Thursday, March 21, 2013

Short shopping list for snappy salad


Looking for a fast, fresh, fantastic, flavorful salad idea? Here’s one with plenty of crunch.

Sesame Broccoli Slaw
6 ounces sugar snap peas, rinsed
3-ounce package top ramen noodles
12-ounce bag Trader Joe’s Organic Broccoli Slaw (or make your own mix of shredded broccoli stalks and carrots)
1 bottle Trader Joe’s Fat Free Sesame Soy Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Crunch up dry noodles and combine in large bowl with peas and slaw mix. Add dressing to taste (I ended up using about half the bottle), toss mixture until coated with dressing, and sprinkle salad with sesame seeds before serving.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Putting whatever I want on a pizza


When I was a kid, I always wanted to try taco pizza. Mom and dad, in an attempt to get everyone to eat their dinner, went the classic route when ordering pizza, opting for more family-friendly toppings like pepperoni and mushrooms. Tough times, I know.

Recently seeing a friend’s Instagram photo of a black-bean pizza reignited my interest in this combination of two of my favorite foods, and here’s what I came up with. Not necessarily original, but quite delicious!

Taco Pizza 
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ pound ground chicken
1 cup red enchilada sauce
White pizza dough (I buy it at Trader Joe’s)
1 cup refried beans (I used black refried beans)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
1 cup medium black olives
1 red bell pepper, diced
Green onion and cilantro

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Warm olive oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two before adding ground chicken. Once the ground chicken is thoroughly cooked, stir in enchilada sauce and remove from heat.

Evenly coat pizza pan with a little kitchen spray so the dough won’t stick. Roll out dough to desired thickness and place on pizza pan. Bake dough on its own for 8-10 minutes (I like to do this to help crisp up the crust). Spread refried beans all over the dough before adding meat and sauce. Top with grated cheese, olives and bell pepper, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until cheese is nice and melty. Garnish with green onion and cilantro.