Apple Salsa

I was so tickled with the mango salsa I decided to make an apple version....so tasty.  Apples are one of my favorite fruits....I had to show them some love.  ;)  I used Pink Lady's, but I'm thinking some Granny Smith would be interesting too.


Apple Salsa

2 apples, peeled, cored, and diced (Pink Lady's)
4 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 tbls lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in a bowl.  Serve with chips.

Tortilla Serving Bowl and Chips

I was playing around with some flour tortilla dough the other day and made some fun, bowls and chips.    I did get a little carried away with the salt when I was making the chips...but they were quite tasty.  The edible bowls are such a cute way to serve dip.


Flour Tortillas

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbls oil
1/2 cup warm skim milk
1/3 cup warm water
garlic powder
onion powder
coarse salt

Toss flour, flax, wheat germ, baking powder, and oil into a food processor. Blend everything together. Add water and skim milk and process until dough forms a ball. Pour dough out onto your work surface. If your dough is sticky, knead for a few minutes until it no longer sticks to your hand. Form into a ball and cover with a damp paper towel. Let rest for 15 minutes. Divide dough into three portions and form into balls. Let rest again for 10 minutes.

Cut one of the thirds in half.  Roll out into a circle and press into a greased tortilla bowl pan.  Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle on some salt, garlic powder, and onion salt.  Repeat with other half.  Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, or until browned nicely.  Cool on rack.  Spoon dip into bowl right before serving.

Roll out remaining dough into rectangles.  Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle on salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Cut into pieces with a pizza cutter.  Transfer to greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes until browned.  Cool on racks.

Mango Salsa

This is one fast, easy salsa....bonus points for being healthy as well.  ;)

I've seen several wonderful mango salsas recently, but sadly I didn't bookmark them.  I used this recipe after a little Google action.


Mango Salsa

1 mango, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1/2 cup seedless cucumber, diced
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 tbls lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in a small bowl.  Serve with chips.

Beer Cheese Pizza

This dish is a bit of a saltfest, but a tasty one.  Beer and Kielbasa....a combination made in heaven.  I had leftover beer from making the cheese so I tossed it into the pizza crust for fun.....spread the beer love around.

The beer cheese does stiffen up quite a bit when chilled.....let the pizza's sit for 15 minutes or so at room temp before serving.


Beer Cheese Pizza

Crust:
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm Newcastle brown ale
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Toppings:
Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Turkey kielbasa, sliced thin
Roasted Poblanos, cut into strips
Roasted Onion, cut into strips
Beer Cheese (I did add 2 roasted poblano peppers to the mix and 1 tsp hickory bacon salt)

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water from the tap. Stir in ale, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in flax, wheat germ, and gluten. Mix in flour gradually. When the dough gets too stiff to continue stirring pour it out onto your work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue kneading for 8 minutes or so. Dough should be nice and elastic.

Divide the dough into two portions.  Drop one portion of dough onto a greased cookie sheet.  Work it with your fingers into a large round or rectangular shape.  Repeat with other portion of dough.  Let rise in warm place for 15 to 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for 18 - 20 mins or until crust is lightly browned.  Cool on wire rack.

Spread beer cheese across the two crusts.  Spread toppings over cheese.  Slice into pieces and chill until ready to serve.

Stuffed Rolls

I do love to play around with pizza dough.....embrace the obsession with all things pizza...embrace it!  ;)  These rolls made very tasty snacks...plus I had a ton of fun making them so it was a double win.

Next time I'll brush the rolls with egg white instead of oil.  I prefer the glossy sheen to the look I ended up with from the oil. 

Next time I'd tuck a few pieces of pepperoni around the cheese instead of just one slice....don't know what I was thinking being stingy there.


Stuffed Rolls

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm skim milk
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milled flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tbls vital wheat gluten (optional)

Filling:
Mozzarella, cubed
Turkey pepperoni

Topping:
Garlic Powder
Parmesan Cheese

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.  Stir in warm skim milk, oil, honey, and salt. Mix in flax, wheat germ, and gluten. Mix in flour gradually. When the dough gets too stiff to continue stirring, pour it out onto your work surface and knead in the remaining flour. Continue kneading for 8 minutes or so. Dough should be nice and elastic.

Divide the dough into 18 to 20 portions.  Form each portion into a rough round shape.   Turn the dough in one hand and fold a third of it under with your other hand. Keep rotating the dough, turning the edges under.  Add a light dust of flour if your ball starts to get sticky.  Flatten your ball out slightly.  Tuck your cube of cheese and slices of pepperoni into the middle and pinch the dough closed around the filler.  Put on greased cookie sheet and so the same with the remaining dough.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 mins.

Brush oil across the top of the rolls.  Sprinkle with garlic powder and parmesan cheese.  Bake in oven at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until rolls are nicely browned.  Cool on racks.

I could have made my rolls slightly smaller...the bread was a little thick around the filling.....I'm torn over whether that is a bad thing though since I am a serious bread lover.  ;)  

Avocado Dip

I ran across this cool dip over at The Jey of Cooking.  Nice and healthy with a great mix of flavors.  The only thing missing was some jalapeno peppers for a little heat chaser....I'll add them in next time.  I swapped out kiwi for the mango in the original recipe...I already had mango in another dip for the same gathering.


Avocado Dip

2 avocados
1 apple, diced (Pink Lady)
2 kiwi, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
2 tbls lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt, to taste

Mash avocados with a fork before transferring to a bowl.  Mix in remaining ingredients, combining well.  Serve with chips.

Seven Layer Dip Pizza

This is not the most attractive appetizer I've ever made.  Kinda makes me want to eat this in the dark.  ;)  I made a crisp corn crust, but next time I'll do my usual pizza crust instead.  It wasn't a bad crust mind you, just a little on the tough side.  Hrm.....I just realized some flour tortilla dough would make an interesting crust...more experimentation needed.

A little twist on the usual 7 layer dip....easy to tote around and serve since you don't have to worry about chips.


Seven Layer Dip Pizza

Crust
2 cups unbleached flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbls oil
1 tbls raw honey
1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:
Salsa
Sour Cream
Refried Beans
Guacamole
Sliced Black Olives
Chopped Tomatoes
Shredded Taco Cheese

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm water.  Stir in the remaining warm water, oil, honey, and salt.  Mix in cornmeal and flour and continue stirring until it's too hard to continue mixing in bowl.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead in remaining flour.  Continue to knead and work dough for 5 to 8 minutes.  Divide dough in half.  Press or roll it out into a round or rectangle.  The other half of the dough is extra so you can either freeze it or roll it out into a blank and freeze that to be used later.  Let dough rise for up to an hour depending on the desired thickness of the crust.  I wanted a relatively thin crust so I let the dough rest for 15 minutes before baking at 375 for 15 minutes, or until browned.  Cool.

Spread beans across crust.  Mix together guacamole and sour cream and spread it across the beans.  Spread on salsa.  Sprinkle taco cheese and top with olives and tomato.  Slice into pieces and serve.

Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

I play around a lot with pizza dough....it's just such a useful thing with immense possibilities.  Anywho, I wanted to make a quick snackum for game night and this turned out nicely.  I probably didn't need the sprinkle of coarse salt across the top of the bundles....the pepperoni added plenty of salt.

You can use a refrigerated pizza dough from the store instead of making your own if you're in a hurry...but honestly pizza dough whips together really quickly....easiest yeast bread ever.

A side of marinara can be used for dipping, but I was happy with the rolls as is....I'm a bit of a bread nut though.  ;)


Turkey Pepperoni Bundles

Pizza Crust Dough
Turkey Pepperoni
Coarse Sea Salt
Egg White, lightly beaten

Divide your pizza dough into two portions.  Press one portion of dough out into a rough rectangle.  Place your pepperoni on the dough in columns, leaving a little space between each column.  Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough between the columns.  Roll each bundle up pinching the ends together to close the bundle off.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Repeat with remaining bundles and the second portion of dough.

Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.  A great spot is the oven with a mug/pan of steaming water in the bottom.

Brush the tops and side of the bundles with the egg white and sprinkle coarse salt across the tops.  Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until rolls have a nicely browned look.  Cool on racks.

A couple more pics....

A little interior view of the goodies.  To add a little extra to the bundles, tuck in some sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pepperoni before you roll them up.

This is how your dough should look before rolling up the bundles.  Don't forget to flour the surface your dough is sitting on otherwise rolling up the bundles can be a bit of a bear.....think super, sticky mess....cough....not that I know anything about that.  ;)

Nutella Cheesecake Dip

This sweet dip is based on a recipe I ran across over at The Boys Made Me Do It blog.  A tinker here and a tinker there....toss in some of the glory that is Nutella....perfection!  This is ridiculously good.  Seriously...very hard to resist just diving right in with a spoon....or finger.  Ahem.  Serve with pretzels, vanilla cookies, or even gingersnaps.  Some Ritz crackers might make a fun dipper as well.


Nutella Cheesecake Dip

1/2 cup tub margarine, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 8oz packages reduced fat cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp rum extract (vanilla would also be fine)
1/2 cup Nutella

Stir together melted margarine, brown sugar, and rum extract.  Microwave 30 seconds.  Let mixture cool.

Mix together cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.  Add in melted margarine mixture and Nutella.  Chill.  Serve with pretzels, cookies, or crackers.

Mediterranean Layered Dip

Food Snob St. Louis made a Greek layered dip that looked so yummy.  I really liked the concept.  I do so love dips that are different from the usual staples.  It's a huge bonus if the dip is on the healthier side of the fence.  ;) 

I thought a layer of ground chicken (ground turkey or beef would work as well) flavored like my usual adana kebabs would be really tasty....and it so was.  Nom, nom!  I will definitely be making this again.

This dip is super quick to put together.  I actually bought a package of hummus this time instead of making my own....I feel quite slackerish over that, but I was pressed for time.  ;) 


Mediterranean Layered Dip

Adana Kabob Flavored Chicken

2 lean chicken breasts, ground
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup dry parsley
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cajun seasoning

Cook chicken, onion, pepper, and garlic in a skillet until onions are translucent.  Mix in herbs and spices and continue to cook until chicken is done.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Feta
Sliced Black Olives
Tzatziki
Hummus
Cucumber, diced

In a deep plate or 8x8 pan, spread the hummus.  Layer the cooled chicken across the top.  Spread the chicken mixture with Tzatziki.  Sprinkle on the olives, feta, and cucumber.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve with pita chips, crackers, or bread.  Nom!

A picture before the dip fest began.....

This dish made more than I was expecting.  Thankfully I had started out with a deep plate.  ;)

Beer Cheese

Beer Cheese....who could resist trying out a recipe with that title?  ;)  Grazing in the Bluegrass posted this recipe and I had to give it a whirl.  I took some liberties with it of course.  Don't let the modest appearance fool you....this is a great dip.  I was pressed for time when I was putting this together so I'm pretty sure I took the most unimpressive picture ever. 

I think I would add in roasted peppers or possibly some bacon next time to experiment a bit with the flavor.  This dip would also make a fabulous filling for poppers or mushroom caps.  The texture would lend itself nicely to piping from a pastry bag.  I always turn to cream cheese for my spreadable cheese concoctions, but this opens up some more options.

A word of caution.....you want the dip around room temperature when you let the guests dig in.  It will resist dipping and spreading when it's chilled....learned that one the hard way.  ;)


Beer Cheese

16oz Sharp Cheddar, cubed roughly
1 tbls diced garlic
1 1/2 tbls Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tbls Choulala hot sauce
1/2 cup beer (I used Newcastle Brown Ale)

Put your cheese cubes into a food processor to break them down into small chunks.  Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and hot sauce.  Add the beer gradually while continuing to beat the cheese. It should become of a firm but spreadable consistency. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Mexican Caviar

I found this great appetizer recipe over at justjennrecipes .  It's a wonderful combination of ingredients and I'm tickled to add it into my snackin' rotation.  ;)  It's a fairly healthy dip too...which is a nice bonus. 

I tweaked a bit here and there, but I didn't change much.  Next time I will use chopped black olives...I had sliced in the cabinet and I didn't think to give them a rough chop.


Mexican Caviar

1 tbls spicy olive oil
1 tbls red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Cholula hot sauce
1 can no salt added petite diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup corn
1 small can sliced black olives
3 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 tbls diced garlic
1 tsp lime
1/8 tsp cajun seasoning
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Mix together the diced tomatoes, corn, black olives, jalapenos, avocado, and garlic.  Add olive oil, vinegar, hot sauce, lime, cajun seasoning, and ground pepper to vegetables.  Mix everything together.  Chill in the fridge a few hours or overnight to let the flavors blend together.  Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Bologna Cake

I found this cool appetizer over on Las Vegas Food Adventures.  I adore fun snackums and this so fit the bill.  It demanded to be made!  Demanded it I say.  This honestly was super fun to put together and send out for a night of gaming.  My ability to decorate with a can of spray cheese, however, not impressive...rofl.  Give me a  pastry bag and I'm a happy camper though.  ;)

Paul dubbed this puppy a redneck wedding cake.  It just feels like Wonder Bread should be involved with that title though. ;)  This isn't the most healthy appetizer.  So much salt.  I could see myself zipping it together on the rare occasion though.  Bologna is not something we keep in the house anymore.    Paul happily indulged himself when he performed his taste testing duties. 

The recipe called for some dry ranch seasoning, but it cried out for bacon salt to me...plus that seasoning just tickles me.  Bacon flavor...what's not to love? 


Bologna Cake

1 package sliced bologna
2 8oz containers reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp peppered bacon salt
1 can sharp cheddar spray cheese

Mix together cream cheese and bacon salt.  Place on slice of bologna on a plate.  Spread some cream cheese over the slice...something like a tablespoon give or take.  Top with another slice and repeat.  When all the layers are stacked ice the top and sides like you would a cake. Use the can of spray cheese to put on a decorative border and whatever other pretty touches you like.  Serve with crackers.

A few more pics of the process...

Really this assembles so quickly.  Frosted stack waiting for it's spray cheese garnish. 

I could have spread a little more cream cheese between a few of the layers, but I used a little caution so I didn't run short in the end.

Mexican Chicken Dip

I ran across the idea for this dip on the Taste of Home website.  I love dips that are a little unusual and this one fit the bill nicely.  I used some thin pizza crust as dippers here, but tortilla chips work just as well.  You can serve this dip hot or cold....which is quite nice when it has to travel.


Mexican Chicken Dip

8oz reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1/2 cup taco cheese
3 tbls hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
mexican shredded chicken
1 tsp bacon salt

Mix together all the ingredients until well combined. Heat in the microwave for about a minute to melt the cheeses together.  Serve.

Muffuletta Cold Pizza

I'd been wanting to try out a version of this pizza for quite a while....though I'd intended it to be a hot pizza not cold. ;) Yummy, but the recipe needed some tweaking. The olive salad mix actually needed to be spread over two pizzas instead of just the one. I also increased the amount of meat in the recipe below to balance things out a bit more. A note of caution....this is one salty dish with all the pickled vegetables and deli meat so dive in at your own risk. ;)

Mmmm....now were I to make the hot version of this pizza I would have brushed the crust with some Italian dressing, sprinkled it with mozzarella and provolone, topped it with the meats, and baked. The olive salad would have been piled on after it came out of the oven. Mmm...hungry now.


Muffuletta Cold Pizza

1 8oz tub reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
2 tsp bacon salt
1 16oz jar pickled vegetables (Mezzetta Italian Mix)
1 jar cocktail onions
6 oz (1/2 jar) picked pepper rings
5oz grape tomatoes
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 cup zesty Italian dressing
1 pound cajun turkey
3 servings turkey pepperoni
Pizza Crust

Prepare the pizza crust, dividing the dough into two portions. Shape into either rounds or rectangles. I let my crusts rise about 30 minutes for a medium thick crust. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. You can use some refrigerated bread dough if you need to save time, but pizza crust is one of the easiest things in the world to whip together.

Drain the pickled vegetables and cocktail onion and chop them up into smaller pieces. Toss them into a bowl. Drain the sliced black olives and add them to the bowl. Chop the tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl along with the pepper rings. Stir in the Italian dressing and mix everything together well. Let the olive salad marinate in the fridge for at least a couple hours.

Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, and bacon salt. Spread across cooled pizza crust. Chop turkey and pepperoni into small pieces and spread across the crust. Drain the excess Italian dressing off the olive salad and pile it on top of the crust. Slice into pieces with a pizza cutter and serve.


One more picture....
I definitely needed to divide the olive mixture between two pizzas.....mile high toppings. ;) That much olive salad just cries out for at least an inch of turkey and pepperoni underneath it...if I wasn't going to balance it out the sensible way of course.....when it doubt make it even bigger! ;)

Kale Chips

There is something diabolical about kale chips. It's kale! It's not suppose to taste that yummy....seriously....I suspect some form of hoodoo. Kale! It's against the natural order to snarfle it down like it's crack. ;)

Most recipes I've seen use olive oil drizzled over the kale and then tossed to coat....personally I just like to spritz with Pam and move along, but that's just me. Mmmm....I think I need one of those olive oil misters.


Kale Chips

Wash and dry a bunch of kale (enough to cover one cookie sheet). Cut or tear it into rough pieces, cutting out the thick center vein that runs through the leaf. Place on greased cookie sheet. Spritz the kale with some Pam. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp cajun seasoning across the top of the kale. Pop into a 375 oven and bake for 10 minutes. Keep an eye on as it bakes up quickly. Remove from cookie sheet to a bowl or plate. Nosh!

Hummus Vegetable Pizza

Yet another cold pizza experiment. At some point I will run out of things I want to test out....maybe. ;) I was really torn with the direction to go on this one. I made it without meat and cheese. I couldn't decide if turkey pepperoni would go with the hummus....or feta. If I was making a hot pizza I would have topped it with monterey jack and it would have been dreamy. My official taste tester (aka beloved hubby) was at work so he wasn't available to try samples.

I made the crust and hummus, but if you are in a time crunch you can just pick up ready made items at the store. I always say homemade crust is the best though and pretty easy to whip up. ;) Hummus.....there are so many yummy varieties available....I could see a quick grab and go on that.


Hummus Vegetable Pizza

Pizza Crust
Hummus
1 anaheim pepper
1 banana pepper
1/2 zucchini
1 roma tomato
1 small can sliced olives
1/2 sweet onion

Prepare and bake the crust. I made a 12 inch circle. You will have extra dough to form additional crusts. These freeze well so form them up and bake them with the crust you are using immediately. I let the crusts rise for about 30 mins before baking them to a golden brown. Cool.

Prepare the hummus and let chill until ready to use.

Slice up the vegetables into nibble sized pieces and roast under the broiler for about 12 to 15 mins....basically when you like the color they are pop them out. Let them cool. Open and drain the olives.

Spread the hummus across the cooled crust. Top with roasted veggies and olives. Slice pizza into sections with pizza cutter. Chill until ready to serve.

Hummus

I haven't made hummus in quite a while so I had a yen to whip some up. The color the hummus ended up did make me giggle a little....not the prettiest thing in the world to be sure rofl. I am thinking heavier vegetable content....with roasted vegetables next time. There are just so many variations you can do with this dish....leaves tons of room for fiddling around. ;) You can of course use canned beans and chick peas if you are in a hurry instead of dried....I'm not too fond of the extra salt content though.


Hummus

1/3 cup dried chick peas
1/3 cup dried black beans
1/4 cup tahini
1/2 sweet onion
1 anaheim pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbls lime juice
2 tbls diced garlic
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp peppered bacon salt

Rinse and soak your chick peas and black beans overnight in water. Drain the chick peas and beans. Toss them into a covered sauce pan and cover with at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour and fifteen minutes. Drain and let cool. Put the chick peas and black beans in a food processor along with all the other ingredients and process until smooth. Chill for an hour or two before serving to let the flavors meld together. (Though of course you can eat immediately if you are in a hurry.)

Bruschetta Style Cold Pizza

I wasn't sure how this pizza would ultimately turn out with the mix of the dressing soaked tomatoes and the cream cheese...but it blended together nicely. Next time I will put a slightly thicker layer of the bruschetta topping across the top though. I was stretching what I had a bit so I skimped just a wee bit....ehehehe. The marinated tomatoes, onions, and olives made me think about the muffaletta olive salad mixture....pretty sure I'm going to have to try out a cold pizza appetizer that contains a topping like that. I thought I was done making pizza for a while too....rofl....but when an idea strikes you just have to roll with it. ;) Sidenote...I actually mixed a dressing for the tomatoes in this recipe....honestly I usually shortcut this step by using something bottled...either works fine in my humble opinion.

Bruschetta Style Cold Pizza

Pizza Crust
8 oz reduced fat chive and onion cream cheese
1/4 cup non fat sour cream
2 tsp bacon salt
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1 small sweet onion diced
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced into halves and quarters
2 green onions chopped
2 tbls olive oil
1.5 tbls diced garlic
1/2 tbls basil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp thyme
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 serving turkey pepperoni, cut into smaller pieces

Combine the onion, olives, and cherry tomatoes in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, basil, salt, black pepper, thyme, and balsamic vinegar. Pour over top of the vegetables and mix together. Let marinate in the fridge for a couple hours. You could use the mix immediately, but the flavor will be better if it gets a chance to sit.

Mix up your pizza crust. You can of course substitute a ready made crust from the store or pizza dough if you like.....but mixing your own is pretty easy. I spread half my dough into roughly a 9x13 shape. Don't be afraid to spread it out fairly thin. The other half of the dough I formed into rounds and 4x13 shape. I let the dough rise in a warm place for 30 mins before baking. If you are looking for a thicker crust just let it rise longer. Let the crust cool thoroughly after baking.

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and bacon salt. (If you can't find bacon salt...any seasoned salt will work fine.) Spread across cooled crust. Spread the turkey pepperoni across the cream cheese mixture. Top with tomato/olive mixture. Use a slotted spoon when you are applying your marinated vegetables to your pizza or drain off the dressing before you use them. You want the flavor, but you don't want the vegetables to be drenched when you apply them to the pizza. Top the vegetables with the green onions. Slice with a pizza cutter and chill until ready to serve.

A few pics of the process...
I made a second style bruschetta pizza, but honestly I wasn't that impressed with it. It was ok, but not a must make again. Instead of the cream cheese it had standard mozzarella spread across the crust topped by turkey pepperoni and baked in a 375 oven for about 15 mins. After it was baked I topped it with the tomato mixture. It just seemed kind of boring.

Don't be afraid to spread your crust out nice and thin.....as long as you don't tear it you are gold. Your dough should be hard to tear though since it should have a nice elastic texture.

Extra crusts made with the other half of my dough. Normally I just do extra rounds, but I wanted to try out the second pizza style above. I do love to pizza crusts on hand in the freezer. A little bbq sauce makes a quick substitute for marinara. I almost always have shredded mozzarella cheese on hand and plenty of things to use as quick toppings.

Fresh Vegetable Pizza with Tzatziki

I think this uber hot summer is making me lean towards the cold pizza appetizers. ;) This turned out to be a great use for Tzatziki dip....and it just looked so very pretty. The quest for unusual appetizers continues!

Sidenote.....you don't have to make your own crust (though it's super easy to do so). Store bought crust would work or even some sliced, toasted bread in a pinch.


Fresh Vegetable Pizza with Tzatziki

4 to 5 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 serving turkey pepperoni, chopped
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
2 tbls sliced black olives
2 tbls low fat feta cheese
Tzatziki Dip
Pizza Crust

I made a slightly smaller size pizza crust when I tried out this recipe...it is 1/4 of the pizza crust recipe. Press the dough out into something like a 5x13 inch size and let rise for 30 mins before baking. (Bake up the other 3/4 recipe of extra dough into whatever crust shapes/sizes at the same time and freeze for later use.)

Spread the Tzatziki across the cooled crust. Top with pepperoni, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, and black olives. Sprinkle feta cheese across the top. Slice into easy to grab strips with a pizza cutter. Chill until ready to serve.