We're still motivated to keep things "light" here in the casa de Anderson. I shared that we put our house on the market (yes, friends. THE REAL ESTATE MARKET ::hold me::), so planning meals has been a little more complicated than usual. It's easy to plan out my weekly meals if I know, in fact, that I will be home to make said meals (or account for grabbing meals out). But when you could potentially have house showings at any time (please? Come see my house and love it and buy it?!), how do you account for a meal that might need an hour to bake in the oven or simmer in the slow cooker for a few hours on the counter top.
See my predicament?
Well, we recently started making a fun recipe that is not only easy AND healthy, but is quick and portable (ie: can be taken and quickly made at one of our parents houses if we need to be out of the house). Are you ready for it?
GRILLED PIZZA.
Let me say it again so it really soaks in:
Grilled.
Pizza.
Is your mind blown?
Up until I saw some pin on Pinterest, I had no idea one could throw some dough on a hot grill and voila! A pizza is born. Well, guess what. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS.
And can I tell you, it's way better than making it in the oven. The crust comes out so crispy and the grill gives the pizza a brick-oven taste.
nom.nom.nom.
So, Pinterest has plenty of recipes floating around, and a Greek Salad Pizza recipe caught my eye. I like dthe general idea of using only half the dough regularly used when making pizza and only a fraction of the cheese (read: healthy, people). But I had some other ideas on how to "dress" and top it, so I kind of went rogue and whipped up my own.
Can I tell you?
BRILLIANCE.
Not that I'm one to pat my own back but...I'm totes patting my own back.
Since my recipe uses pre-marinated items, no dressing is needed. The marinated artichoke hearts create enough of a dressing and tons of flavor.
And the taste?
Divine.
Ok, ok. Without further ado, here is the recipe.
- 1/2 lb of pizza dough (I get the 1 lb pre made dough from the grocery store and halve it - usually found in the deli section OR you can make your own)
- 1/2 cup of pitted kalamata olives, chopped (plain or marinated - your choice. Sometimes I just grab a container of marinated olives from the salad bar)
- 1/2 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (you can use the jarred kind, but I made my own using this recipe - only using 2-3 TBS of oil)
- 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (NOT packed in oil)
- 1/2 cup of reduced fat feta cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup of reduced fat mozzarella cheese
- 1-1/2 cups of arugula
In mixing bowl, combine the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts and 1/4 cup of feta cheese. Mix until well combined and let it marinate for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
On a floured surface, roll out your pizza dough. If you find it is not elastic enough (ie: it keeps snapping back after you roll it), let it sit out for 10 minutes. Roll the dough until it is very thin, about 1/8-1/4 of an inch (as thin as you can get it before it tears).
Spray the grill with non-stick cooking spray. Spray the top of the dough with non-stick cooking spray (or brush lightly with olive oil). Place oiled side DOWN on the grill. Close the grill and let cook for 3-5 minutes. The dough will puff up. Keep an eye on the dough so it doesn't burn. With a spatula, check the bottom of the dough. When it is firm and golden brown, spray the top of the dough and flip over. Let cook for another 3-5 minutes until the bottom is browned. While the second side is cooking, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the cooked side. Let it melt.
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| An example of how "golden brown" I allowed the bottom to get before flipping and spreading with cheese. |
Once the pizza crust is finished cooking, remove from grill and put on a serving plate. Top the crust with arugula. Top the arugula with the marinated artichoke heart mixture. Sprinkle with remaining feta cheese.
Makes 8 servings.
Yum-tastic, no?
We're wild about grilling our pizza. Next week we are going to attempt a Buffalo Chicken Pizza. One of the best parts about grilling THIN CRUST pizza is that 1lb of dough now makes 2 pizzas. So we make a gourmet fancy-pants one for me and Hubby, and then make a regular cheese and sauce pizza for the girls.
Win-Win-Win.
Now go grill thee some pizza!
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