Whole Wheat Pizza Night

 

When I think of family style food, pizza is pretty high on the list. Especially since my family now includes an 8 yr old boy, a 5 yr old girl, a 4 yr old boy, a 3 yr old girl, and a 11 mo. old boy. Yes, my two sisters (pictured), have been busy making me a very happy auntie over the last 8 years. And if you can't tell, Rebekah, on the left, is due with another boy in November. It can be hard enough to get us all in one place, much less eating the same food at the same time, but pizza is one food that's pleasing to the palate no matter what your age. Take it a step up to build-your-own pizza, and you've got one big happy family!

This pizza dough is fool proof. I got it off The Food Network website and it needs no alterations. Only personally, when I'm rolling out my dough, I like to sprinkle a little cornmeal in with the flour on my rolling surface. It gives the crust added texture, and a bit of fanciness. 

FoodNetwork.com's Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

(Recipe Courtesy of Curtis Aikens & Foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cornmeal (optional)

Step 1.

     Proof yeast in a small cup or bowl with lukewarm water. Give it a few minutes to dissolve and then add the honey to activate the yeast. Yeast feeds on sugar. Then gently whisk in the oil.

Step 2. 

     In a large bowl, gather whole wheat and all purpose flours, and salt.  Quickly stir in the yeast mixture to combine all ingredients. You should begin to form a large ball of dough as soon as possible. Working with flour is always messy, so be prepared to get in there and work the dough with your hands. Once a ball is formed, no kneading is necessary. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

Step 3.
     Punch down dough and transfer to a floured board. Divide dough into 4 equal portions and roll each piece into a ball (only I doubled this recipe and made 13 balls of dough to accommodate everybody). Place the balls of dough, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. I also like to rub a little oil on each one to keep them from sticking to the plastic baggies. I always suggest that dough chills overnight. It makes it easier to work with. This way too, all the prep-work can be done a day ahead of time and all that's left is roll, top, & bake.

Step 4.
     Bring the dough to room temperature before proceeding. On a floured board (or with a litle cornmeal too), roll and stretch each piece of dough into a 7 to 8-inch circle. 

Tip for rolling: Get a pastry brush to remove excess flour before baking 

George had fun trying to toss the dough up in the air

 For the family, I pre-baked each pizza for about 2 minutes at 450 degrees, just so they could hold their shape to make it easier for topping and transferring to the oven.

Tip for topping: Spritz each pizza crust with cooking oil like Pam before topping

 After they're topped, pizzas should only take 5-10 minutes each for the cheese to melt to perfection.

My pops, before putting his pizza in the oven

Toppings I prepared: 

Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Goat Brie
Tomato Slices
Arugula
Spinach
Asparagus (lightly sauteed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
Artichoke hearts (homemade)
Pepperoni (because I'm the only vegetarian in my family)
Caramelized Onion
Grapes (halved)
Sauteed Mushrooms
Olive Oil

The Simpson Family Special:

Caramelized onion, Grapes, Goat Brie, Olive Oil, and arugula (sprinkled over the pizza after baking)

Lucy, sneaking toppings

Juli, adding a drizzle of olive oil

3 Yr old Lucy adding cheese to her pizza

Enjoying time together around the dinner table

Miss Eleanor

4 yr. old Jack, showing off his big bite!

 

Spending time with family is good for your anahata (heart <3)

Summer Mango Salsa

Spotting whales from the Shake Shack at Crystal Cove

Family Vacation

The perfect time for making big portions of food, something I don't often get to do when cooking for myself in my little apartment. I got to make three great recipes for my family this week as we vacationed in Newport Coast, CA. The first, is a sweet mango salsa, the perfect compliment to the poolside beverage of your choice. My brother-in-law, who picked out this delicious beer for us, was practically begging me to make a second batch. This salsa is a healthy and colorful expression of summer, and a great way to change up a snack food favorite.

Honey Mango Salsa

Ingredients*:

• 3 mangos
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 jalepeno pepper
• 2 serano chiles
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• salt & pepper to taste

*note: These measurements are guidelines. Everybody likes their salsa a little different. I like a little a lot of cilantro, and not as much heat. But if you like things spicy, feel free to throw in an extra pepper or chile. 

 

 

step. 1

peel and dice your mango. If you've never chopped a fresh mango before, it can be a little tricky because the center, or pit, is unusually shaped. I like to peel it first, and then cut lengthwise as close to the pit as I can, on both sides; splitting the mango into three pieces. 

 

 

   Then I make diagonal cuts toward the pit so I can figure out where it is, and then I slice chunks of the mango away from the pit. It can be a weird experience the first time, I'll be honest, so I suggest you buy an extra mango for practice. Once you get it, it's really easier to do than to explain. But you'll be thankful for your sous chef next time you see mango in your fruit salad. 

 

 Three fully diced mangoes should look like this:

step 2.

    Get the corn off it's cobb. I grilled my corn first so it had a little char on it, but this is optional. If you don't have a grill, you can rub a little oil on the cob and stick it under your broiler, rotating every 5 minutes or so. The honey and lime juice will deglaze the char later and you won't see any black corn in your salsa, but the smokey flavor will hang around for a subtle difference. 

 

step 3. 

  Chop your peppers. For your bell peppers and your chiles, you want to get out the veins and seeds. Just slice your pepper in half and scrape along the inside with a teaspoon until all the white parts and seeds are gone. Then chop finely. Go ahead and chop up that onion too. 

step 4. 

    In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and lime juice with a pinch of salt. Pour this over your fruit and veggie mixture and toss lightly. 

step 5.

    Chop your cilantro and gently fold into your salsa. Give it a taste, and add salt, pepper, or more spicy chiles as desired. 

 

Suggested serving: Sweet potato tortilla chips, or on top of a three cheese quesadilla.

A note on mangoes:  

If you're taking an iron supplement, which most vegetarians do in one way or another, the vitamin C in Mangoes will help your body absorb the iron into your blood. One raw mango carries almost 75% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin C.