{Giveaway Now Closed – Congrats to Karen!}

Is it possible to fall in love with food? I feel like I’ve asked this question a few times before.

I fell in love with this pizza. Totally took me by surprise, though not sure why since it’s pretty straight forward why – grilled vegetables, pizza crust, cheese and lemon pepper. Does it get much better?

I can most definitely eat like this every day.

I think it’s safe to say we have entered into my favorite eating season of the year. Spring (and summer) brings the most fresh tasting, amazing veggies and I am finding myself craving all things veg lately. Jessica would not want to be eating at my house these days (although I would totally throw some bacon on this pizza just for her because I adore her so much). I think crumbled bacon would go nicely on this pizza actually.

Let’s get back to this Springalicous pizza. I don’t know about where you live, but here in Florida we are just about to start swimming in summer squash. This is about the time when we start to see plenty of it in the grocery store and farmer’s market and I’m loving it.

(I love char.)

This pizza recipe came from a cookbook that was recently sent to me to review, The Gardener & The Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig. I want and plan to eat my way through this cookbook. This book is FILLED with recipes showcasing all kinds of herbs and veggies and how to grill them up and turn them into amazing meals.

I have a few recipes bookmarked as you can see.

Here’s what’s caught my eye so far: Fresh Basil Vinaigrette, Garlic Chive Pesto, Grilled Gazpacho, Grilled Pepper Boat “Sandwiches” filled with Herbed Cream Cheese, French Garden Radishes with Grilled Onion Butter, and Grilled Cantaloupe Rings with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.

I could go on.

Not only is this book filled with recipes, but it’s also filled with some great tips on gardening as well as page after page of “how-to’s” including how to grill your greens (let’s just add High-Heat Grilled Romaine Salad to the “try” list right now) to how to grill flatbreads and pizzas. And in case you are wondering, there is a whole chapter dedicated to meat, poultry and fish too.

This book is fun. If you love to grill, and to garden (or eat from a garden), then you will really enjoy this book.

And it’s pretty too.

I took a shortcut with this recipe and used whole wheat naan bread I picked up at the store. Use your flatbread or dough recipe of choice.

Char-Grilled Baby Summer Squash Pizza
Recipe from The Garden & The Grill, with permission

1 lb pizza or flat bread dough
all purpose flour, for sprinkling
4 baby summer squash, such as zucchini, yellow summer squash or patty pan
olive oil, for brushing
salt to taste
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 cup grated Romano or Asiago cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Divide dough into four equal parts and press or roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle flour on two large baking sheets and place two round of dough on each sheet.

Prepare a hot fire on one side of your grill for indirect cooking. Oil a perforated grill rack and place over direct heat.

Slice squash into 1/4″ to 1/2″ planks. In a bowl, toss the squash with olive oil. Transfer the squash to the perforated grill rack and grill, turning often until slightly charred and softened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Quickly chop into 1 inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and lemon pepper seasoning.

To grill directly on the grill grate, brush one side of each pizza with olive oil and place, oil side down, on the direct heat side. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes, or until you see the dough start to bubble. Brush the top side with olive oil and flip each pizza, using tongs onto a baking sheet. Quickly brush with more olive oil, and then spoon on a 1/4 of the grilled squash and sprinkle with cheese. Using a grill spatula, place each pizza on the indirect side of the fire. Cover and grill for 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is slightly melted. Top with fresh basil and serve hot.

Note: If using already cooked flatbread, skip the oil and place directly on grate (over indirect heat) to warm up side that you will be putting squash topping on first. Flip over, put squash topping over other side and cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted.

Giveaway:

{Giveaway Now Closed – Congrats to Karen!}

One lucky winner will receive their own copy of The Gardener & The Grill cookbook

Starts today, Friday, April 27 and ends Wednesday, May 2 at 12 noon (EST)

(Sorry, giveaway open to US readers only. Winner will be chosen randomly using Pick Giveaway Winner plugin application – winner will be notified by email and have 48 hours to claim prize or another winner will be selected.)

To enter into the giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite food to grill is.

Additional Entries can be earned by:

(leave a separate comment after you complete each item, each comment will count as an entry)

1. “Like” Aggie’s Kitchen on Facebook. (if you already a fan, let me know, that counts as an entry!)

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3. Share about giveaway on Twitter: “I want to win The Gardener & The Grill cookbook from @aggieskitchen http://su.pr/5fe104 #giveaway ”

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(and of course…I’m required to tell you…)

Disclaimer: I received my own copy for review for this giveaway but as always my opinions on this blog are always my own. There are also affiliate links in this post.

From the looks of it, all I’ve been eating lately is salad and pizza.

There’s a little truth to that.

You’ll want to make this one for yourself for lunch or dinner soon. It’s seriously so good. I made it for my lunch earlier this week but it’s going to be my dinner tonight…Gina and I are having girl’s night in while the boys are at the Magic game. This is perfect girls night in food don’t you think? (and no, Gina won’t eat this exact same thing with me, I’ll make her pita toasted with some cheese and chopped tomato and cucumber on the side)

And before I forget, I have to tell you about this pita bread I found at Walmart. It’s the only place I’ve seen it and I stocked up on a few packs for the freezer. One pita bread is only 60 calories, has 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. It’s called Joseph’s…look for it! It has slightly changed my life as far as pita bread is concerned.

I posted the recipe for this Greek Salad and Hummus Pita Pizza over on Family Kitchen this week. Go check it out! Happy Friday!

PS…my sister-in-law Jamie of Mom’s Cooking Club is having a giveaway for a $25 gift card to Publix! We ((LOVE)) Publix!

I’m linking this post up to Tidy Mom’s I’m Lovin’ It this week!

It’s Valentine’s Day. I have no chocolate or hearts or anything really all that cute for you. Doesn’t mean I don’t love you though. I do.

I have pizza for you.

Pizza is one of the loves of my life, so in the spirit of the holiday of love, here I am sharing it with you. The other loves of my life and I like to have pizza on Friday nights…sometimes we go out for it, sometimes we take some home, and sometimes we (I) make our own. Our last pizza night was a few weeks ago and I was craving something different. The rest of my crew doesn’t usually crave what I crave so I made their traditional standby 1/2 cheese 1/2 pepperoni pie while I experimented a bit with mine based on what I had going on in the fridge and pantry.

Voila.

Mexican Pizza
Recipe created in Aggie’s Kitchen

pizza dough (I wish I could tell you I make my own, but I don’t. I am working on that. I buy my pizza dough at my grocery store bakery)
your favorite salsa (I tried out this sweet onion salsa and it was YUM)
shredded Mexican cheese
red onion, sliced thin
black olives, sliced
roasted pobalanos and cubanelles, sliced thin

Roast your peppers ahead of time. Here’s how I roast my peppers.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees, I like to preheat my pizza stone or pan at this time too. I find the crust comes out so much better when prepared on a preheated stone (or pan).

Throw some flour on a clean, dry surface and start to prepare your pizza crust by shaping your dough (I find that lightly coating it with some flour first helps). I start by gently using my fingertips and spreading it out into a circle until it looks like a disc. I then take the “disc” and start tossing it back and forth from hand to hand to start loosening it up (I learned this from watching my dad make pizza all my life, it took a while for me to really get it down, so don’t expect perfection, have fun with it!). Once you get your pizza spread into the shape you want, pull out your pizza stone or pan and place on a trivet on your counter and transfer your dough to the stone. You may have to work your pizza out a bit once it hits the hot stone, it may start to shrink up, just be careful not to burn yourself!

Now is the easy and fun part. Spread the desired amount of salsa over your dough. Top it with however much cheese you want. Add the rest of your toppings over the cheese and pop it into the oven to bake. Keep an eye on it, but it should be ready in about 15 minutes, or when cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Are you craving more pizza? If so, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to it. Enjoy!

I really hope this recipe doesn’t scare you off. I know that it’s a little…different. It is honestly so delicious…I was hooked on it for days when my husband was out of town and I was dining alone in the evenings. Well, I wasn’t exactly alone, but when it’s just me and the kids, the kids are pretty happy with a bowl of buttered noodles and veggies while I am usually looking for something a little more exciting.

This tortilla pizza was exciting.

It was a random put together. I had sauteed some rainbow chard (oh how I love rainbow chard!!!) in a little olive oil and Aleppo pepper…and needed to eat it with something. I had some homemade salsa in the fridge, and the rest just happened. It was a building process…the beans and Ezekiel tortilla were my protein, the greens my super veggie, and the salsa was the flavor.

I can seriously eat like this everyday.

Rainbow Chard Tortilla Pizza

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

Ezekiel Sprouted Tortilla
Sauteed Rainbow Chard with Aleppo Pepper
Pinto Beans, drained, rinsed and dried (I prefer Bush’s Beans pintos)
Red Onion, sliced
Homemade Salsa

Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 400.

Take your defrosted Ezekiel tortilla and place on baking sheet (tip: to keep bottom of tortilla crisp and to avoid getting too soggy, I preheat baking sheet with the oven so that it’s already hot when the tortilla hits it). Spread thin layer of salsa on tortilla then top with thinly sliced red onion, sauteed rainbow chard and pinto beans. Bake in oven for about 5-7 minutes or until tortilla is crisp and slightly browned. Take out and let cool. Drizzle salsa over top, slice and serve (to yourself).

One of my favorite go to dinners any night of the week. Flat Out pizzas. It’s one of those meals I can always count on. I can make them my way, their way, everyone’s way. And it’s not too much trouble either.

My latest Flat Out pizza creations are on Babble today. Have a great weekend!

Is summer flying by or what? The first part of our summer seemed so slow and lazy…but then July kicked in and phew…it’s almost over!  School is starting here in less than 3 weeks. Craziness!

If I had to pick a favorite meal this summer…it might be this pizza. I made it a couple times last week with some naan bread I took out of the freezer and some leftover pesto I had in the fridge. I used what I had which happened to be yellow bell peppers, vidalia onions and tomatoes for toppings. And freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Not much to this pizza…pretty much what you see is what you get and it’s obviously full of veggie goodness. The process of grilling the naan bread was pretty simple. I heated up the grill and brushed some water (you can use oil too) on one side of the bread. I put the bread on the hot grill for a few minutes until I saw light grill marks and it was slightly crisp. At that time I pulled the bread off the grill onto a cutting board and brought it inside to “top”. Once all the toppings were on the already grilled side of the bread, back out to the grill the pizzas went where they cooked for a few more minutes under a closed top grill.

I served the pizza alongside a simple arugula salad with mustard vinaigrette. Perfection.

Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza with Pesto

serves 2-3

2 Naan Flatbreads
4 tablespoons pesto (preferrably homemade for best flavor)
1 large yellow bell pepper (red or orange will be just fine), sliced wide into rings
1 large tomato, sliced
1/2 large vidalia onion, sliced into rings
freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper
red pepper flakes, optional

Preheat grill to medium hot. Brush one side of bread with water or olive oil and place onto hot grill rack. Grill for a few minutes until bread has light grill marks and is slightly crisp. Carefully take off grill and set aside, grilled side down.

Spread 2 tablespoons of pesto on to each of the non-grilled sides of the bread. Top with pepper rings, tomato slices, vidalia onion rings and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and carefully place back on hot grill. Close grill and let cook for about 4-5 minutes, checking for melting cheese.

Once cheese is melted and bread is crisp, take off grill, slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Since it’s Father’s Day I wanted to share with you a few things about my own dad.

(picture taken in Sicily when I was 4 years old…my dad, me, my sis & my mom)

I still call him Daddy. (so what if I’m 35 years old)

He grew up in a small town in Sicily (Castiglione).

He moved to the States to marry my mom in the 1970s when he was about 23 years old.

He was a baker.

He would take me with him to a bakery in the Bronx every Sunday where I would sit on a stool in the middle of a huge kitchen, eating a cookie, while listening to him catch up with his friends (in Italian of course) and watching lots of fancy cakes get made. We’d come home with a big white box tied with red & white string full of Italian pastries and cookies for Sunday lunch. One of my favorite memories of my daddy still to this day.

He has a huge heart, which I like to think was passed down to me.

He makes a mean pizza and calzone and has since I was 4 years old.

He’s been in the pizza/restaurant business for 31+ years…and still going strong.

He’s always taken very good care of his family.

He’s the hardest working person I know, and I’m proud of that.

So in honor of my dad and everything he has taught me, directly and indirectly, about life…I want to share with you one of his best pizzas; one that I recreated at a pizza party I hosted in my home a couple of years ago. I tweaked it just a bit (he doesn’t use nutmeg in his sauce) and I’m sure you’ll love it just as much as we do.

Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome dads out there…including mine, as well as my husband, my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brothers-in-law, my nephew, my cousins, and my friends.

Rocky’s Spinach Pie

Slightly adapted by Aggie’s Kitchen

2 -3 tablepoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 cups half and half
pinch of salt, fresh ground pepper and fresh nutmeg
8 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Pizza dough

To make Spinach White Cream Sauce:
Melt 2-3 tb butter in saucepan over medium heat.
Stir in 2 tb of flour into butter, cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add 2 cups half and half to butter mixture.
Add dash of salt, pepper, and fresh ground nutmeg to cream.
Bring to a simmer, continually stirring to avoid bottom of pan burning. Simmer for few minutes until sauce starts to thicken.
Take sauce off heat and bring to room temperature.
Add 8oz thawed chopped frozen spinach to sauce.

Spread spinach cream sauce over pizza dough to edges. Top with cheeses and bake in a 425 degree oven (I bake my pizza on a preheated pizza stone) until crust is browned and cheese is bubbly.
Enjoy.

I have a confession to make. I am a daughter of a pizza maker and I can’t make dough. I know, pathetic right? Whatever. Thank goodness for Publix bakery is all I have to say. If I lived closer to my parent’s place I would be snagging complimentary pizza dough on a regular basis but for now, Publix’s dough works for me. What I really need to do is stock up my dad’s dough in the freezer….I have to remember that for next time.

Anyway, growing up in a pizza shop family for pretty much my entire life has turned me into somewhat of a pizza addict. I could seriously eat pizza every day. And I like it so many different ways…on traditional pizza dough, on pita bread, english muffins, flat outs… you name it, I’ll eat it. I love to get creative with the toppings. I’m not a big meat eater, but sausage and peppers pizza would have to be my favorite meat pizza. Veggie and more veggie is my other favorite.

I made this pizza one Friday night not long ago and it was amazing. This is the kind of pizza I would love to order out, but am always overruled by the fam (cheese and pepperoni always wins). I love the contrast of the peppery arugula on top of the warm pizza, tastes so fresh and gourmet. This was super easy and fun to make at home and I will definitely be enjoying this again soon.

Caramelized Onion and Arugula White Pizza

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

homemade or store bought pizza dough (I purchase mine from Publix bakery)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper
caramelized onions (see recipe here)
garlic, minced
freshly shredded mozzarella
freshly grated Parmesan
sundried tomatoes
arugula
balsamic glaze, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make sure your baking stone is preheating in oven.

Drizzle olive oil over your stretched and shaped pizza dough. Sprinkle dough with kosher or sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Sprinkle minced garlic, shredded mozzarella, Parmesan over dough. Add caramelized onions and sundried tomatoes and carefully transfer to preheated pizza stone. (I use a large cutting board dusted with flour when I am preparing my pizza. When pizza is ready to go in oven, I take out hot stone and place on a hot pad near cutting board and transfer on the counter. Just work carefully and patiently.)

Bake pizza in 425 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes or until crust is cooked and bottom is crispy. When pizza is done, transfer back to cutting board and top with fresh arugula. Drizzle with a balsamic glaze if desired.

If you want to make your own dough, try Pioneer Woman’s recipe for her favorite pizza or  Maria’s Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.

Want more pizza?

Spicy Pepperoni Pizza with Caramelized Onions – Two Peas and Their Pod

Margarita Pizza with Ricotta and Prosciutto – Jersey Girl Cooks

Meatball Pizza – Recipe Girl

Spinach, Mushroom & Feta Pizza on Whole Wheat Crust – Recipe Girl

CPK’s BBQ Chicken Pizza – Pioneer Woman

Rocky’s Spinach Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Larry’s Italian Stallion Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Grilled Stinger Naan Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pizza – Aggie’s Kitchen

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Don’t forget to enter my “Create your Everyday Escape” giveaway ($75 SpaFinder gift card and Otria Greek Yogurt Veggie Dip goodies!). Giveaway ends Friday, March 4 at midnight (EST).

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Holly blogged about some Naan Pizzas she made.  Naan bread is pretty new to me…had my first experience with it at our local Indian restaurant not long ago and also saw Aarti make pizzas out of it on her final episode of Food Network Star.  These breads make the perfect crust for quick pizzas!  I found these breads in the deli section of my grocery store, near the pitas and other flat breads.

I was inspired by my produce drawer to make these little pizzas into “Stingers”…the name comes from one of my favorite pizzas my dad serves at his restaurant.  Strips of green peppers, onions and garlic…baked first in the oven and then added as toppings in addition to traditional sauce and cheese.  While I was cutting my veggies I actually had a deja vu moment that took me back to the days where my mom would pick me up after school and bring me back to their pizza shop to hang out.  She would keep me busy sometimes by giving me something to do in the kitchen…cutting up peppers and onions seemed to be a job that always needed to be done.  It was so long ago (I must have been in middle school!) and the memory made me smile.

Before I share the recipe for these delicious pizzas I want to thank everyone for all of their votes for my recipes entered into the Pacific Natural Foods Everyday Chef Challenge.  It was a fun experience creating the recipes out of secret ingredients and though I didn’t win, both recipes turned out delicious and the positive feedback from you all who made them is so much appreciated!  The contest is now in the Finals…Elana’s Pantry’s Thai Vegetable Soup is up against Herbivoracious’s Tortillas and Spinach in Black Bean Sauce.  This is a tough competition, both dishes look and sound awesome!  You can vote for either of these two recipes every 24 hours up until Wednesday October 13.  And while you are there, vote for one of the Everyday Challengers that are up for the Culinary Bootcamp Grand Prize as well.   My friends Holly, Merry and Lori along with some other great cooks are all in the Finals and need votes!  Good luck to everyone in the Finals!!

Grilled Naan Stinger Pizzas
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

1-2 green bell peppers, sliced
1 yellow onion sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 TB olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
pinch of dried oregano
2 pieces of regular or whole grain Naan bread (I used whole grain)
pizza sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
non stick or olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a glass baking dish, combine peppers, onions and garlic. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and softened.

Preheat grill or grill pan to low heat. Spray or brush both sides of Naan with olive oil and place on grill over indirect heat (or in grill pan). Cook Naan until slightly browned and grill marks show (about 4-5 minutes, keep an eye on it). Take Na’an off grill and start to prepare pizzas by adding toppings onto grilled side. Spread sauce, then cheese, then vegetable mixture onto the Naan and carefully place back on grill. Close grill lid and cook for 5-8 minutes until crust is browned and crisp and cheese is melted.

When I first started making this pizza, I was so addicted to it.  I made it every Friday night for weeks and weeks.  It has all the right flavors.  Here’s a tip…whenever you are roasting veggies like red peppers, zucchini, squash and onions, roast more than you need.  You can always use the extra veggies…they are delicious when added to homemade pizza, salads and sandwiches or even processed together to make a dip like Ina’s Roasted Eggplant Dip. The toasted pine nuts take the flavor combination on this pizza over the top.

Roasted Vegetable Pesto Pizza
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

(Printable Recipe)

store bought or homemade pizza dough
1-2 red bell peppers, chopped
1-2 zucchinis, chopped
2 yellow squash, chopped
red onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, crushed
store bought or homemade pesto
pine nuts
mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, toss veggies, olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread evenly on large baking sheet and place in a preheated 425 degree oven. Roast vegetables for approximately 20-25 minutes, tossing about halfway through.

Spread pizza dough out on flat surface. Work dough out, pulling and stretching gently until reaching desired size. I use a pizza stone and try to get the dough just slightly larger than the stone since it does tend to shrink back slightly.

Spread pesto evenly over pizza dough. Spread roasted vegetables over pesto. Top with pine nuts and mozzarella. Bake in 425 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown and cheese is melted. Be sure to lift pizza up and check that the bottom is browning as well. If it is not, place on lower rack for a few more minutes.