Tag Archives: arugula

Pear, Blue Cheese, and Bacon Pizza

Pizza, pizza, pizza. We get pizza every Friday in our office and most Fridays, I skip it and grab take out from the vendor on the corner. For someone who loves pizza, sometimes I can’t bring myself to eat plain old cheese pizza. It’s my favorite but some days, I just can’t do it. I loved the idea of this different no-tomato style pizza, Pear, Blue Cheese, and Bacon Focaccia-Style Pizza. Okay, I admit my pizza dough isn’t “focaccia-style” because I take short cuts when it comes to pizza dough. Yes, I know I can make it myself and yes, I know it will probably taste better. But let’s face it, when I want pizza, I’m not waiting hours for dough to rise. Get in my belly!

Cooked bacon (in typical fashion, I used turkey bacon), red onions and blue cheese are layers over creamy ricotta mixed with a little nutmeg for extra flavor. After baking in the oven, the pizza is topped with thin Bosc pear slices and vibrant arugula. There are so many layers of flavor in the pie. For someone who never used to eat blue cheese, I found myself enjoying the bites with blue cheese the best (I used Gorgonzola) and wished I had used more. Not feeling pears during the summer? Juicy peaches would be a great substitute. If you are having a lazy weekend day and want to make your own dough, go for it. Please let me know what I’m missing out on.

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Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Return pan to medium heat. Add onion to drippings; cook 4 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

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Combine ricotta and nutmeg in a small bowl. Spread ricotta mixture over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border; top evenly with bacon, onion mixture, and blue cheese. Brush edges of dough with remaining 1 teaspoon oil.

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Bake at 450° for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Top pizza evenly with arugula and pear; sprinkle with pepper.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Stone Fruit Chicken-Rice Salad

I don’t know why it doesn’t occur to me to always have precooked rice, lots of fruits and/veggies, and chicken on hand to make a hodge podge rice bowl. These kinds of meals are always exactly what tastes so good to me and what leaves me feeling satisfied. I do have a ridiculous love for rice so I try not to eat too much of it (hence why it’s never in the house). If I could figure out how to control myself, maybe I could actual have certain foods on standby. But rice with chicken and fruits or veggies along with an Asian flavored sauce or a light vinaigrette is usually my perfect little meal. Which explains why I was so drawn to this Stone Fruit Chicken-Rice Salad.

Grilled chicken, nectarines, brown rice, cherries, scallions, almonds, and mint are mixed together before being tossed with a simple vinaigrette of olive oil, lemon and Dijon. Served with whatever kind of green you like (I used arugula), this salad is a perfect lunch or even a light which takes advantage of summer’s fruits. I look forward to nectarines, peaches, berries and especially cherries each year so as soon as I saw cherries in the store, I grabbed a huge bag no matter the cost. Substitute this salad with rotisserie chicken, turkey, blueberries, corn, spinach, zucchini, basil, tomatoes or whatever your heart desires. No matter what you throw in, you won’t go wrong.

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Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 5 minutes. Chop chicken.

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Combine oil, rind, juice, and mustard in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

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Add chopped, cooked chicken, nectarines, and remaining ingredients; toss well.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Arugula
  • Sliced almonds

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Roasted Potatoes with Arugula-Pistachio Pesto

I can’t help it but I love the Olympics. As much as it reminds me of how amazingly physically inferior I am to other people, I still love to root for my country and feel one with other Americans.  That being said, part of me is sad to see it end but happy to see it go. Two weeks is just long enough before some of us are ready to get back to regular programming of Chicago Fire and Grimm. Unless you are like me and have already jumped on the Netflix bandwagon and have devoured the entire second season of House of Cards only a day after the episodes were released. I have no self control. But that’s what happens when Netflix releases the whole season at once…it’s like letting a kid run wild in the Hershey chocolate factory.  Um…when will the third season be coming out? Anyone? I’ve officially tortured myself.  Anywho…at some point between watching the Olympics and my gazillionth episode of House of Cards, I have made these Roasted Potatoes with Arugula-Pistachio Pesto. Luckily, they were easy and not very time consuming.

Roasted fingerling potatoes are tossed in a quick, simple and tasty pesto made of peppery arugula and salty pistachios. Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and garlic help round out the flavors in this pesto which was so good, I used leftovers to top a turkey burger. This pesto would be good on nearly anything – any sandwich, any salad, any French fry, or any random vegetable.  I don’t eat potatoes much but when I eat them like these, I wonder why. These potatoes were amazing. I actually couldn’t wait until my next meal to eat them again. Sad but true. Please, try these.

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Place a jellyroll pan in oven. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine potatoes and 1 tablespoon oil in a medium bowl; toss well.

Arrange potatoes in a single layer on preheated pan. Sprinkle potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes; toss potatoes. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

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Combine remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, arugula leaves, Parmesan cheese, pistachios, 2 teaspoons water, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor; process until smooth.

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Combine arugula mixture and hot potatoes in a medium bowl; toss well.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

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