Holy Stromboli!

I was in the mood for a stromboli....

...so I made one.

It looks like this:

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (Pillsbury=easy)
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh broccoli
• fresh crushed black pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Marinara sauce (for dipping)
• Optional: limebacker

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Note: I originally put sun-dried tomatoes in this, but I wasn't a fan so I pulled them out before eating a piece, so if you noticed the red blobs in the photo, I apologize.

Begin by rolling and stretching your pizza dough into a rectangle on a baking sheet. Be sure not to stretch it too thin or it will tear and you will have a leaky stromboli (ew gross). Sprinkle half of the cheese down the center of your pizza dough. Start to layer the rest of the ingredients on top of the cheese: spinach leaves, tomatoes, broccoli. Finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese on top of the broccoli then adding the black pepper and oregano over everything. Fold one side of the dough over and then the other, overlapping. Pinch the ends close. Cover the stromboli with tin foil.

Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are golden. Transfer to top rack and turn broiler on for 2-3 minutes to brown the top. Ding! Stromboli Finito! Slice and serve with warm marinara sauce.

Inspiration: football playoffs and Puff.

Cheers...to a snow day?

CousCousYumYum

Rice is boring and couscous is much more fun to say.

Add shrimp and voila!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat couscous (Trader Joe's is great.)
• 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 tablespoon each of olive oil, basil, and garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Shrimps!
• Optional: Num Nums

Saute vegetables, shrimpies, olive oil, garlic, and basil in pan. Season with S&P. Meanwhile cook couscous according to package. Done!

Plop some couscous into a small bowl, top with veggies and a shrimp or two, or three. Enjoy!

Inspiration: the sample lady at Trader Joe's

Cheers...to Cara, its her birthday!

Tasty Tofu Sandwich

I was so excited to use my new grill pan to make a toasty sandwich. This was so delicious that I ate it too fast.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 2 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/2 cup tofu, cubed
• 1/2 chick peas, ground or mashed
• Sea salt & fresh ground pepper
• Your favorite sandwich bread (I used an everything Italian baguette, it was delicious but too much bread, ciabatta would have been better.)
• Optional: Yoga session to work up appetite

Saute garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over low-medium heat. Add spinach, artichoke hearts and tofu. Season with S&P. Let cook over low heat. Meanwhile brush bread with olive oil and warm on a grill pan. Spread chick peas on one half of bread. Pile tofu mix on top of chick peas and top with other sandwich half. Let warm for a little, without burning the bread, of course. Slip off the pan, onto a plate, then into your mouth!

Cheers...to getting back to yoga!

3...2...1... Zeppoles!

A zeppole is a little puff of fried dough, similar to funnel cake, delish, I know.

I added some ginger to a Giada recipe to make this a festive treat for the winter, and in this case, New Year's Eve.

Ingredients:

Orange Sugar

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Zeppole

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• vegetable oil, for frying
• Optional: A pizza man and a glass of cabernet

NOTE: Make orange sugar first.

Orange Sugar:

Pulse ingredients in food processor until combined, set aside on a shallow dish.

Zeppole:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine butter, sugar, salt, and water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Return to medium-low heat and continuously stir for a bout 4 minutes or until the dough forms into a ball. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. After eggs, add 1 tablespoon orange zest and 1 teaspoon ginger and stir until smooth. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in frying pan, about 2 inches deep. Heat oil to 350 degrees or until a drop of dough sizzles when it hits the oil. Scoop and drop about a tablespoon of dough into the oil. Repeat this three more times so you have four little balls of dough floating in the oil. DO NOT crowd the puffs! Turn once or twice until they reach a golden-brown color and puff up. They're done!

Using tongs, softly pick up your little zeppoles and roll them in the orange sugar, set on a plate.

Repeat this process frying only 4 puffs at a time and then rolling them in the sugar.

After all your zeppoles are puffed, tan, and coated in a delicious orange sugar, arrange them on a tray or plate and then sprinkle with ginger.

You could add a variety of spices or flavors to create a variety of little puffs, I'm thinking apple next.

Inspiration: Giada and my new apron I got for Christmas.

Cheers...to a new year and new zeppole flavors!