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Heart of palm salad from my Pinterest to Plate cooking extravaganza
Quesadillas with feta, refried beans, spinach, and kale
Quinoa and turkey stuffed peppers from Bethenny
Artichokes with melted butter
Gluten-free pizza cupcakes with buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s
Carrots with Alouette spinach artichoke spreadable cheese
Salads with walnuts, feta, and hard boiled eggs
Indian leftovers
Watermelon + peaches
I hesitate to call this a recipe because it’s so simple and adaptable. As I was putting together an elaborate breakfast spread, I came up with sausage breakfast bites when I poked my head into my fridge and saw some key leftovers.
Because it was such an easy thing to whip up, I decided to play with several other variations.
Breakfast Bites
Grease muffin tin. Press pizza dough into bottom. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top
Break sausage into small bite-sized bits and fry in a skillet until thoroughly cooked. Pat with a paper towel to soak up grease. Drop one or two pieces on top of the dough and cheese.
Spread more pizza dough on top. Bake on 375 until the dough is cooked {15-20 minutes}.
Other Variations
Don’t have a pizza cutter on hand? Use scissors to cut pizza!
Amplify phone speakers by putting them in a ceramic bowl
Can’t quite finish your iced coffee? Put it in the freezer overnight and fill it up with cold-brewed coffee the next day. Voila- just like a coffee ice cube!
Little squish squash assembly
Crawfish, corn on the cob, and red potatoes {my first crawfish boil experience!}
Half and half gluten-free pizza {half sorrel, leek, & potato pizza and half oriental squash & pepper jack cheese pizza}
Quinoa stuffed pattypan squash {I can finally use up some of my saffron!}
Tri-colored pepper salad
Gallery Place burger {recreation of a spicy burger from Clyde’s; fajita spice rub, caramelized jalapenos and onions, pepper jack cheese, and spicy ranch sauce}
The other day my friend spontaneously decided to come by, so I promised said friend a homemade lunch without checking my fridge first. Upon inspection, I realized I had a fairly limited selection of choices- leftover gluten-free pizza crust, a Tupperware of rather thick black bean soup, and half a can of corn. Frugality and creativity took over and I decided to combine the ingredients to make a Mexican-inspired black bean and corn pizza (I made a basic tomato sauce and mozzarella half too!).
For the black bean sauce: in a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add a chopped clove of garlic and saute until golden brown. Add 1/2 can of rinsed and mashed black beans, 1/2 a chopped jalapeno, a small handful of cilantro, and a dash each of salt, pepper, red chili peppers, and garlic powder. Allow to simmer over low, adding vegetable or chicken broth as needed. The sauce should be thick but moist.
Spread prepared black bean sauce/soup over pre-cooked pizza crust. Sprinkle with canned corn, canned green chilies, and chopped cilantro. Add chopped red onion and mozzarella cheese if desired! Cook at 425 for 15-18 minutes.
Such an easy way to use up leftover ingredients! From experience, this pizza is best enjoyed with a friend on a balcony on a beautiful North Carolina day with an adorable dog at your feet and a Starbucks iced coffee by your side 
When I was trying to figure out pizza toppings, I remembered my recent Tuscan white bean soup soup and decided to go with a Tuscan theme again. I had leftover cannelli beans from my spicy sriracha bean dip, so I turned to Google for inspiration and found a great recipe on Vegan Planet.
First I prepped my gluten-free Red Mill pizza crust. I only used half of it, which filled my whole pizza pan.
I wrapped up the other half for later use!
Pizza toppings laid out and ready to go
Roast red pepper in a 400 degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes on each side; remove from oven and wrap in tin foil. After about 30 minutes, peel skin off {it should come off easily}. If you’d like, buy jarred roasted red peppers.
Caramelize onions {mine were already prepared, which cut down on prep time}.
In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium. When the oil is hot, add chopped garlic and saute until it becomes aromatic. Add cannelli beans and heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mash with a fork.
Spread bean mixture and tomato paste onto pre-cooked pizza crust. Layer with other ingredients except feta. Bake for 10 minutes at 425. Sprinkle with feta; bake for 5-8 more minutes.
Enjoy!
When I stumbled across “Rustic Pizza with Sweet Potato Sauce” on Caroline’s blog, I was intrigued. I generally only like sweet potatoes in savory dishes, so this was right up my alley.
And what’s better than testing a new kind of pizza? Making it on gluten-free cauliflower crust!
I love to maximize variety when I cook, so I often end up making split pizzas- half with one set of ingredients, the other half with a completely different set of flavors! Admittedly, splitting the flavors makes the process slightly more labor and time-intensive, but I end up with meals for a few days- definitely worth it.
This time, I opted for half Sweet Potato Pizza, half a more traditional mix based around Al Fresco chicken meatballs. Their products {and Twitter strategy!} continue to impress me!
Sweet Potato Pizza
Tomato & Basil Chicken Sausage Pizza
Prepare a cauliflower pizza crust according to these directions.
Bake a sweet potato (skin on) at 400 for 55-60 minutes. In a skillet, caramelize about half an onion. In another skillet, cook two or three strips of turkey bacon. Let cool then break into small pieces. In the same skillet (no need to wash!), saute washed, destemmed, and chopped kale until crispy and bright green. When the sweet potato is soft, peel off skin (it should fall off easily) and mash with a fork until smooth. Layer all ingredients on half of the pizza; top with slices of mozzarella cheese.
Spread the other half of the crust with tomato paste. Top with chicken meatballs, slices of mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato.
Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Both sides are have such delicious combinations of flavors, but I loved the uniqueness of the sweet potato, kale, cheese, and bacon combo. Thanks for the inspiration, Caroline!
Good thing my roommate hasn’t moved in yet- look what a mess I made:
Tip: minimize dishwashing by reusing skillets. They’ll still have some of the original oil and flavor of the first ingredient! I promise, it’s not dirty or gross
P.S. I didn’t realize how cheap kale is! I bought a big handful for $.14 at Harris Teeter.
If you’re a person who eats gluten-free {wait, did I say gluten-free? I meant eats, period}, I’m about to change your life.
As I was searching for something to stuff pizza toppings into {this seems to have become a hobby of mine recently} that wasn’t a zucchini or a green bell pepper or a Red Mill gluten-free crust, I came across a clever alternative: cauliflower pizza crust!
If you’re like me, you’re in doubt right now. You might think it will taste mediocre but not mind-blowing delicious.
You’d be wrong. And it’s low-carb, if you’re into that.
Ingredients
Instructions
Learn from my mistakes: I spread the crust on the pan then realized I forgot to add the egg- then I didn’t respray the pan, so it was difficult to get the crust off the pan after baking. And I didn’t cook the crust for long enough, so it wasn’t quite crispy enough. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
Rumor has it that variety is the spice of life…and it certainly is the spice of cooking! So what easier way to infuse variety (both literally and figuratively) into your cooking than to make slight alterations to your go to recipes?
Here are a few easy swaps that I often make:
Sun-Dried Tomato & Feta Chicken: Prepared as outlined but served on a “bed” of mashed potatoes!
Mashed Potato Vegetable Pie: Swapped out feta, added grilled chicken and Garlic & Herbs Alouette Spreadable Cheese; added yellow squash in addition to zucchini
Creative Salad Mixes: Swapped out feta and Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinaigrette for Parmesan cheese and homemade Italian dressing
Spiced Tomato Chickpea Soup: Swapped out chickpeas for potatoes
Pizza Alternatives: Swapped out zucchini boats for green bell peppers or a gluten-free cauliflower crust {that I gotta try}
For more inspiration on versatile ingredients, check out my posts on quinoa bowls and tofu.
What are your recipe staples that you feel comfortable adjusting?
When my sister and I were little, we would eat pizza bagels (bagels with tomato sauce mozzarella cheese) all the time. Now that I’m grown up (who am I kidding?! I’m not a grown up), I make quick and easy tortizzas for a relatively healthy snack on the go. And occasionally, I buy Trader Joe’s pizza dough and make homemade pizza!
But I recently discovered an even better pizza alternative- zucchini pizza boats (via Budget Bytes). I made them for the first time last night and they are great- a guilt-free way to get pizza taste with vegetable nutrients. And depending on how long you bake them for, they maintain a nice, satisfying crunchiness. Follow the link above for the super simple recipe!
Raleigh lover, Digital Strategist at CMR Strategies, former Junior Recruiting Coordinator. Obsessed with volunteerism, Twitter, and Starbucks. Love social enterprise, tennis, and cooking. Professional with a goofy streak.
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