Raspberry BBQ Pulled Pork Pizzas with Raspberry Ranch

While the past few weekends have been filled to the brim with incredibly fun moments including whale watching, family dinners, and a day at Disneyland, I’m looking forward to a mellow couple of days. It’s so nice to have a good balance of weekends filled with action-packed experiences and those with relaxing days to read and watch shows on Netflix. 

For tonight's low-key agenda, we're contemplating on creating a build-your-own-tacos bar, but something about Friday night pizza always sounds appealing.

While I’m not really a big Ranch dressing fan (I prefer lighter vinaigrettes; I’m pretty sure it’s the dietitian in me), this “Raspberry Ranch” is something worth trying.

Don't let the ingredients list of this recipe intimidate you. Making this pizza is easy as can be; it just takes a bit of prep work, but the prep is well worth the effort. And any remaining BBQ pork can be used beautifully as leftovers. 

 So, maybe this would be a better make-on-Sunday, enjoy-the-leftovers-on-Monday-kind-of-meal.

Happy weekend!

Raspberry BBQ Pulled Pork Pizzas with Raspberry Ranch

Don't be intimidated by this ingredients list. Making this recipe is as easy as can be -- it simply takes a little bit of prep work to cook the pork ahead of time. And the result is no ordinary pizza. It's a pizza worth the prep! 

Ingredients:

BBQ Pork:

½ onion, thinly diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ bourbon whiskey

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups ketchup

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup raspberry puree*

3-4lbs boneless pork shoulder

Pizzas:

2 frozen garlic naan breads

½ red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

¼ cup raspberry puree*

2 tablespoons ranch dressing (try this homemade recipe)

*We make the raspberry puree by warming frozen raspberries (over the stove or in the microwave) until they soften, stirring to make a consistent texture.

Directions:

1.     In a large frying pan, lightly sauté the finely diced onions until golden brown, add garlic and sauté for a minute more, than add bourbon. Simmer for 5 minutes

2.     Remove pan from heat and add remaining BBQ sauce ingredients *excluding raspberry puree. 

3.     Add pork shoulder to slow cooker and pour BBQ sauce over. Cook on high for about 6 hours until pork is falling apart.

4.     Remove pork from slow cooker and shred into large bowl. Whisk raspberry puree into BBQ sauce and mix into pork.

5.     Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

6.     In a small sauce pan gently sauté red onion until lightly golden, but still crisp.

7.     Place naan in oven for 2 minutes to thaw.

8.     Remove naans from oven, top each with about 1/4 cup of pulled pork, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and half the cooked red onions.

9.     Bake for about 6 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crispy.

10.  While hot, sprinkle pizzas with cilantro and sunflower seeds.

11.  Whisk 2 tablespoons of raspberry puree with 2 Tablespoons of ranch dressing and drizzle over pizzas - or use for dipping!

Enjoy, preferably with those you love.

Disclaimer:  Lisa and I are consulting dietitians for the National Processed Raspberry Council.

Greek-Style Flatbread: Lamb Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce with Greek Yogurt

When Elie and I went on our honeymoon to the Greek islands, our first stop was Paros, where we fell in love with the tiny island and its narrow winding roads, never-ending views of the sea, gracious people and beautiful food.  Ever since we left, I’ve been dreaming of a dish we had at Thea, a restaurant with a stunning view of the water and the island of Antiparos:  tender meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and served on top of a grilled flatbread with thick Greek yogurt.     

It’s taken me a year-and-a-half to recreate this dish, but I think it was worth the wait. 

It's the same idea as the dish at Thea, but with a twist: savory lamb meatballs simmered in a spicy tomato sauce and served on grilled flatbread with roasted cauliflower, pine nuts and a big dollop of Greek yogurt.  The tomato sauce is dangerous, because I could just stand at the stove and eat spoonful after spoonful until the pot is empty.  Rich with olive oil and warm with smoked paprika, allspice and cinnamon, it’s the perfect simmering bath for tender lamb meatballs.  For the meatballs, I used ground lamb combined with shredded zucchini, a trick from the turkey kebabs in Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem cookbook, which adds great moisture to the meatballs and keeps them very tender.  I wanted more vegetables to create a complete meal, so I added roasted cauliflower.  For the flatbread, I used my standard whole wheat pizza dough recipe, grilling the dough for a smoky char.  A garnish of toasted pinenuts, fresh parsley and a big dollop of Greek yogurt and I’m back at Thea.

Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list, because most of it is just spices that you already have in your pantry.  It took me less than an hour to make this dinner, start to finish (not including letting the flatbread dough rise).  You could also make each of the components ahead of time and then just reheat and serve.

  

Greek-Style Flatbread: Lamb Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce on Grilled Flatbread with Greek Yogurt

Serves 4, with extra meatballs

For the sauce

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, cut in small dice

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 red bell pepper, cut in medium dice

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ cup white wine

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 strip of lemon peel*

For the meatballs

1 pound ground lamb

1 zucchini, shredded

1 egg

¼ cup parsley leaves, chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Zest of half a lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

For the cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

1 whole wheat pizza dough, store bought or from our recipe

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Extra parsley leaves, for garnish

Greek yogurt

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

First, make the sauce.  Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil, chopped onion, salt and red pepper flakes and cook until the onion is translucent and very tender, about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add the chopped red pepper and garlic clove and cook another 5 minutes, or until the pepper is starting to soften.  Add all of the spices and stir them into the onions and pepper, coating them in the oil.  Let them toast in the oil for a minute or two.  Add the white wine, crushed tomatoes, black pepper and lemon zest and stir.  Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Let the sauce cook while you make the meatballs.

Next, make the meatballs.  Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and mix well with your hands.  The mixture will feel rather wet.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Start forming the lamb mixture into balls, a little smaller than golf balls.  You’ll get about 12 – 15 meatballs.  Gently place the meatballs in the pan, being sure not to crowd the pan.  You will probably have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan.  Once they have browned on one side, gently roll them to the other side to brown.  If they are sticking, add a little olive oil to the pan.  How much olive oil you need depends on how much fat is in your ground lamb.  Once they are browned on all sides, about 5 minutes, remove them from the pan and place them in the pot of sauce to finish cooking.  These are very tender meatballs, so if some of them fall apart, don’t worry!  Just add the pieces to the sauce.  Let the meatballs simmer in the sauce for at least 20 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Next, roast the cauliflower.  Place the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet.  Add the olive oil and salt and toss to coat.  Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, or until deeply golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven.

While the cauliflower is roasting, grill the flatbread.  Heat your grill to at least 500 degrees.  Divide your pizza or flatbread dough into 4 equal pieces.  Roll or press the dough into a circle about 6 inches in diameter.  You don’t want the dough to be too thin, because you want it to stay tender instead of crispy.  Brush the dough with olive oil.  Place the dough directly on the grates of the grill and then close the lid of the grill to trap in the heat.  Wait about 1 – 2 minutes and then check the bottom of the flatbread.  If it lifts easily, turn the dough to the other side and let it cook for 1 – 2 minutes on the other side, or until it’s cooked through.  If the bottom of the dough seems like it is going to burn, turn off the burners on one side of the grill and place the dough on that side.  Let them continue to cook until done all the way through.  Remove from the heat.

To assemble, top each flatbread with about three or meatballs with sauce.  Garnish with roasted cauliflower, pine nuts, fresh parsley and a big dollop of Greek yogurt.

Enjoy, preferably with a glass of red wine and someone you love!              

Disclaimer:  McKenzie and I are consulting dietitians for the Tri-Lamb Group, Lean on Lamb.

Green Goblin Pizzas for Halloween

This Friday, the kids (and probably you, too!) are going to need something to counterbalance that sugar high.  We’re all for indulging in holiday traditions, so don’t feel bad about letting your kids go on the candy hunt.  It’s a wonderful childhood rite of passage.

If you haven’t seen this Jimmy Kimmel video, you should watch it.  (Warning: it you’re at work right now, you will laugh out loud.)   

But perhaps you can help your kids ration their candy, eating only a few pieces a day?

To distract them from eating all the candy at once, give them other fun Halloween treats to eat.  We were inspired by the spooky white pizzas on Food Network to create a something the kids will love, but also provides some good nutrition.

These Green Goblin Pizzas are made with a whole wheat pizza crust, and then topped with a mixture of spinach and cheese to make the ‘green goblin.’  Green olives make perfect spooky green eyes.  The fiber in the pizza crust combined with the fat in the cheese is a perfect way to keep those blood sugars from spiking, even if it’s eaten with a few (or more) pieces of family.  And the spinach is a fun way to sneak some green vegetables into dinner.

Happy Halloween!

Green Goblin Pizzas

Makes 2 Goblins

1 whole wheat pizza crust, purchased or made from our recipe

Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

2 olives, pit removed

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Divide the pizza crust into 2 equal pizzas.  Shape each piece into a goblin shape.  Place both crusts on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil.

Mix together the cheese and spinach and pile on top of the crusts.  Bake the pizzas for 12 – 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned.

Remove from oven and place 2 olive halves on the head of the goblin to create eyes.

Enjoy, preferably in costume with the people you love!

Whole Wheat Pizza with Caramelized Onion, Roasted Fennel and Tomatoes & Goat Feta

Last week, a young friend of mine came over to hang out for pizza night and a movie. (Cloudy with a Side of Meatballs, if you’re wondering).  She loves to cook and is always thrilled to learn something new.  Last time she came over, we made butter.  Her Dad said she kept talking about that for days.

This time, we made pizza, including the dough.  She was thrilled when kneading the dough suddenly made sense, and it started to “look like pizza dough!” as she put it.  You can find our recipe for whole wheat pizza dough here. 

When it came time to bake the pizzas, I set out a variety of toppings—caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes, roasted fennel, spinach, fresh basil, basil pesto, kalamata olives and two different kinds of cheeses—so she could make her own.      

She was a little wary of the onions at first, until she tried them.  “Those are delicious!” she said.  It’s a good strategy if your kids don’t really like vegetables—cook them until they become sweet and caramelized.  This means cooking onions for a very long time over low heat, until their sugars develop.  Or with other vegetables, roast them in a hot oven until they become brown and delicious.  Kids (and adults!) will eat them like candy.

You can’t beat pizza and a movie (or pizza and games) for spending time with kids.  It’s an easy way to get them in the kitchen with you, and is sure to make dinner time a fun experience for everyone.

What are your favorite ways to get kids in the kitchen with you?  We’d love to hear your ideas! 

Here’s a basic recipe for caramelizing onions.  You don’t actually need a lot of fat in the pan, just low heat and a long time, stirring occasionally.  If you need a little help cutting the onions, McKenzie wrote a great tutorial here.

Caramelized Onions

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Place a cast iron skillet (or heavy bottomed skillet) over medium-low heat.  Add the olive oil to the pan and let it get hot.  Add the onions, salt and red pepper flakes.  Cook stirring occasionally, for about an hour, or until the onions are very soft and very brown and taste sweet.  If the pan starts to get too dry, you can add a little water, chicken stock or wine.  The onions will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.    

You can also add any other herbs you like.  Thyme is delicious.

Basic Recipe for Roasting Vegetables

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cut all vegetables to the same size.  Toss with olive oil, salt and any spices, if you like.  Spices like smoked paprika and cumin are delicious.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place seasoned and oiled vegetables on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Don’t let them overlap or they will steam and not brown. 

Roast for between 20 and 30 minutes, depending upon the type and size of the vegetables.  Your nose will tell you when they are done, as they will start to smell sweet.  Take them out of the oven when they are caramelized to your liking. 

Something like broccoli might only take 20 minutes, while sweet potatoes may take 30 or more.

If you are roasting tomatoes, don’t put any other kind of vegetable on the baking sheet, as the juice from the tomatoes will prevent the other vegetables from browning.

Roasted vegetables will keep in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.  They are great for snacking, salads and side dishes!

Basic Recipe for Cooking the Pizza

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat for at least 30 minutes.

If you are making the dough from scratch, divide the dough into three equal pieces.  Each of these dough balls will make one large pizza or two to three individual pizzas.

Stretch the dough to the desired thinness and size.  Place the dough on a pizza peel that has been generously dusted with flour or cornmeal (so you can slide the pizza from the peel to the pizza stone).

Top your pizza with desired toppings.  For this pizza, I topped it with caramelized onions, roasted fennel, roasted tomatoes, some spinach ribbons and goat feta cheese.  Try not to add too many wet toppings, as this can make for a soggy pizza.

Slide the pizza from the pizza peel to your pizza stone.  If you don’t have a pizza stone, just place the pizza on a baking sheet and put in the oven.

Bake the pizza for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the toppings are bubbling.

Remove from oven and let rest for a few minutes.

Enjoy, preferably with people you love!  And a movie is great, too.

Roasted Grape Flatbread

By posting this recipe we are entering a recipe contest sponsored by the California Table Grape Commission and are eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. We were not compensated for our time.

We always love the transition between seasons, partially because of the new rotation of seasonal fruits and vegetables that hit the farmers markets, and partially for the rotation in our closets.  Summer to fall has us longing for skinny jeans and boots. 

But, while we’re waiting for cool weather to descend, we’re dreaming of fall recipes.  Right now, our farmers markets are starting to sport colorful winter squash, pumpkins and perfect bunches of red and green grapes. 

Grapes of all colors – red, black and green – are a natural source of beneficial antioxidants and other polyphenols.  One serving of grapes (3/4 cup) contains just 90 calories, no fat, no cholesterol and virtually no sodium, and also provides potassium and are a good source of vitamin K.

We developed this recipe for a roasted grape flatbread to ease that transition from summer to fall.  Roasting the grapes brings out the inherent sweetness and richness of California Table Grapes and paves the way for the roasted squash, pumpkins and sweet potatoes to follow.  But turning the grapes into flatbread on the grill heralds the last days of summer, taking advantage of the still-light evenings before fall’s early dusk settles in.  A savory grape dish—especially flatbread!—may sound unusual.  But, trust us. The sweet and savory combination of smoky roasted grapes and sweet, fresh goat cheese on a grilled whole wheat flatbread crust will be a hit.

    

We hope you enjoy this recipe, preferably with those you love!

Roasted Grape Flatbread

1 whole wheat flatbread dough (recipe below)

1 ½ pounds California Table Grapes

1 – 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

8 ounces goat cheese

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place grapes (removed from stems) on a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes.  Roast for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the grapes start to burst.  Remove from oven and immediately pour them into a bowl, including all juices. 

Preheat grill to high heat, as high as it will go.

Stretch pizza dough to desired shape and thickness.  Brush pizza dough with olive oil and place on the hot grill.  Cook about 2 – 3 minutes, or until grill marks form and bottom is cooked.  Remove dough from grill and place, raw dough side down, on a sheet pan.  Top with the roasted grapes, including juice, goat cheese and fresh thyme.  Place back on the grill, uncooked dough side down, about 3 – 4 minutes or until dough is cooked through. 

Remove from grill, slice and serve.  Enjoy, preferably with those you love!

Whole Wheat Flatbread Dough

Makes 3 – 4 pizzas

2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 packet yeast (1/4 oz yeast total)

4 cups whole wheat bread flour

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add the two cups of warm water to a small bowl.  Whisk in the honey or sugar.  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and stir or whisk slightly to incorporate the yeast into the water.  Let the yeast mixture set or “proof” 5 – 10 minutes until very foamy. 

In the meantime, in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour and salt.  After the yeast has proofed, pour the yeast mixture into the flour and then add the olive oil.  Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough is formed.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.    

After the dough has rested, attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Turn the mixer on low and let the mixer “knead” the dough for about 10 minutes.  Alternately, knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes, trying to add very little extra flour to the dough. 

Cover bowl with a damp cloth and set in a warm place.  Let the dough rise for 2 hours, or until doubled.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board.  Divide into 3 or 4 sections and form into balls.  Cover and let rise again, for at least 30 minutes.  Now, they are ready to be turned into flatbread.

   

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