Pizza!

My husband LOVES pizza. Every time I ask him what he wants for dinner, his answer is always, "pizza." Sometimes I'll ask him a question that is completely unrelated to food and his answer will still be, "pizza."

I've always wanted to make homemade pizza but I've failed many times...the crust has always given me a hard time. While grocery shopping a few weeks ago I stumbled upon frozen cornmeal crust pizza crusts. I was elated! Finally I could make homemade pizza! They were gluten-free which is a plus for many people and they were smaller so we could still use portion control.

Next I needed to find the toppings, our family friend gave us a jar of her homemade marinara sauce, so we definitely wanted to use that. Then I decided on leeks, chipotle sausage, and mozzarella cheese. But you can put any toppings you like on it. Leeks are a great alternative to onions, especially when they are all caramelized...yum!

Leek-Sausage Pizza on a Cornmeal Crust
2 frozen cornmeal pizza crusts (or make your own or get regular crust)
1 lb chipotle sausage
1 large leek, sliced
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup marinara sauce

I baked my crusts just a tad so they were a little crisp. Meanwhile I sauteed my leeks until they were tender and caramelized. I also cooked the chipotle sausage until mostly cooked through. Once the crusts were ready, I ladled the homemade marinara sauce on top, a big scoop of sausage, leeks and finally, shredded mozzarella. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes. This pizza was outstanding, we can't wait to make it again.

We served this with a simple romaine lettuce salad, raw mushrooms and southwest cheddar dressing.

This is a fantastic meal if you need to whip something up quickly, if you are craving pizza but don't want to ruin your healthy eating habits or just want a yummy dinner for a Friday movie night.

Enjoy! xo Lo

Restaurant Style Dinner

After a girl's night with my great friend Amanda Kordes, an aspiring chef, who had gone to Culinary School in Kentucky, I learned a few new tricks to help take my meals up to the next level. This particular night for dinner I had flank steak, leftover veggies, arborio rice (Italian-Style risotto rice), rye bread, leftover enchilada sauce, queso fresco and swiss cheese.With all of that I made this restaurant-worthy dish:

Savory Spice-Crusted Flank Steak

2 lbs flank steak
1 clove chopped garlic
1 Tbs flour
1 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
pinch salt
pinch pepper

With the flank steak, I chopped up my garlic then I sprinkled that all over my steak. Next, I combined the savory spices and flour to create a flavorful crust. I dipped the flank steak into this spice rub and made sure every inch was covered. I put my grill pan on medium-high heat, drizzled with olive oil and laid the flank steak on the grill pan. The grill pan helps create a lovely crust, grill marks and juicy flavor.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

1 cup Arborio rice
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
olive oil
pinch salt
pinch pepper
5 button mushrooms
1 garlic clove
1/4 chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup grated swiss cheese
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

I begin by boiling my chicken stock then adding the risotto with a touch of olive oil, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, I slice my mushrooms, chop my onion and chop my garlic. After about 15 minutes I add the onion, mushroom and garlic to a saute pan on medium heat. Once the risotto is soaking up the rice and beginning to fluff up, I add the mushroom mixture with a pinch of salt and pepper. I cover and turn down the heat to low.

Vegetable Ratatouille

While my steak was cooking, I decided to use my leftover veggies to create a ratatouille.

1/2 zucchini
1/2 yellow squash
3/4 cup brussel sprouts
1 can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup okra
1/4 cup black beans
Italian seasoning

I took a bowl, poured in the chopped tomatoes with the juice, Italian seasoning and all the veggies. I combined the flavors then drizzled olive oil on a baking sheet. I lined the veggies in a pretty, colorful pattern then baked at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Spanish Bruschetta 

2 slices of bread (any bread will work)
leftover enchilada sauce (or marinara sauce)
1/8 cup grated swiss cheese
1/8 cup of crumbled queso fresco
pinch basil
pinch oregano
salt
pepper

I cut my bread in half and grated the cheese, then combined the cheese with the sauce mixture and sprinkled the seasoning in. I mixed that together and spooned the mixture on top of the bread, I turn on the broiler and placed the bruschetta under the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp and bubble up.

My husband and I prefer our meat medium-rare, if you want to know what temperature your meat is feel the meaty part of your palm. With no clinch of your fist that is what rare feels like, then take your thumb and touch each finger, that meaty party of your hand will firm up as you make your way down to your pinky which is well-done. I took the meat off the pan and let it rest for a few minutes on a cutting board. Meanwhile I added the cheese to the risotto and stirred that up. I checked on my veggies and took them out with the bruschetta. I sliced up the flank steak and served the steak on a bed of risotto with a side of vegetable ratatouille and Spanish bruschetta toast points.

Enjoy!!

xo Lo