#80 Veggie Pizza featuring Helen's pizza dough

Helen's Pizza Dough

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3-1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons yeast

2 teaspoons coarse salt (a little less if not coarse)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

1-1/3 cups to 1-1/2cups lukewarm water

Put everything in a stand mixer bow with the dough hook attachment and mix until you have a smooth elastic dough.  Cover dough and let rise in oiled bowl until doubled.  

My variation:  I don't have the wonderful stand mixer, so I put the ingredients in my bread machine in the order recommend by the maker.  I use the dough setting and it comes out risen and perfect every time.

Divide dough in half.  Since it is just the two of use, I put the second half in a bag and into the fridge and we have pizza again in a couple of days. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roll out and put into a pizza pan (or you can use a baking stone, preheated)  I then brush with a generous amount of olive oil, maybe about a tablespoon.  I press 2 (or more!) cloves of garlic and spread it around on the crust.  Add some fresh minced oregano and basil (use dry if you don't have fresh) to taste.  Then I add thinly sliced veggies.  Whatever I happen to have on had.  Pictured above we had some vidiala onions, green peppers, zucchini, fresh tomato, fresh mushrooms, a little bit of pepperoni.  I like to put the tomato on top so that it doesn't get the crust gooey.  I also sprinkled some freshly ground pepper and coarse salt over the tomato slices.I used some finely pre-grated Italian cheeses.  I used about 1/3 of an 8 ounce package, but put on as much or the kind of cheese you like.   

Bake for 10 minutes, check and then I like to turn the pan and bake 2 to 4 more minutes until the crust is starting to brown and the cheese has melted.

Some other veggies to try, olives, eggplant, spinach, and fresh corn.  

#79 Easy Pasta Salad

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture!

1 lb. Cooked corkscrew pasta
Small can sliced olives
6 oz. feta cheese
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cucumber, skinned, slided and diced
Your favorite vinaigrette dressing

Toss all together and let set in refrigerator at least one hour before serving.

#78 Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

1 tablespoon each, dry sherry, soy sauce and water
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch

Mix together in a medium bowl and then add:
About 1/2-3/4 lb of boneless lean beef (I used a round steak) cut into thin strips.  Then stir in 1-1/2 teaspoon of oil.

Let marinate for about 15 minutes

Meanwhile, cut one bunch of broccoli into bite size chunks.  Cut an onion into thick strips. Slice a package of mushrooms.  Set aside.

Prepare a cooking sauce using 1/2 cup chicken or beef broth.  Or water.  Add 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and cornstarch.  Stir and set aside.

Heat a wok and then add 1 tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil.  When hot, add one minced/pressed garlic clove and 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (you can buy that in a jar, or get a fresh ginger root)  Stir and then add beef.  Stir fry until browned, remove from wok to a bowl.  Add another tablespoon of oil and then stir fry the broccoli for a couple of minutes. Then add the onions and mushrooms.  Continue to stir fry for a few minutes.  Add the beef back into the pan and heat through.  Stir the cooking sauce and add to the wok.  Stir until bubbly, cook for one minute.  Serve with rice.

# 77 Jicama Salad

1 jicama, pared and cut into sticks

2 limes, finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice

a handful of cilantro, finely chopped

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss together in a bowl and let marinate for a while, an hour or so.

#76 Sausage & Potato Frittata

Ingredients:
1/2 a medium onion (finely diced)
2 small potatoes (finely diced)
1/2 half pound ground sausage
1/2 cup diced green peppers
5-6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
~1/2 cup cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and boil for about 12-15 minutes, until fork tender. Drain them when they are done (I put them back in the pot to keep them warm and get rid of the excess water).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until cooked through. Remove from pan and drain if needed. Add the onion and green peppers to skillet (I just used the extra fat from the sausage). Cook until the onions are limp and see-through (not browned yet).

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until lightly beaten. Spray an 8"x8" baking dish (or a round cake pan) and layer the sausage, potatoes, onions/peppers, and cheese. Pour the eggs over everything (you can mix it a little if you like).

Bake for about 25-35 minutes. It takes my oven about 35 minutes but the recipe calls for 25 minutes. Just make sure the eggs are cooked through and not runny (you can use a toothpick). Let cook for 5 minutes. Cut and serve. You can make this vegetarian if you like, I have used mushrooms, bacon, and sundried tomatoes before. I also wanted to try thinly slicing the potatoes and laying them on the bottom.

This is a very delicious breakfast or dinner and husband approved!