Fig Pizza

I have a tendency to obsess over things. Right now, one of those things is le fig. I want to put them on and in everything. Mostly because they are pretty. Tasting delicious is a bonus. Let's get fancy...

Gather:
small red onion, sliced thin
5 tsp EVOO
salt
whole wheat pizza crust
ricotta, asiago and goat cheeses (amount to taste)
6 figs, sliced (I used a mixture of Brown Turkey and Black Mission figs.)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp rosemary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

• Saute onion slices over low heat with 4 tsp EVOO and a dash of salt until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Top pizza crust with a thin layer of ricotta. Grate a layer of asiago over the ricotta and finish with goat cheese crumbles. 
• Layer fig and onion slices on top. 
• Drizzle with 1 tsp EVOO and honey. Sprinkle with rosemary. 
• Bake for 10 minutes. 

Mrs. Dash Marinade Review + Easy Recipes!

Looking through my pantry this weekend, I found a couple of Mrs. Dash marinades that I had purchased with a coupon and promptly forgotten about. Apparently it's been a while because in looking at the website, I noticed that they have changed the packaging. I tried Garlic Lime (now called Lime Garlic for some reason) and Zesty Garlic Herb (now just called Garlic Herb). 

The ingredients list is filled with items that are food, not chemicals, that add up to 15 calories, 3g carbs and 1 g sugar per tbsp. A huge part of my turning Mediterranean is being conscious of what I put in my body. I try and stick to ingredients I recognize, can purchase separately, and can pronounce. I'm quite proud of this change as I rarely read ingredient lists before.

My old packaging instructed 10 minutes of marinating. So that is exactly what I did with a package of chicken tenderloins. And then I cooked them on a griddle. I plated up half of one Garlic Lime tenderloin and half of one Zesty Garlic Herb tenderloin with a few spoonfuls of griddle garden potatoes. 

My first thought upon on tasting the cooked chicken: this would be better if it marinated longer; not quite enough flavor. I guess I wasn't the only person thinking that - the new packaging instructs 30 minutes of marinating. Agreed, Mrs. Dash, agreed! I might purchase the Garlic Lime marinade again - it's nice and fresh and lightly lime. The other Garlic Herb didn't impress me much. 

I shredded all the remaining tenderloins and mixed the two flavors together. With a portion of the it, I made honey-mustard chicken salad and threw it on half of a whole grain sandwich round with spinach leaves for an almost but not quite Asian flavor. I used the last of the chicken on an easy cheesy pizza. Recipes below (we go through a lot of goat cheese and cilantro in the Turning Mediterranean household).

Griddle Garden Potatoes
4 fresh from the garden potatoes
EVOO
dash of sea salt
dash of pepper
dash of Slap Ya Mamma seasoning (or something else cajun)
tbsp dried rosemary

Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Roll in EVOO, salt, pepper, seasoning and rosemary. Cook on heated griddle prepped with a thin layer of EVOO. 

Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
2 chicken tenderloins (that you marinated and precooked), shredded
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp raw organic honey, heated slightly
goat cheese, crumbled
cilantro

Mix all together. Done!

Chicken Pizza
premade whole wheat pizza crust
basil pesto 
4 chicken tenderloins (that you marinated and precooked), shredded
havarti with dill, grated
mozzarella, grated
goat cheese, crumbled
cilantro
cherry tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover crust with layer of pesto. Sprinkle with chicken, cheeses cilantro and tomatoes. Bake 10 minutes or until crust is at desired crispiness. Enjoy!

Recipe: Super Easy Pesto Chicken Pizza

It's possible that I forgot to photograph this pizza when it was fresh out of the oven and looking its best.
It's possible that I warmed up a slice for breakfast just so I could take a photo. The sacrifices I make for blogging.

Turning Mediterranean is not about giving up food you like to eat. It's about making food you like to eat better. It's about saying yes. Today we say yes to pizza.

Confession: I do not like pizza sauce. I've been called un-American for this very reason. Pretty sure pizza sauce is not American so I remain secure in my citizenship. For now. Basil pesto has been the basis for many a pizza in my household (the word "household" totally applies when it's just you and a cat). It's herby and garlicy and olive oily - pretty much the best things that food can be. Grab your greens and we'll hop to.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
tbsp extra virgin olive oil
tbsp chili paste
pre-made whole wheat pizza crust of your choice (I used Mama Mary's. See my crust reviews.)
basil pesto (make it fresh - your taste buds will think you the coolest)
goat cheese, crumbled
mozzarella cheese, grated
cherry tomatoes, cut into slices/chunks

Preheat oven according to directions on pizza crust.
Heat EVOO and chili paste in saute pan over medium-high heat.
Saute chicken breast strips until just cooked through.
Spread pesto over pizza crust (as thick as you like it - remember, pesto is pretty flavorful).
Sprinkle mozzarella, tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese over top.
Strategically (or not) place strips of chicken on top of the other goodness and sprinkle more mozzarella & goat on top.

Bake about 10 minutes (may vary depending on type of crust used). When the cheese is melty and the tomatoes are soft, it's time to stuff pizza in your face take sweet nibbles between healthful bites of salad.

Product Review: Premade Whole Wheat/Grain Pizza Crusts

Unfortunately, I became a pizza girl just before turning Mediterranean. Once or twice a week I would drop by the Publix Deli to pick up a ball of pre-made dough (ain't nobody got time for homemade dough) and make a sauce-less pizza. Sometimes it was a honey and walnut sitch. Other times it was more along the lines of freshly grated cheese and tomatoes.

I won't lie - the dough was my favorite part. Maybe I had a bite or two raw. Maybe the toppings were just an excuse to eat the dough.

I almost gave up on pizza as I was certain that nightmares are made of a whole wheat/grain crust, but I'll try almost anything once. Enter my first two test subjects: Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain and Mama Mary's Whole Wheat Gourmet Crusts.

Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust with Whole Grain

If you like a doughy pizza (as I normally do), this may be your whole grain guy. Cook it not quite long enough and you end up with some nice crust love-handles. The taste isn't quite like regular pizza crust. It is good, but I didn't feel 100% satisfied by it. Maybe I'll try cooking it a little longer next time.

Specs: 16 grams of whole grain per serving, 190 cal, 5g fat, 30g carbs, 3g sugar, 6g protein.

Rating: 4 out of 5 turkey pepperonis. 
 
Mama Mary's Whole Wheat Gormet Crust

So I kinda forgot to take a photo before tearing into this baby.

 
Mama Mary's is the WYSIWYG of the pizza crust world. There is no rising. There is no spreading. Basically, you pop a little heat on it and gets a little crusty. The toppings are the star of the show. That's really not such a bad thing. A slice (or two) of pizza made with this lady won't weigh you down. As far as taste - it really didn't seem much different from a regular thin crust.

Specs: made with 100% whole grain and honey, 90g cal, 3g fat, 18g carb, 0g sugar, 3g protein.

Rating: 5 out of 5 turkey pepperonis!

Up next, a pizza recipe of course. What kind of person would I be if I left you hanging with a crust review? 

Have you tried whole wheat/grain crusts?  Tell me about it.