Veggie Pizza (no pizza stone necessary)

Homemade pizza is a satisfying meal because you can put whatever you want on it! For this run through, we went with veggie toppings and a delicious garlic and herb crust from Trader Joe's. 

The instructions on most pizza dough call for a pizza stone, but don't offer any tips if you don't have one. Having limited space, we went about trying to find the best way to achieve the same crispy crust. Pre-baking the crust is key!

Prep time: 40  minutes
Cook time: 17-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 orange pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1 package pizza dough

Lightly flour a surface and rest the dough out of its packaging for 20-30 minutes. 

Pre-heat the oven to 400. When the dough is ready, roll it out to about a 11x17 rectangle. Place the dough on a greased 11x17 pan. Bake the dough for 8-9 minutes. 

Pan fry the peppers, spinach and onion for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are slightly browned. 

Cool the dough for about 10 minutes, then evenly spread the sauce. Sprinkle 2/3 of the cheese, and spread the vegetable toppings. Top with the remaining cheese. 

Bake the pizza for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese starts to bubble.

No-bake Pralines

A trip to NOLA isn't complete without a visit to Southern Candymakers on Decatur St. We had our first, right off the stove pralines from them in 2009 and have always made it a stop when in the city. 

This praline recipe is from The Kitchn and helped us satisfy cravings when not in the Big Easy. Since this is our first foray into candy making, we followed it closely, but included some tips for first timers below. 

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups  white sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup whole milk (but it seems 2% is fine)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped

Absolutely essential equipment:

• Candy thermometer, because 220°F looks like 240°F and you don't want underdone candy
• Silicon spatula for stirring
• Deep pot for the mixture
• Parchment paper, foil or a silicon mat to cool the pralines

Place a long sheet of parchment paper where you want the pralines to set. A silicon mat works too. Have a ladle in the same area, and an extra spoon in case you need to scrape the candy from the ladle. 

You'll need a fairly deep pot for the candy and a silicon spatula to stir. The candy stuck too much to wooden spoons!

Combine all the ingredients in the pot and heat over medium-high heat, stirring to ensure the butter melts. Once the mixture starts to boil, stir constantly. You'll notice the mixture become cloudy and it will start to thicken. After about 5 minutes, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. The candy will be ready at 240°F.

When the mixture reaches 240, take it off the heat, but keep stirring. Using your ladle, drop small to medium spoonfuls of the candy on the parchment. Cool the pralines for at least 10 minutes then enjoy! These will keep for 5-7 days in an airtight container, but are the most delicious as soon as they cool!

Whole Wheat Couscous with White Beans, Tomatoes, Spinach and Red Peppers

We're kicking of 2013 with a vegetarian recipe, to help any New Years resolutions out there. We've never dealt with couscous before, but this recipe has us clamoring for more. This is easy, fast and makes a lot of food. Good thing it heats up well, as you will definitely have leftovers. This recipe yields about 8-10 servings. 

To make this part of a healthy meal, try pairing it with corn bread (yum), a side salad or soup. 

Prep time: 10-12 minutes minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

•  olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 bag (about 6 oz) of baby spinach, roughly cut
• 2 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-2.5 cups cherry or grape  tomatoes, each cut in half
• 1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 cup of uncooked couscous (whole wheat is a great choice if it's available)
• Salt, red pepper flakes and sriracha, to taste
• 1 tsp cumin 

Make the couscous according to the directions. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil and saute the onions until translucent in medium high heat. Add the tomatoes, red pepper and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sriacha and cumin. 

Lower the heat and add the couscous. Mix until well combined. Serve hot and with you choice of sides.