Blackberry Goat Cheese Pizza

I think at this point it's obvious: I love me some pizza. There's just no way around it. I love it all. But these days I especially love unique pizzas that stray from the typical red sauce and mozzarella. This pizza is one of those. Not one of these toppings are what you'd typically see on a pizza but the combination is perfection. This one is not exactly on the budget-friendly side so you might want to save it for a more special occasion.

(Picture from here. Sorry, I never remember to take pictures of my food. I eat it too fast.)

Ingredients:

1 pizza crust- As mentioned before, I don't have a brilliant pizza crust recipe that I'd necessarily recommend. For this pizza, though, make sure your crust is thin. If you need ideas, I cut this recipe in half and it was just what I needed. 

1 1/2 cups blackberries- I used fresh, but I'm sure frozen would work also work if that's all you have

1/4 cup fresh basil and mint, thinly sliced- I used a bit of each and it probably totaled 1/4 cup. Use your judgment and spice preferences.

2 Tbsp. fresh thyme

4-5 oz crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. honey, divided

olive oil

Directions: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350ish. I suppose this depends on what kind of crust you use. For my crust, 350 worked well for me.

2. Lightly drizzle the dough with olive oil and 1 Tbsp. honey, just enough to lightly cover the dough.

3. Top the pizza with blackberries, spices, and goat cheese, then sprinkle the hazelnuts over the top.

4. Bake until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted, about 8-12 minutes. 

5. Drizzle with the rest of the honey. Let stand for a few minutes before slicing. Serve while still hot. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from here

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

We've tried a few variations of homemade veggie burgers and these are our favorites. I can't promise you the flavor of ground beef (it does taste good, though!) but this recipe does promise the FEEL of eating a genuine burger.

Makes 4 large patties.

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
1/2 T cayenne pepper
1 T cumin
1 tsp hot sauce
1/2-1 cup bread crumbs
4 slices of preferred cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or you could grill them but I like how they hold when baked) and lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
3.The original recipe calls to do the cutting of the veggies in a food processor, but the last time I cooked this I didn't have mine accessible so I just chopped them with a knife as small as I could and then I sautéed them for a few minutes to get the raw crunch out of them. I liked it better than the processed way. ANYWAY- after you prepare the veggies, stir them into the mashed beans.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the eggs, cayenne, cumin, and hot sauce.
5. Stir the egg mixture into the beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is a sticky consistency and holds together.
6. Divide mixture into 4 patties (aim for round and flat, not ball shaped) and place on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes then flip, then 10 more minutes on other side. If you want cheese, put in on when you have about 5 minutes of cooking left.
7. Put it on a bun with your favorite veggies and condiments and enjoy!