Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread Pizza

Last week The Husband randomly came home with a bag of shrimps and flatbreads.  I made shrimp scampi from the shrimps, but now I'm left with a very large bag of flatbreads and a dilemma... "Just what do I do with so much flatbread?" Thankfully I found this recipe and was able to use up all the flatbreads. The original recipe is much fancier, I simplified it because I didn't have 40 minutes to spare. So here's my version, it's fast, easy, delicious and healthy. Definitely one for the books... er.. blog.

Zucchini and Red Onion Flatbread Pizza
(loosely adapted from epicurious)

ingredients

• vegetable spray
• 8 flatbread
• Alouette garlic-and-herb cheese spread
• parmesan cheese
• 2 red onions
• 2 long zucchini, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds
• chopped fresh Italian parsley - optional

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Lightly grease a cookie sheet with the vegetable spray, or use a silicone baking mat and place the flatbread directly on it.
3. Spread a layer of Alouette garlic-and-herb spread, then sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top of the spread.
4. Layer zucchini and red onion
5. Spray the top of the vegetables with a little cooking spray and sprinkle with a some pepper
6. Bake in oven until the edges are brown, roughly 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle some parsley.

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Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

These were a huge hit!  I wanted to serve pizza, but not in the usual by the slice form, these were perfect as a side dish and packed a lot of flavor.

Pepperoni Pizza Puffs
ingredients

• 3/4 c. flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbs Italian seasoning
• pinch of salt 
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 3/4 c. whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 c. cubed pepperoni
• 1/2 c. store-bought pizza sauce

directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and red pepper flakes; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

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No-Knead Pizza Dough

I got this recipe from my coworker who mentioned Jim Lahey and Mark Bittman, two names that really did not compute into anything in my mind, but when she said No-Knead, I was intrigued!  Perhaps the hardest part about this whole process is leaving the dough alone.

No-Work Mostly Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
(Adapted from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook)

ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. instant dry yeast activated in 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 cup water (at room temperature)

directions

1. Combine first four ingredients plus 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in water. The dough should be relatively sticky and wet, like biscuit batter.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover, and put it in a warm spot. Let the dough sit for at least 6 or up to 12 hours.
3. When you're ready, heat the oven. Generously oil a baking sheet. Dust your hands with a little white flour and fold the dough over in the bowl a few times. It will be sticky, but don't use too much flour. Dust your hands again only when absolutely necessary and use a light, gentle touch. Gently press the dough into the baking sheet.
4. Brush the top of the pizza with a little olive oil, cover, and let sit while you get the toppings together, but no more than 60 minutes or so. 
5. Bake at 400F, for about 20 minutes.

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