Creamy Spinach Pizza

Mmm, I now love spinach. I am ashamed that I ever thought it was gross, but then again most kids do.  And now I'm obsessed with white pizza.

How have I lived so long not trying white pizza?!

I can only blame myself. But now I will happily enjoy this new found love whenever I please!

This recipe is adapted from smells like home's spinnoccoli pizza

Ingredients:

For the white sauce:
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl flour
3/4 cup milk or heavy cream
1 garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
6 Tbl parmesan cheese

For the pizza:
Pizza dough
olive oil
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
3 oz mozzarella cheese
1 oz parmesan cheese

Directions:
Melt butter over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Whisk in flour constantly for about 1 minute, when it reaches a brown and bubbly state. Whisk in the milk or heavy cream and garlic with the salt and pepper. Cook until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Take off heat and mix in the parmesan until smooth. Set aside.

If using a pizza stone, preheat oven to 500 degrees and place stone in the oven. If you do not have a pizza stone and are using a pizza pan, preheat the oven to 400.
Roll pizza dough out and brush the top with olive oil. Spread the white sauce onto the pizza, leaving about an inch on outside of the dough for the crust. Evenly sprinkle the baby spinach leaves next, followed by the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
If transferring pizza to pizza stone, bake for about 10-12 minutes.
If using a pizza pan, bake for about 13-15 minutes or until cheeses and crust are nicely browned.

Let cool, even though it's very difficult, before diving in.

Enjoy!

Veggie Pesto Pizza

Ingredients:
12" pizza dough (I used this pizza dough recipe)
1/4 cup pesto
1/2 cucumber, slices
1/2 diced green bell pepper
1/2 roasted red pepper from jar, diced
1/2 cup baby arugula
1 tomato, slices
3/4 cup mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan


Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. 
Roll out your pizza dough, 12 inches across. Move dough over to your pizza pan. Spread out the pesto evenly, leave 1 inch space from the edge. Lay out cucumber slices across, then diced bell pepper, and roasted red pepper. Cover the veggies with the cheeses. Sprinkle the arugula out. Lay tomato slices on top. Roll your dough in to where the pesto starts to form the crust around the edges. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes or until the crust and cheese is nicely browned.

Naan, Flatbread

If there's one thing that I love, it's bread. The soft, yummy carbohydrate will happily fill me up before I spend time eating an actual meal. If anyone is like me, it can be dangerous, but I'm not about to let carbs go. Instead, I make as much as I can of it in my very own kitchen.

Hello, naan.

I've made this recipe seven time in the past two weeks and I'm not about to stop. This bread is perfect to eat plain, dipped in a vinaigrette, or as a wrap. Mmm.

 

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe and oh how pleased I am with it.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

1 tsp salt

3-4 cups flour 

olive oil (optional)

Directions:
Measure out the milk and heat until warm to the touch (about 110 degrees F). Mix the sugar and yeast into the milk and let it sit for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is foamy, this means the yeast is activated. Once the yeast, milk, and sugar mixture is foamy, pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the salt and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. 

Mix well to combine. Continue adding flour gradually in small amounts, until a soft dough is formed that cleans the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough by mixer or hand until it is smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes in the mixer

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rest at room temperature, covered lightly with greased plastic wrap, for about 2 hours.

Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls on a floured surface and let them rise, covered with a towel, for 30 minutes. 

As the dough rests, either preheat an oven to 50o degrees to use a pizza stone, heat a grill, or heat your griddle to it's highest setting (I used a griddle).

Roll each piece of dough into a 6-8 inch circle and bake 2-4 minutes or until brown spots appear on top. I like to sprinkle olive oil over my griddle before laying the dough down. Serve warm or cooled.