Tag Archives: food

Sausage, Manchego, and Pepper Pizza

My pizza obsession is getting out of control. I’ve been making my own pizza for a while but lately I’ve taken to eating box after box of frozen pizza. Um, I can’t help it. Don’t judge. It’s easy, inexpensive and it tastes so good with beer on a Friday night. Hey – I don’t have a sophisticated palate. My only saving grace is that I’ve kept myself from picking up the phone and having pizza delivered. So, while I’m fooling myself into thinking that eating frozen pizza is better on my waistline (it is to a degree), I know I’m even better off making my own pizza at home where I can control the ingredients. So, here we are with this Sausage, Manchego, and Pepper Pizza I made recently.

Refrigerated pizza dough is glazed with a tasty topping of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and oregano and then topped with chicken sausage, manchego cheese, and fresh yellow bell peppers. A little sprinkling of red pepper flake adds a kick at the end. I was able to portion out this pizza and save some for the next couple days rather than eating the whole thing in one sitting (not that I ever do that – ha!). The balsamic vinegar adds enough flavor to keep this pizza from being bland which sometimes can happen with tomato-less pizzas. The sausage was hearty and the yellow pepper adds a bright, slightly sweet burst. I loved this pizza but that is no surprise. I think I love all pizza. Even the pizza I don’t eat. I heart it.

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Place the dough in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; pierce liberally with a fork. Microwave at HIGH 10 seconds. Discard plastic wrap. Combine garlic, 2 teaspoons oregano, oil, and vinegar in a small bowl.

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Roll pizza dough on a lightly floured surface.

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Carefully remove pizza stone or baking sheet from oven. Sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone; arrange dough on stone. Brush dough evenly with oil mixture; top with sausage, bell pepper, and cheese.

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Bake at 450°F for 13 minutes or until edges are browned. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oregano and crushed red pepper.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Basil

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Chicken Cutlets with Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Yes, I’m here! It’s been way, way too long since I’ve posted anything but I’ve been traveling for the past four weeks (first London, then Chicago) and now is the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down and get it done. It was nice to be back in my kitchen over the weekend, making some food. I feel like my diet and exercise has taken a nosedive over the past month so it’s time to get it together again. I came across this recipe for Chicken Cutlets with Strawberry-Avocado Salsa on the flight to Chicago and ended up buying the ingredients to make it when I landed. But then…I ate the avocado with eggs, the chicken with adobo seasoning, and the strawberries with ice cream. My plan failed. So, I tried it again over the weekend and actually got this dish made. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Chicken cutlets are given a boost of flavor from a vibrant salsa made with strawberries, avocado, lime, cilantro, and jalapeño. The sweet strawberries, creamy avocado, and spicy jalapeño are all perfect complements to each other and then the fresh cilantro and citrusy lime really round everything out. This is such a perfect summertime dinner, especially if you are watching your waistline, and this salsa is good enough to eat with nothing but a fork. If only I’d made this recipe last weekend, maybe I wouldn’t be so worried about my waistline now.

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Combine strawberries, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; toss to combine.

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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.

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Divide chicken among 4 serving plates, and spoon salsa evenly over each serving. Garnish each serving with a lime wedge.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Egg Salad Sandwiches with Bacon and Sriracha

Got some hard-boiled eggs leftover from Easter and are kind of sick of deviled eggs? Is that even possible? To be sick of deviled eggs? Not in my world. Deviled eggs, egg salad, or hard-boiled eggs simply sliced over some avocado toast – I don’t care. I’ll take them hard-boiled any which way. I eat deviled eggs so often throughout the year but I rarely think to make egg salad anymore. Probably because I can eat an entire bowl of egg salad with a spoon. Portion control? Ha! But I couldn’t resist trying these Egg Salad Sandwiches with Bacon and Sriracha.

Hard-boiled eggs are mixed with a combination of a little mayonnaise, plain non-fat Greek yogurt, bacon (I used turkey bacon), scallions, and Sriracha. The mixture is plopped on top of some arugula which adds yet another layer of vibrant flavor. (Don’t like arugula? Use spinach). I’m not typically a big fan of using yogurt in place of mayonnaise in most cases but here, it works. With the Sriracha and light oniony bite of the scallions, you can’t even tell the yogurt is in there. And bacon? Who doesn’t love bacon? This egg salad is insane. Sriracha and eggs work so well together that it doesn’t even seem right to not put them together. I ate my egg salad on seeded Jewish rye bread which packs yet another punch so I was in heaven. Thank goodness for Easter. It’s just another reason to make hard-boiled eggs. As if we need a reason.

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 Cook bacon in a medium pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes, until crisp or microwave per package directions. Remove bacon from pan or microwave; crumble. Place bacon in a large bowl. Stir in onions, mayonnaise, yogurt, Sriracha, salt and pepper.

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Gently stir in eggs.

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Arrange 1/2 cup arugula on each of 4 bread slices. Top each serving with 1/3 cup egg mixture and 1 bread slice.

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Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Turkey bacon

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

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