Quinoa (KEEN-wah) Pizza Bites

Quinoa Pizza Bites packed up for the fridge 

to add to my lunchbox throughout the week.

Makes 24 Quinoa Pizza Bites

Recipe from jessicainthekitchen.com 

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

These are just fun and easy to make and quite tasty too.  They make a great appetizer or snack for a casual party.  I make them to have on hand for my lunchbox.  Did you know that you can freeze cooked quinoa?  Cook up a couple of batches of quinoa on the weekend and once the quinoa is cool, pack it in 1- or 2-cup freezer containers and pop them in the freezer. Then, when you are ready to make Quinoa Pizza Bites or Sriracha Quinoa Bites, just thaw the quinoa in the fridge and mix in the remaining ingredients.

2 cups cooked quinoa** (Recipe follows.)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

6 Tablespoons marinara or pizza sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

6 teaspoons Italian seasoning

¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 Tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Cooking spray for greasing muffin pan

Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease mini muffin pan(s) with cooking spray.  Mix all the ingredients together (except the 4 Tablespoons cheese.)  Put a Tablespoon of the mixture into each muffin tin, packing it in a bit.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top with the remaining 4 Tablespoons cheese, if using.  Broil for 1 minute, watching carefully so they don’t burn.  After broiling, remove the pan from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack for about 15 minutes.  Remove the pizza bites from the pan.  Serve or store for later.

**How to Prepare Quinoa

Cooked quinoa will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze cooked quinoa. Just 1 cup of uncooked quinoa will yield almost 4 cups cooked.

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups water for cooking

Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in a sieve (strainer.) Quinoa has a bitter coating that must be rinsed off.  An effective method for rinsing off the bitter coating is to place the quinoa seeds in a fine-meshed strainer and run cold water over the quinoa while gently rubbing the seeds together in your hands. Place the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan and add 2 cups water. Bring the cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer. Place a tight-fitting lid on the saucepan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. (Set a kitchen timer to 15 minutes so you won't forget to check for doneness.)  Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork.

Classic Calzones

Serves 4

Recipe from Everyday Food

Adapted and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

This will be more of a “how-to” than a recipe because there are so many ways to fill a calzone.  To make these even easier for a weeknight meal, prepare and then freeze the pizza dough in advance, then all you’ll need to do is thaw it, roll it out and fill it.  Then you’re good to go!  Below is the original recipe from Everyday Food, then after that you’ll see my adaptations and other options.

Everyday Food Recipe:

Olive oil, for brushing

All-purpose flour, for work surface

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen (or whole-wheat pizza dough)

1/3 cup marinara

1/4 pound thinly sliced salami

6 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll dough into a 16-inch round. Spread marinara on bottom half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Top marinara with salami and mozzarella. Fold top half over and roll and pinch edges to seal. Brush off excess flour.

Carefully transfer calzone to baking sheet. Lightly brush with oil, season with salt, and bake until golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.

Alice’s Recipe:

Since the calzones were just for my husband and me, I used ½ batch of homemade pizza dough or whole-wheat pizza dough.  It was in the freezer, so the night before I made the calzones; I thawed the dough in the fridge.  I then preheated my baking stone in the oven to 425 F.  While the oven heated up, I sprinkled my wooden pizza paddle with cornmeal so that the calzones would easily slip onto the baking stone. I also sautéed in a bit of olive oil, about 2 cups of chopped broccoli, ½ cup chopped red pepper, about 6 fresh chopped mushrooms and 1 clove of garlic, minced in a small non-stick skillet.  I divided the pizza dough into 2 balls.  Then I rolled out each ball of dough on a floured board so that each round was about 8 inches or so.  I spread a thin layer of jarred spaghetti sauce (about 2 Tablespoons) onto half of each round, leaving an inch around the edge.  Then I topped the sauce with the veggies, dividing the veggies evenly between the two rounds.  I placed 2 slices of provolone cheese on top of the veggies on each round.  Then I folded the uncovered half over the veggie-cheese mixture.  I crimped the edges to keep the filling from oozing out.  I brushed each calzone with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkled them with a bit of sea salt. Using two large spatulas, I transferred the calzones onto the pizza paddle.  I opened the hot oven door and then using a jerking motion, scooted the calzones onto the stone.  They baked for 25 minutes.  Then I used some tongs to grab the calzones and put them on a rack to cool a bit.  Fabulous!  I think you could use any kind of vegetable cheese combo you like.  It seems a great way to use up leftovers. If you use meat, you’ll need to cook it in advance before filling, just like you would if making a pizza.

Other ideas:  

1. mushrooms, artichokes and fontina

2. broccoli, ham, cheddar

3. spinach, ricotta, mozzerella

4. chicken sausage, pear, brie

5. chocolate, ricotta with confectioners sugar, walnuts

Leftover veggies never tasted so good!  YUM!

Breakfast Pizza

Husband-Tested Recipe from the Kitchen of Alice Wootton

Oh, Ma Ma! Was this ever good!!

There were some lovely quail eggs for sale at the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market this season. I purchased some because they were just so beautiful! (See photo of the eggs I bought.) The rest of the ingredients I purchased at my favorite store in the whole world, Lost River Market & Deli. I had some Whole Wheat Pizza Dough in the freezer, so I decided to make a breakfast pizza on the grill. I thawed the dough in the fridge the night before, then all I had to do was roll it out and top with the ingredients. You could certainly use regular hen eggs for your breakfast pizza too. The measurements are approximate because pizzas are pretty forgiving. If you are lucky enough to find quail eggs, here's a little advice. Crack the quail egg on the side of the bowl. Then carefully poke the tip of a sharp knife through the crack to break the membrane (which is pretty tough...tougher than a hen's egg membrane) and then the egg will slip right out without breaking the yoke.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (recipe follows)
4 Tablespoons olive oil

3 hen eggs or 6 quail eggs, break the eggs into small individual bowls or cups so that they will easily transfer onto the pizza
1 fresh tomato, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese
1/4 of a small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup small red pepper, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh baby spinach, sliced
a few Tablespoons of Local Folks Pizza Sauce or your favorite pizza sauce
a few slices of Capocolla ham or Proscuitto, or substitute a few bacon strips. If using bacon strips, cook them until crisp.

Prepare pizza dough in advance. (I made this dough about a month ago, put it in the freezer and then thawed it in the fridge the day before making this pizza.)

Brush grill grate with olive oil. Preheat grill.

Sprinkle a board or the counter with flour. Roll out the pizza dough. When the grill is hot, carefully lay the dough on the grill. Meanwhile, prepare the pizza toppings (chop, slice, shred and measure out topping ingredients.) Place the toppings on a tray and set the tray next to the grill.

When the dough is browned and crisp on the bottom (which is actually the pizza top) flip the dough over using tongs. Brush the dough with olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce in a thin layer over the dough. Sprinkle with cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients. Slide the eggs onto the pizza.

Close the grill lid and allow the pizza to finish cooking. The pizza is done when the bottom of the dough is brown and crisp, the cheese is melted and the eggs are cooked sunny side up.

Using tongs, slide the pizza onto a cutting board. Use a large knife or pizza wheel to cut into serving pieces.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm water (100-110ºF)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 envelope dry yeast

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ teaspoons salt

Combine water and sugar in food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, then flour and salt. Process just until dough comes together. Knead on floured surface about 5 minutes. Add flour if needed. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough; turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let the dough rise in warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch down dough. Knead in the bowl about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll and stretch out dough (dough will be very elastic) on a floured surface to a 9” shape. (*Dough can be made ahead frozen. Just spray PAM inside a large Ziplock bag. Place the dough inside the bag and seal shut. Thaw in the refrigerator. It will rise in the fridge.) When in a pinch for time, you can use store-bought refrigerated pizza dough.

Grilled Pizza with Fennel, Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Kalamata Olives and Gruyere Cheese

Husband-Tested Recipe from the Kitchen of Alice Wootton
Dough Recipe makes 2 large pizzas.
Topping Recipe makes enough for 1 large pizza.

I've been making grilled pizza for years. It's fun and the pizza tastes better than anything you'd get at any pizza joint. You don't need a pizza pan or a pizza stone....just a grill, good pizza dough (homemade or store bought) and your favorite toppings. This dough is done very quickly in a food processor. It's flavored with a bit of oregano and marjoram. Rolled out thinly and grilled, it's cracker-like on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yum! Here, I topped it with gruyere cheese, caramelized fennel and onions, added some mushrooms and diced zucchini (what I had left in my fridge) and then gilded the lily with Kalamata olives. Sweet, salty and gooey altogether on a pizza. Yum! Make the dough in advance. Divide it and place one in a gallon size freezer bag that has been coated inside with cooking spray. Freeze it for later. Thaw in the fridge. Grill and top the other half. All of the ingredients can be found at Lost River Market & Deli. There is another post for grilled pizza with different toppings on this blog.

Pizza Dough (Makes 2 large pizzas)
1 cup warm water (105-115ºF)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ Tablespoon each of dried Oregano and Marjoram

Combine water and sugar in food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, then flour, salt and dried herbs. Process just until dough comes together. Knead on floured surface about 5 minutes. Add flour if needed. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough; turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let the dough rise in warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch down dough. Knead in the bowl about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Roll and stretch out dough (dough will be very elastic) on a floured surface. (*Dough can be made ahead and frozen. Spray the inside of a gallon size freezer bag with cooking spray. Place dough ball in the bag and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before grilling.) When in a pinch for time, you can use store-bought refrigerated pizza dough.

How To Grill a Pizza
Before beginning, be sure to have your topping ingredients prepped and ready to go. Grilling the pizza takes a short time. Brush the grill with olive oil. Heat the grill to medium. Place the pizza dough directly on the grill. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. When the bottom of the dough is brown and crisp, use tongs to flip it over. (Now the bottom is the top.) Don’t be alarmed if the dough bubbles, it’s normal. You can easily “pop” the bubbles with the tip of a knife. Brush the top with olive oil and top with your favorite toppings.*** When the bottom of the dough is brown and crisp and the cheese is melted, slide the pizza off the grill with tongs onto a cutting board. Use a large knife or pizza wheel to slice into servings.

Pizza Toppings (Enough for one large pizza.)
2 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
½ sweet onion, thinly sliced
About 6 cremini mushrooms, sliced
¼ to ½ large zucchini, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 heaping Tablespoons of your favorite pizza sauce (I use Local Folks. You could also use crushed tomatoes.)
Scant ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
Approx. cups shredded gruyere cheese

Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a non stick skillet. Add fennel and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at low heat until translucent and tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add 1 Tablespoon to skillet. Add mushrooms and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender. Remove from heat and add to the fennel, onion mixture. (This part can be done several hours ahead.)

***After flipping the dough and brushing the dough with olive oil. Spread the two tablespoons of pizza sauce over the pizza dough thinly. Sprinkle the gruyere cheese evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with the fennel, onion, mushroom and zucchini mixture. Sprinkle with olives. Close the grill lid to allow the bottom of the crust to brown and the cheese to melt. Using tongs, slide pizza from the grill onto a cutting board for slicing and serving.

Grilled Pizza

Husband-Tested Recipe from the kitchen of Alice Wootton at the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market (Orleans, Indiana)

It's time to fire up the grill! I make this delicious pizza many times each year. It's probably my most requested recipe. (My hubby loves when I make this too.) I've even demonstrated grilling pizza at the farmers market to show how easy it is to do, especially when you can get the freshest produce which you'll find at Lost River Market & Deli and the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market. You can make the dough in advance, keep it in the fridge for a couple of days or even freeze it for later. The cheeses and veggies should be prepped in advance because once you flip the dough, they need to be put on at once because the pizza takes almost no time at all to cook. Grilled pizza is great for parties too.

Pizza Dough (There's a Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe on this blog too.)
1 cup warm water (105-115ºF)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Combine water and sugar in food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, then flour and salt. Process just until dough comes together. Knead on floured surface about 5 minutes. Add flour if needed. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough; turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let the dough rise in warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch down dough. Knead in the bowl about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll and stretch out dough (dough will be very elastic) on a floured surface to a 9” shape. (*Dough can be made ahead frozen. Just spray PAM inside a large Ziplock bag. Place the dough inside the bag and seal shut. Thaw in the refrigerator. It will rise in the fridge.) When in a pinch for time, you can use store-bought refrigerated pizza dough.

How To Grill a Pizza
Brush the grill with olive oil. Heat the grill to medium. Place the pizza dough directly on the grill. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. When the bottom of the dough is brown and crisp, use tongs to flip it over. Don’t be alarmed if the dough bubbles, it’s normal. Brush the top with olive oil and top with your favorite toppings. When the bottom of the dough is brown and crisp and the cheese is melted, slide the pizza off the grill with tongs onto a cutting board. Use a large knife or pizza wheel to slice into servings.

Pizza Toppings
Option 1: After flipping the dough and brushing the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh minced garlic, fresh chopped tomatoes (or canned crushed tomatoes when out of season), drizzle with Eric’s Pesto (recipe follows), fresh blanched sweet corn (or frozen corn, thawed when out of season), and cubed or grated fresh mozzarella cheese.
Option 2: After flipping the dough and brushing the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh minced garlic, cover dough with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, add fresh baby spinach leaves, and then sprinkle with fresh Feta cheese and cherry tomatoes, halved.
Other Options: Anything goes on a grilled pizza. If you decide to add meat, be sure it’s precooked. If you go with fresh vegetables such as sugar snap peas, zucchini, or peppers, etc… they’ll need to be blanched or roasted.

Eric’s Pesto
This recipe comes from Chef Eric Sinnott who introduced me to pesto.

Fresh Basil Leaves (fill to the top of the plastic knob of the food processor) about 4 cups, tightly packed (You can also do this in a blender.)
1-2 Cloves of fresh garlic
1/3 - 1/2 cup nuts (pignoli, pecans, walnuts, or almonds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Several drops of Tabasco sauce
Olive oil

Allow the food processor to run until the above ingredients are well mixed and chopped fine. Then while it’s still running, drizzle olive oil through the feeder tube until the desired consistency. *The garlic, salt, vinegar, mustard and Tabasco can be adjusted to taste. I usually make several batches at once and then freeze them in small containers. Pesto tastes wonderful on pasta, tomatoes, potatoes, pizza and in soups.

Sausage & Pepper Pizza

Recipe from Alice's Kitchen
Makes 2 large pizzas.

Our friends, Debbie and Bob, came over for a casual dinner last night. We were all in the mood for pizza. I saw pizza sausage in the local meat case and fresh mozzarella cheese in the cheese case at Lost River Market & Deli and bought them just in case of an emergency pizza craving. Bob and Debbie completed the party by bringing over some of the regional beers the store carries for us to try.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:
1 cup warm water (100-110ºF)
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ teaspoons salt

Combine water and sugar in food processor. Sprinkle yeast over; let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add oil, then flour and salt. Process just until dough comes together. Knead on floured surface about 5 minutes. Add flour if needed. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough; turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let the dough rise in warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch down dough. Knead in the bowl about 2 minutes. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll and stretch out dough (dough will be very elastic) on a floured surface to a 9” shape. (*Dough can be made ahead frozen. Just spray PAM inside a large Ziplock bag. Place the dough inside the bag and seal shut. Thaw in the refrigerator. It will rise in the fridge.) When in a pinch for time, you can use store-bought refrigerated pizza dough.

Note: In summer, I make pizza on the grill (I'll be sure to put that recipe on the blog as the weather gets warmer.) During the winter months, I use a pizza stone in the oven. A pizza stone wicks moisture from the dough so that it turns out crispy. It works the same way with bread. Preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside. (If you don't have a pizza stone, just use a cookie sheet.) I sprinkle cornmeal on a wooden paddle and place the rolled out dough on it. Put on your favorite toppings. While the oven door is open, place the paddle close to the stone and using a jerking motion, slide the pizza right on to the stone. The cornmeal should help the pizza slide on to the stone.

Toppings:
Brush a little extra virgin olive oil onto the dough. Spoon a bit of pizza sauce (I used only 1/2 can Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce for two pizzas.) on to the dough and spread it thinly out with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Distribute cooked pizza sausage* over the pizza. Sprinkle the pizza with thinly sliced onions, red bell peppers and mushrooms. Top with thin slices, small cubes or shredded fresh mozzarella cheese.

Baking Directions:
Preheat the oven (and pizza stone, if using) to 450 F degrees. Bake pizza for approximately 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is browned and crisp.

*The day before the pizza party, I used an electric skillet set at 300 degrees to brown the sausage. There were several large sausage links in casings in the package. The casings can be left on or can be removed. I sliced the links lenghwise and then cut them up into small 1 inch pieces. I browned them and drained them on paper towels. I froze some for another time and put the rest in the fridge until our guests arrived. I also made the dough the day before and cut up the cheese and veggies in advance as well.