Artichoke, Spinach and Tomato pizza WITH whole wheat crust recipe

How good dos that look?? Wilted yummy spinach, tasty artichokes, and warm, rich tomatoes. Oooh.


Artichoke, Spinach and Tomato Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas, usually. Depending on how loaded you like your pizzas, and what size crust you use. I have a yummy crust recipe here, too.

1 can artichokes, drained and chopped into smaller pieces
1 bunch of spinach, stems removed, chopped into small pieces
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup parsley, chopped fine
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced or put through garlic press
1/4 tsp sea salt


Directions:

Mix the chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread over the uncooked crust in a thin layer.
Next, combine the artichokes, spinach and tomatoes, and mix in the oil/parsley mixture. Spread on top of pizza, as much or as little as you like. I like the pizza heaping with ingredients, and the spinach cooks down so it doesn't end up as enormous as it seems.

Whole-Wheat Pizza dough

1 1/2 cups warm (115 degrees) water
2 packets ( ounce each) active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for kneading
2 cups whole-wheat flour (spooned and leveled)

Place water in a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Brush another large bowl with oil.

In bowl with yeast, whisk sugar, oil, and salt. Stir in flours with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Transfer to oiled bowl; brush top of dough with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm spot until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, knead until smooth, about 15 seconds; divide into two balls.
Spread dough out onto pan, stretching so it reaches the corners.
Top dough and bake at 350º for 15-18 minutes. Check it to see if the crust is how you like it.
The other piece of dough can be frozen, or you can make two pizzas, using different toppings.
To freeze the 2nd piece, I usually split it into 2 smaller pieces, and roll/stretch them out to form 2 smaller discs, them layer them with parchment paper and freeze. When they are frozen, put them in a gallon size plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap.

Black Bean Salad and Apple Cheddar Quesadillas

If you didn't know already, black beans are my favorite food thing in the whole world.



Black Bean Salad

1 can black beans, rinsed (My favorite are the reduced sodium Kroger/Smiths brand)
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed (Even better--corn cut from the cob. But NEVER canned corn. The taste is completely different, and we don't need that added sodium!)
1 handful cilantro, chopped
2 green onion stalks, chopped finely
1/2 tsp garlic salt - try less at first, and taste as you go. The mix of lime and salt can be overpowering.
1/4 tsp cumin, maybe a little more
Stir, season to taste, and enjoy!

Sometimes it's fun to mix in a cup or two of cooked brown rice, and even a small can of tomato sauce to make it a little bit different. Yum.

Apple Cheddar Quesadillas

This one is too simple, it really doesn't even need a recipe. I had a tiny apple from my son's leftovers...he never eats the whole thing. So I sliced it really thin, and I made a quesadilla with the apple slices, whole wheat tortillas, and sliced daiya cheddar.
I will think of some variations and other things to add to make a more complex recipe of this. I'm thinking something green...kale, maybe? Or maybe squash puree mixed with the cheese...this is going to be fun!