Back-to-School Pizzas!

Well, It's that time of year again... September comes along and we start to feel like we should be layering up for winter by eating fall and winter favorites like stews and hearty stick-to-your-ribs dishes. It's also back-to-school for students, parents and teachers... which means busy schedules, lunches and leftovers! You can still eat your favorites while keeping them healthy too. Here are two different pizza recipes with one type of whole wheat dough. You'll have enough for leftovers, school lunches or midnight munchies! Enjoy!

For the dough:

1. -Oil a large bowl and set aside.

2. -In another large bowl, put 1 1/2 cups warm water combined with 2 packets of active dry yeast.

3. -Wait 5 minutes until the yeast dissolved, then whisk in 1 tbsp of honey, 1 tsp coarse salt, 1/4 cup of olive oil. Mix well.

4. -Add in 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of bread flour (or all purpose).

5. -Mix until well-combined (it will be a bit sticky!)

6. - Knead dough for 10-15 seconds on a floured surface then put in the dough in the oiled bowl

7. - Cover the dough and allow to rise (maybe 1-2 hours), then punch down and allow to rise again.

8. When ready, divide the dough in two and then it's time to roll!!!

Prepping the toppings:I always find it much easier to chop or pre-cook the toppings and grate my cheese, and then I store them in large containers until I am ready to go! So this is what I did!

Toppings I used for pizza 1:

-My sauce

-Red pepper, thinly sliced

-Thinly sliced onion pieces (half an onion)

-Hot Italian sausage pieces (out of casings and cooked)

-Mozzarella cheese

- Top with fresh basil

Toppings I used for pizza 2:

-My sauce

-Cooked bacon, in pieces

-Leek pieces, cleaned and thinly sliced

-5 or 6 white asparagus stems, cut in 1 inch pieces

-A hot pepper (jalapeno...but any will do!!!)

-Mozarella cheese

-Top with fresh basil

For the sauce: I usually make my own sauce and freeze it in multiple tupperware containers for busy nights. You can use a store bought can of pizza sauce for this as well.

Oven at 425-450, cook for 30 minutes (or your desired temp and time) for two pizzas. *You can cook them separately too.

Moolicious!

Rustic Parchment Salmon with Leeks

Yummy! I served this salmon with wild brown rice and a bean salad.

Simple and Easy- Healthy and Moolicious.

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Place your salmon on a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray
3. Drizzle fish with olive oil, zest of one lemon, fleur de sel, pepper and lemon juice
4. Thinly slice the white part of a cleaned leek and pour over the salmon, add another drizzle of OO, salt and pepper.
5. Wrap up this soon-to-be-moolicious parcel so that no steam escapes!
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes depending on the amount of fish you are serving.




Let me tell you....Moolicious!

Tea Time Brownies

Mmmmm, these things are rich, but with health in mind. I was invited for tea with Danya today and I decided to whip up some brownies this morning for our social gathering. It's my "modified" version of a classic dessert.
Enjoy!

You'll need/What to do:

1. (in a large bowl whisk together):

6 tbsp melted, cooled (unsalted) butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 cup lightly packed brown sugar

2. (melt the following together over a double boiler and add to wet mixture #1):

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (plus more for scattering on top; optional)
2 tbsps molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

3. (sift the following ingredients together and then mix into 1 & 2 mixture):

1/2 cup all purpose flour (or cake flour)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder

4. Pour into a greased/parchment-papered square baking dish
5. Scatter chocolate chips on top (optional)
6. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes


The final product is so moist because of the sour cream and molasses...no need for large amounts of butter or oil for this one!

Moolicious!

Spicey Lentil Soup with Pork Tenderloin

Slow Cooker Alert!!! You can modify the recipe for a regular stove-top pot too!
This yummy red lentil soup has a nice kick to it with some unique spices. You won't want your typical can of pea soup after trying this.

1. To your slow cooker add:

- 1 onion, diced
- roughly 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander seed- crushed
- dash of curry powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small sized pork tenderloin filet will do, cubed.
- 5 cups homemade chicken stock
- A cheese rind: I used a parmigiana reggiano rind, but you could use any hard type of rind (Gruyere, Romano etc..) So much extra flavor!

2. Mix well and start cooking on low for 5-6 hours.
3. With 2.5-3 hrs of remaining cooking time, add:

- 2 med.sized carrots, cubed
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
- 2 cups (uncooked) red lentils
- 2 cups water
- salt and pepper

4. When ready to serve, top with sour cream & chopped scallions!

Super easy and super moolicious!

Pink Ladie's Lemonade

I had my mom for supper the other (humid!) night and I didn't have any juice to serve, but I did have loads of lemons.
So, when life gives you lemons.....

- Boil 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water- until sugar dissolves; and let cool.
- In your pitcher, add one cup of (freshly squeezed) lemon juice
- Add a handful of raspberries, watermelon and a sliced lemon
- Add 6 cups of ice cold water, followed by the boiled sugar-water combo and stir.
- Let cool in the fridge nicely before serving...

(The raspberries and watermelon turn the lemonade pink... but feel free to use any red fruit you have!)


Moolemonicious!

Tummy Rumbling Ribs

I bought what I thought would be your typical ribs (on sale) last week...you know the ones with tons of fat and hardly any meat? Boy was I wrong. We've been eating these for 3 days, in different ways...
They were so meaty, boneless and after slow cooking for 9 hours on low, the sauce and meat were extremely flavorful.
I served this with a green salad and plain white rice.

* Optional, I prepared everything the night before in my pot and kept it refrigerated. All I had to do in the a.m was stick it in my slow cooker.

Here's what to do:
- I had aaaaaa lot of meat!
1. Trim as much fat as possible off the ribs.
2. In your slow cooker pot add the following (I did not measure, but I can give a rough estimate):

- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 cup kraft BBQ sauce
- A good guh-spritz of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup grape jelly
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- juice of 2 limes
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1.5 tsp fleur de sel
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsps flour.

3. Mix all your ingredients well- make sure flour is all incorporated.
4. Add your meat and make sure it is all covered with the sauce
5. Add water if you need to (cover the meat).
6. Cook on low 7-9 hours, depending on how much meat you have!

Moolicious!

Quick (healthy!) Crustless Quiche

My moo wanted more than just leftover pizza tonight and there wasn't enough time to defrost anything...You see, he turns into a werewolf if he doesn't get his protein, so I made a fast and easy quiche, inspired by the ingredients in my fridge.

I used: 4 eggs, about 1/4 cup of flour, about 1/2 cup of milk, some sandwhich ham, fresh baby spinach, zucchini, a shallot and some parmesan cheese...s & p, olive oil.

1. Prehat oven to 425
2. Grease a tart dish and set aside.
3. In a med. sized bowl, beat the eggs, add the flour and milk and whisk well.
4. Next, add a minced shallot, diced sandwhich ham, spinach and a handful of parm. cheese.
5. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper, mix everything and add to the tart dish.
6. Flatten evenly, and top with thinly sliced zucchini, drizzle with olive oil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, remove, top with more parm cheese and a drizzling of olive oil and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the cheese gets golden brown.

Moolicious....healthy too!

Brooklyn's Finest

Here's the deal... I want more followers so, in order to receive this recipe for the most amazing pizza you will ever taste, you need to recruit at least 2 people each!
This pizza is inspired by a well known restaurant that we went to with ClareBear and Jessy....under the Brooklyn bridge in NYC.
You want it? Homemade, from SCRATCH- sauce, dough, everything....
You know what to do.


Moolicious!

Tilapia: Two Ways 1. Maple Tilapia 2. Cajun Tilapia Nuggets

I love buying fresh fish. There's nothing like it when you're craving seafood. Here are two fun ways to make Tilapia taste totally different!

1. Maple Tilapia
- Place tilapia fillets in a Tupperware with pure (real!) maple syrup, freshly grated ginger, juice from one lemon, salt and pepper. Let marinate for an hour before cooking.

- When ready, preheat oven to 400

- Place fish on two sheets of foil, drizzle the sauce all over and wrap up tightly.

- Bake for 20 minutes, open foil, and bake for another 5-7 minutes. (I had two generous pieces, so your cooking time can vary depending on how much you use).

- Top with sliced almonds and it's ready to eat!


2. Cajun Tilapia Nuggets

- Preheat a frying pan with canola oil and 1 tbsp of butter on med. heat.

- Prep your crusty coating: In one bowl, beat an egg. In another bowl, mix panko bread crumbs with pepper, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper.

- Cut your fish into nugget-sized pieces.

- Coat each piece in the egg, then the crumbs and fry until each side is golden brown and crispy.

- Serve with Plum sauce (or your favorite dipping sauce!) and lemon wedges.

TIP: Many people have trouble keeping the bread crumbs on their meat when they pan fry... the best thing that works for me is to have my oil and butter screaming hot. Be patient, allow your pan to heat up nicely before frying.

SIDE ideas?
- I served my fish with a blend of whole grain/wild rice boiled in 1 tbsp of beef broth.
- My greens were a mix of baby spinach, arugula, steamed broccoli topped with olive oil, pepper, white wine vinegar and celery salt.

Italian-Herbed Chicken with Quinoa and Green Beans

Slow cooker required! This makes a difference on your energy bill at the end of the month too! Besides, in the heat of the summer, who wants to have the oven on? Enjoy!

To your slow cooker add:

- Boneless skinless chicken thighs- I used roughly 12 pcs.

- 2 tbsps flour

- Equal parts: oregano, basil, paprika, thyme, chili flakes.

- 1/2 cup dry white wine

- 1- 2 cups chicken stock (enough to cover the chicken)

- 1 bay leaf

- 1-2 sliced cloves of garlic

Salt and pepper

MIX WELL!

-----Cook on low for 6 hours----- cooking time may vary depending on your machine and quantity of chicken.

Your sides....

- Add your green beans to the chicken with roughly 45 minutes of cooking time remaining.

- Serve chicken on a bed of quinoa that was boiled in lightly salted water. This usually takes roughly 20-25 minutes, so you can time your meal right! (follow cooking instructions on package).

- Squish a fresh lemon on your meal before serving and be sure to use the sauce!!!

Healthy and Moolicious!

Shortbread-Crusted Blueberry Pie

Oh My God.
If you love blueberries, then you have to try this pie. The crust came out perfectly crispy and reminded me of my Mom's Christmas shortbread cookies. What's not to love!?



The crust:

- Pulse 3.5 cups of flour,1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp salt in a food processor.

- Add 1 stick diced cold butter, combine.

- Add 2 more sticks and pulse until the mixture is like thick sand.

- Add 1 tbsp white vinegar
- Gradually pour in 1/3 cup ice water and combine well.

NOW: Pour out onto a floured surface, make a ball, flatten it out, cover it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour.



The filling:

- Simmer 3 cups blueberries, zest of one lemon, with 1/2 cup good quality maple syrup- reduce by half (20 mins).

- While that's working, in a huge bowl mix: 4 cups blueberries, another 1/2 or so of maple syrup, 3 tbsps quick cooking tapioca, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 pinches of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt.



- Combine both blueberry mixtures; let cool.



Making the pie:

- Preheat oven to 425

- Divide cold dough in half; roll out first piece until 1/2 inch thick and place in pie dish. Add cooled blueberry yumminess. Roll out remaining dough and cover the berries. Push the crusts together to seal and trim the edges. Pinch again.

Brush cold milk on the crust and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cut slits in the crust to allow for steam to escape...be fancy!!! I did a flower-type design.

- Next, place foil or tin pie-crust cover over and bake for 30 minutes.

- After 30, remove the tin foil and bake for another 30 minutes.







Bluelicious!

Boasting Banana Bread

Everyone has their own version of banana bread or muffins. I like this one because it's classic, simple and moolicious! The coffee adds a little kick too!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter or margarine

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 egg

3 ripe bananas (smooshed with a fork until liquidy)

1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp water

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease your loaf dish/muffin tins

3. WET MIX : In one bowl, mix butter or margarine, sugar, egg, bananas, coffee and vanilla for about 2 minutes.

4. DRY MIX : In a separate bowl: sift together: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda.

5. Add your dry mixture to your wet mixture and mix it well with a wooden spoon.

6. Add your chocolate chips and mix again.

7. Poor mix into your tins.

For banana bread: You can fit the batter into 2 tins and make 2 breads. Bake for 45 minutes. (depends on your oven)

For banana muffins: Bake for 25 minutes.

Hot or Cold Spicey Potato Salad

Vary your ingredients based on whether you prefer it spicy/really creamy....but this blend is a nice mix for a different type of summer potato salad.

You'll need:

- Small red and white potatoes, boiled until fork tender in a lightly salted/chicken brothy water- skins still on and cut in half.

- Fry up some diced spicey pancetta until crispy

- Plain yogurt

- Hot sauce

- Dijon

- shallot or red onion

- chili flakes

- roasted red pepper (from the jar)

- fresh cilantro (garnish and in the salad)

- fresh scallions (garnish and in the salad)

- salt/pepper

** Mix everything in a large bowl and then add potatoes after straining them (while they are still hot) so all the flavors absorb.

That's the beauty too; you can eat it hot or cold.

Moolicious!

Angelic Pea Pasta with Sausage

This yummy pasta dish is perfect for summer...it is also a nice choice when you're tired of tomato-based sauces.

(...use more or less depending on who's coming to dinner!)
For 2 people, you'll need:

-Angel hair pasta/spaghettini
-About 1/4 cup Frozen peas
-About 1 cup Cauliflower florets
-3 Italian sausages
-Fresh basil
-Parmesan cheese
-Olive oil, salt, pepper.

1. Fry or grill sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
2. Bring water and salt to a boil and cook pasta until al dente along with the cauliflower and frozen peas.
3. In a pasta dish, mix together olive oil, salt, pepper, and 2 ladles of pasta water (this makes it saucy!) ... Add pasta and sausage
5. Mix together and top with fresh basil and parm cheese.


Moolicious!

Cranberry Slaw

Want a quick side dish? Impress your guests with this salad!
I have made this with fish, fried chicken or steak...it's quick and easy.

You'll need:

- A bag of mixed cole slaw (the pre-made kind! It costs a dollar or so! You may need more depending on how many people)
- Mayo (vary the amount depending on your desired creaminess)
- Dijon mustard
- Dried cranberries
- Lime juice
- Salt and Pepper

1. In a bowl, whisk together mayo, lime, about 1 tbsp of dijon mustard, and S & P.
2. Add your slaw and a generous handful of dried cranberries.
3. Mix well and it's done!


Moolicious!

Lazy Pita Pizzas

You know when you need to whip something up because people are expecting an interesting supper?
These pita pizzas are a great choice.
The other great thing is that you don't need to defrost anything, because chances are, you have all the ingredients you need right in the fridge. Vary the amount of toppings depending on how many pizzas you make.

Basics: mozarella and parmesan cheeses, salsa, pitas.

Toppings I used: prochiutto, broccoli, black olives, dry basil and parsley.

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Line a baking tray with parchment (easy clean up!)
3. Spread out your pitas on tray
4. Spoon and spread about 1 tbsp of salsa on each.
5. Top each with chopped olives and prochiutto
6. Add parm and mozzarella to each
7. Top with mini-mini broccoli florets
8. Drizzle each with olive oil
9. Sprinkle with dry basil and dry parsley
10. Bake for 15 minutes or until pitas get crispy and cheese gets golden.


*** When you have pitas lying around that need to be eaten, this is such a fast idea.

- Think about it...you have your crust made, your sauce done (who doesn't have salsa???) and you can vary your toppings with the leftovers in your fridge...any type of coldcut meat will do. And broccoli??? Come on, I bet you have some in the fridge right now! Don't have mozzarella? Use cheddar!

Eat these lazy pitas and enjoy!