Fresh Veggie Pizza a healthy alternative for Pizza Night

Friday night usually lends itself to being pizza night, since that’s frequently the time a little pizza-adoring munchkin visits our house on a routine basis. But how to make that pizza a healthy one is a constant challenge.

I loved running across a recipe for Fresh Veggie Pizza. Whole-wheat crust and some favorite veggies as a topping made it a wonderful choice.

Yellow squash, zucchini, mushrooms, Roma tomatoes, and green peppers first were sautéed in olive oil before I piled them on the prepared pizza dough that had baked in the oven for several  minutes to set it. 

Mozzarella and grated Parmesan went on as the top layer before the whole thing returned to the oven for about 15 minutes. The finished product was a pizza success story!

Fresh Veggie Pizza

1 pound frozen whole wheat or white bread dough, thawed (I used refrigerated pizza crust)

2 medium zucchini or summer squash, sliced

1 medium yellow, red, or green sweet pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil

1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

2 green onions, sliced (about 1/4 cup)

2 plum tomatoes, sliced

1 (8-ounce) can pizza sauce 

1/2 cup pitted, coarsely chopped green or black olives

1 cup shredded mozzarella, provolone, or Monterey Jack cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. For dough: Place thawed bread dough on lightly floured surface; let it rest 10 minutes. Roll into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Build up edges slightly. Transfer pizza circle to a greased baking sheet. Using the tines of a fork, prick dough over entire surface. Bake about 8 minutes or until crust is set but not browned. Meanwhile, for veggies: in a large skillet cook and stir zucchini or squash and sweet pepper in hot oil for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook and stir 2 minutes more or until just tender. Remove from heat. Stir in tomatoes. Spread pizza sauce on hot crust to within 1 inch of edge. Using a slotted spoon, spoon zucchini mixture over sauce. Top with olives. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake about 15 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is melted. Makes about 6 servings. (Source: www.recipe.com)

Slow-cooker Chicken-and-Squash Casserole helps slow down at least part of life

“Slow things down!” That cry seems to emerge again and again as the holiday steamroller begins its annual procession toward us. All we really want for Christmas is more time—and more time to savor our experiences.

I liked a recent magazine feature that rounded up some good slow-cooker recipes. While activity elsewhere is at a fever-pitch, preparing the family meal doesn’t have to be. Throw some healthy items into a slow-cooker and let that kitchen appliance put at least part of your life on a crawl.

We enjoyed Chicken-and-Squash Casserole that featured slices of yellow squash and zucchini and cooked chicken with a sauce layered around it. It can be left simmering all day. At mealtime you’ll thank yourself for getting this little jewel assembled hours beforehand. (In a pinch, the meal also can be layered into a casserole dish and baked in the oven on 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.)

Chicken-and-Squash Casserole

2 pounds yellow squash, sliced

1 pound zucchini, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream (I used fat-free)

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups soft, fresh breadcrumbs

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese

Place first 3 ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; fold back a small edge to allow steam to escape. Microwave at high 8 minutes or until squash is tender; drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drain tomatoes well. Press between paper towels. Stir together tomatoes, chicken, and next 4 ingredients. Layer one-third each soup mixture, squash mixture, breadcrumbs, and Cheddar cheese in a lightly greased 6-quart slow cooker. Repeat layers twice. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on high 4 hours or until bubbly and edges are golden. Uncover and cook on high 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before you serve. Makes 6 servings. (Source: Southern Living, November 2012)

Sautéed Squash and Tomatoes make a great “go-with”

The magazine billed it as a way to “rethink steak night”. The idea,

Southern Living’s August 2011 issue suggested,

was to consider some “today” sides that liven up steaks on the grill.

We’re not big steak grillers, but I did think the photo of Sautéed Squash and Tomatoes that accompanied the food feature was beautiful. As I mentioned earlier this week, I had some beautiful fresh squash, zucchini, and tomatoes that needed to find their ways into recipes. I wasn’t rethinking steak night, but the recipe helped me rethink veggie sides in general.

The SL recipe

called for

sautéeing

the bacon strips and then reserving the drippings to sautée other additions, but it didn’t say what to do with the reserved bacon strips. I simply crumbled them at the end and stirred them into the veggies. It added to the bacon-y flavor of the veggies.

I could envision serving this simple, colorful dish again and again alongside chicken, fish, or burgers. Or, as part of an all-veggie dinner, which was our fare for this particular evening, it was a star attraction.

Sautéed Squash and Tomatoes

3 thick hickory-smoked bacon slices (I subbed with turkey bacon)

1 cup chopped sweet onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1 bay leaf

4 cups sliced zucchini

4 cups sliced yellow squash

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I subbed with 2 cups diced beefsteak tomatoes)

2 teaspoons butter

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper

garnish: bay leaf

In a large skillet over medium-high heat s

auté bacon

for 8 minutes or until bacon is crisp; remove bacon. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. (With my turkey bacon, I added a little olive oil to drippings to make 2 tablespoons, since turkey bacon fries up with little fat.) Sauté onion and next 4 ingredients in hot drippings for 4 minutes or until onion is tender. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with bay leaf, if desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Harvest Chili show-stopper on any Thanksgiving table or for family meals on this week of mega-food prep

Also left over from our earlier Oklahoma roadside stand visit: a large butternut squash as well as a pattypan squash. I knew these were just begging for some wonderful recipe to be included in, but I wasn't really familiar with cooking either. I've always been very "garden-variety" (no pun intended) where squash was concerned—yellow squash and zucchini were the extent of my repertoire. (At the roadside stand Hubby scooped these up because he thought these looked interesting.)

My Celebrating a Healthy Harvest handbook fortunately helped me out in a wonderful way. The recipe for Harvest Chili was a lifesaver. But peeling the extra-tough skin on the butternut squash was a challenge. The recipe didn't say to do so, but I heated up a large pot of boiling water and boiled the butternut until it softened up and peeling was easy.

Adding the fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, and green bell pepper made this a healthy as well as colorful combination—perfect for Thanksgiving week, especially since folks are trying to limit their food intake to make room for that extra amount of Thanksgiving Day dining in which they plan to indulge. Harvest Chili was so enjoyable, we dined on it for both lunch and dinner in the same day for many days.

Also, quick and easy describe this prep—a good idea since most of us are busy readying for Thursday's dinner. The ease of preparation of this Harvest Chili can halt the fast-food-to-go line temptation on this week of (food) weeks, so you can serve your family something nourishing while not sacrificing precious time in the kitchen. Or, thinking outside the box, Harvest Chili would be a show-stopper on any Thanksgiving table.

Harvest Chili

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 pounds butternut squash (or a combination of butternut and pattypan)

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)

2 cups fresh tomatoes (or 1 14-ounce can, undrained)

1 cup water (If you are using canned tomatoes, omit the water.)

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 large ears of corn, cooked and cut from the cob

1 small can green chilies or 1/2 cup fresh, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Peel and chop squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Heat oil in skillet and add squash, onion, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add tomatoes and green pepper; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover; simmer for 15 minutes. Add corn, chilies, salt, and pepper; simmer covered for 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Uncover and increase heat to high. Cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced; serve.

Fresh vegetables unadorned make for some delightful seasoned greetings

“This is gonna be a loser.”

My hubby muttered this statement out loud as I placed in front of him a small pile of fresh veggies for him to cut up. I had just returned from my two-mile fitness run for the day and was ready to step into the shower. While I cleaned up, he graciously agreed to get dinner started by chopping the veggies.

I could tell, however, that Hubby was dubious about the recipe for "Okra Stir-Fry Medley" that I had spotted to use some of the other yield of our trip to the Chickasaw farmers markets last week in Oklahoma. (I mentioned this in my blog two days ago.) "It doesn't even call for any seasoning," he grunted as he studied the page in front of him.

Ever the lover of black pepper and more black pepper, I thrust a shaker under his nose and gave him my permission to pour away. He was correct, though. My "Okra Stir-Fry Medley" recipe didn't even as much as hint of adding salt--or salt substitute, as would be applicable in our case. Would this menu item have any taste to it at all?

We reassured ourselves that we hadn't had a flop yet from the recipe book "Celebrating a Healthy Harvest" (source for "Okra Stir-Fry Medley") the Chickasaw Nutrition Services gives people to help them make creative, healthy dishes out of the fresh produce, so I left the recipe in my hubby's capable hands while I undertook my post-run shower.

Fifteen minutes later Mr. Ray of Sunshine, who had been glum about the potential of this side dish, was beginning to sing a different tune. “Look how fresh and colorful,” he commented as he stir-fried the squash, okra, onion, and corn, with tomatoes to be added at the end.

He was right. The bland-looking veggies had seemed to explode with color once they were stirred around in the skillet with a touch of olive oil added. The same thing had happened the previous evening when we stir-fried some anemic-looking green beans to go in our Japanese Green Beans recipe. Beans I wouldn't have given you a plug nickel for amazingly turned bright green as they were zapped around the skillet over moderate heat.

We dished some up on our plates to go along with our casserole left over from last evening's meal. In a few bites Hubby was exultant. "I can't believe it; this seasoned itself,” he assessed.

Many times we think we have to camouflage sides with high-calorie, high-fat-content breading or sauce, when the freshness of the unadorned veggies themselves provides the most delightful taste imaginable.

Meanwhile, the fiber in the corn wiped out my husband's other reason for being skeptical--that he would leave the dinner table hungry after this bantamweight side dish. Fiber fills you up, so you don't have to eat as much to feel full afterward.

The Chickasaw Nutrition Services, which provided the recipe for "Okra Stir-Fry Medley" (below), won our admiration again. And just as he drifted off to sleep last night, my husband was still extolling, "I can't believe what a tasty recipe that was--all by itself". Seasoned greetings!

Okra Stir-Fry Medley

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 ears of corn, cut from the cob

3 yellow squash, sliced

10 okra, sliced

1 diced tomato

Place olive oil in skillet. Add onion, corn, squash and okra. Cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add diced tomato; continue cooking for 3 minutes. Serve. Makes six side-dish servings.