It's Not Delivery, It's Homemade

Some nights there is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a movie, a beer, and good slice of pizza.  However the excess grease that typically comes with delivery pizza can be less than appetizing.  As a result I eventually started making my own pizza.  There are several ways you can vary this recipe, for one you can choose whatever toppings you like, I just show you green peppers because that is my favorite.  Additionally at the bottom of this post I include my recipe for simple homemade pizza sauce if you prefer to use that rather than diced tomatoes.  

With a Trader Joe's up the street from my building I usually cheat and buy their pre-made dough.  Personally I like the whole wheat kind.  If you want to make your own dough here is a great, fast dough recipe that I have had great success with.  My one word of advice is to make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired.

Ingredients:
Pizza dough (store bought or homemade, if store bought bring to room temperature)
2 Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Bag Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella (you can use fresh, but it does not melt quite as well or as fast)
1 Green Bell Pepper
1Tbs Olive Oil
Pinch of Oregano
Pinch of Parmesan

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Cover your pizza pan or stone with the dough by pressing from the center of the dough out towards the edges.  Once you have the dough all spread out drizzle the olive oil over the top, use your fingers or the back of a spoon to ensure the oil covers the dough.  Sprinkle oregano and Parmesan lightly over the dough.  Place the pan in the oven and cook for 8 minutes.

Step 2:

While the dough is cooking slice the green bell pepper and drain both cans of diced tomatoes.

Step 3:

Remove the dough from the oven.  Spread the diced tomatoes over the dough, leaving the edges clear to form your crust.

Step 4:

Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the tomatoes, you can use as much or as little as you like.

Step 5:

Lay the slices of green bell pepper out on top of the cheese.  This is also where you change up and use whatever other toppings you prefer.

Step 6:

Place the pizza back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown in the center, approximately 18-20 minutes.

Step 7:

Slice and ENJOY!

Homemade Pizza Sauce:

This sauce is really quick and easy to make, I just prefer chunkier tomatoes to sauce for my pizzas.

Ingredients:
1 14.5oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cloves of Garlic Diced
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Oregano
1 Tsp. Dried Basil Flakes
Pinch of Parmesan

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the diced garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the can of crushed tomatoes, stir in oregano and basil and Parmesan, bring to a light bubble, reduce heat and let simmer for at least 5-10 minutes.  You should still pre-cook your dough for the 8 minutes, once ready spoon and spread the sauce over the dough, add cheese and toppings and cook as directed above.

Do any of you have any great pizza making tips?  What are your favorite pizza toppings?  Also, considering my now lactose intolerance does anyone have a good non-lactose containing cheese option for pizzas?

One Dish Fish

Fish can be an intimidating protein to cook.  If done well it will be a star dish, but if done wrong it can be disastrous.  I like to incorporate fish into my diet as much as healthily possible.  I also like to ensure I  am getting plenty of vegetables, and not just green ones.  So having a recipe that incorporates both of these elements, as well as being fast and easy, and only using one cooking dish is my own personal miracle.

I have to say up front this recipe is not 100% my own creation.  I found the base of this recipe years ago online.  I no longer remember where, in fact I have since thrown away the printed recipe.  Over the years, though, I have added my own modifications, mostly to include more vegetables.  This dish is a great simple, healthy meal that also makes for a quick clean-up.  The original recipe called for Tilapia, however I have found that any light white fish will work.  The photos in this post are using European Plaice which just happened to be the fish on sale at my store this week.

Ingredients:
1 Bag Ready to Eat Leaf Spinach (I do not recommend using frozen spinach)
3-4 White Fish Fillets (Tilapia or similar)
1 Can Petit Diced Tomatoes (you can dice your own, you would probably need 4-5 tomatoes)
1 Can Vacuum Packed Corn
3-4 Scallions
2 Tbs Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Cajun or Creole Seasoning
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt  

Step 1:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Empty the bag of spinach into a large baking dish.  I use my large lasagna pan.  Sprinkle the spinach with onion powder and garlic salt.

Step 2:

Season the fillets with the Cajun or Creole seasoning to your liking.  If you prefer you may also skip this step, but I do recommend at least a little salt and pepper seasoning.

Step 3:

Drain the can of tomatoes and distribute the tomatoes and corn over the top of the fillets.

Step 4:

Dice the scallions and sprinkle on top of everything.

Step 5:

Add 2 Tbs of vegetable or chicken stock to the pan. It might seem like you should add more, but trust me this will be enough to create steam to wilt the spinach.

Step 6:

Cover your baking dish with foil and place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, when the fish flakes easily with a fork it is done.

Step 7:

Enjoy!  I like to serve with a couple pieces of garlic bread.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, if you try it please drop by and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!