Cast Iron Cauliflower Pesto Pizza

By: Co+op

Total Time: 50 minutes; 30 minutes active

Servings: 4

Don’t order pizza tonight — you’re making homemade pizza! Plan to thaw the dough in advance and make the fresh pesto ahead of time (or grab a jar at the co-op) to make it even easier. Your cast iron skillet will give the crust a crispy bottom, and you can take it straight to the table, where it will keep the pizza warm as you eat.

Ingredients

1 16-ounce ball frozen pizza dough

1/2 cup fresh basil

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

4 ounces asiago cheese, shredded, divided

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Preparation

To make the pesto: In a food processor bowl, combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts and parmesan and process to a paste. Add salt, scrape down, and with the machine running, drizzle in two tablespoons of olive oil. Scrape into a cup; makes about ¼ cup. (NOTE: If you don’t want to make homemade pesto, you can use ¼ cup prepared pesto instead.)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a 12-inch cast iron skillet or a pizza pan. Pat out the dough to make a 12-inch round in the pan. Let rise in a warm spot in the kitchen for about 20 minutes.

While the pizza crust rises, place the cauliflower in a sheet pan, drizzle with a tablespoon of the olive oil, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. When the cauliflower is tender, remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Spread the pesto on the crust, then top with cauliflower and cheese. Place cherry tomato halves evenly on the pizza, cut side up.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the bottom is crisp. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information

570 calories, 24 g. fat, 20 mg. cholesterol, 1230 mg. sodium, 64 g. carbohydrate, 5 g. fiber, 25 g. protein

Funky Pizza Party

By: Mighty Media

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 3

Get the fun going with this charming and healthy pizza-making activity! Makes a great lunch or party snack! For a larger image of the pizzas, click here.

Ingredients

3 whole grain English muffins halves

1/2 cup pizza sauce (optional: make your own pizza sauce; see Tips & Notes below)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 tomato

1 red pepper

1 zucchini

sliced black olives

1 red onion

1 ham slice

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

green olives with pimento

1 green onion

1 green pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the English muffins in half. Cover each muffin half with pizza sauce. Top each one evenly with cheese.

Follow the directions below to decorate the muffins. Put them on a baking sheet. Bake them for about 8 minutes. Take them out and let them cool before serving.

Tomato Crab

Funky Pizza Party preparation

Cut a circular slice from the side of the tomato. Place it in the center of a muffin half.

Cut a few thin slices of red pepper for the legs. Put one end of each leg under the edge of the tomato. Cut two smaller slices of red pepper. Put them next to each other in the front.

Add eyes. Cut a slice of zucchini. Use a drinking straw to stamp two circles from the zucchini. Place the zucchini circles on the tomato. Place two black olive slices around the zucchini circles.

Add a small slice of red onion under the eyes for a mouth.

Funky Face

Cut a slice of ham into a circle. Place it over the cheese on a muffin half.

Add shredded cheddar cheese on top for hair.

Put two green olive slices below the cheese for eyes. Use a long slice of green onion for the nose. Put it between and slightly below the olives.

Cut a slice of zucchini. Cut the slice in half. Cut off a curve of zucchini skin. Put it under the nose for the mouth.

Fantastic Flower

Put a slice of black olive in the middle of a muffin half.

Cut a few triangles about 1 inch long from the red pepper. Arrange the triangles around the black olive like petals.

Peel a strip of zucchini skin 2 inches long. Cut it into into a thin rectangle. Cut a piece of green pepper into a leaf shape. Put the zucchini strip under the flower for the stem. Put the green pepper leaf next to it.

Nutritional Information

227 calories, 14 g. fat, 45 mg. cholesterol, 616 mg. sodium, 13 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. fiber, 14 g. protein

Fruit Pizza

By: Co+op

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 8

A colorful display of vibrant, fresh fruit atop a shortbread cookie crust and cream cheese frosting makes a delightful dessert.

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups unbleached flour

2/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, 1-inch slices

2 large egg yolks

Frosting

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Toppings

8 medium strawberries, sliced

2 large kiwis, peeled, sliced

1/2 cup blueberries

1 small mango, peeled, pitted and sliced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 12-inch round pizza pan or a sheet pan with parchment.

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt and pulse to mix. Add the butter and egg yolks and pulse until a crumbly dough starts to form; don't overmix. Transfer to a bowl and knead gently into a stiff dough. Form into a disk. Place the disk in the center of the parchment-lined pan.

Flatten the dough with your palms to make an 11-inch round. Prick all over with a fork. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.

Cool on a rack.

In a food processor, place the cream cheese and process until no lumps remain, scraping down and repeating as needed. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and process until smooth. Spread over the cooled crust (make sure the crust is completely cooled before adding the topping).

Arrange the fruit over the crust. Use a pizza cutter or chef's knife to cut into wedges. Serve.

Keeps, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for a day.

Serving Suggestion

Prepare this colorful delight a day in advance and serve to top off a perfect summertime dessert or afternoon snack. Accompany it with a glass of crisp, sweet wine, fresh lemonade or a cup of medium-roast coffee.

Nutritional Information

670 calories, 42 g. fat, 260 mg. cholesterol, 370 mg. sodium, 67 g. carbohydrate, 2 g. fiber, 9 g. protein

Pizza Pizzazz

By: Robin Asbell

Pizza. It has to be the most popular food known to humans. In the U.S. alone, the National Association of Pizza Operators says 3 billion pizzas were consumed in 2011, and 93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month which translates to an estimated average 350 slices eaten every second of every day.

Pepperoni is America's most popular topping; it's on about 36% of all pizzas for an estimated whopping 251.7 million pounds of pepperoni per year eaten on pizza. Whether or not pepperoni is your favorite topping, there are plenty of fun and tasty ways to reinterpret the much loved pizza.

The crust

Of course, making your own pizza dough is wonderful (here's an easy pizza crust recipe), but there are plenty of options to use for ready-made crusts and for quick and easy pizzas. From whole grain or white, to gluten-free, try frozen pizza dough, pre-baked crusts, pita bread, flatbreads, naan, tortillas, or even puff pastry dough.

The toppings

Tomato sauce and mozzarella, while simple and delicious, can get kind of repetitive, so why not branch out and try other sauces and other cheeses, or maybe even go cheeseless? Just take a look at the sauces available at your co-op for inspiration: prepared pestos, curry sauces, Asian sauces, even spreadable cheeses can jump into the role of pizza sauce. Sound crazy? I've put Indian Tikka Masala and goat cheese on pizza, with a few cauliflower florets for crunch, and it was a hit.

I've become enamored of the "salad pizza," which pairs a hot, crispy crust with a fresh, light jumble of salad on top. The balance between the warm, savory base and the cool, tangy salad will give you a whole new concept of what pizza can be. Why make a separate salad, when you can pile it on the pizza? This is a great way to enjoy greens like arugula, fresh herbs, or slivered veggies. Try the simple Arugula and Shaved Romano Salad Pizza, for a perfect example of this.

If you are ready for a real change of pizza-pace, try a Thai Peanut Pizza. It's a mix-up of favorite flavors from Thai restaurants, including peanut sauce, cucumbers, peanuts, sprouts, and chiles. The creamy, coconutty sauce is as rich-tasting as cheese, and you may be so distracted by how yummy it is that you won't even notice that it's vegan.

I say, don't hold back. Get creative and "think outside the (delivery) box." You can have a blast making fun and innovative pizzas catered to your individual taste, all without ever picking up the phone to order one.

Check out our many tasty pizza recipes.