Pitziki

I’ve been toying with the idea of this recipe ever since having something similar at a local restaurant.  Although they top their version with sausage and pancetta, I think my version is just as tasty.  You really could do a variety of toppings on this one, for example, if I wasn’t cooking for a certain person who doesn’t like mushrooms or caramelized onions, I would have definitely added those two ingredients!

Pizza dough (I love the whole wheat pre-made refrigerated pizza dough at Trader Joe’s.)
1 12 oz container of Tzatziki (Again, Trader Joe’s has a great Tzatziki!)
Shredded Mozzarella
Crumbled Feta (If you can find the kind that has added mediterranean herbs, get that! And just in case: Trader Joe’s has a great one!)
Artichoke Hearts
Kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 450 and roll pizza dough out on floured surface. Cook pizza dough at 450 for a few minutes.  Remove from oven and top with Tzatziki, then shredded mozzarella. (Really, use as much as you want. I did a fairly thin layer covering the entire pizza.) Top with sliced olives and artichoke hearts, then sprinkle with feta.  Bake until the crust and cheese is slightly brown, took about ten minutes for me. Enjoy!!! I’m looking forward to the leftovers for dinner tonight!

Caprese Lasagna

I love love love Caprese…Tomato, mozzarella and basil together are a little taste of heaven. I’ve played around with the combination and come up with a variety of pastas and salads.  Tonight, I decided to try lasagna, and I have to say it was a success!

This made 8 servings of lasagna in an 8 x 12 pan. If you want to use a 9 x 13, increase the amount of noodles to 12 and I’d add an extra chopped tomato.

1 medium-large sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 – 4 tomatoes, chopped

1 – 2 tomatoes, sliced

9 lasagna noodles (I used whole wheat)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 package fresh, whole milk mozzarella, sliced

Fresh basil, chopped

In frying pan, saute onions on medium heat in olive oil.  (If you have extra calories to burn, add a little butter. If you cook while drinking wine, like me, pour a little of that in, too!) When onions are transluscent and soft, add tomatoes and continue to heat, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are softened, about 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt. I added a few dashes of dried basil, oregano and thyme. Feel free to sprinkle in any dried Italian seasonings you like, or don’t! It’s up to you.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook until they are al dente, about 8 minutes. Rinse with cold water and lay flat on a paper towel until ready to use.

Spray your baking sheet with cooking spray.  Layer 3 noodles across the bottom of pan. Top with half the tomato/onion mix, 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, and chopped  basil.

Repeat noodles, tomatoes/onion, shredded mozzarella and basil one more time, then top with last 3 noodles.

Lay sliced tomato and sliced mozzarella on noodles and sprinkle with remaining basil.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour. Enjoy!