Hummus and Veggie Pizza

This pizza started as a Pinterest discovery. It sounded different and I thought we might like it. Do you ever make a meal and then become obsessed with it? Well that happened here. We've made this pizza a few more times and both Dave and I enjoy it. It also reheats well for lunch the next day. This is perfect for a busy night. I would have never thought of putting hummus onto pizza before seeing this on Just a Taste. I can't wait to experiment with other toppings. Although at the moment this combination seems perfect!

You will need:
*whole wheat pizza dough, room temperature
*roasted garlic hummus (we love Sabra)
*baby spinach, torn
*
red bell pepper, sliced thin
*small white onion, sliced
*cheddar cheese, shredded
(I did not put any measurements because we usually just eyeball it. If you're looking for guidance, you want about 1 cup of spinach and cheese, then about a 1/2 cup of pepper and onion)

1. Preheat the oven to 475.

2. Stretch the dough onto a pizza stone. Spread the hummus over the dough leaving about 1/2 inch for the crust. (I like to lightly spread some olive oil on the crust) Place the torn spinach leaves, red pepper, and onion on top of the hummus. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

3. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza

I cannot remember the last time we ordered a delivery pizza for dinner. Working at an Italian restaurant that makes great pizza, I do eat my fair share of it at work. But when it comes to having pizza at home, we prefer to make it ourselves. I have yet to try making my own pizza dough. That is something I really hope to try soon. Any simple recipe suggestions?

This asparagus pizza recipe was found on Pennies on a Platter. I love anything with Boursin cheese and this pizza is no exception.

You will need:
*pizza dough
*olive oil
*garlic salt
*8 ounces asparagus spears, woody stems removed
*1 cup shredded mozzarella
*3 ounces Boursin garlic herb, or other garlic herb cheese
*ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Shave the asparagus spears into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler, reserving the tips as well and set aside.

2. Stretch the dough and place on pizza stone. Lightly spritz the dough with olive oil, making sure the outer crust is coated. Sprinkle with garlic salt.

3. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pizza dough in an even layer.  Pile the shaved asparagus on top of the mozzarella. Dot the surface of the pizza with the garlic herb spread, then season with pepper.

4. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the mozzarella cheese is melted and the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before slicing.

Spinoccoli Pizza

We've been on a very successful pizza kick around here. I didn't realize that I hadn't blogged about this pizza until we decided to make it tonight and I couldn't find the recipe on here. This is another winner from Annie's Eats. I rarely use heavy cream sauces on pizzas, but I rationalized that the vegetables rounded out the calorie content for this one. The combination is amazing and filling. It also reminds me of the cream sauce available on a "Great White" pizza at a local pizza shop. The leftover slices still tasted great when reheated the next day. We tend to not preheat our pizza stone. I know, I know not the best practice, but it always seems to work just fine for us. Because of this I tend to use a bit lower temp when making pizzas and cook them longer. I find this helps the crust get crisp and brown without burning. I currently use store bought wheat pizza dough but one of these days I'll try making own.

For the sauce, you will need:
*1 tablespoon butter

*1 tablespoon flour
* 
3/4 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
*
1 clove garlic, minced
*
Salt and pepper
*6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
**Note- this will make extra sauce. You can use it for crust dipping if you'd like.**

For the pizza, you will need:
*pizza dough
*Olive oil
*1/2 cup baby spinach leaves torn and packed
*1 cup small broccoli florets

*2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

*2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

*grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 450.

2. Make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and whisk constantly until bubbling and lightly golden, about 1 minute. Next, whisk in the heavy cream and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat; whisk in the grated Parmesan until completely melted and smooth.

2. Prepare the pizza dough onto your pizza stone. I always do this by mixing a bit of cornmeal into the dough to help prevent tearing as I stretch and shape it with my hands. Lightly spray or brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil.

3. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust leaving the crust border uncovered. Sprinkle the torn spinach leaves over the white sauce. Next, evenly distribute the broccoli florets. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and finish with additional grated Parmesan.

4. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lightly browned. This takes about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before slicing and serving.

BBQ Chicken Pizza with Pineapple

The weather here has been absolutely incredible. I went to the beach on Thursday. In March. This is by far the best staycation I've ever had! This pizza is also one of the best we've ever made at home. We've enjoyed this numerous times and I finally have a picture to share with you. We brought this to friends for dinner the other night. They seemed to enjoy it just as much as we do. There is also something about pineapple that makes me feel like I'm in the tropics. The ranch adds a wonderful creaminess to the BBQ sauce but not an overwhelming flavor change. This recipe is from Sing for your Supper.

You will need:
*pizza dough or a prepared crust (like Boboli)
*
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
*
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

*1/2 cup BBQ sauce, plus more for the crust
*
1/4 cup ranch salad dressing
*
fresh pineapple, cut into pieces
*cilantro, chopped for topping (optional)
-I tend to eyeball ingredients when making pizzas. This often results in more cheese, but that's how we like things around here!

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine the shredded chicken with the BBQ sauce. Set aside.

3. Spread a think layer of BBQ sauce on to the pizza dough. Top the BBQ sauce with the ranch dressing and swirl with the back of a spoon to combine. Spread the shredded chicken on top of the sauce. Next, sprinkle the cheeses and pineapple over the pizza.

4. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If using cilantro, add to pizza right before serving. (I love cilantro, but we only buy it when it's being used in a few recipes during the week)

Zucchini Pizza

Pizza is a regular in our menu rotation. We often use the same few flavor combinations. During the height of zucchini season, I continued exploring recipes to use up the zucchinis I purchased at a local farm stand. This pizza recipe comes from Eat, Live, Run.I made this back in the glorious days of summer vacation. It was my lunch for a couple of days, and Dave enjoyed it for dinner. The red pepper flakes added a nice kick to this veggie filled slice. I think we'll be trying this again.

You will need:
*2 large zucchinis
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 cup ricotta cheese (I prefer part-skim)
*2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
*sea salt and freshly ground pepper
*red pepper flakes
*prepared pizza dough

1. Preheat the oven to 450 . Prepare your pizza stone by dusting it with cornmeal.

2. Grate the zucchinis; press with paper towels to soak up the liquid. (There was a lot of liquid!)

3. Mix the zucchini with the mozzarella cheese. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. Stir well to combine.

4. Combine the ricotta cheese and garlic in a small bowl. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

5. Stretch pizza dough onto your pizza stone. Spread the ricotta cheese on the dough and top with the shredded zucchini/cheese mixture. Top with another touch of salt and pepper. Sprinkle red pepper flakes to add some heat. Bake the pizza for about 15 minutes, or until the crust begins to golden and the cheese starts to bubble.

Greek Pizza

We love Boboli individual sized crusts. BJ's Wholesale always has the large packs and they freeze really well. This was a great dinner for a night like tonight-we did not even get home until 7pm and then were tired and starving! This is why I love keeping things like these pizza crusts on hand.

To make our version of a Greek pizza, you will need:
-Boboli crust (or some dough if you prefer)
-spinach
-minced garlic
-shredded mozzarella
-feta
-olive oil
-toppings-olive, mushrooms, onions

Preheat the oven as instructed by your shell/pizza dough.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add in some minced garlic. Add the spinach and saute to your liking.

Put the spinach onto the pizza shell first, and then continue adding your toppings. Sprinkle a light amount of feta cheese, and top it all off with the shredded mozzarella.

Cook for about 10 minutes (or as directed by your pizza dough)