Tasty Tuesday - Latin Lover's Pizza

We had half the pizza gone by the time I realized I wanted to share this recipe. Yes, often times I don't plan to share, unless it's so good I would be stingy not to.

We've been trying to eat what we have on hand rather than run to the store ten times a week for this or that. Saves us money and we don't let things go to waste. Nature Guy wanted pizza so pizza he was going to get. I didn't have the usual ingredients on hand that we always put on, well at least not all. I did have canned mushrooms, onions and olives so that was a start. I also had frozen grape tomatoes so I used those diced for the fresh tomatoes.

What makes this pizza Latin is the dry salami instead of pepperoni, pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella provolone, and green olives. So we figured we covered Italy, Mexico and Spain and thus the Latin. Anyhew, let's get to the recipe. I hope you give it a try, it was so good we are doing this again soon.

Latin Lover's Pizza     Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Crust
1/12 cups warm water
2 scant T. yeast or 2 packets
1 t. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
4 c. flour
1/4 c. each flaxseed meal, oats and cornmeal

In a large bowl or mixing bowl combine the yeast, water and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until the water gets foamy.  Add the oil, salt and 2 cups of flour, along with the other dry ingredients. stir or mix until well combined. Continue to add the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Once you have a nice ball of dough you can knead on a well floured board until smooth and elastic. Or let your mixer do it for you while you work on other ingredients. Once the dough is ready cut in half for thin crust, ***(see below),or use the whole thing for thick crust, and roll out on floured surface to the size of your pan. Sprinkle the baking pan with cornmeal to help keep the crust from sticking. Place rolled out crust on pan.

Sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. each Italian herb blend, and basil

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and spread on crust.

Toppings
1 can whole or sliced black olives
1 small jar stuffed green olives
1 4 oz can mushrooms
2 cups pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped onion
20 slices of dry salami, chopped

I like to sprinkle the sauce with the Parmesan cheese before adding any other toppings. Then I add the onion, meat and cheese, then the mushrooms, and olives. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 425 and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Slice and enjoy!

***I make a small loaf of bread with the other half of the dough by forming a loaf and putting it in a well oiled bread pan or small cookie sheet and letting it rise until doubled. This can be baked at 375 for 35 minutes.

Easy Creamy Broccoli Soup - Leftover Magic

Sometimes keeping all courses on track at the same time is a bit of a challenge. Last night I overcooked the broccoli just a tad, so it wasn't that lovely bright green any more. It still tasted good but I knew reheating it would only turn it to mush, so sometime in the middle of the night I decided to turn it into soup. It's easy, and yes, there are cans of food involved. That's okay, as a meal doesn't always have to be 100% from scratch.

Easy Creamy Broccoli Soup

1 c. cooked broccoli
1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz can mushrooms
1 can full of milk
1/2 cup each pepper jack cheese and sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan or pot combine the broccoli, soup, and milk. Mash the broccoli to get rid of the big chunks. Place on burner set to medium low and heat. Add mushrooms, liquid and all, and then add the cheeses. Melt cheeses, stirring occasionally. Season to taste, serve sprinkled with green onion. 4 servings

Meatless Monday - Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Before you say anything, this is vegetarian, not vegan. Just getting that out of the way. Don't ask....lol. I have been trying to  cut back on our meat intake, not totally cut it out, but cut way back because we really don't need it. Nature Guy is on board with me amazingly enough, as he is my hotdogs, hamburgers, fish and chips fanatic. Be that as it may, he has noticed that he feels better when we don't eat so many heavy meals. He has a weight goal that he is almost at, and wants to keep it that way. Me, I find the older I get the less meat I seem to need, and sometimes just can't tolerate. Enough of the chatter though and on to the good stuff! I found a recipe that I tweaked a bit, oh yes I did! Surprising I know.... I added lentils for protein, and lots of veggies, because I like them! I even made this recipe with less cheese and it has lower cholesterol per serving than the original because of the changes in cheeses and amounts. I hope you give this one a try, it's really delicious.

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Filling
1/2 c. red or green lentils simmered in 1 c. water + 1 tsp chili powder
1 c. each diced bell pepper, celery, onion and mushrooms
1- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1- 15 oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and  rinsed
1 -15 oz can corn, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
2 T Italian seasoning blend
1 tsp worcesteshire sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Potato Topping

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and microwaved in a bag for 8 minutes, diced
1/2 t salt, 1/2 t. basil
1 T each olive oil and butter
1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar, grated
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese


Simmer the lentils in 1 c. water with chili powder until just tender, about 20 minutes. While they are simmering, saute in the olive oil the chopped bell pepper, celery, mushrooms and onion until just tender. Add the garlic, and stir in, cook one minute more, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the cooked lentils. This may look a bit "wet" but it will all be absorbed during the baking process. Pour into 9" x 13" baking pan or dish.
Microwave your scrubbed potatoes for 8 minutes in a bag, then cool and dice. In your saute pan melt the butter with the oil. Add your basil and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the potatoes and salt. Cook one more minute and turn off burner. Mash lightly then dollop the potato mixture onto the veggie mixture in baking dish. Top with the cheeses and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 8-10. Enjoy!