Quick and Tasty Lunch

You know how some days you just need something quick and easy for lunch? Well, that was today. Right after taking Garrett to school I went on a 3 mile run. When I got back, Jeff said he was just getting ready to go on a bike ride. At first I wasn't going to go (I have plenty of other stuff that needs doing!). But after eating a banana and piece of wheat toast (I hadn't eaten before my run), and resting for about 10 minutes, I decided to join Jeff. It was a great ride across the Long Bridge and back, about 11 miles. Into a stiff wind there, and wind at our back coming home (thank goodness, because that is the up hill way!).

So, HUNGAR! Something that is great to have on hand are whole grain or multi-grain sandwich thins. We toasted them slightly, then topped them with left over tomato sauce or Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (great to have in hand, adds great flavor). Then top with whatever veggies you want and a little cheese (yes, it is like a mini pizza). Broil for a couple of minutes, and then eat. VERY YUMMY! So much so, that we didn't stop to take a picture.

Homemade Pizza!

Friday night we decided to have pizza, and with so many veggies in the fridge, what better than to make our own? Though I have made pizza crust out of my wheat bread recipe, I decided to go with a traditional white crust.

Pizza Dough

• 2-3/4  -  3-1/4 C flour
• 1 package (1 T.) dry yeast
• 1 C. warm water
• 2 T. cooking oil
• 1/4 t. salt

Combine 1-1/4 C. flour with yeast and salt, add water and salt. Beat with electric beater on low for 30 seconds, constantly scraping the bowl. Then continue  beating on high speed for 3 minutes. Slowly stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead in as much remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 - 8 minutes total). Divide in half and let rest 10 minutes.

From here you can roll the dough out for a thin crust, or just stretch it out to bake on a stone (follow the directions for your baking stone), or you can spread in a greased pan for a thicker crust pan pizza.

Pizza Sauce

• 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• Tomato, diced (optional, or small can petite diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 C. diced onion
• 1 T. basil
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 t. pepper

Combine all in a sauce pan over medium high heat, bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Now it is ready to use!

Spread sauce on dough, either store bought or homemade.

Now comes the fun part! Like any home pizza making endeavor, pull out of your fridge anything that sounds good and use it as topping on your pizza. We used sweet peppers (green, red, yellow and orange), red onions, green onions, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, sun dried tomatoes, and some artichoke hearts. Later we realized we had forgotten the pineapple. Oh, well, there will be a next time! We did not have any mozzarella cheese, so we used cheddar, queso fresco and a little feta.

Place pizza in an oven preheated to 400℉, and bake for 10 - 20 minutes. Just check regularly for doneness, especially the dough in the center of the pizza. The thickness of the dough and the amount of toppings can affect the cooking time.

We baked two pizzas, the first one had better flavor, but was baked a bit too long. The crust on the 2nd pizza was cooked to perfection, but had fewer ingredients. Overall it was a huge success, the kids enjoyed the vegetarian pizza as much as the adults, plus we all had a lot of fun making them as a family. The toppings the kids were unsure of, they simply omitted from the second pizza.

Potential as a family favorite for ANY family because you can make it any way you like it!