Easy Pizza Crust

I've always had a tough time getting yeast to do what I want. Finally, I found this pizza crust recipe that actually works. Here it is:

Easy Pizza Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to food processor and combine remaining ingredients. Pulse until ball starts to form. Remove dough from the processor and dust lightly with flour. Place in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until double, about 45 minutes. Punch down dough. Divide dough into 2 separate balls and roll thin. Pierce crust with fork. Top with your favorite toppings and bake at 450 degrees for 12-18 minutes.

Makes 2 pizza crusts

Zucchini Crusted Pizza

3 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup egg substitute  (I used 3 eggs)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese  (I used cheddar)

2 small tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup julienned green pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Additional topping ideas: pepperoni, olives, grilled chicken etc.

Directions

1. Squeeze excess moisture out of zucchini and let sit for about 5 minutes. In a bowl, combine zucchini and egg substitute; mix well. Add flour and salt; stir well. Spread onto the bottom of a 12-in. pizza pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle with mozzarella, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, oregano, basil and Parmesan cheese and other optional toppings. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until onion is tender and cheese is melted.

Original recipe from Allrecipes.com, but I've made a few adjustments :)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

I got this recipe from a coworker and it is very tasty!

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded chicken breast

1/3 cup cream cheese

¼ cup green salsa

1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

1 fresh green chili pepper diced

1 ½-2 minced garlic cloves

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp sliced green onions

3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp onion powder

Flour or corn tortillas

Sautee the diced green chili pepper in 1-2 Tbsp of oil on low heat until tender. (about 15 minutes).

Melt the cream cheese in a large bowl in the microwave so it is soft and easy to stir. Mix in all other ingredients with the cream cheese, including the sautéed green chili peppers. Warm tortillas in microwave so they are easy to roll. Place about 3 Tbsp (about 1/8 cup for larger tortillas) of cream cheese/chicken mixture into tortillas and roll, place in pan seam side down. Pour as much extra green salsa and pepperjack cheese on top as you like.

Bake uncovered on 425 for about 20 minutes.

Easy Corn Salsa

Easy Corn Salsa

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomato, or 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, not drained
2/3 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 cup chopped cucumber, not peeled
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, red or green
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt (opt.)
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
*Sodium is figured for no added salt

Mix ingredients together in medium bowl and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.


Serves 8 (1/2 cup servings)

Nutrition Facts:
calories 189; total fat 7g; saturated fat 1g; cholesterol 62mg; total carbohydrate 6g; dietary fiber 1g; sugars 4g; protein 24g

Healthy Snacks for Runners at Runner's World

Useful and interesting article on munchies for runners, thought I would pass it along.

Healthy Snacks for Runners at Runner's World

Chocolate Oatmeal "No Bake" Bars

One of my favorite sweet treats that are so easy to make. A great recipe to make during warmer weather because you don't have to turn on your oven!

2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 (1 stick) margarine or butter
1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups quick oats

Butter 9-inch square pan. In medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in milk; add margarine. Heat to a rolling boil; boil 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in oats. Pour into pan and spread evenly. Cool and cut into squares.

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken

My first experience with roasting a whole chicken and it turned out so well! This recipe is super easy and tastes great, my husband went back for seconds and thirds.

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3-4 lb whole chicken
• The juice of 2 lemons (about 2/3 cup)
• 2 tablespoons and 1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
3. Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Place what is left of  the lemons inside the chicken cavity. Drizzle the oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.

Flower Cupcakes

Tonight I attempted to make flower cupcakes with my sister Kate. I say attempted because we could not get the frosting to work. First it was too thick, then it was too thin. We finally got a decent consistency and did the best we could with it. I think we'll need to try it again sometime. Anyone have a good buttercream frosting recipe?

Make Your Own Greek Yogurt

Fellow Greek yogurt lovers, want to save some money on Greek yogurt? Here's how, make your own!

The other day I was talking with one of my coworkers on how much I love to eat Greek yogurt, but saying that I didn't like how much more expensive it is compared to regular yogurt. She told me she actually makes her own. Want to know how? It's really easy!

What you'll need:

Plain lowfat or nonfat yogurt (I like Nancy's)

Strainer

Coffee filter or papertowel

Large bowl (big enough to fit strainer)

Line a strainer with a coffee filter or papertowel, place over large bowl. Take yogurt and dump into a strainer. Save the yogurt container for later use. Put yogurt into refrigerator and let sit for several hours, you should see liquid in the bottom of your bowl. The longer you let it sit, the thicker your yogurt will get. I like mine really thick so I leave it in the refrigerator overnight. After you let it sit, discard the leftover liquid and put the yogurt back into the container. It's that simple!

Oat Bran Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups oat bran
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup dry nonfat milk
1/4 flaxseed
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded carrot
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
1 cup raisins (I used Craisins instead)
1 cup fat-free milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
1 thin-skinned orange, unpeeled and quartered
Cooking spray or muffin papers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Combine flours and the next 8 ingredients (all purpose flour though salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in carrot, apple, and raisins.
3. Combine milk, oil, vanilla, egg whites, and orange in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; add milk mixture; stir until just moist.
4. Spoon 3 tablespoons batter into each of 28 muffin cups coated with cooking spray or lined with papers. Bake in batches at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins are browned and spring back when touched lightly in the center. Remove the muffins from pans immediately and place on wire rack.

Yield: 28 muffins (serving size: 1 muffin)
Calories 114; Fat 2.8g; Protein 3.5 g; Carb 22.6; Fiber 3 g; Chol 0mg; Sodium 188 mg; Calcium 61 mg