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!

Strawberry Basil Goat Cheese Pizza

If you know anything about me and Tom, you know that we love making pizzas. I can confidently say that it's one of our top 5 past-times. This is the newest addition to our pizza family and we welcome it with open mouths. Though it's probably most delightful in the summer or spring time, we tried it first in the cold winter and not only enjoyed it, but it brought us nostalgia and hopes of warmer, brighter days. Definitely not your typical pizza but absolutely worth going against the grain for.

Ingredients:

• 1 pizza crust, prepared (use your own favorite recipe. I have yet to be solely converted on one particular dough recipe so I don't feel right recommending one as of now. Suggestions welcome.)
• corn meal, for the pan
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• shredded parmesan + black pepper, for topping

Directions:

1. Toss the basil and mozzarella together, set aside.
2. Sprinkle pizza pan with corn meal and place dough/crust on it. Brush with balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with mozzarella and basil mixture. Scatter strawberry slices over the cheese. Crumble goat cheese over the berries.
3. Place in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees or so. Remove from the oven and slide onto a cutting board. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with parmesan cheese and black pepper. Enjoy!

Source: Take a Megabite

Rock-your-world Grilled Cheese

This sandwich will change the way you look at grilled cheeses forever. Now I know this sandwich can be notorious for the sky-high calorie count thanks to the usual over zealous amounts of butter and cheese. Hop on my bandwagon and that won't be the case. You're really only looking at about 300 calories for the whole sandwich. Not too bad, huh? How is it possible? Well for started I use mozzarella cheese. Did you know mozzarella has the least amount of calories per ounce of all the standard cheeses? Also, one of my grilled cheese secrets has always been to substitute italian dressing for the butter. It cuts calories and adds a great extra blend of flavors.
Curious yet? Well prepare to be amazed:

(Just for the record, this recipe only makes one sandwich because I often just makerth

Ingredients:
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1/4 cup part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 Roma tomato, sliced into about 1/4 inch slices
1/2 Tbsp. pesto
1 Tbsp. Italian dressing
Garlic salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Arrange the cheese on one of the bread slices. Microwave for about 25 seconds to kick-start the melting process (this let's you cook the grilled cheese on the skillet faster without burning the bread). While heating the first slice, spread pesto on the other slice.
2. Place tomato slices on top of melted cheese and sprinkle with garlic salt and ground pepper. Then place the pestoed (not really a word) bread slice on top.
3. Heat Italian dressing in skillet on medium heat. Once it starts to sizzle place your sandwich in the skillet. Turn immediately to ensure both sides get the Italian dressing on them.
4. Heat on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese Sauce

My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and now it's one of my favorites. Such a clever idea to substitute spaghetti squash for pasta. I love it. And really, if you want to be boring, you can just use normal spaghetti sauce on the squash, but I'd highly recommend this recipe. Now, Rachel Ray, the creator of this recipe, uses a lot more fancy ingredients than fit into my budget, so I've adapted it to make it more realistic for my household. If you want to see her ingredients, just click here for the original.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping, if desired
• 1/4 pound bacon, chopped
• 1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into small dice or shredded
• 1 medium onion, cut into small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup grape juice
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup fresh basil (about a handful), chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley (about a handful), chopped

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF.

Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut-side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut-side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.

While the squash is roasting, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and cook until golden brown, 6-7 minutes. Add the carrots, onion and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.

Season everything with salt and pepper, then add the tomato paste, cooking it until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the grape juice and beef stock, scraping the bottom for any bits that may be stuck, and cook the sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

To serve, ladle the meat sauce on top of each squash half and garnish each with fresh basil, parsley and additional Pecorino Romano cheese.

Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com a few years ago when looking for chicken dishes. This was quite the diamond in the rough! I remember finding 5 or 6 recipes that looked appealing and this is the only one that was worth talking at all about. I love it. When cooked right, it is exactly how its name describes: sweet, sticky, and spicy. If overcooked though, it's more like dry, rough, and crispy. Not so good. So be careful! 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Mix together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and hot sauce in a small bowl.
2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken strips. (also-I'd dredge them in flour first. Helps with the sticky element)
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken strips and brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.

Source: AllRecipes.com