Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza

Disclaimer: My kids wouldn't touch this! Not even my oldest, who will eat anything (and who I am finding shares many of my tastes). You know what that means? More for mama. Which is fine with me, because this pizza is absolutely fantastic. I was skeptical myself--kale? Sweet potatoes? Trust me, get over the doubt and try it at least once if you like either of those ingredients one bit. I'm going out on a limb and assuming you love red onions...because everybody HAS to love red onions. Right?

I made this on homemade pizza night along with the typical plain cheese pizza for the littles, and the spicy-meat-bonanza pizza my husband and older son crave, so that my family would not run away. But I savored every single bite of this amazing discovery. The rest of the fam has NO idea what they are missing! It reheats well, but the kale will only have a luscious crisp when it's first baked.

I altered the recipe just a tad from this one over at twopeasandtheirpod.com. I only used about a third of the dough recipe (a pizza dough you have to try...it's getting it's own post here on the blog, too). Since I was only using a portion of the dough for a smaller pizza, most of the ingredients needed cut down. Also, I sprinkled dried rosemary on top instead of fresh.

Sweet Potato Kale Pizza with Rosemary & Red Onion

Yield: 1 pizza

Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

ingredients:

Your favorite pizza dough-we used this pizza dough recipe
1 large sweet potato, thinly sliced, about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper, for seasoning potato slices and onion
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped kale
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon, freshly chopped rosemary

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the sweet potato slices and red onion slices in a bow and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on a large baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft and tender. Make sure you turn them once during the 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the pizza dough.

2. Turn the oven to 500 degrees F or as high as your oven will go. If you have a pizza stone, place the pizza stone in the oven to get hot. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough, using a rolling pin. Roll it out to about 3/8 of an inch. Place the pizza dough on a pizza peel or pan that has been generously coated with corn meal. Lightly brush the dough with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a small bowl, toss the kale with balsamic vinegar. Top the pizza dough with mozzarella cheese, sweet potato slices, kale, red onion slices, and fresh rosemary.

3. Place the pizza in the oven-directly on the pizza stone, if using one, or on the oven rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until pizza crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before slicing. Slice and serve warm.

Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

We are new lovers of Chicken Tikka Masala. The first time I made it, I used this recipe from Pioneer Woman, and the flavor was amazing, but it took a few steps and some effort. This crockpot recipe is much simpler, and honestly, I don't know that there is any flavor missing. I like to have Tikka Masala with turmeric rice (the vivid, almost clashing colors of red and yellow and green is surreal) (click here for recipe), but naan bread is out-of-this-world delish with this meal.

Note: I didn't have fire roasted tomatoes, so I used plain canned diced tomatoes. Also, I think one pound of chicken would be plenty, and will cut it down next time.

Chicken Tikka Masala (Slow Cooker Version) 

28 oz Muir Glen Fire Roasted crushed tomatoes

1 small onion, minced

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced 

2 Tbsp garam masala

1 Tbsp dark brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used half organic thighs and half organic breasts)

2-3 tsp kosher salt (it's 2 lbs of chicken, so you need it!)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
fresh cilantro, a handful, chopped

Combine all ingredients, except yogurt, in slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Naan

                                 
I only recently heard of Naan, when I started to look into more Indian-style dishes. I finally tried it, and though this recipe may not be official in any way shape or form, we loved the flavor and it went perfectly with our Tikki Masala. I am open to trying different recipes, but I had to get this one down because it turned out so beautifully! I had to tweak the cooking directions a bit because I wasn't using a grill or a grill pan. I used a good old non-stick pan, turned up the heat, and misted the pan with my oil mister each time I put two more breads on. Then coated the open side with oil, waited for just the slightest bit of bubbling (takes only a minute or two) and flipped it over for another minute or two.


Naan (adapted from allrecipes.com) original recipe here

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 t.)
1 c. warm water
1/4 c. white sugar
3 T. milk
1 egg, beaten
2 t. salt
4 1/2 c. bread flour
optional: 2 t. minced garlic, melted butter, various herbs

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, unil the dough has doubled in volume.

2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic (this is optional. I did not use garlic. You could also knead in other herbs or flavorings). Divide dough into 14 pieces (I cut the dough in half, then cut those halves in half, then...you get the idea). Roll the pieces into balls, lay out on lightly oiled baking sheet or cutting board, and cover loosely with a towel. Let rise for 15-30 minutes.

3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.

4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. While cooking, I spritzed olive oil on top. Flip the breads and cook another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared. (original recipe calls for melted butter to be brushed on, but I'm more of an olive oil fan to keep a few calories at bay. I am sure the melted butter would send the flavor over the EDGE!)

Watch me make it ;)

The dough, cut into pieces

After rising for 30 mins, they are ready to cook.

Here is the setup..while two breads cook, I flatten two more. The process goes very quickly.

So good with Chicken Tikka Masala. Recipe to come soon!

Huevos Rancheros Verdes

Plain...

Or even better, with salsa on top

We've tried a few ways with Huevos Rancheros (I don't know about you, but I love to just SAY huevos rancheros...huevos rancheros...can't quite roll that r, but the words roll off my tongue so smoothly!). This recipe is pretty simple and everyone in my house loves it, so it's a keeper. I've only used red salsa in this recipe (so I guess it would atually be Huevos Rancheros Rojo?), but when the farmers market is back I plan to get some tomatillos and try it with homemade green salsa (the green salsa from the store just isn't the same, and none of us love it).

*Note: The recipe says to coat the tortillas with cooking spray, but as usual, I use my mister. I only have one mister, with olive oil. The olive oil flavor didn't effect the taste of the recipe at all, but I really need to get another mister and fill it with canola oil.

Huevos Rancheros Verdes

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/huevos_rancheros_verdes.html

4 servings | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced romaine lettuce
• 1 scallion, sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup prepared green salsa , (see Tip)
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• Canola oil cooking spray
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 4 large eggs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine lettuce, scallion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon oil, lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; set aside. Combine beans and salsa in another bowl.
3. Coat both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray. Place tortillas on a large baking sheet in 4 sets of overlapping pairs. (Each pair should overlap by about 3 inches.) Spread about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture on top of each pair of tortillas and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons cheese each. Bake until the beans are hot and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack each egg into a small bowl and slip them one at a time into the pan, taking care not to break the yolks. Season the eggs with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes for soft-set yolks. (For hard-set yolks, cover the pan after 5 minutes and continue cooking until the yolks are cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.)
5. To assemble, place an egg on top of each pair of tortillas and top with a generous 1/4 cup of the lettuce mixture.

Nutrition

Per serving : 396 Calories; 18 g Fat; 6 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 234 mg Cholesterol; 42 g Carbohydrates; 20 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 563 mg Sodium; 474 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 2 medium-fat meat, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Tip: Green salsa (sometimes labeled salsa verde or tomatillo salsa) is made with tomatillos, green chiles and onions. Look for it near other prepared salsa in large supermarkets.

Turmeric Rice

The vivid color of this rice is very nice as a side with Indian dishes.

I also like to take leftovers and add salsa to it, and eat with tortilla chips as a snack.

Turmeric Rice

Place in rice cooker:

1 c. basmati rice
2 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 t. ground turmeric
2 c. water

Let cook until 'fish eyes' appear (holes on the surface of the rice). Add 1/2 c. frozen peas and stir them in, letting finished hot rice cook the peas to perfection. Done!