Cuisine Diva

Vegetarian Quinoa Burger Recipe

Above: quinoa burger with all the trimmings. 

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is a wheat-free, gluten-free grain and can be consumed by anyone that suffers from celiac disease.  Although I don't have a gluten sensitivity, I know I feel a lot better and have fewer digestive complaints when I limit the amount of wheat products in my diet.

I have a box of Ancient Harvest brand quinoa pasta in my pantry. According to Ancient Harvest, "quinoa stands alone as a complete protein grain. It supplies all the essential amino acids in a balanced pattern."

Above: two varieties of organic quinoa.

My daughter, who turns 16 years old today, decided to become a vegetarian 3 years ago. My husband and I aren't vegetarian, but as hard core amateur athletes, we are continually looking for ways to eat a healthier diet. A BurgerFi restaurant recently opened up near us in downtown Delray Beach. They offer a delicious quinoa burger for their vegetarian patrons. My daughter and I really enjoy BurgerFi's veggie burger so I thought I would try to make my own version of a quinoa burger.

Where to Find Quinoa?

Besides quinoa pasta varieties, you can also buy quinoa in it's raw state. You can find quinoa at most grocery stores, in either the rice or pasta aisle. I found red and white varieties of organic quinoa at the 4th Generation Market in Boca Raton, Florida.

If you use the white variety of quinoa, you will end up with something that looks similar to a turkey burger. If you use the red variety of quinoa, you will end up with something that looks similar to a traditional beef burger.

Above: quinoa burger mixture waiting to be made into patties and pan fried.

Cooking Quinoa

Before you can make quinoa burgers, you first have to cook your quinoa. The quinoa I purchased didn't come with directions on how to cook it so I searched a couple recipe sites on the Internet. I wasn't sure if my quinoa was pre-rinsed or not so I just assumed it wasn't. I placed the quinoa in a pan and covered it with water and let the quinoa soak a minimum of 5 minutes then used a fine mesh strainer to drain off the water.

• 1 cup uncooked rinsed quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

I placed the rinsed quinoa back in the pan along with the 2 cups of water and the salt. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan with a  lid. Simmer the quinoa until all water has been absorbed. I didn't really time it but think it took around 15 minutes to cook.

Quinoa Burger Recipe Ingredients

• 1 recipe cooked quinoa
• 1 large carrot - grated
• 1/4 cup onion - minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic - minced
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup cream cheese - room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup panko - Japanese style bread crumbs

Above: pan fry quinoa burgers in extra virgin olive oil.

Quinoa Burger Recipe Directions

1. As there are two eggs in this burger recipe, I let the cooked quinoa cool down a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients.
2. Once the quinoa has cooled down, stir in all the remaining ingredients. I placed the burger mixture back in the refrigerator for two hours, to let it firm up a bit, before making the burgers.
3. To cook the burgers, I placed 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and placed the pan over medium high heat. I formed large patties with the quinoa burger mixture and cooked them until medium brown and crispy on both sides.
4. You can eat the quinoa burger as is, or dress it up like you would a hamburger by placing it on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion.

Above: enjoy a quinoa burger with your favorite toppings.

Recipe Variations

Gluten free quinoa burger

• Substitute 1/2 cup crushed rice Chex cereal for the breadcrumbs.
• Serve the burger without a bun.

Dairy free quinoa burger

• eliminate the mozzarella
• substitute silken tofu for the cream cheese

Vegan quinoa burger

• eliminate the mozzarella
• substitute silken tofu for the cream cheese

Ingredient Substitutions

1. Any shredded cheese, such as cheddar, colby or Monterrey jack,  can be used in place of the mozzarella.
2. Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese or even silken tofu can be substituted for the cream cheese.
3. Instead of cooking the quinoa in plain water, which has salt added to it, substitute the water and salt with vegetable broth. If you aren't vegan or vegetarian, you may cook the quinoa in chicken broth if desired.
4. Green onions, or even shallots, can be substituted for the onion.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Potato Gratin Casserole

Above: Single serving of potato gratin casserole.

Delicious Potato Side Dish

Here is a recipe for a side dish featuring potatoes, which I served as part of our Thanksgiving Day menu. I was trying to serve some different dishes this year, that were a bit of a change from what I normally serve. I didn't want to make mashed potatoes this year, but knew my family would freak if the only potato dish I served was roasted sweet potatoes. So I searched a few of my cookbooks and on line cooking sites and came up with this recipe for Potato Gratin Casserole.

Above: Mandoline slicer.

Potato Gratin Ingredients

I used regular baking potatoes for this recipe, but you could use yellow skin, red skin or whatever variety of potatoes you prefer. I used a 50-50 mix of panko breadcrumbs and Italian flavored breadcrumbs to top of the gratin before placing it in the oven. You can use whatever type of cheese you like in this recipe, such as Gruyere, fontina, provolone, mozzarella, havarti, munster, etc...

Above: Potato gratin casserole.

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

Above: Bake the potato gratin in a ceramic or glass casserole dish.

Potato Gratin Directions

1. Place the heavy cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper in a medium sauce pan placed over medium heat.
2. Slowly bring the cream mixture up to temperature while stirring occasionally.
3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes. I used a mandoline slicer to get uniformly thick, 1/4 inch thick slices.
4. Use a large casserole dish to alternate layers of cream, potatoes and cheese. I ened up with three layers to fill my Rachael Ray ceramic casserole dish to the top.
5. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the casserole.
6. I made my potato gratin casserole early Thanksgiving morning and stored it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
7. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Place the casserole in the oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top has turned a medium brown.
9. Remove the casserole from the oven and place on a heat proof surface.
10. Let the potatoes sit for at least 10-15 minutes before serving. The sauce will be molten lava when you first remove the gratin from the oven, let it set up for a few minutes and the sauce will start to cool down and thicken.
11. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. My husband discovered leftover potato gratin, heated up in the microwave then served with a few French's fried onions on top, made a wonderful snack.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Thanksgiving Menu Plan & Meal Preparation

I looked through a couple of my cookbooks to find some unique dishes to serve at our house on Thanksgiving Day. I found 2 recipes from my slow cooker cookbook, and 4 recipes from The Culinary Institute of America cookbook, that I will prepare as part of our Thanksgiving meal. I also will add a couple of family favorites, which I have made so many times, I no longer need an exact recipe to follow.

Smythe Family Thanksgiving Menu

Here's what I plan to serve on Thanksgiving Day. I will provide recipes and photos for some of these menu items next week.

• Chicken saltimbocca with sage, prosciutto and provolone
• Brown onion gravy
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Roasted sweet potatoes with pecan molasses butter
• Potato gratin
• Sauteed Brussels sprouts
• Cornbread stuffing with carrots, onions and celery
• Baby glazed carrots
• Cranberry pear sauce
• Cheddar thyme muffins
• Pecan pie

Menu Preparation Game Plan

Slow cooker

1. cranberry pear sauce - prepare the day before Thanksgiving
2. baby glazed carrots - Thanksgiving day

Oven

Most of these items will be prepared and cooked on Thanksgiving Day. The stuffing could be prepared the day before, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to heat through in the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit for 30 minutes. I will probably make the pecan pie the day before Thanksgiving, to free up the oven for the rest of the meal. This will also allow ample time for the pie to cool off before serving, pecan pie hot out of the oven usually has the consistency of moletn lava - HOT!

1. Roasted sweet potatoes
2. Potato gratin
3. Cornbread stuffing
4. Cheddar thyme muffins
5. Pecan pie

Stove top

1. Chicken saltimbocca
2. Brown onion gravy
3. Sauteed Brussels sprouts
4. Sauteed mushrooms

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

 

How-to Make Corn Pudding

Above: Single serving of corn pudding.

Recipe for Corn Bread Pudding

This recipe for corn bread pudding makes a moist and delicious quick bread which has a consistency similar to corn soufflé or custard. Use either canned corn, which has been drained, or frozen corn which has been cooked according to package directions. If you are lactose intolerant, substitute plain rice, soy or almond milk for the milk and omit the cheese.

Above: Melt the butter in the sauce pan.

The key to making a smooth and creamy corn bread pudding is to use finely ground corn meal. Stone ground corn meal is too coarse for this recipe. I used Goya brand finely ground yellow corn meal, also known as Masarepa, in this recipe.

Above: Make a roux/rue with the butter, flours and seasonings, then add the milk.

Serve the corn pudding hot out of the oven along with butter or maple syrup. Corn bread pudding could be served along with collard greens and pulled pork for a complete Southern style meal.

 
Above: Whisk eggs into cheese.

 

Corn Bread Pudding Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fine ground corn meal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 4 cups corn kernels
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

 

Above: Corn pudding ready to go into the oven.

Corn Bread Pudding Diretions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons of the butter.
3. Whisk in the flour, corn meal, sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme and cook for 1 minute, to get rid of the raw flour taste.
4. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over medium high heat, whisking as needed, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
5. Let the batter cool slightly. If the batter is too hot when you add the egg mixture, you could end up with scrambled eggs.
6. Whisk the eggs in a medium size bowl.
7. Stir in the corn.
8. Stir the slightly cooled batter into the bowl with the egg and cheese mixture.
9. Place a 9-inch square glass or round enamel pan on top of the stove.
10. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan and turn the heat to medium.
11. Once the butter has melted, turn the heat off, then pour the corn pudding mixture into the pan.
12. Use a pair of oven mitts and carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the pudding is cooked through and golden brown on top.
13. Let cool slightly before serving.

Above: Corn pudding hot out of the oven.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Individual Gourmet Pizzas

Above: Individual, whole wheat pizza crusts by Boboli.

Fun With Cheese

Yesterday I wrote a review of Alouette's Soft Spreadable Cheese. Here is an idea for an easy to prepare, gourmet pizza, featuring the sundried tomato with basil flavor of their spreadable cheese.

Above: A variety of toppings to add to gourmet pizzas.

Gourmet Pizza Ingredients

• Boboli, or other premade, individual pizza crust
• Alouette soft spreadable cheese
• Pizza toppings
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil

Above: I used a perforated, metal pizza pan to make my gourmet pizza.

Gourmet Pizza Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spread the bottom of the pizza crust with a layer of spreadable cheese. I used Alouette's sundried tomato and basil soft spreadable cheese.
3. Top the pizza with your favorite pizza toppings.
4. Sprinkle a layer of grated Parmesan cheese on top of the toppings.
5. Add a handful of chopped, fresh basil leaves to the top of the pizza.
6. Cook in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is lightly brown on top.
7. Cut into 4 pieces using a pizza wheel.
8. Serve immediately.

Above: Spread a layer of cheese spread on top of the pizza crust.

Gourmet Pizza Toppings

Choose from your favorite pizza toppings to top your individual gourmet pizzas. Here are a few suggestions:

• Kalamata olives
• Green olives
• Capers
• Minced garlic
• Marinated mushrooms
• Anchovy fillets
• Sundried tomatoes
• Thin sliced green onions
• Feta cheese
• Crumbled bacon
• Diced Canadian bacon
• Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano

Above: Sprinkle the toppings of your choice on top of the pizza.

Pizza as Appetizer or Dinner

Serve individual gourmet pizzas as the main course for dinner. You can also cut up a couple of pizzas to serve as an appetizer.

Above: Hot, homemade pizza fresh out of the oven.

Salad Topping

I've seen a few chefs adding fresh greens, such as baby arugula, to the top of their pizzas, after they come out of the oven. I decided to give it a try, kind of a neat way to eat a salad along with your pizza.

• Mixed greens such as baby arugula, spinach and radicchio
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Course sea salt

Above: Salad topping on top of individual gourmet pizza.

Sprinkle the greens on top of the pizza, as soon as you remove it from the oven. Then drizzle on a bit of good quality, extra virgin olive oil and top with a few grinds of black pepper and some course sea salt.

Above: Gourmet pizza, topped with salad greens, ready to eat.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Cuisine Diva Reviews Alouette Cheese Spread

Above: Alouette Sundried Tomato & Basil soft spreadable cheese.

Alouette All Natural Cheese Spread

I recently had a chance to try the sundried tomato and basil flavor of Alouette's soft spreadable cheese. The cheese is soft and spreadable directly from the refrigerator. The cheese can also be heated in the microwave, to make a hot cheese spread. The inner wrapper of the cheese package contains a recipe for Alouette Mediterranean Bruschetta. Additional recipe ideas can be found on the Alouette website.

I enjoyed the flavor and consistency of the cheese, and tried it on a number of different crackers. The cheese spread would also taste great, spread on a couple of slices of bread, and used in place of mayonnaise when making a sandwich. I'm also going to try spreading it on the base of a premade pizza crust, to create a sauceless pizza with a variety of toppings; I'll post photos and details of the pizza in a day or two.

A variety of raw vegetables, such as carrots, bell peppers and celery could also be served along with the cheese. Try using a spoonful of the spreadable cheese on top of burgers or grilled chicken or fish. I bet the cheese spread would also taste great on top of a baked potato.

Alouette Tomato Basil Cheese Spread Details

• Size: 6.5 ounces
• Suggested retail price: $5.49
• Serving size: 2 tablespoons = 80 calories
• All natural; no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives

Additional Cheese Flavors

Alouette cheese spread is available in 9 flavors:

1. Sundried tomato and basil
2. Creamy onion & shallot
3. Light cucumber dill
4. Peppercorn Parmesan
5. Savory vegetable
6. Garlic & herbs
7. Light garlic & herbs
8. Sweet & spicy pepper medley
9. Spinach artichoke

Above: Alouette cheese spread taken directly from the refrigerator.

From the Alouette Cheese Website

Introducing innovative packaging.In the 1990s, Alouette^® Spreadable Cheese underwent a packaging change to address requests for a convenient and attractive container that users could take directly from the refrigerator to their cheese platters. As a result, the widely recognized, French-style ramekin cup was introduced. This attractive container, unique to Alouette^® Spreadable Cheese, is perfect for every occasion. Consumer requests for recipes and serving suggestions led to the printing on the inside of the sleeve that surrounds the ramekin cup.

Above: platter featuring Alouette sundried tomato & basil cheese spread with an assortment of crackers.

Additional Information

• Alouette Cheese USA, LLC
• 400 South Custer Avenue
• New Holland, PA 17557
• 1-800-322-2743 
• customer.service@bcusa.net

Website: www.alouettecheese.com

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Quick and Easy Tortilla Pizza

Individual tortilla pizza.

Here is an idea for making a quick and easy pizza. I usually keep a package of Boboli mini pizza crusts in my pantry, but the other day I was craving a pizza and didn't have any Boboli left. I took a quick look around my kitchen and found a package of flour tortillas in the bread drawer. I thought I could use the flour tortillas to make a thin crust, individual pizza.

Package of flour tortillas.

Children's Pizza Party

Tortilla pizzas would make the perfect snack at your son or daughters sleep over or birthday party. Each child can choose the exact ingredients they want to put on their own individual pizza. Kids love helping out in the kitchen and will have a lot of fun picking out and placing their favorite toppings on top of their own tortilla pizza.

Flour tortillas brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a pizza spice blend.

Tortilla Pizza Ingredients

• Flour tortillas
• Olive oil
• Pizza sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Toppings

Spread each tortilla with tomato sauce.

Tortilla Pizza Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place one to three flour tortillas on a pizza baking sheet.
3. Lightly brush each tortilla with a small amount of olive oil.
4. Spread each tortilla with a bit of the tomato sauce.
5. Sprinkled shredded mozzarella cheese across the top of the tortilla.
6. Add toppings as desired, such as black olive slices, capers and fresh herbs.
7. Place the pizza pan in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted and the tortilla has started to brown.
8. Remove from the oven, let cool, then use a pizza wheel to cut each tortilla pizza into 4 pieces.

Add cheese and toppings to each tortilla pizza.

Pizza Topping Ideas

Cheese

• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Cheddar
• Pepper jack
• Provolone
• Mexican cheese blend

Vegetarian Toppings

• Black or green olive slices
• Capers
• Sun dried tomatoes packed in oil - chopped fine
• Thin slices of mushrooms
• Thin slices of onions
• Chopped green onion
• Fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, parsley, chives

Meat Toppings

• Browned ground beef or ground turkey
• Pepperoni
• cooked sweet or hot Italian sausage
• Bacon bits
• Ham steak - cut into small pieces

Platter full of tortilla pizza slices.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Roasted Corn with Green Chile Cheese Tamales

Platter of homemade tamales

For the past couple of weeks I've been blogging about my Mexican inspired cuisine journey. Here are the links to those posts.

Food & Culinary Equipment From Mex Grocer

Pozole; Pork and Hominy Stew

Quesadillas; Homemade Corn Turnovers

More Mexican Ingredients From Mex Grocer

Some of the ingredients used to make tamales

Tamale Time
I've been wanting to try making tamales, and yesterday I finally got around to making them. I made a small batch of vegetarian, roasted corn with green chile cheese tamales. They were a bit time consuming to make, but quite tasty. The nice thing about tamales, is that you can make a big batch of them, then keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for a few days. They can even be stored in the freezer for a month or two.

Soaking corn husks in hot water

Roasted Corn Tamales with Green Chile Salsa

This is a multi-step recipe. You will need to prepare the corn husks, make the tamale dough, make the tamale filing, then assemble the tamales before placing them in the steamer and cooking them.

• Prepared corn husks
• 1 recipe tamale dough
• 1 recipe tamale filing
• Shredded cheese

This recipe makes approximately 1 dozen tamales. You will need to prepare approximately 2 dozen corn husks for this recipe, 1 dozen husks for the tamales, another 3-4 husks to tear into ribbons to tie the ends of the tamales together, and around 6-8 husks to line the bottom of the tamale steamer. To prepare the dried corn husks, soak them in a large bowl of hot water, until they are pliable. This can take up to 3 hours, so start this step in advance!

Stand mixer on left, masa harina blended with margarine and seasonings on right

Ingredients for the Tamale Dough

• 1 1/2 cups masa harina
• 6 tablespoons margarine - room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

Tomatillos, left, and green chiles, right

Roasted corn with green chile filling

Directions for the Tamale Dough

I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make the tamale dough. You could use a regular electric mixer, but I think my hands would get tired holding onto it for so long. Kitchen gadgets are your friend!

• Place the softened margarine inside the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Whip the margarine until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the salt, baking powder, sugar and cumin.
• Add the masa harina and beat until it resembles fine crumbs.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixer bowl as needed.
• Slowly add the vegetable broth and beat until the dough is light and fluffy.
• Cover the bowl of dough with a clean cloth, or piece of plastic wrap, and set aside while you make the filling.

Line the bottom of the tamale steamer with corn husks

Ingredients for the Tamale Filling

• 1 can corn - drained
• 4 canned tomatillos - diced
• 3 canned mild green chiles - diced
• 2 teaspoons toasted Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon achiote paste
• 1 tablespoon hot water

Directions for the Tamale Filling

1. Place the corn in a large frying pan over medium heat.
2. Cook until the corn begins to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in the tomatillos, green chiles, oregano and cumin.
4. Place the achiote paste in a small bowl, and stir in the hot water until a smooth liquid is formed.
5. Stir the achiote liquid into the pan, and cook the filling for another minute or two.
6. Turn the heat off, and set the filling aside until you are ready to fill the tamales.

Building the Tamales

I thought it would be easiest to take a lot of pictures of the tamales, as they are being put together, rather than typing out a long list of instructions.

Spread 2 tablespoons of tamale dough, on the smoothest side of a corn husk. You can either use a spatula, your hands or a tamale spreader for this step.

Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on top of the tamale dough.

Place a couple of teaspoons of shredded cheese on top of the filling. I used cheddar, but you can use Jack cheese, pepper Jack, Mexican blend, etc...

Fold the left side over the filling, then fold the right side over the filling.

Use two strips of corn husks to tie off the ends of the tamale.

The tamale ready to go in the tamale steamer.

Fill the steamer basket with a couple of inches of water, place the steamer insert on the bottom. Cover the insert with corn husks, then place the tamales on top. Place the lid on the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Let the tamales steam for approximately 1 hour. Check occasionally to see if you need to add additional water to the steamer pot.

Carefully remove the tamales from the steamer basket. They will be hot! Unwrap the tamales and eat ASAP. You can either eat the tamales as is, or add a bit of mild red chile sauce, or a bit of hot sauce if you prefer.

My Tamale Future
This was my first attempt at making tamales. They came out better than I thought, but this is another recipe where it would be a big help to have another set of hands. I was going to make 3 varieties of tamales, but once I realized how much time that would take, I decided to only make 1 variety for my first attempt. In the future I would like to try a meat filled tamale and a dessert tamale. YUM!

Take care,
Cuisine Diva AKA Lynn Smythe

Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad

Caprese salad plate

Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad is also known as Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese. I wrote an article on how-to make a caprese salad, for the Herbs & Spices section of Suite101 on September 14: Insalata Caprese; How-to Make a Classic Italian Salad Platter.

Lunch Salad
I had a caprese salad for lunch yesterday, which is shown in the photo at the top of this blog post. I used perfectly ripe, campari greenhouse tomatoes, layered with marinated mozzarella cheese and fresh basil leaves. The mozzarella had been lightly coated in olive oil, then rolled in a finely chopped mixture of garlic, parsley and red peppers. That must have been red pepper flakes, because the cheese was a bit hot and spicy. I sprinkled the salad with a fruity extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, freshly cracked black pepper and a bit of sea salt.

Platter of caprese salad kabobs

Balsamic Vinegar VS Lemon Juice
I found the balsamic vinegar to be a bit too sweet for my taste. So for today's salad, I used a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice instead. That was the secret, the tangy lemon blended perfectly with the fruity olive oil. Lots of yummy dressing to sop up with my big chunk of crusty Italian bread.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva

Instant Homemade Pizza

I like making pizza at home. It's less expensive then ordering pizza from a restaurant, and you can control the ingredients used to make the pizza. You can either make a large pizza for the entire family, or let everyone make their own individual pizza. My husband and son are meat eaters, my daughter is a vegetarian and I like interesting topping selections, so it works out better to let everyone at our house make their own, personal size pizza.

 

Perforated pizza pan, helps make a crispy crust. Available at kitchen supply stores and the kitchen department of larger department stores.

 

Individual Boboli pizza crust, spread with olive oil and minced garlic. The olive oil helps create a crispier crust.

Pizza Crust Options

1. Visit your local pizza restaurant and buy pre-made pizza dough from them. I cover a large cutting board with corn meal, and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough before placing it on a pizza pan.
2. Pillsbury pizza dough. Available in the refrigerated section of grocery stores, along with biscuit and cookie dough. This pizza dough unrolls into a rectangular shape. Spread the dough out onto a medium to large rectangular cookie/baking sheet.
3. I can sometimes find fresh, pre-made pizza dough at my local grocery store. Check the bakery department of grocery stores to see if they have pizza dough available.
4. Pre-made pizza crusts such as Boboli. I like Boboli individual pizza crusts, which are available in a package of two, at most grocery stores.

Add your favorite toppings, such as sun-dried tomato paste, sliced green onions and black olives. 

 

Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs such as thyme and oregano. I always have fresh herbs growing in my garden, so I can simply run out to the garden and snip a few herbs to add to all my culinary creations.

 

Bake the pizza according to the pizza crust directions. If you are using pizza dough from a local restaurant, ask them for their cooking recommendations. I use a pizza cutter to make quick work of cutting through the pizza.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Cuisine Diva