Pizza!

It was an un-traditional Christmas this year, but the food was still good.  I tried another recipe from the BBA and once again, it did not disappoint.  This time it was pizza dough!

The recipe was the first one that I've made that takes 2 days.  You make the dough the first day, shape it into (6) 6-ounce (or as close to 6 ounce as you can, mine were 5.5 ounces) balls and refrigerate overnight.  The second day you want to flatten the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

 

The result?  A dough that was incredibly easy to work with, although I got a bit overzealous and stretched it out so much that it tore, so I had to let it rest for a bit and start over.  And it didn't make as large a pizza as I thought, but they are great for making individual ones, so everyone can put their own toppings on it.  I chose turkey pepperoni and canadian bacon.  Cooked on the pizza stone for about 5-8 minutes and it came out perfect.

The best part is that you can freeze any remaining dough for up to 3 months, so whenever I get a craving for pizza again, I've got some in the freezer.

Fried rice

Today I hauled out my Disney cookbook that I've had forever to make a recipe I've wanted to make forever, fried rice!  And it also meant I got to haul out my wok that my old boss gave me, oh, 5 years ago or so?  And it's been sitting in the kitchen cabinet since I moved in here over a year and a half ago, never to be used...until today....

The recipe was super simple and I made a couple of variations to it and the end result was pretty tasty.  It made a ton too, and it was definitely much healthier than what you'd get in a Chinese restaurant (although I will admit, I like the takeout better, especially from my favorite Thai place)

• 4-5 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
• 2 cups chopped broccoli
• 2 chopped carrots
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 4-5 scallions
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 small can water chestnuts
• Tofu, diced (or whatever protein you like)
  
• Shrimp, thawed
• 1 cup peas
• Minced garlic
• Soy sauce
• Hot sauce (if desired)
  

In a wok or large skillet, heat on high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Add the egg and scramble, remove the egg and set aside.  Add the carrots and broccoli and stir fry for 3-5 minutes.  Add the zucchini, peas, shrimp, tofu, garlic and water chestnuts and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the rice and mix until everything is combined.  Add soy sauce and hot sauce and cook for another couple of minutes.  Top with sliced scallions.

Black Bean Soup

Why bother buying a can of black bean soup when you can make your own?  It's so simple, and very cheap to make (especially if you are like me and stock up on beans when they're on sale...)

I used a recipe I found on the Kraft website but altered it a little for my liking, so here's what I came up with:

• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 T minced garlic (I just buy the jars of minced garlic so I don't have to worry about cloves going bad)
• 1 T ground cumin
• Dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
• A drizzle of EVOO (equal to maybe a tablespoon)
• (3) 16-ounce cans of black beans, undrained
• 1 14-ounce can of chicken stock
• 1 16-ounce jar of salsa (if you want some spice, I suggest getting the hot)
• 2 T lime juice

Cook the onion, garlic, cumin, red pepper and oil in a large pot on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until onion is tender.  Remove from heat.

Place 1 can of beans with some of the chicken stock in a blender and blend until pureed.  (The original recipe calls for 2 cans to be pureed, but I found the soup to be a little thin for my liking).  Stir into pot along with remaining beans, chicken stock, salsa and lime juice.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Top with sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.

Makes about (9) 1-cup servings.