Rosemary Pizza with Zucchini

A VERY homemade pizza! Simply Delicious!  I was just in the mood for some tasty bread and pizza, so I put them together and it turned out to be heaven.   A thin, crispy crust that was just perfect and full of flavor!  In the garden I picked fresh rosemary, basil and zucchini.  I had already made homemade pizza sauce from my tomatoes so I was ready to go.  I hope this inspires you, too!

Dough: Makes 2 pizzas
1 heaping TB of fresh rosemary; finely chopped
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 TB yeast (1 package)

pinch of salt

1 TB of Olive Oil

You only need to use 1/2 of the dough for pizza, I froze the other half for a rainy day!

Mix yeast in warm water.  In a bowl, add flour.  Make a hole in the center. Add rosemary then the warm water/yeast mixture, salt and olive oil.  Knead with hands or mixer until the dough is no longer sticking to your hand/kneader.  May need more flour...

Put in bowl with olive oil (so it won't stick) and let rise at room temperature for a 1 1/2 to 2 hours.


Assembling the Pizza:

Pre-Heat Oven to 500 degrees

1 zucchini, sliced thin
1/4 cup red onion, sliced thin
Pizza Sauce : Tomatoes, garlic, basil cooked down.
Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh Ricotta Salata
Fresh Basil Leaves

Roll out dough.  Put a thin layer of sauce.  Layer with basil leaves, fresh mozzarella and zucchini slices on top.  Add  onion slices and top with ricotta salata and a pinch of salt and pepper!  Bake pizza for 15- 20 minutes.  Enjoy :)

Rigatoni with Sausage and Asparagus

This is a simple, delicious dish that is great for a family get together!

4 links of hot Italian sausage (I used turkey sausage) 

1 pound of asparagus – cut into 1” length

3 fresh tomatoes - cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2 spanish onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic - chopped

1/4 tsp of hot pepper flakes

1/4 tsp of basil

1/4 tsp of parsley

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup dry red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated ricotta salata

Boil water.

Saute onion, garlic, hot pepper flakes, basil and parsley,

Add sausage (out of casing).  Break up into small pieces.  Once cooked through, add tomatoes.

Add rigatoni to water and add cream and red wine to saute pan.  Simmer on low- medium heat until thickened.  About 10-15 minutes.

Add asparagus and heat through.

Next, Add rigatoni to sauce.

Plate rigatoni and sprinkle fresh ricotta salata on top of dish.  ENJOY :)

Coconut Curry Shrimp

This was a tasty new dish!  If you have never tried cooking with curry, this recipe is a good one to start with!

1/2 lb shrimp

1 red pepper, cut into small pieces

1/2 small cooking onion, chopped

1 - 15 oz can of coconut milk

1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1 large minced garlic clove

salt and pepper

brown rice

basil

Cook rice as desired.

In a large pan, saute red pepper and onion.  Add coconut milk, curry powder, and ginger and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Let simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes.  Add shrimp to sauce when rice is almost done.  Cook until shrimp are pink.  Serve over brown rice.  Top with fresh chopped basil leaves.  

Enjoy:)

Grilled Chicken Tacos

2 chicken breasts

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

3 TB canola oil

Mix ingredients and let sit for 2-3 hours.

1/2 avocado, cut into small bite sized pieces

cilantro

lime

Mix avocado, cilantro and lime juice together. 

1 tomato cut up into bite sized pieces

cheddar cheese

soft taco shells

Grill chicken.  Cut thinly. Layer taco with chicken, avocado mixture, tomatoes and cheese.  Enjoy:)

Pesto Orzo Salad

Pesto Orzo Salad:

(can substitute any of the following vegetables for others of your choice)

Ingredients: 

Orzo Pasta

2 Ears of Corn (Grilled)

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half

1 head of broccoli (cut into bit sizes)

Fresh Basil (a good hand full)

Fresh Mint (a good hand full)

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

olive oil

Pesto:

In food processor pulse together the pine nuts, garlic, basil, and mint and cheese.  While pulsing, slowly add olive oil until it looks like its saucy and not a paste.

Cook Orzo pasta as indicated on box.

Mix together, veggies, orzo and pesto.

ENJOY :)

Peach Crisp

Ingredients

• 4 cups peeled, sliced peaches
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 lime
• 1 stick of butter (room temperature)
• Cinnamon 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place peaches in a baking dish.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the peaches.  Dust peaches with touch of cinnamon.

Mix sugar, flour and butter together,  Cover top of peaches with topping.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

To serve, scoop onto a plate and serve with vanilla ice cream! Enjoy :)