The Recipe for my Whole Wheat Pesto Chicken Pizza

I’ve had a couple of you ask me for the recipe for the Pesto Chicken Pizza, so I figured I’d quickly jot down what went into it. Nothing was measured, so I’ll do my best to remember about how much I used. If you feel like you want more cheese, chicken or veggies.. Go for it! If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can buy a ball of dough from most grocery stores and you can substitute your favorite salt free seasoning blend (e.g. Mrs Dash) for the 21 Seasoning Salute. It’s hard to make a bad choice here. I have a pizza stone from World Market and highly recommend using this to achieve that extra crispy crust you get from delivery pizza. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can make this recipe on a regular baking sheet and it should work just fine, it just won’t be quite as crispy as if you had made it on a pizza stone. Serve with a green salad and an ice cold beer!

What You Need:

¼ lb chicken cut into 1” cubes cooked in 1 tsp oil, seasoned with 1 ½ tsp Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute
1 ball whole wheat pizza dough
½ - 1 cup of your favorite pizza or spaghetti sauce (depends how saucy you like it)
¼ cup prepared or homemade pesto sauce
½ - 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used this garlic infused jack cheese)
¼ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese (optional)
1/3 cup red or green bell pepper, ¼” dice
1/3 cup red onion, ¼” dice
2 large cremini or button mushroom, very thinly sliced
6 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
Cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking to your baking sheet or pizza stone
Flour for rolling the dough

What To Do:

Heat oven to 425* and take pizza dough out of the fridge and let it sit for 20 minutes while the oven heats up. If you try and use it right out of the fridge, you’ll have a really tough time getting it to roll out properly.

Once the oven is hot, throw your pizza stone in and let it heat for 15 minutes (if using). While the pizza stone is heating, roll out the dough on a well floured surface to your desired thickness. We like it thin.

Remove pizza stone from the oven and dust with cornmeal until there is an even coating.

Carefully place pizza dough onto your pizza stone or baking sheet and pierce many times with a fork to prevent air pockets from forming. Bake the pizza crust for about 8-10 minutes or until it becomes a golden brown. This is how you get that crispy crust!

After the crust has prebaked, top with sauce, garlic jack cheese and then all of the vegetables and chicken. Spoon the pesto sauce onto the pizza, distributing it evenly in blobs. Top with parmesan cheese (if using) and bake for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.


Allow the pizza to cool for a few minutes before slicing.



Serves 4 (4 small or 2 large slices each)



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry (5 ingredients!)

This stir fry is extremely quick and easy! I am definitely on a five ingredient kick these days. Nothing like a great tasting and healthy recipe that isn’t a bunch of muss and fuss. I like to make this stir fry ahead of time and reheat it as needed. If you’re not into mushrooms, you could use any other veggie you like. I think onion, carrot, snow peas and baby corn would all work very well. Same goes for red bell peppers… If you’d rather not use those, just substitute one of the above. This recipe makes enough for four generous portions. I’ll be serving this over steamed brown jasmine rice with a little hot sauce. Feel free to add a little extra teriyaki sauce when serving, but a little goes a long way. This recipe could easily be doubled for a larger group… or for more leftovers!

What You Need:

1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (about ¾”)
4 ½ cups broccoli pieces, fresh or frozen (defrosted) would work here
10 mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, chopped into 1/2” pieces
¼ cup bottled or homemade teriyaki sauce

½ Tbs olive oil

What To Do:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes or until they release their liquid and shrink.

Moving the mushrooms aside, brown the chicken for 4 minutes. Turn chicken over half way through the cooking process.

Next, add all the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to medium and cover.

With the cover on, cook for 4 minutes. Serve over steamed brown jasmine rice or quinoa.

**Edited to add: Makes about 3 - 2 cup servings

Nutritional Stats for 1 serving

Bon Appétit!

Mary

Roasted Vegetable Salad

I have to admit, my favorite way to eat vegetables these days are roasted in the oven, but the heat of summer normally keeps me from making this salad this time of year. I was wondering around the produce section of market this oddly cool July morning and saw the fresh dill and chives and knew I wanted to make a roasted vegetable salad that could be served at room temperature with a punch of lemon. Making this salad a day ahead will ensure that all the flavors have time to marry. Garnish with more fresh dill and toss with thinly sliced romaine lettuce and enjoy!

What You Need:

1 small eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite sized pieces
12 cremini mushrooms, stems removed
11 brussels sprouts, halved
1 small head garlic, cloves separated, but not peeled
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbs
Zest of one lemon
2 ½ Tbs fresh chives, minced
1 ½ Tbs fresh dill, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper



What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 425*. Toss vegetables in 2 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-35 minutes, stirring the vegetables half way through the cooking process. The veggies will be deeply browned, but not burned. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Remove peel from cloves of garlic.

While the vegetables cook, combine 1/8 cup olive oil and lemon zest in a small bowl.  Set aside and allow flavors to meld while the vegetables cook.

Combine herbs and lemon oil in a large bowl and toss gently. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4 as an Entrée



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mirepoix Tofu Stir Fry

I know what you’re thinking… A French stir fry?! Nope! But the word mirepoix (pronounced: meer-pwa) is a French name for the combination of vegetables: carrot, celery and onion. I always have carrots, celery and onions on hand in my pantry, but sometimes I don’t end up using them before they start getting tired. That was the case this fine evening and so another tofu stir fry was in order, featuring a mirepoix.

What You Need:

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into 1” cubes

1 package snow peas, cut into bite sized peices

½ large sweet onion, sliced

¾ yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2” pieces
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 – 8 oz package mushrooms, roughly chopped
6 - 10 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbs minced ginger
3 green onions, thinly sliced

The sauce:
Hot sauce to taste (sriracha)
2 Tbs oyster sauce
Soy sauce to taste
2 Tbs sesame oil

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil



What To Do:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add tofu and cook until well browned, about 8-10 minutes.

Add celery, carrots and onion and cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften.

Next, add yellow pepper, snow peas, garlic and ginger. Cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are cooked, but still have some crunch.

Turn heat down to medium low and add hot sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Serve with green onion and additional hot sauce.





Serves 4-6



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Tofu Stir Fry with Cauliflower, Baby Bok Choy and Mushrooms

A stir fry is a quick and easy way to get your vegetable on. I chose to use these vegetables because well, I didn’t feel like going to the market and that’s what I had on hand. The best thing about stir frys is that you can put whatever you have in them. If you have chicken, spinach, bell pepper and onion, use that! The combinations are endless. This meal can be made a day ahead and re-heats nicely. A fun substitution for rice would be quinoa or kelp noodles. Perfect for days when you want to make a one pot meal that doesn’t take more than 30 minutes to throw together.

What You Need:

16 oz firm tofu, cut into 1” pieces

3 baby bok choy, cut into bite sized pieces
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
12 oz cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces

2 med zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup brussels sprouts, quartered

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

7.4 oz cooked brown rice (about a cup)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

3 ½ tsp minced ginger

5 cloves garlic, grated or minced

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Hot sauce to taste

What To Do:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, sauté tofu for 10 minutes or until well browned. After the tofu has been cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Still over medium high heat, add bok choy, mushrooms, cauliflower, zucchini, sprouts and carrots. Cook vegetables with the lid on for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After vegetables have been partially cooked, add garlic, ginger, rice, tofu, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Stir fry for another 5 minutes or until all ingredients are well combined and very hot.

Remove from heat and add green onions, reserving some for a garnish. Serve immediately or make a day ahead.


Serves 6-8


Bon Appetite!
Mary