Weeknight Pizza

Let’s say one day, you’re craving pizza. It’s late, so do you suck it up and order pizza, or do you have time to make your own? If you happened to have the cheese on hand, the sauce on hand, the toppings ready, but no crust! No worries! If you have refrigerated crescent rolls left over in the fridge, you can make this pizza! Hypothetical situation of course!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were trying out the Daiya cheese. I also bought the mozzarella style to make pizza. Once we brought the package home, Gary was eager to open it up and taste it. He did just that, and everyday afterward, he took a little pinch to eat. I told him I was going to use it to make pizza, and I wasn’t sure if it was enough, and since he opened it already, I had to use it up within a certain time frame.

Since I didn’t have time to make pizza dough, and I didn’t have any premade ones, I used up what I had in the pantry and fridge. This came out great, not as good as real pizza dough of course, but a great alternative if you don’t have any. I used the garlic butter flavor, and believe it or not, it’s dairy free (and possible vegan, I don’t remember)! Since there are seams on the rolls, it made it easy to tear the pizza into pieces so you don’t have to pick up the whole thing at once.

The Daiya website said that the cheese melts and stretches. I saw that it melted beautifully, but I didn’t notice too much stretch. It tasted like a real cheese pizza, and I will definitely buy this  again and use it on pizza dough. Of course, with any pizza, add as much or little of whatever topping you like! I used some shredded rotisserie chicken and sliced baby bella mushrooms. Gary said it reminded him of the Elio’s pizza he used to eat as a kid.

Weeknight Pizza
a Cathy original!

 printable recipe

ingredients:
1 tube garlic butter or regular crescent rolls
1/3 cup tomato sauce, divided (jarred or homemade)
1 (8 oz) package of Daiya mozzarella shreds

toppings optional:
baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
shredded cooked chicken

directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Open crescent package and unroll onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Separate down the middle of the middle of the crescents to make 2 rectangles. Press the other seams to close them up.

Spread sauce evenly onto both pieces of crust. Top with cheese, then toppings.

Bake in preheated oven for 12-13 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Makes 2 pizzas.

Grilled Chicken Romaine Salad

This was the salad I had with the leftover chicken I made. It was pretty hearty because of the walnuts.

I was able to make 2 salads with this:

1 bunch romaine heart, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 cup chopped walnuts
leftover grilled chicken, cut into pieces
raspberry walnut dressing (or your favorite dressing)

Combine all ingredients. Toss together to coat dressing evenly.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

I first saw this recipe a couple of months ago on the Food Network site. I wanted to make a chicken pot pie when I had first roasted a whole chicken, however I didn’t get the chance to. I love chicken pot pie. It’s so hearty and filling. I also love yellow curry, so when I saw this, I knew I had to try it.

When I started making this, I realized that the bag of mixed vegetables I bought had lima beans in it. I had to pick them out one by one because Gary can’t have them. I bet he bought those! I used homemade pancake mix as the crust. I usually don’t have puff pastry, so this was an ok alternative.

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Although we both don’t usually eat anything spicy, anything with curry is a plus in our book.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from: Alton Brown/Food Network

Ingredients:
4 cups frozen vegetable mix, peas, carrots
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk)
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon curry powder (I used about 2 tsp)
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package puff pastry (I used 1 cup homemade pancake mix whisked together with 1/2 c. soy milk and 1 egg)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown.

3. In a sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add the parsley, salt and pepper. Toss the browned vegetables and the chicken.

4. Pour into a shallow baking pan, or a large terra cotta pot base, lined with foil, and top with 6 to 8 circles of puff pastry. (I used a 2.5 qt casserole dish without the foil and poured the pancake mix on top.) Place into the oven and cook until puff pastry has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes. (The pancake mix will not bubble. It will turn golden brown in about the same amount of time.)

Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup

We roasted a whole 6lb chicken the other night, and the next few days would be chicken leftovers of course. I also had vegetables and mushrooms and various beans, so when I saw the recipe from Allrecipes.com, I decided to try it. It was a great way for me to use up the leftovers and vegetables.

Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup
Adapted from: Allrecipes.com
Original recipe was halved

Ingredients:
1/2 cup slivered almonds (I omitted)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped (I used 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (I used baby portabellas)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped carrots (I had 1 extra carrot, so I added that in)
2-1/2 cups diced red potatoes
1-1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
5 cups chicken broth (I used 3 cups broth and 2 cups water)
1/2 cup quick-cooking barley
1 tablespoon butter (I omitted)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 tsp of dried)
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:
If including the almonds, preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Spread slivered almonds evenly over a baking sheet. Toast in preheated oven until golden brown and fragrant.

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions, celery, mushrooms, and garlic in oil until onions are tender.

2. Stir in carrots, potatoes, chicken, and broth. Bring to a boil, then stir in barley. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, parsley, and toasted almonds. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This was the first time I’ve ever cooked with barley. I must admit, I’m not sure if I’m much of a fan. Sure, it kept me full for a while, but somehow in this soup, it was a little off. If I try this soup again, I will probably add more spices to it. Otherwise, I found it a little bland. It’s a good clear soup for detoxifying though…so Gary says.

Green Eggs and Turkey

Made by: Cathy

We went out shopping today and ended up having fast food for lunch. We haven't had Burger King food in a long time! I normally don’t eat anything from there except for their french fries (mainly because their flame broiled stuff makes my stomach upset).

When got home, we started trying out our purchases. I got a new kitchen scale, and Gary got a new bathroom scale. I've been needing the kitchen scale for quite a while now. Many of the recipes I've seen lately call for an exact measurements. I didn’t get a fancy digital one, but it's fine for me.

Since we were busy playing around with our new gadgets, we decided to have a quick breakfast for dinner night. I have a lot of leftover baby spinach from last week's grocery shopping. This was a great way for me to use up some of my leftovers. I guess you can call this somewhat of a frittata, but it does not have any dairy in it because of new diet restrictions.

Here's my spinach egg bake. Gary thought it looked gross, but it was quite tasty indeed. He also keeps saying he doesn't like spinach, so this is a way to get it into his diet. So far, he’s been eating the spinach dishes I've been making.

Ingredients:
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 small onion
5 eggs
2 white mushrooms (that’s all I had on hand so I threw it in)
6 slices turkey, or any meat of your choice
salt
pepper
dried basil
red pepper flakes
paprika
garlic powder

Directions:
1. Combine spinach, onions, eggs, and mushrooms into food processor and pulse a few times until blended (like the consistency of pesto). Add the turkey, and pulse 2-3 times until it’s chopped.

2. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the pan and cook on medium for 3-5 minutes or until the sides start to unstick from the pan. While it's cooking, sprinkle spices on top to taste.

3. Remove from heat and bake in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes.

4. Cut into wedges and serve.

We ate these with knishes (also leftover from a bulk store run). We would serve these with potatoes next time.

Chicken and Spinach Pizza

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com
Made by: Cathy

I've been meaning to make pizza for a while now. I was a little intimidated at first because I haven’t had much experience making yeast bread. This was one of the easier recipes I've tried though. There was minimal hands on time, more waiting time than anything. The crust was nice and crispy with a chewy center. The original recipe probably made a really large pizza, or 2 smaller ones. It was just the 2 of us, so I halved the recipe.

This was a great way to use up my leftover chicken from the night before.

What’s funny is that first thing that Gary said after he took a bite was “Mmm, this taste like real pizza!” Um…I think that was the point!

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
3/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
cornmeal for dusting

For the topping:
1 cup pizza sauce (I used jarred pasta sauce)
1 cup low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese (or more if desired)
1 cup cooked chopped chicken
1 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the salt and 1 tablespoon of oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 1 cup of the flour.

3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. If using the dough hook of a mixer, gradually pour in the rest of the flour as the mixer is running on low speed. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. (I used saran wrap and a paper towel. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out.

4. While the dough is rising, preheat oven with the pizza stone inside to 425° F (220° C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

5. Dust parchment paper with cornmeal. Roll out your dough to about 12" in diameter. Mix together the remaining oil, garlic powder, and onion powder. Brush the oil onto the crust. Pour the pizza sauce in the middle and spread in a circle with the ladle. Layer half the spinach on the crust. Layer half the chicken, then remaining spinach and chicken.

6. Transfer the pizza to the baking stone along with the parchment paper. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

The pizza was great for my first time making pizza. Next time, I will probably add some Italian seasoning to the crust. I meant to do that too, but I forgot. I can’t wait to try different toppings.

Cream of Broccoli and Potato Soup

Adapted from: $5 Dinners
Made by: Cathy

I bought a huge bag of broccoli from BJ's that I needed to use up. We didn't have much leftovers from Thanksgiving, but there were loads of leftover recipes floating around. I took $5 Dinners' basic recipe for cream of broccoli soup and came up with this. I used leftover ingredients I had on hand.


Ingredients:
1-2 cups broccoli heads
2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed (or leftover mashed potatoes)
2 1/4 cups of chicken broth
1 1/2 cups low fat half and half
1/2 cup light cream
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon garlic powder
a little extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Peel and cut up the potatoes. In a pot of water, add the potatoes and a teaspoon of salt and boil until tender. Drain and mash up. Add to stockpot.
2. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli heads, finely chop the onions and celery. Toss into stockpot.
3. Add the liquids, stir well, bring to boil.
4. Add cheese, garlic powder, s&p to taste, drizzle with oil, then reduce heat and simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. If necessary, blend with immersion hand blender.
5. Garnish with sour cream.

I don't have an immersion blender so ended up pouring it into a blender and blending on low. Transfer to a large bowl, then blend the rest. Combine it all again and mix well. I ended up making a mess because of the steam pressure in the blender caused the soup to spill out, even though I was holding on to the top.

Other than that mess, It was very tasty.

Shepherd's Pie

Made by: Cathy


I didn't have much leftovers Thanksgiving this year. We had a lot of people over. The only things left in my fridge that could be made into something else on Monday night were mashed potatoes and gravy. So to use everything up, and also using things in my pantry and freezer, I made Shepherd's Pie.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
half bag of frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup edamame
1/2 cup chopped cooked taro (I had some left over so I threw it in also)
1 1/2 cups gravy
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cups mashed potatoes
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a deep casserole, combine the all the vegetables and seasonings.
3. In a skillet, brown the ground beef, drain and add to the casserole dish. Add the chicken stock.
4. In a small pot, heat up the gravy.
5. Pour the hot gravy in the vegetables and meat and combine well.
6. Spread the mashed potatoes over the mixture.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until everything is incorporated.

I was going to add shredded cheddar cheese on top, but Gary didn't want cheese, so I omitted. If you do add it, add it about 5 minutes before you finish baking so it melts on top.

I usually use ground turkey instead of beef, but I had extra ground beef left from a lasagna I made, so I used that instead.

Crockpot Chicken Congee

Made by: Cathy

So with the carcass (I know, sounds gross) of the chicken, I made congee (aka rice porridge) in my crockpot overnight. I woke up with the apartment smelling like yummy congee goodness. I couldn't get back to sleep!

It was a great way to another meal to get out of the whole chicken I made last night. I took it to work and ate it with toast. Gary took it to work for lunch. I took some leftover chicken for lunch.


Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup rice, washed well
about 3 quarts water
1 chicken carcass
a couple of chicken pieces
1 dried scallop
salt an pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, soak the dried scallop with warm water for 30-60 minutes.
2. Using the crockpot insert, wash the rice in cold water (about 2-3 passes). Fill the pot with water (I had about 2 inches from the top before I put the carcass in).
3. Drain and squeeze out extra water from the scallops and add to the pot. Place the carcass and chicken bits in the pot.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste. I only added salt because the chicken was already seasoned.
5. Set on low for 7-8 hours, or until desired consistency. Do not mix before it's done, otherwise it will stick to the pot.
6. Remove the carcass from the pot. Skim the fat or excess liquid off the top as needed. Mix well and serve.


Looks gross, I know, but it tastes good. I have a 4 qt pot, so adjust the recipe and time accordingly.

If you can't find dried scallops, you can omit. I think it adds a nice seafoody flavor. You can also do this with a turkey carcass. My mom made it many times after Thanksgiving.

Chicken Fried Rice

Made by: Cathy

Tonight's rice for dinner was a little dry. We were supposed to bring it to work along with the sauteed vegetables and chicken drumsticks we made. We figured the rice wouldn't reheat very well the next day, so with some leftovers and basic staples, we made a whole 'nother meal.

Ingredients:
3 eggs scrambled
3 tablespoons oil
4 cups cooked white rice (usually refrigerated overnight)
~3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt to taste
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
1 cup cooked chopped or shredded chicken (I used 2 chicken drumsticks, cut up)

Directions:
1. In a pan, cook 3 scrambled eggs to about 3/4 done. Set aside.
2. In a wok or stir fry pan, add oil and let heat up. Add the rice and mix well. Add soy sauce and continue to stirfry.
3. Add vegetables and soybeans to the rice, and stirfry for 3-5 min until vegetables are no longer frozen. Add chicken and continue to mix for another 2 minutes.
4. In the last minute, add the scrambled eggs and stir well.

This is an easy meal to fix up when you have lots of leftovers to use up.