Tag Archives: zucchini

Summer Grilled Vegetable Pizza

I was hungry for pizza the other night but I’m not a big take-out pizza person.  I love take-out pizza, but I never order it unless I have someone else to eat it with me.  Otherwise, I’ll end up eating the whole greasy, cheesy, decadent pie and I don’t have enough willpower to not do that.  So, since I’m on a bit of a veggie kick this week, I decided to make one of the many pizza recipes that I’ve collected.  This Summer Grilled Vegetable Pizza is a perfectly light pizza that uses up the last of the zucchini and squash in my fridge.

Zucchini, summer squash and red pepper are grilled until soft and browned and placed over a store-bought pizza crust layered with marinara sauce.  Fresh mozzarella cheese and red pepper flake are a dotted over the veggies before the whole pie is baked on a pizza stone until golden brown (or slightly darker brown, in my case).  Don’t have a pizza stone?  Just use a pizza pan or cookie sheet.  The veggies are crisp-tender while the mozzarella cheese is salty and creamy and the red pepper flake adds a punch of heat here and there.  Use your favorite marinara, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, or fresh tomatoes as your base here.  Play with any veggies you like to get a lesser-fat pizza that won’t leave you feeling too guilty.  You won’t even miss the fact that it’s not take-out pizza.

The ingredients:

Arrange all the vegetables in a single layer on a large cutting board or baking sheet and brush both sides with olive oil.  Arrange vegetables on a grill rack preheated to medium-high heat and coated with cooking spray.  Grill for 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender and grill marks appear.  Remove from grill.  Coarsely chop bell pepper.

Sprinkle cornmeal over a pizza stone which has been preheated in a  500°F oven.  Carefully place dough on pizza stone and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the partially baked crust from oven.

Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.  Arrange the vegetables over dough, and sprinkle evenly with salt and crushed red pepper.

Top evenly with cheese.  Bake at 500°F for an additional 12 minutes or until the crust and cheese are browned.

Cut into 6 slices and top with fresh basil (if desired).

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Red onion

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Summer Squash and Ricotta Galette

Seriously, someone take my television away from me.  I can’t stop watching the Olympics.  Or checking scores online.  Or looking on my iPhone for Ryan Lochte’s latest tweets.  I woke up early on Sunday after staying up until midnight (watching the Olympics, of course) and turned on my television which was showing the Women’s Cycling Road Race.  I’ve never watched a bicycle race in my life because I never cared to, but there I was, sucked right in.  Seriously.  Someone stop me.  After ignoring my growling stomach and caffeine addiction, I finally decided to take a break during volleyball to make Summer Squash and Ricotta Galette, one of the best dishes I’ve ever made, hands down.

Zucchini, summer squash, garlic and olive oil are tossed together and placed over a mixture of ricotta, parmesan cheese, egg, fresh thyme and lemon inside a buttery pie crust.  After baking and slightly cooled, fresh basil leaves tops the dish to add yet another fresh element.  I used a store-bought pie crust as opposed to making my own dough as shown in the recipe, simply because my food processor is broken and I’ll take a short-cut when I can anyway.  Not to mention that I would probably eat dirt and dandelions if it was served inside a pie crust.  Don’t judge.  The pie crust is flaky, the ricotta perfectly lemony, and the vegetables tender and sweet.  Using this ricotta mixture, I plan on making this again and again, using whatever veggies and herbs I have on hand.  Broccoli, spinach, red pepper, asparagus and/or tomato would also make an excellent galette.  The problem with this dish is that it’s hard to just eat one wedge because it really is so good.  It deserves a gold medal.  Sorry, I had to, you know I’m cheesy.  And yes, Ryan Lochte, I now consider myself a Lochtenator.

If you like this, also check out Rustic Summer Squash Tart.

The ingredients:

Combine olive oil, zucchini, squash, and garlic in a large bowl.

Stir together ricotta, parmesan cheese, thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper and egg in a medium bowl.

Place pie crust dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread ricotta mixture over dough, leaving a 2-inch border.

Arrange zucchini and squash slices alternately, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern over ricotta mixture. Sprinkle zucchini and squash with salt.

Fold edges of dough toward center, pressing gently to seal.  In a small bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon water and egg white and brush mixture over dough edges.  Bake in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and sprinkle with basil.  Cool an additional 15 minutes.  Cut into 6 wedges.

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Flour
  • Baking Powder

Substitutions:

  • Refrigerated pie crust dough
  • Shredded parmesan cheese

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce

Happy July (my birthmonth)! If you live in the United States, most likely you spent this past weekend in some serious HEAT! It’s days like these that all I want to do is stay inside in the air-conditioning or find the nearest pool. Unfortunately, I had no access to a pool so that meant sitting indoors, listening to my A/C struggle to get cooler than 81°. The sunny, warm weather and impending holiday had me craving cook-out food and since the majority of my friends were out of town this past weekend, I took it upon myself to make pasta, baked beans, turkey burgers and milkshakes, all of which I plan to share with you this week in honor of the 4th of July. The first dish I made was Broken Lasagna with Zucchini-Tomato Sauce. To be honest, I made this to eat as a side, like pasta salad, but I’m pretty sure that it’s supposed to be dinner in itself. Whatever! That’s what’s great about making your own food – you can eat it however and whenever you want, right?

Freshly zucchini is grated and squeezed dry before being cooked with grape tomatoes and lemon zest. The whole mixture is tossed with broken pieces of lasagna noodles, parmesan cheese and chives. The tomatoes pop with sweetness, the zucchini provides a light summery freshness and the bright hint of lemon rounds out the whole dish. If you have any other pasta on hand, use it in place of the lasagna since the zucchini and tomatoes are really the stars of this dish. The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but my grocery store was out so I used grape tomatoes which made a perfect substitute. Eat this hot or cold, alone or alongside your favorite burger and remember, no matter how hot it is outside, it’s summertime. So enjoy it!

Stay tuned tomorrow for a smoky baked beans dish!

The ingredients:

Grate the zucchini and drain in a colander with salt for 10 minutes. Remove from the colander and gently squeeze out any remaining moisture with a paper towel or clean towel.

While zucchini is sitting, break lasagna into piece and cook in boiling water according for 12 minutes. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta.

Cook tomatoes in butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until blistered and slightly softened, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the zucchini and lemon zest and cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the zucchini-tomato mixture to a large bowl and add the pasta and parmesan cheese and toss.

Stir in half of the chives and half of the reserved cooking water, adding more to loosen, if needed.

Season with salt and pepper and top with more cheese and remaining chives.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Grape tomatoes

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Food Network Magazine

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