried?  What is your favorite kind of pizza?

Polenta Crust Veggie Pizza

Saturday was a cold and windy day.  It was one of those days that makes you want to stay in your jammies, wrapped in a fuzzy blanket in front of the tv.  One of those days that makes you forget fresh green salads and spring fruit and yearn for good ol' fashion comfort food...with a twist. 

 

As much as I love a classic style pizza I decided I wanted to try making a pizza using a polenta crust as the base.  I have seen two types of polenta, one that is more like a cornmeal mush and one that will set up firmly and can be cut into slices.  For this pizza, I obviously chose the second method and got to work.  Now this pizza takes a little getting used to.  At first bite, you might be a bit surprised at the soft texture.  I found it was also very filling, even more so that regular pizza.  I will list the toppings I used, as well.  However, this crust would pair perfectly with any pizza topping that you fancy.

 

Polenta Crust Veggie Pizza 

Ingredients:
Crust
1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 c. water
2 1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. garlic salt 
Toppings 
1/2 c. pizza sauce
1 small eggplant
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
olive oil for cooking veggies
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles

Start by preparing your veggies.  Slice zucchini and squash into thin disks.  Now for the eggplant.  There are many ways to prepare eggplant but most people will agree you need to draw out the extra water, which also removes some of the bitterness of the plant.  I sprinkled each slice with salt and placed between layers of paper towel with a heavy baking sheet on top.  I left it sit like this until my crust was in the oven.  

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium saucepan, combine cornmeal and water.  Whisk until well blended.  Add milk and garlic salt.  Mix well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly (be sure you reach the bottom of the pan or mixture will start to stick).  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until mixture is very think, stirring frequently.

Side note: I like that my pots have clear lids so I can see what's going on in there!

Looks kinda like scrambled eggs when it's done.

Remove polenta from heat and use a rubber spatula to quickly spread onto a baking sheet lined with a silpat.  I tried to make mine as thin as possible since I knew it would be filling and that I still had to add toppings.

 

Bake for 10-15 minutes until polenta is set.  It will still be "soft" compared to regular pizza crust but it will be solid enough to cut through.  

In the meantime, cook your veggies.  Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan and add your slices of eggplant.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until eggplant softens.  Remove eggplant to more layers of paper towel to draw out excess olive oil.  Add more olive oil to your pan and cook up the zucchini and squash until soft.  

Spread 1/2 c. pizza sauce over your polenta crust and top with veggies and cheeses.  

 

I tried this sauce from Local Folks Foods.  It has a great zesty flavor!

Bake for another 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.  Remove from oven and let set for about 5-10 before digging in.  

 

Enjoy!