Pita Pizzas {Healthy Lunch}

I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but last week was our Spring Break.

Which means we were less busy, yet somehow busier than ever.  (If you understand that phrase, you might be a parent.)

One of the ways I tried to keep the boys out of trouble is to draft them into making their own lunches – but the five-year old only wants to do this when the meal is ‘fun.’  So a couple of weeks ago, I saw a super simple ‘fun’ recipe for pizzas from Lisa at Smart Food and Fit – that had the added bonus of actually being good for them!

We heading to Trader Joe’s and the boys picked out the smaller pitas – but hey, they were excited about the meal, which made me happy, too.

Once home, the two-year old protested and went to play with his stacking boxes, but the five-year old was raring to go.

The Recipe:

Pita Pizzas, adapted from Smart Food and Fit

Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Mini Pita Pockets

Homemade Marina Sauce

cheese of your choice (the boys wanted medium cheddar)

Either top or fill pita with 1-2 T of marinara sauce.  Sprinkle cheese.  Bake in 350 degree oven for 7 – 10 minutes.

(Okay, I’m not doing a printable recipe because, as you can see, this is SO complicated. 😉 )

The Results:

Like I mentioned above, my oldest was all about helping out with this one.  He insisted on filling one of his pizzas instead of topping it, and I thought, why not?

The boys really liked these pizzas, as demonstrated by actually eating them (for some reason they go on hunger strikes every now and then) and asking for more.  I liked that the pockets have quite a bit of protein in them and kept them full until dinner.

Served with a banana and a glass of milk, a healthy meal was had by all.

Now we just need to work on adding some vegetables…

~~~~

On a completely different note, I had to post that I used John’s (From the Bartolini Kitchen’s) suggestion of taking some slices of Cheese Bread and making them into croutons – and they were simply AMAZING!  So if you’re going to try the Crescia al Formaggio, take a slice or two, cut them up, and either bake them in the oven or do what Hubs did: grill them on the BBQ.  Pure awesomeness, I tell you.

Crescia al Formaggio {Belated Easter Cheese Bread}

Have you ever seen a recipe on a favorite site and knew immediately that you wanted to make it?

And then it promptly left your overfilled brain.

But then another favorite site decided to make it, too… and then it was burned into your memory, taunting you with visuals of crusty, cheese-y goodness?

(Or maybe that’s just me.)

Well, several weeks ago, John from the Bartolini Kitchens made this amazing bread for Easter.  And you all know how I am about bread – so I immediately was pumped to make it.  But life got busy…and I forgot.

But the bread gods must’ve been looking out for me because soon after, Smidge, at Just a Smidgen, made it, too!

So, here I am, take three on this (obviously) wonderful bread.

The Recipe:

Crescia al Formaggio, adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 1/2 c bread flour

1 1/4 t instant yeast

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk, (white reserved for glaze)

1/4 c warm water

1/4 c (4 T) softened butter

1 t salt

1 t ground pepper (black if you don’t mind the specks, white if you do)

1 1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese, or a combination

Beat on medium speed for 10 minutes, until the dough becomes shiny and satiny.  It’ll be sticky; stop the mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl a couple of times during the mixing process if necessary.  Add cheese.  Beat until well combined.

Put the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl with a damp cloth, and set it aside to rest/rise for 45 minutes in a warm place; it may not much, so don’t be worried.

Gently deflate the dough, turn it over, return it to the bowl, and allow it to rest/rise for an additional 45 minutes; again, it may not seem to rise much — again, that’s OK.

Divide the dough into three pieces; roll each piece into a 12″ log, and braid the logs.  Nestle the braid into a lightly greased 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.  Cover the loaf lightly, and allow it to rise for 90 minutes (or longer, depending on the warmth of your kitchen); the dough should have become noticeably puffy, though it won’t have doubled in size.

While the loaf is rising, put your oven rack in a lower position, just below the middle, and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Whisk the reserved egg white with 2 teaspoons cold water, and brush the top of the loaf.  Place the bread in the oven and bake it for 15 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, tent the bread lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until it’s a deep, golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F.

Remove the bread from the oven, and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges, if necessary, and turn the loaf out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing.

{Printable Recipe}

The Results:

So, I kind of forgot to check the total amount of time needed to make this bread.  I realized, as the bread was doing the first rise, that I would not have enough time to finish it before leaving for an appointment…so I had to change the rise times from the original – I made up for it by making sure the bread rose in a warm place with a slightly damp cloth.  Just these small changes seemed to make the yeast super happy and ready to grow.

My other downfall for this recipe was a problem with separating my eggs.  This, honestly, was the very first (and second!) time I’ve ever not been able to do this.  Normally, I am an egg separating savant.  Seriously.  Hubs always gives me a hard time when I separate eggs, because I do it right over the batter, etc., full of confidence, and have never messed up.  While making this bread, though, I not only broke the yolk, but the second time I tried, the shell collapsed and my yolk fell into the white.  I was not a happy camper let me tell you (though I was glad that Hubs was not home to gloat).

Other than those little snafus, the bread worked like a dream.

And that cheesy bread smell filled the house for hours – bonus!

The bread actually had a really strong cheese flavor, since I mostly used Asiago, and the pepper added fun spice throughout.  The texture was all that you want in a bread: crusty on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside.  All in all, just as good as I expected with the recommendations from the blogs above.

We had it with a salad, but I think it would be just heavenly dipped in a homemade marinara sauce.  Or even toasted with some butter.

Another bread win at our house.  🙂

Happy Wednesday!

Tuscan Bean Stew

Yay!  Recipe one from my list of New Year’s Resolution recipes – check.

Delicious, warming, comfort food – check.

First dinner of the New Year cooked – check.

If they all are as easy as this dish, I am going to fly through these for sure.

The Recipe:

Tuscan Bean Stew, adapted from A Dash of Sugar and Spice

1 T extra virgin olive oil

6 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

4 medium celery ribs, cut into ½-inch pieces

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

8 medium garlic cloves, minced

3 c turkey broth

2 c water

4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well

2 bay leaves

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Heat oil and bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bacon is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 8 to 10 minutes.  Add onion, celery, and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 16 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, beans, bay leaves, and tomatoes.  Increase heat to high and bring to simmer; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.   Add rosemary and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are fully tender.

Discard bay leaves and rosemary sprig; season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, use back of spoon to press some beans against side of pot to thicken stew.

{Printable Recipe}

The Results:

What originally drew me to this recipe was the beautiful colors involved (well, and the fact that it had veggies in it that I actually liked).

I had planned on getting kale to go in it, but our small local grocery store (we live in a little town) did not have any when I went grocery shopping.

The other big change I made was I substituted turkey broth for the chicken broth – we just happened to have some homemade leftover from the holidays.

I really don’t think you’d notice any difference, though, between the two broths.  (Though you might between homemade and store-bought.)

I adored the smells that came from cooking this.  Between the bacon, onion, garlic, and herbs, my house smelled divine.  Hubs even commented on it when he walked in the door.

I wish I’d had better light to do the colors in this dish some justice.  But it was pretty – even without the kale.

The stew was tasty, filling, and perfect for a gray day (in other words, pretty much any winter day around here).  Next time I will be sure to use good bacon – and Hubs suggested removing it from the dutch oven after it’d crisped up and then adding it back in at the end in order to keep a little extra texture and taste.

I already feel this year is off to a great culinary start.

Crossing my fingers it stays that way.

Garlic Herb Braid

This bread thing, it’s getting to be old hat.

Add some yeast, flour, and other stuff…mix, let rise, punch, let rise, bake.  Lather, rinse, and repeat for each loaf.

(And yes, I do know I’m somehow jinxing myself – and some upcoming bread recipe will go down the drain, but for now, I’m feeling a little cocky.)

I’m not saying I don’t love baking bread, because I really, really do.  But I needed a little something new.  A little extra, you might say…something to push and/or develop for my baking skills.

And it doesn’t hurt if it makes it pretty, too.  I do love pretty things.

The Recipe:

Garlic Herb Braid, adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

3/4 c milk

1/2 c water

1/4 c butter, cubed

3 T sugar, divided into 1 T and 2 T

2 packages yeast

2 t dried basil

1-3/4 t dill weed

1-1/2 t salt

3/4 t garlic powder

3/4 t dried rosemary, crushed

4 to 4-1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 egg

1 T butter, melted

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, water, yeast, 1 T sugar, and cubed butter to 110°.  Remove from heat, and let sit until bubbly, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups flour, the rest of the sugar, and seasonings.

Add to wet mixture to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened.  Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.  Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

Divide dough into thirds. Shape each into a 15-in. rope.  Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes (Check at 15 minutes mine probably should have cooked a little less than the 20 minutes) or until golden brown.

Brush with melted butter. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

{Printable Recipe}

The Results:

(First off, I’m going to apologize in advance…pretty much all the cooking I do is in the early morning or at dinner time – and right now, it’s dark at both times.  So, no natural light.  Just be prepared that my pictures may not be the best for a little while, until I can figure out how to fix it.  Now back to the bread.)

I had to alter this recipe a bit, mostly because I didn’t have instant yeast.  So if you do happen to have some, go here to access the original recipe.  My way turned out great, too, so it’s all about what you have in your kitchen.

Making the dough was really easy – and I liked that I knew the bread would be ready quickly because of the short rise times.

I did learn, though, that my measurement skills, like my shape making skills, apparently are not up to par.  My three equal ropes of dough were not exactly equal.

But they seemed to work just fine when I braided them.

Isn’t it purrrrty??

Couldn't resist sharing another close-up.

You can see all those lovely bits of herb right in the dough.

With the short baking time, I got to place it in the oven right before dinner.  The smells of our baked pasta intermingling with this delicious bread was mouth-watering.  And then, we got to eat it when it was nice and warm, fresh from the oven.

This bread worked so well with our pasta dish – the herbs included seem to speak well with Italian style food.  Especially warm with a little dollop of butter, this bread was certainly scrumptious.

I’m not sure if I could eat this bread as a stand-alone, it is pretty herb-y.  But that would be easy to alter for next time.

I also got worried and took it out a tiny bit early, so it was a little doughy in the very middle. The rest, though, was fantastic.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

(Yep, I’m still feeling cocky.  Better prepare myself for the upcoming fall.)

Margherita Pizza Rolls

I have a shameful, shameful secret.

Something I do not admit to many people.  But I’m sharing it today, because I think I’ve been healed and can move on with my life.

Here goes: I love (not just like), frozen pizza rolls.  You know, those nasty preservative-filled, fake meat, bazillion calorie rolls you find in the freezer section.  I think I may have lived off them for a bit in college.  Nowadays, I will sneak them when Hubs is away (such as when he and my four-year old were camping) because he makes complete fun of me when he sees them.

Well, we’ve been on a bit of an all-natural food kick around here.  (We’re trying not to eat anything boxed – and if we do, we make sure we know what all the ingredients are before buying it.)  Anyways, I made the decision mistake of looking at the back of one of those boxes.  Oh, boy – that was a long list of ingredients.  Half of which I couldn’t even pronounce.  Yikes.

So I enjoyed my very last box of pizza rolls, sadly vowing never to touch them again.

And then, just when I’d figured I was done forever with pizza rolls, I saw this at one of my favorite blogs, Crustabakes.  And I knew I had to make them.

The Recipe:

Margherita Pizza Rolls, inspired from Annie Eats – but a good portion of the recipe is mine

Pizza Dough: (there are weird measurements because I halved the recipe)

7/8 c warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 1/8 t of yeast

1 t sugar

1 T oil

2 c bread flour (yes, Hubs buys this in bulk)

3/4 t salt

Place warm water, yeast, and sugar in small bowl.  Mix and allow to get bubbly – about five minutes.  Add oil and stir.

In mixer, place flour and salt and give it a quick mix.  Add liquid ingredients and mix for about five minutes – using dough hook to knead.  Roll out onto floured surface (dough may be a tad sticky).  Knead in flour until you can form a ball.  Place in oiled bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch dough down and divide into 16-20 equalish pieces.

Pizza Rolls:

about 2 c crushed tomatoes

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

about 4 oz mozzarella, cubed into about 1/2 inch pieces

olive oil

dried basil

fresh grated parmesan or cheese of choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Flatten small piece of dough.  Place some tomatoes, mozzarella cube, and fresh basil on top.  Pull up sides to contain filling and pinch together at top.  Place in greased pie pan, seam side down.  Repeat with all dough pieces.  Brush tops with olive oil.  Sprinkle on dried basil and parmesan cheese.  Cook in oven for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

{Printable Recipe}

The Results:

I am never going back to that boxed crap again.  These were de-li-cious.  And really, not that hard to do.  I think I also enjoyed that this was kinda half-baking, too, not just dinner.

One of my inspirations for this dish came from the overabundance of tomatoes we have in our garden right now.

Crushing them was a little harder that I had thought, so our bite had pretty good-size tomato chunks in them.  But, really, I’m not complaining.

Placing the filling on the dough and pinching was a little tricky, too.

But after about five, I had it down pat.  And they looked so pretty in the pie dish (not necessarily uniform in size, I admit, but pretty all the same).

And if I thought they were pretty before…

Check out the after!  I almost didn’t want to eat them, they were so lovely looking.  But, somehow, I forced myself to try one.

After that, I didn’t look back.  And between me and the fam, we demolished those rolls.

So the boxed rolls are officially banned.  And if I need a little pizza snack, I know what to do.

I feel healthier (and less shameful) already.