Dirty Dancing Pizza

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner".....  that's right, not when she comes out of the kitchen with this pizza! I am a big Dirty Dancing fan- I watched it for the 20th (at least) time last week and this pizza uses some "baby" veggies, so there you go. My favorite "men in green", The Phila Eagles, are playing a pre-season game tonight, so the spinach green is for them, Let's GO Eagles!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cups fresh baby spinach

8 oz. sliced baby bella mushrooms

4 Tbsp tomato pesto

8 kalamata olives, sliced in half

3/4 cup ricotta cheese
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
handful of corn meal

1 pizza dough (home made or store bought)
corn meal

On a sheet pan sprinkle a little corn meal. Roll out pizza dough to fit pan, turning ends in. Brush ends with a little xtra virgin olive oil and set aside.

In a skillet heat 2 tsp olive oil until hot, add garlic and saute' for 2 min. Add mushrooms and saute' additional 3-4 min, until they are soft. Add spinach leaves and stir until wilted. Sprinkle with a little  cracked black pepper.

Spread the tomato pesto on the pizza dough. Using a slotted spoon, spread the mushroom and spinach/garlic mixture over the dough. Spoon teaspoons of the ricotta, add the olives and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. SPrinkle with red pepper flakes, if desired. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15-20 min.until mozarella is melted and bubbly. Note- if you don't have corn meal, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil onto sheet pan. (this will keep crust from sticking). If you don't have tomato pesto you can use tomato sauce, about 1 1/2 Tbsp, spread thinly over the crust.

Pizza is one of those things that's really fun to make together, maybe it's date night? Enjoy! Lots of energy for some dirty dancing!

I make pizzas all the time and hands down, this is my favorite!

Orecchiette with broccoli and shrimp

Ingredients:

1/2 lb whole wheat orecchiette pasta

1 lb raw shrimp

1 bunch broccoli

1 bunch fresh baby spinach
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic

salt (1 tsp) and pepper (1/2 tsp)

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup fresh asiago shredded cheese (or parmesan)

Clean shrimp and set aside. trim broccoli into small florets. Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt( tsp). Add pasta and cook for 5 min on low boil. Add broccoli to pasta water and boil until both are al dente' (about 5 min). In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil until hot. Add minced garlic and red pepper and black pepper. Saute for 2 min until garlic is soft. Add shrimp and spinach and saute' until the shrimp is pink. Drain pasta and add back to pot. Mix in shrimp, spinach and pasta/broccoli and top with the tomatoes. Sprinkle a little fresh asiago shreds over the top.

Chicken and 'Scarole Soup

ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
32 oz chicken broth, (I used organic chk broth in the carton)
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion chopped finely
3 stalks celery, finely chopped

cracked black pepper

1/2 cup thin egg noodles or broken spaghetti
1 bunch escarole, rinsed thoroughly and chopped

Rinse chicken and cover with the chicken broth, adding water if necessary. Add onion, pepper, celery and carrots. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 min. Take chicken out and let cool for a few min. Remove chicken from bones, discard skin and bones. Shred chicken and set aside.

Return chicken to pot, add noodles and cook 5 min. Add Escarole and cook additional 10 min. You will not need additional salt unless you are using sodium reduced broth. Season to taste.

Provencal Flounder and Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh flounder
2 cups cut up veggies- red bell peppers, zucchini, yellow wax beans, green onions, cherry tomatoes, roasted yellow/poblano peppers, etc.
2 tsp minced garlic or Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic
a few basil leaves, and 1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt, cracked black pepper
butter.

Butter a casserole dish and spread vegetables, top with salt, pepper, basil, oregano. Add flounder and a little salt and pepper. Lightly drizzle the top of the flounder w/ a little olive oil.

Bake at 350 degrees until flounder is done, approx. 30 min.

If you have other fresh veggies, use them instead. I used what I picked from my garden today.

I roasted the peppers to give them a smoky flavor, but you don't have to. Tonight I served this with brown rice and orzo pilaf and roasted cauliflower.

What's on the table tonight...

Fried rice, made w/ leftover broccoli and rice from chinese take-out, mixed together with chicken broth, 1 scrambled egg mixed in, sauteed mushrooms and garlic. Topped with grilled sweet and spicy chicken (mix equal parts sriaccha hot sauce and hoisin sauce, 1 tsp olive oil and grill. Grill fresh pineapple chunks to go on top. Sweet, spicy, easy.

Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins

1 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 packet instant oatmeal (apple/cinnamon)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 mashed bananas
1 cup blueberries
Mix dry ingredients, set aside
Cream butter and sugar, add vanilla. Add eggs and mix, add bananas. Mix in dry ingredients just until mixed in, do not overmix. Add blueberries and stir.

Use an ice cream scoop to make 12 cupcakes in muffin pan, lned with cupcake liners. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 18 min.
PS Don't tell the kids these are healthy!
note: I used frozen bananas, I keep them in the freezer when they get so dark no one wants to eat them. Chef Ellen taught me that from her days of operating a fabulous bakery.

Italian Roasted Potatoes

serves 4-6
4 Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch dice
1/2 cup tomato pesto (usually sold where fresh tomatoes/basil are in the supermarket)
3 fresh basil leaves, shredded
2 Tbsp garlic (I used Garlic Garlic from Tastefully Simple)
kosher salt , ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/4 cup asiago cheese (or parmesean)
2 Tbsp xtra virgin olive oil (if mixture seems dry you can add an additional Tbsp olive oil.)

Scrub poatoes and cut into dice, keep in a container of water until ready to use (prevents them from turning brown)
Mix all ingredients. Drain potatoes thoroughly. Toss with tomato mixture and spread onto a roasting pan or sheet pan that has been lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray or brushed with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated 425 degree oven for 20 min. Continue roasting for another 20 min. until golden brown.

Barbequed Salmon

Ingredients:
juice of 1 tangerine or orange
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (I used chili rice wine vinegar for some spice)
juice of 1 lime
1 Tbsp lite soy sauce
1 scallion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1b fresh salmon, skin on
fresh ground black pepper

Mix ingredients together and set aside about 2 tbsp of marinade. Pour the remainder  over salmon in a baking dish. Let sit for 1/2 hour. Grill on preheated grill on grilling plate on medium heat. Start with skin side down and flip after 8 min. If the salmon is thinner at one end, turn the burner off for that section so it does not overcook. I cooked mine for about 12-15 min. Pour the reserved 2 tbsp of marinade over salmon before serving.

I made xtra marinade and set aside some to toss with a salad of baby romaine and cucumbers. Also served with bulgur salad w/ cucumbers, tomatoes and chick peas.