Banh Mi Pizza

I am not a fan of salad pizza.  I wish I was one of those people who loved salad so much that it would be my choice of pizza topping, but alas then this blog probably wouldn't exist.  This banh mi pizza however, gives traditional salad pizza a run for its money.

It's a totally refreshing dinner for the summer and if you are bold enough to cook it on the grill, you don't have to heat the house up!

Banh Mi Pizza
Adapted From Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup matchstick carrots
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1 jalapeno, sliced and seeded
1 pizza dough
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbps sesame oil, divided
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp Sriracha
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 500. In a small sauce pan bring vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a simmer.  Stir until salt and sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat and add carrots, cucumber, and jalapeno. Set aside.
2. Stretch out your pizza dough and pierce with a fork all over to prevent bubbles. Brush with soy sauce and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Cook 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle dough with grated cheese and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Remove pizza from oven an top with drained pickled vegetables. Mix sour cream and sriracha together, drizzle on pizza. Top with cilantro. Slice and serve.

Don't be alarmed by the fact that it's from Cooking Light.  If it makes you feel any better, they said it serves 4 and the 2 of us at the whole darn thing.

Zucchini Pizza

Zucchini is probably my favorite vegetable of summer.  As I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my garden zucchini, this recipe from Smitten Kitchen caught my eye.

It is perfect for summer not only because it showcases the zucchini front and center, but it also requires so few ingredients and comes together in a flash.  No time standing over a hot stove! Yes!

Zucchini Pizza
Adapted From Smitten Kitchen

1 pizza dough, store bought or homemade, you decide
1.5 lb zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 cup grated gruyere, or mozzarella, or a combination (I didn't have enough gruyere so I mixed it and everything was magical.  I imagine you can mix up the cheese any way you see fit)
red pepper, to taste
2 tbsp bread crumbs

1.  Grate your zucchini in a food processor or box grater.  Then place in a large bowl with salt.  Let stand 30 minutes or more if you have the time.
2. Preheat oven to 500. Drain zucchini over a colander, squeezing the water out with your hands.  Try to get as much water out as possible.  Wipe out bowl from before and mix cheese, drained zucchini, a few dashes of red pepper flakes and some more salt if you'd like.
3. Stretch your pizza dough on to an oiled 13x9 sheet pan. Spread zucchini mixture evenly over dough. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20-25 minutes.

Oh goodness I hope I can make this again with some garden zucchini.

2 Ingredient Watermelon Sherbet

Sometimes you buy an entire watermelon for just 2 people and the watermelon is not so great and you just don't know what to do with a fridge filled with bowls of this not so great watermelon.  And so I give you watermelon sherbet!

Watermelon Sherbet
From Five Heart Home

Ingredients
3 cups watermelon, cut up and frozen
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt

1. Pulse watermelon and yogurt in a food processor until smooth. Serve immediately or put in a container in the freezer for later.

*Note: I added a few dashes of lime juice and doubled the recipe which you are definitely going to want to do.

I added some chocolate chips so I could pretend I was eating this latest creation from Dominique Ansel.

This recipe is just too easy not to try.  Also, it really is summer time dessert perfection.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I finally made it to a farmer's market!  What took me so long?  I have no idea.  I was on the hunt for some sort of random produce item that I'd either never had or just don't see at the supermarket.  That's why I was drawn to this container filled with curly green garlic scapes.

What does a scape taste like? What the heck do you make with it?  These were questions I was willing to discover later.

Garlic Scape Pesto
From Food52

Ingredients
1 cup garlic scapes, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional, I didn't use any nuts)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Take your scapes and nuts if using and pulse in a food processor until things are broken up a bit.  Then drizzle in your olive oil slowly while the food processor is running.
2. Pulse in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I made a grilled cheese with scape pesto and mozzarella cheese on proscuitto bread (which was also purchased at the farmer's market 😊).

Bailey wanted in on the action, but unfortunately this is not on his low fat diet.  

What else can I make with garlic scapes?! What should I do with the rest of the pesto?  Big decisions coming up this week.