Meatless Monday - Veggie Pesto Pizza

We are trying to adopt one day a week of meatless meals.  That is the whole day from breakfast thru dinner. This pizza recipe, keeping to our monthly recipe theme, is a step toward that.  It is perfect for lunch or dinner. We used regular broccoli, because broccoli rabe is a bit out of season this time of year. 

I was experimenting with improvements to my Pesto blend, to which I have added sun dried tomato, so we actually used Backyard Patch Pesto Blend to make this.

Smokey Vegetable Pizza

2 Tbls olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ bunch broccoli rabe, cut in 1-inch slices

½ sweet red pepper, seeded and sliced

4 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 lb. pizza dough at room temperature (make your own or use refrigerated)

1 cup pesto sauce (see our recipe here)

½ pound mozzarella

Directions:

Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Coat a 14-inch pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Heat olive oil in large skillet.  Stir in garlic, broccoli, red pepper, onion and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper.  Cook stirring for about 4 minutes.  On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into 14-inch circle.  Gently roll up onto a lightly flowered rolling pin and unrolled onto prepared pizza pan.

Spread pesto sauce over dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge.  Sprinkle with 1 ½ cups cheese over sauce.  Evenly spoon the vegetables over cheese.  Scatter the remaining cheese over vegetables.  Bake at 500 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned on bottom. Cool slightly before cutting to serve.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018, or Recipe2019 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2020 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Feb 2020 - Footbal Tailgate Favorites (AppFeb)

March 2020 - Kabobs (KabobMar)

April 2020 - Brunch (BrunchApr) more in 2021 also

May 2020 - Non-Traditional Pizza (PizzaMay)

June 2020 - StirFry Dishes (StirJun)

July 2020 - Salads with no lettuce (SaladJul)

August 2020 - Pickled things (PickleAug)

September 2020 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2020 - Squash Soups (SquashOct)

November 2020 - Pumpkin (again) (PumpNov)

December 2020 - Turkey Recipes (TurkDec)

Grilled Spiced Broccoli - Monthly recipe - Meat less Monday

Adapted from a 2016 article in Grill it Bookazine this recipe gives you a great side dish, or a tasty main dish base.

Grilled Spiced Broccoli (Serves 6)

2 bunches broccoli

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tarragon or chive blossom vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon dried chives

1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Cut each bunch of broccoli into six pieces. In a 6-qt. stockpot, place a steamer basket over 1 in. of water. Place broccoli in basket. Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; steam, covered, 4-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. In a large bowl, whisk marinade ingredients until blended. Add broccoli; gently toss to coat. Let stand, covered, 15 minutes. 

Drain broccoli, reserving marinade. Grill broccoli, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is tender, turning once. If desired, serve with reserved marinade. Combine with cooked black or white beans for a high protein main dish.

Note: you can substitute Cider Vinegar for the herbal vinegar in this recipe.

To find any recipe featured this month - use the search box and type: GrillJul

To find any theme recipe from this year type: recipe2018

For 2018 the monthly recipe themes will be:

   January - Chicken Soup (ChickJan)
   February - Beef Stew (StewFeb)
   March - Jambalaya (JambMar)
   May - Ham and Shrimp Dishes (ShrHamMay)
   June - Bread recipes (BreadJun)
   July - Grilling (GrillJul)
   August- Garden Delights 
   September - Salsa, Corn and Jelly 
   October - Squash Dishes 
   November - Pumpkin Recipes
   December - Herbal Cocktails 

Broccoli Sunflower Salad - Weekend Recipe

Sunflower seeds and broccoli go amazingly well together.  So when I saw this recipe on the Taste of Home Website, I realized this particular recipe would be great with Backyard Patch Herb Mixes, so I tied it out.

Broccoli Sunflower Salad

2 quarts water

6 cups fresh broccoli florets

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame oil

Sugar substitute equivalent to 1 tablespoon sugar (Like Spenda sugar blend)

1 Tbls Backyard Patch Herbal Spread Herb Mix or Backyard Patch Herb Cheese Dip Herb Mix

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower kernels

Directions

In a large kettle, bring water to a boil. Add broccoli; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place broccoli in ice water. Drain and pat dry.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, oil and sugar substitute. Pour over broccoli; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring several times. Just before serving, stir in sunflower kernels. Yield: 6 servings.

Originally published as Sunflower Broccoli Salad in Light & Tasty October/November 2004, p59, found on and adapted from the version on the Taste of Home website.

Nutritional Facts

3/4 cup: 121 calories, 10g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 322mg sodium, 6g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 3g fiber), 4g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 fat, 1 vegetable.

Herbal Recipe - Grilled Broccoli Raab

Although somewhat unconventional, grilling dark leafy greens like broccoli raab is a fun way to add subtle smokiness. Here, we bump up the flavor by tossing it with a garlic-rosemary vinaigrette.

Photographer: Ken Burris

Grilled Broccoli Raab

1 bunch broccoli raab, (about 1 pound), trimmed

Dressing:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon rosemary, fresh chopped

1/4 teaspoon thyme, fresh chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cook broccoli raab in a large pot of boiling water until bright green and barely tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; drain well.

Combine oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Grill the broccoli raab, turning once, until tender and the leaves are just beginning to char, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Toss the broccoli raab with the reserved dressing.

If you love grilled vegetables and herbs we recommend our salt-free dressing mixes as the perfect marinade.  You can find them all in out Etsy Shoppe.