Summer Salad Pizza!



Here's a delicious summer salad pizza recipe I adapted from the Southern Season cooking school class this week. I love that you can make all the parts ahead of time and then just assemble it when you're ready to eat it.

Obviously you can change this or any other recipe and find shortcuts and hacks to make it quicker, cheaper, and easier. Quick - cheap - easy.....somehow in today's society these 3 conveniences have become paramount to everything we do, especially when it comes to fueling our bodies. I'm not condemning this but maybe pause for a moment to reflect on the fact that quick, cheap, and easy are exactly that ---- in that moment. I promise you however, there is a price to pay somewhere along the line for those conveniences. The grower, the transporter, the consumer, the human body all will pay a price for the quick, cheap, and easy meal we throw down the hatch.

I encourage you to choose ingredients with nutrients! I used all organic and gluten free ingredients below but you can adapt it as you will. Yes, it cost more than $5, took an hour out of my Sunday afternoon, and required some planning ahead. In exchange, I received the following nourishment for my health and well being:
An appreciation for where my food came from in its original form
168 calories for energy (2 pieces)
6.5 grams of protein
22 carbs
6 grams of fat
1.9 grams of fiber
1.5mg of Vitamin B3
14.5mg of Choline
25ug of Folate
537IU of Vitamin A
14.5IU of Vitamin K
135mg of Calcium
41mg of Magnesium
1mg of Manganese
177mg of Phosphorus
239mg of Potassium
5 1/4ug of Selenium
1mg of Zinc
0 pesticides, chemicals, or goo's
The joy of preparing and cooking my own food



Summer Salad Pizza








Pizza Dough
Makes 4 medium size pizzas

Ingredients:
Regular Recipe
Gluten Free Recipe
5 cups of flour
1 cup of quinoa flour + 4 cups of gluten free flour medley (I used rice flour & xantham gum mix; wholesome chow makes a good pre-made mix but explore your own version as well). Hint: increasing the protein content will help make the “chew” factor of the crust more like a pizza crust and less like a biscuit consistency which is why I used some quinoa in this mix. This crust came out great. It tasted delicious and was firm enough, even as a thin crust pizza, to hold the weight of all the veggies you see in the picture. It was not soggy at all.
1 Tbsp of sugar or honey
1 Tbsp sugar or honey
1 ¾ tsp of salt
1 ¾ tsp of salt
1 tsp of yeast
1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups water
2 cups water



Summer Salad Topping
Makes 2 pizzas

This pizza is not cooked other than the crust so you can make the crust up ahead of time and just assemble the pizza when you are ready to serve & eat. It is served at room temperature. This is great for a hot summer day!

Spread the following cheese mix on the pizza after you have cooked the crust:
12oz goat cheese (I substituted feta mixed with mozzarella because it’s what I had)
1 Tbsp lemon or lime zest (I used lime because it’s what I had)
pinch of salt & pepper (I wouldn’t add this if you’re using feta cheese so it’s not too salty)
3 Tbsp of basil chopped

Mix the following salad and put on top of cheese mixture on the pizza:
I prepared the dressing and then tossed it with the salad before putting it on the pizza
½ Tbsp of Dijon mustard
3 cloves of garlic roasted & minced (I used 1 large clove and put it through my garlic press since I didn’t have roasted garlic on hand; raw garlic will be more potent to the taste so I wouldn’t use all 3 cloves if adding it raw)
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp of lemon juice (I used lime since that’s what I had & had zested in the steps above)
Pinch of salt & pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 ½ cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cucumber (I used a zuicchini out of preference)
4 scallions, sliced
1 tsp thyme
1 cup of arugula (I used several cups)


(Recipe adapted from Halley Connell)