Sunday, January 27, 2008

Pizza, anyone?




Following are some pizza variations that work great. I always just use my usual pasta sauce for my pizza sauce (except on Mexi-pizza.) Cheeses can be frozen...fill bags with enough for one meal and take out to thaw the night before. Sauces and other toppings can be from jars and cans, and of course, you can add fresh toppings.

Easy Pizza Dough (I don't even use my mixer for this...I just do it by hand!)

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the following
1 c. hot water
1/2 T. instant yeast
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
3 T. oil

Stir until yeast is dissolved. Add enough flour to make a dough that is fairly stiff but not too dry (add just enough flour to keep from sticking to hands and bowl). Roll out on pizza pan. (I actually just use baking dishes sprayed with vegetable spray, or sometimes will make calzones or individual pizzas with it.) (I like to make a dough with white and wheat flour (all wheat is usually a bit too heavy, although it works). I will also sometimes add a few tablespoons of ground flax seeds or other ground grains or seeds for nutrition and flavor.)

Top with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

(I have made a veggie pizza with mozzarrella, broccoli, spinach, zucchini, etc. (I have used frozen veggies, thawed with water squeezed out), sprinkled with some of Johnny's garlic seasoning. Fantastic!)

Pizzatillas
On large flour tortilla, spread a thin layer of sauce. Add cheese and other favorite pizza toppings. Cover with another tortilla and microwave until cheese is melted. Cut into triangles or quarters to serve.

Bagel Pizzas
Top bagel halves with sauce, cheese and toppings. Bake at 350 on cookie sheet until cheese is melted and bubbly. (Can do in toaster oven as well.)

Mexi-pizza
On a flour tortilla, layer refried beans, salsa, cheddar cheese, and any of the following: cooked shredded chicken, olives, fresh tomatoes, avocado, cooked shredded or ground beef…your favorite Mexican ingredients. Top with another tortilla, and fry on both sides. Drain on a paper towel, and serve hot. My sister calls this Mexi Pizza. Serve with sour cream, guacamole…whatever strikes your fancy.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You don't let your dough rise for you pizza? What kind of crust does it make when you do it this way? It seems so much faster than the way I have been making it.