Peach, Arugula, and Ricotta Pizza with (Optional) Balsamic Reduction

Oh look, more peaches.

I told you they'd be coming, gave them to you 2 days ago, and now here they are again. What can I say?  They're delicious!

Although, today, the delicious-ness of peaches isn't the only thing that caused me to share this recipe. The daily food holiday also inspired me.

It's Cheese Pizza Day!

Of course, this isn't exactly your classic cheese pizza.

But, then again, I don't often do classic.  I like to stick to uniquely delicious instead.  And in case you had any doubt, yes, this pizza is definitely uniquely delicious.

Juicy peaches, creamy ricotta, and a just a bit of arugula make it one of the best of it's kind.  The fluffy and easy homemade dough is just the cherry on top, or, bottom, I suppose.

Peach, Arugula, and Ricotta Pizza with (Optional) Balsamic Reduction - original recipes can be found here and here
(serves 4 people)

Dough:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp coarse salt

Place warm water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.  Stir to dissolve, then set aside 5 minutes, or until yeast is foamy.  Add olive oil, flour, and salt to yeast mixture.  Mix to combine.  Turn dough onto well floured surface, and knead for 2 minutes or until elastic.  Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in warm place for at least 30 minutes.  When ready to make pizza, turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick.

Pizza:

• 1 recipe pizza dough (from above)
• around 2/3 cup ricotta cheese, or enough to generously coat your whole pizza
• 3 ripe peaches, sliced (not peeled)
• 1/2 cup arugula
• Optional:  Balsamic reduction, to drizzle on top

Heat up grill until hot.  Evenly (and generously) coat your already rolled out pizza dough with the ricotta cheese, leaving about 1/2 inch empty around the sides.  Arrange peach slices (I did mine in flowers) around the whole pizza.  Cook pizza, on the back of a sheet pan, in grill for around 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the dough have browned and the cheese begins to bubble and melt.  Remove pizza from heat.  Sprinkle arugula evenly over top and drizzle with a bit of the balsamic reduction, if using.  Then, slice and serve.

I'm telling you, this pizza is the way to celebrate Cheese Pizza Day.

All your friends, with their "classic" greasy mozzarella cheese pizzas with be begging for a slice.  But don't worry, if you decided this pizza is too good to share, I won't tell anyone.  I promise.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Greek Pasta Salad

Peaches and Ice Cream

I'm gonna miss peaches.

They're one of those fruits that just isn't the same during the colder months.  Therefore, I'm trying to eat peaches as much as possible before summer draws to a close.

I've made crumbles, pizzas, salads, and, now, you're about to hear about my most recent creation:

Peaches and Ice Cream.

Simple, but heavenly, this summer treat will help you beat the heat, without weighing you down.  It's light, fruity, and, most importantly, super yummy.

Perfection on a spoon.

Peaches and Ice Cream
(makes one serving)

For the Ice Cream:  I used this recipe, which makes just one serving, and is very healthy as far as ice cream goes.  However, when making it, be aware of the type of milk you use because it strongly affects the flavor.  I made my ice cream with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and about 1 tbsp sugar, and I could definitely taste the almonds in the final product (though not in a bad way).  Feel free to use your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream, too, if you like.

For the Peaches: I simply cut up one peach and topped my ice cream with it.  It tasted amazing, though very simple.  If you want to get a bit fancier, one option could be making a peach compote and topping your ice cream with that.  Some whipped cream on top of the peaches would probably also taste really great.

I learned a long time ago that, when in the kitchen, simplicity is often the way to go.

If a recipe has 30 steps, it doesn't mean it's any better than one with 3, and most of the time, it's actually worse.  When dishes get over-complicated, all the great flavors of the ingredients you're working can get muddled and lost, creating something that's far less tasty than what it could have been.

Of course, that's not to say that a complex dish will taste bad.  When done right, it can taste amazing.

Unfortunately, i'm not really one of those people who can do it right.  My complicated meals usually end badly.  And with a lots of leftovers.

But simple?  Simple I can do.

And I'm gonna keep doing it, because when it ends in something like Peaches and Ice Cream, there is no good reason to stop.

(This post is also in honor of soft ice cream day, which is today!)

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Grilled Peach and Sausage Salad

No Bake Chocolate Bites

I seriously considered calling these "Highly Snack-able and Absurdly Tasty Chocolate Balls".

After all, that is a near perfect description.

Unfortunately, it's also a bit long for a title, and not exactly as, well, sophisticated, as I would like.

Although, I have to admit, it's way better than what my whole family was calling them at first, which was "Deer Poop".  Luckily, that name flew right out the door after everyone's first bite.

Something so delicious can simply not be referred to as poop, deer or otherwise.

Though it took some time (and some tasting), my family did eventually realize that.

And I know that, no matter what interesting words may be going through your head now, after your try these delicious little snacks, you will too.

Either that or you'll want to eat only animal droppings for the rest of you life.  Your choice.

To find the original recipe go here.  The only changes I made were to lower the chocolate chip amount to about 1/2 cup, and just freeze the balls instead of baking them.  Enjoy!

I think that these No Bake Chocolate Bites are living (ok, so maybe not living) proof that you shouldn't judge something by it's looks.

Because, I'm telling you.  They.  Are.  Amazing.

Like, "This is the only dessert I'm ever eating" good.

And since these Chocolate Bites are easy, relatively healthy, and don't even require time in the oven, they very well could be the only dessert you'll ever eat again.

Or, you could be like me, and instead just eat them alongside other desserts.

Yeah, that's usually my strategy :)

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Cake Cookies

Blueberry Tea Oatmeal

A warm breakfast during August is just not my cup of tea.

But this bowl of cold oatmeal certainly is.

Literally.

I've found a way to turn my favorite cold day breakfast into a delicious dish for summer!

That's right, my usual cup of steaming tea and oats has been turned into one big bowl of Blueberry Tea Oatmeal!

But don't crinkle up your nose yet.  This unusual breakfast is surprisingly tasty.

Blueberry Tea Oatmeal
(makes 1 serving)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (1 serving)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 Celestial Seasonings blueberry tea bag (or try another flavor of choice)
• Sweetener to taste
• Optional: Feel free to add in nuts, fruits, or spices

Do this step the night (or a couple of hours) before you want to enjoy the oatmeal:  In a large microwave safe bowl combine the oats, water, and tea bag*, and microwave for about 4 1/2 minutes, watching to be careful that the oatmeal does not spill over the top of your dish (If it is about to overflow, just open the microwave door or pause the microwave, and it should go down).  Leave oatmeal in closed microwave for another 5 minutes, then transfer to fridge and leave, uncovered, for the rest of the night.  The next morning (or a couple hours later), pour the oatmeal into a bowl and mix to get rid of any big clumps.  Add sweetener and any additional add-ins.  Dig in!

* For a less strong flavor, only use about half the tea bag.

It's funny how no matter what the season I still manage to incorporate rolled oats into my morning routine.  There's just nothing like a filling bowl of oatmeal to keep me going until lunch.

Plus, there's so much you can do with oatmeal.  It rarely gets boring when each day you can have something new.

I mean, who would have ever guessed that pouring a tea bag into oats would add a great new dimension of flavor?

Not me, that's for sure.  And yet, it does.

I highly encourage you to try this totally unique oatmeal recipe before summer ends.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Single Serving Mocha Fudge Cake

Which do you prefer:  Chocolate or Coffee?

Personally, I'm a chocolate girl who hates everything coffee.

That is, everything coffee, except this cake.

This was one of those recipes that I was sorta "ehhhh" about making.

I've never enjoyed the taste of coffee, and mocha has never been a favorite either, but I was really craving a photo shoot, and this was a super fast recipe.  Also, the rest of my family loves coffee, so at least the cake wouldn't go to waste if I didn't want it.

Normally, I would say that making a recipe you're not sure you'll enjoy is a bad idea.  However, this cake completely surprised me.

It tasted amazing!

With just a hint of coffee flavor, and tons of rich chocolate taste, it was perfect.  To me, it tasted almost like mocha fudge.

And fudge is never a bad thing.

To make this cake for yourself go to this link.  It's super fast and super easy!

All I changed was using only about 3 tsp sugar (and no stevia), and applesauce instead of oil.

If you're looking for a quick dessert, this is the recipe for you.

It yields just one fudgy little cake, in a matter of minutes, so you're craving for something sweet can be satisfied fast.

This mocha cake would also be good for anyone who only wants a light treat, instead of something super heavy, as it's quite healthy for a chocolate dessert.

When I made it, I was planning to save it for my family to try (because of their love for coffee and all), but it sort of "disappeared" right after the photo shoot.

Strange.

Don't blame me if the same thing happens to you!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

2 Brownie Recipe

Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai

Pad Thai really shouldn't be something you can only enjoy when having takeout.

It should be something you can enjoy anytime, guilt free.

That's right.  This is a healthy Pad Thai recipe that you can easily make at home on any day of the week.

No, you Thai food lovers out there, you're not dreaming.

First off I'd like to say that Pad Thai is not a  hard thing to make.  Some people may think of it as a difficult dish to prepare, but really, it's not.

I bet you could even make this in the time it would take the dish to be delivered from your favorite Thai restaurant.

There's also the added bonus that it's healthy.

Instead of your normal Pad Thai, which might contain chicken or shrimp, this one uses tofu and eggs, for a much lighter dish.

Although, even if you did use meat instead of tofu, this would still be a much healthier dish than that of a popular restaurant.

How's that for a great deal?

Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai -original recipe comes from here
(makes 4 servings)

• 8 ounces dried wide, flat rice noodles
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten (omit for vegan version)
• 1 package firm tofu, drained, thinly sliced, and patted dry
• 2 medium carrots, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt

1. Soak noodles according to directions on box.  Drain.  

2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, soy sauce, chili sauce, and brown sugar.

3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1/2 tsp olive oil over medium-high and tilt to coat pan.  Add eggs, swirling to coat bottom, and cook until just set (about 1 minute).  Transfer eggs to cutting board, roll up loosely, and cut into thin strips.

4. Add 4 tsp oil to skillet and heat.  Add tofu in a single layer, and cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping halfway through.  Move tofu to cutting board.

5. Add 1 1/2 tsp oil, carrots, garlic, and scallion whites to skillet, and cook until softened.  Add lime juice mixture and bring to simmer.  Add noodles and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.  Add eggs and tofu, and gently toss to combine.  Season with salt and top with scallion greens.  Serve while still warm.

*I had to double the ingredients in the sauce to get enough to coat everything to my liking.  You may or may not have to do this.

Enjoy!

I bet you won't ever order this from takeout again!

Revisited Recipe of the Day:


Black Bean and Brown Rice Veggie Burgers