Mexican Pizza Revisited

There are some posts......especially some of the pictures in posts that are well lets just say needing an update. At the same time though a lot of those posts include other things besides a bad picture and the recipe. They kind of include a little of my life at that time and are almost like a journal of sorts.

Mostly a culinary journal but a record no less and I don't want to just totally just get rid of them or update them to show now instead of then. Then was important too so I have decided to leave them and just do revisited type posts when I want a little updating and/or changing of a recipe.

This could be a fun Labor Day meal......I'm not sure what we are going to have yet but I will try to get it posted before Monday afternoon. ;) Right now I'm just waiting for salsa to come out if it's water bath canning and then I'm going to work on pickling some beets!

Mexican Pizza

1-2 packages whole grain flour tortillas

Refried beans

Cheezy Sauce

1 cup frozen corn

1 small onion, chopped

1 can mushrooms or some fresh sliced (optional)
1 small zucchini, coarsely chopped (optional)
1/4 head of cabbage, thinly sliced (optional)

2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can olives, sliced

1 head romaine lettuce, sliced

Ranch Dressing

Salsa (optional)
Real Salt, pepper, Mexican Seasonings, Chili Powder, Cumin ect. (to taste)

Have beans and cheezy sauce already made. We usually have both in the fridge already when making these and I just rewarm the leftover refried beans.

Crisp up each tortilla by pan frying it in some coconut oil. Then in pan saute onion, mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage and corn with seasoning to taste.

On each persons plate, have them take a crisp tortilla and spread it with refried beans and cheezy sauce.  Then you can place another crisp tortilla on top of that to do a double layer or you can just do a single layer.  If double layer top with a little more cheezy sauce and all the other ingredients.

You can slice it with a pizza cutter (kind of) and eat it or just pick the whole thing up or use a fork whatever you choose it's a fun meal that the whole family loves and its fun to eat.  Basically another version of taco salads!  Fun and Yummy!!!!

Garden Marinara

This year our garden (it's first year at our new home) is about ready to give us all these ingredients!  I'm so excited I think we are finally figuring out how to garden. (It only took us about 16 years of practice....so much of gardening is trial and error)  Still no lawn but we have a great garden I'll share pictures soon!

Last year when our garden was being very productive I made this and we loved it!  We put it over spiralized zucchini but you could put the zucchini in the sauce and use the sauce over whole grain noodles or as a dipping sauce for bread sticks etc. ENJOY!

Garden Marinara 

1 quart bottled garden tomatoes (or fresh chopped)
1 small onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
6-8 large button mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 can tomato paste
2 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Real salt
1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon Sucanat
Zucchini
Hemp seed, for topping (opt.)

In large skillet saute veggies in a little olive oil if desired add seasonings stir till just warm then add tomatoes and rest of ingredients.  Simmer until veggies are done to your liking. 

Pizzeria Style Pizza

I got this recipe from my Mom.  It's by far my favorite homemade pizza recipe!  It's like pizzeria pizza only better.  No one will notice that the crust is whole grain.  And the sauce.....well the sauce is super tasty best pizza sauce ever and also a wonderful dip for bread sticks.  Put on your favorite toppings and you might just think you were at Pizza Hut or something!

Pizzeria Style Pizza Crust

2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons honey or Sucanat
2 Tablespoons active dry Yeast
1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
2+/- cups whole hard white wheat flour
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Real Salt
Corn Meal

In a large bowl place warm water (about 110 degrees) and Sucanat or honey and stir.  Sprinkle yeast on top.  Let mixture foam (about 10 minutes).  Add gluten and mix until smooth.  Add 1/4 cup of flour at a time mixing well after each addition.  Add just enough flour to have a nice dough but still kind of sticky.  You may add  more or less than the two cups flour, just get the right consistency.  With the last addition of flour add the oil and salt.  Cover Bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes.  Split into 2 pieces and roll into 2 large size pizzas, place on pizza pans sprinkled with corn meal.  Top and bake at 500 degrees for about 10 minutes.

NOTE:  To avoid soggy crust in the middle you will want to bake the pizza on a pizza pan that has holes in the bottom on the bottom rack of the oven OR use a pizza stone that is already hot (be careful not to burn yourself putting the crust on) OR pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes before adding the toppings (again be careful not to burn yourself)!

Pizzeria Pizza Sauce

(enough for 2 pizzas with some left over for dipping)
4 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (29 ounce) can tomato puree
2 teaspoons dried basil
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon real salt
1 teaspoon Sucanat
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons crushed fennel seed

In medium pot or skillet, melt coconut oil with olive oil.  Saute onion, celery and garlic until soft.  Add tomato puree and stir well.  Add the rest of the ingredients, slowly simmer for about 10 minutes or time desired (longer will bring out more flavor, just don't burn).  Remove the bay leaves and spread on prepared pizza dough.

My Favorite Pizzeria Type Pizza Toppings

Thinly sliced onion
Thinly sliced GREEN bell pepper
canned mushrooms
sliced olives
pineapple
Cheezy Sauce thinned with rice milk so it can be drizzled on pizza
Artichoke hearts (opt.)

You can use any toppings you like these are just my favorites!

Best Yet Whole Wheat Bread

Update:  I recently learned that hard wheat has enough gluten in it to hold bread together it just needs to be activated.  Lemon juice does that!  So if you don't have any Vital Wheat Gluten you don't really need it just try some lemon juice to help activate the gluten already in it!  We have tried it and it works great!  We have also substituted the honey for agave and it gave it a little lighter flavor I kind of liked it better although it's good either way!  

As far as just regular simple bread dough goes I just love this recipe!  I have tried some "other food storage" bread recipes and they tasted more like cardboard.  I pretty much use this dough for EVERYTHING;  Fry bread, (known as scones where I grew up;) rolls, soup bowls, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, pull apart bread, pizza dough, pretzels, and of course BREAD.  You name it we have tried it with this recipe!  Again I just love how versatile it is. 

Oh and by the way my daughter is now 13 and is usually the one who makes this dough up she enjoys doing it and says if I get a bread mixer she won't use it.  She makes amazing perfect dough every time. (she says the secret is to not use too much flour if it gets sticky while kneading just oil your hands with a little olive oil) She has taught her 11 year old brother how to make it too!  Maybe I don't need that bread mixer after all! ;)  My next goal it to take this recipe and try it with other grains!

I love this bread recipe! It makes great bread bowls, yummy cinnamon rolls, and wonderful bread. It's very fool proof! I have never been a good bread maker but this turns out great every time. My 11 year old daughter made it yesterday with very little help from me. The picture is of the bread she made it turned out GREAT! She said she wants to make it again WITHOUT my help!

Best Yet Whole Wheat Bread

Hand Method: Yep I still don't have a mixer ;) (yields 2 loaves)

1/3 Cup honey or agave

1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 Cup Warm Water

1 1/2 Tablespoons Yeast

1 Tablespoon Real Salt

6-7 Cups Fresh Ground Whole Wheat Flour (I used hard white wheat)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten OR 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Combine the warm water, yeast, and 2 Cups of flour in a large bowl. Let sponge for 15 minutes.
Add the honey or agave, oil, Vital Wheat Gluten or Lemon Juice, salt and 4-5 Cups additional flour until the dough is all together and the sides of the bowl are clean. Don't let the dough get too dry and stiff. Too often beginning bread makers add too much flour.  Be careful not to do this.

Knead dough by hand for 10 minutes you want the dough very smooth, elastic, and to have small bubbles or appear beneath the surface of the dough. If you are kneading by hand, be sure to use a little oil on your hands while kneading to help with the dough sticking to them.  This will help make it so you don't need to add too much flour.

Cut dough in half and form into 2 loaves and put in greased loaf pans (you can also cut the dough into 5 or 6 pieces and roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet if making bread bowls. Allow to rise in a slightly warmed oven (oven should NOT be on at this point) or other warm place until doubled in size (about 30-60 minutes).

Bake loaves at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hallow when tapped and when the outside is a golden brown color.

This Bread Recipe is VERSATILE! Use it to make cinnamon rolls, pizza, bread sticks, and more. (recipe inspired by: "Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread")

Calzones Made Simple

Calzones can be lots of fun but rather tedious if you are making them healthy and homemade! Especially if you are like me and don't have a bread mixer yet! *sigh* So to have to roll out each individual Calzone was just not going to happen very often around here. But we love how Tasty and filling they can be so here are some tricks to make it more Simple. We have them more often now!

If you don't have a bread mixer be sure to make them on a day when your husband can be home. They make excellent bread mixers and if you employ this method enough I'm sure they will get the hint that you could really use one! ;) For the dough we just use the Best Yet Whole Wheat Bread recipe. Letting it rise a bit before rolling it out seems to make a lighter crust which I really like. I just let it rise while preparing the filling. This will make two long Calzones!

For the filling saute the veggies you want in a little coconut oil. We like onions, mushrooms, peppers, artichoke hearts, corn, olives, zucchini, just whatever we have that sounds good on a pizza look here for other ideas. After the dough has risen divided it into two pieces roll each piece out onto a oiled cookie sheet. Spread your sauce, going the long way on one half of the dough. (I like to use either a healthy bottled one if I'm in a big hurry or I make this adding a can of diced tomatoes to it. It helps the Calzones to not be dry.) Then layer that with your veggies, then top with my mock Mozzarella Cheese Sauce.

Then just flip over the half of crust without filling on it and press down around the edges. Remember you are doing this all twice because it make two!

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Then slice and serve! Like I said, very Tasty and VERY filling!

We Eat Cake and Pizza Too!

I made this cake for my oldest son's birthday it's an Applesauce Bundt Cake.

 And It tasted really good!

I even made a maple icing and put on top of it. (pretty sweet for me but for a party it was fun) I thought for sure I had an instant favorites recipe it came out of the pan so great and looked super moist. BUT when I cut into it and tried to put a piece on a plate it fell apart and was super crumbly. It had great flavor but was way to crumbly I'm not sure why it was but I will have to play with it a figure it out! Don't worry when I do you will be the first to get the recipe!

 

Also for his Birthday my son asked for pizza! It's not something we have often mainly cause I'm not organized enough think ahead and have some of it made in advance. I did make the crusts the night before and partially cooked them which made it lots easier the next day. Also when I make it I can't just make one kind so that makes it a little more tedious too! I'm sure with more practice I can learn to streamline it and make it more Simple! If you figure out some great tricks please share! Pizza is just such a fun food!

 

Alright for the crust you of course you can use the Best Yet Whole Wheat Bread recipe one batch makes 2 large or 3 medium crusts. Or you can use this Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe that makes 4 large crusts. Both are very good! I have found that baking them half way (before they turn golden brown) before you put on the toppings makes it so you are sure to not have soggy crust in the center of your pizza. It does work to put the toppings on before you bake the crust but it just takes longer to have the center of the pizza be done!

If I have a jar of pasta sauce (with good ingredients of course;) I will sometimes use it on the pizza but usually I just make my own the recipe I posted just below!

Now toppings are pretty much up to you. The picture of the first pizza has spinach, marinated

artichoke hearts, pineapple, olives, onion and my Mozzarella Cheese recipe. The second one has onions, mushrooms, olives, green peppers, and my cooked Savory Sausages crumbled. The Cheese on that pizza is just the Cheezy Sauce recipe mixed with a little rice milk to thin and sometimes a little organic sugar to sweeten. I usually just melt it at a very low heat on the stove. (don't scorch!) The last pizza picture is a very veggie with zucchini, corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, what ever veggies you want to throw on really. It also has the Mozzarella Cheese. We have made some without the "cheese" sauces and just used more pizza sauce with the veggies so it's not dry and it's good that way. You can also sprinkle Italian seasonings on top that's good too! I think if I would just stick with one kind at a meal it would be much more simple but I think it's fun to have different kinds to choose from! Have fun and let me know what you come up with!

Super Simple Pizza Sauce

Super Simple Pizza Sauce

1 large can tomato puree

1/2 Tablespoon Oregano

2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

1-2 Tablespoons Sucanat

1 pinch crushed fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)

Mix all ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste! Spread on pizza crust.

 

Savory Sausages

Savory Sausages

1 cup black-eyed peas, somewhat drained;)

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

One half of a 4 oz. can of mushroom, well drained, finely diced

or 1/8 cup very finely chopped fresh mushrooms

2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon crushed fennel

1 or 2 dashes crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon basil

1 or 2 sprigs parsley, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dried

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon crushed rosemary

1 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Mash black-eyed peas and flour together in bowl. Add mushrooms together with peas and flour. I like to sprinkle a little of the seasonings into the "meat" mixture. Roll into sausage shapes. Put spices on clean surface, like a plate and roll the sausages over the spice mixture, coating well. In frying pan on medium to low heat, in a little oil fry the sausages, carefully turning as they brown. (And they do turn a nice golden brown)Serve hot and enjoy!

 

Pizza Topping Ideas

Pizza Topping Ideas

Onions

green peppers

sweet red peppers

sliced olives

sliced mushrooms

pineapple chunks

spinach

zucchini

artichoke hearts

corn

broccoli

asparagus

tomatoes

Use anything you can think of that might be good on pizza. Use some or all of them. Sometimes we even saute them first in some oil and seasonings. We like to use lots of toppings and herbs. Some herbs we like are basil, oregano, dill, garlic salt or an Italian seasoning is always good. You can even come up with your own theme Pizza like Mediterranean or veggie lovers. Be creative! I sometimes take the Cheezy Sauce recipe (in This and That) and thin it with a little rice milk and sweeten with a little organic sugar and drizzle on top of our pizza. Or sometimes I use the Vegan Mozzarella Cheese recipe. (found in This and That) Or sometimes we just add extra sauce on top and don't worry about the "Cheese" I even have a "Savory Sausage" recipe I crumble and put on Pizza sometimes. The recipe is in (Main Dishes or Breakfast)

 

Pizza, Bread Stick, and Also Makes a Good Pasta Sauce

Raw Pasta Sauce

2 Cups raw tomato paste (made from 2 cups dried tomatoes soaked 8 hours or two 8oz. Jars marinated dried tomatoes; pureed in blender)

1 - 4 Tablespoons Sucanat

2 Tablespoons Lemon juice

1 - 2 cups warm water (more or less depending on how thick or thin you want your sauce)

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon White pepper

1 Tablespoon Onion powder

4 teaspoons Oregano

4 teaspoons Basil

2 teaspoon Paprika

2 teaspoons Fennel seed, soaked till soft

1 Tablespoon Salt (to taste)

1/4 cup olive oil (omit if using marinated tomatoes)

Place all ingredients into blender. Puree until smooth. Store in fridge. Freezes well. For those who eat all raw this sauce on top of spiralized zucchini makes an EXCELLENT raw spaghetti dish!

 

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

4 cups warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

Whole wheat flour (as much as needed to get a dough like consistency)

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 1/4 Tablespoon yeast

Prepare dough like any bread, either kneading by machine or hand. After first rising (or immediately if you are in a hurry), Make 4 equal size balls of dough work one ball of dough onto well-greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. I like to use olive oil to grease the pan. Spread and stretch dough until it fits the pan and is no more than ½ inch thick. After you have stretched the dough onto all your pans, go back to the first pan, which has had time to rise a bit by now, and cover with sauce and toppings. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 - 28 minutes, or until the top and the bottom of the crust is light brown. Makes 4 large pizzas.