Fun Fearless Foodie

Hey foodie friends!

Can’t believe it’s already Sunday again, but it’s time to clean out the old fridge and whip up some tasty food.

We went to the UCF football game on Saturday and in preparation for the tailgate I made another batch of Salsa and some Black Bean Spread.  I had some leftovers i brought home and thought what could be better than a Mexican Pizza! Plus, I’ve been wanting to try making pizza dough from scratch again (first try wasn’t my best effort) and had some active yeast packets in the pantry.

I also had some lemons that were looking past their prime and the thought of some Lemonade Iced Tea (aka Arnold Palmer) sounded delish!

So here it goes, this week’s Sunday Clean Out Recipes!

T’s Tostada Pizza (courtesy FFF)

If you like the Tostada Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen then you will love my copy cat recipe!

Makes 2 12 inch pizzas, or one large

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (try Wolfgang Puck’s recipe below)
• Black Bean Spread (recipe below)
• 1 grilled chicken breast
• Salsa (fresh, store bought, any kind will do)
• Frozen corn kernels
• Shredded cheese (I used cheddar and mozzarella)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cornmeal for dusting

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 485 degrees

Oil a sheet pan and dust with cornmeal.  Roll out the pizza dough onto the pan to about 12 inches in size.  Coat the dough with EVOO.  Evenly spread the black bean spread onto the dough just like you would pizza sauce.  Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and spread onto the dough.  Sprinkle on the corn kernels, salsa, salt and pepper, and cheese.  Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 11-13 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.  Top with come fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!

Wolfgang Puck’s Pizza Dough

This is by far the best homemade dough I have eaten and it tastes just like the pizza crust I have had at Wolfgang’s restaurant.  The secret is the honey!

Ingredeints

• 1 package active dry or fresh yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup warm water.

In a food processor, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, the yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and process until the mixture forms a ball. (The pizza dough can also be made in a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until the mixture comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and starts to climb up the dough hook).

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a cool spot for about 30 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).

Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 1 hour. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Black Bean Spread (courtesy Cooking Light)

Fresh lime juice and cilantro dress up canned black beans for a simple, delicious appetizer. The liquid from one of the cans of beans is used to thin the spread to a nice consistency. Serve with baked tortilla chips, and use any remaining spread in quesadillas or burritos.

Makes 2 1/2 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)

Ingredients

• 3  garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  extravirgin olive oil
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, undrained

Directions

With food processor running, drop garlic through food chute; process until minced. Add fresh cilantro and next 5 ingredients (through undrained beans), and process until smooth.

Arnold Palmer

Iced tea and lemonade make a great pair, and this refreshing drink is easy to make and even easier to enjoy.  You can substitute the lemon juice for another juice of your choice to mix things up!

Ingredients

• 1 cup simple syrup (1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar)
• Juice from one lemon
• 4 tea bags
• 4 cups of water

Directions

In a small pot over low heat pour the sugar into a 1/2 cup of water and add the lemon juice.  Once the sugar has dissolved remove from heat.  In a medium saucepan pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Once water has reached the boiling point drop on 4 tea bags and remove from heat.  Let the tea bags steep for 5 minutes and discard.  Pour in lemon simple syrup and let cool.  Pour over ice cubes and enjoy!

Foodie Facts: The history of the “Arnold Palmer” (courtesy Wikipedia)

“The history of the Arnold Palmer per Arnold Palmer and Chris Byrd, founding partner of Arnold Palmer tee. Mr. Palmer had been privately brewing a mixture of lemonade Iced Tea in his home for many years, and in the late 1960′s, in a bar in Palm Springs California, Mr. Palmer ordered a mixture of lemonade and Iced Tea and a woman seated next to him overheard him and said, “I’ll have that Palmer drink.” The drink then spread across the golfing world and became known as an, “Arnold Palmer.” Innovative Flavors out of Orlando Florida now licenses the drink to beverage companies such as Arizona.”