We’ve been big pizza-eaters around here, lately, so the timing for this assignment couldn’t have been better!

To review, Michelle over at Big Black Dog, organized a group to bake from the book by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Our assignment was to make a batch of the Whole Wheat Olive Oil Bread and make several things, including pizza!

This one’s oven-baked, as we don’t have an outdoor gas grill, just at the moment. Actually, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve had one. Sucks. I’ve always wanted to try grilling pizza, and it will happen, someday. But I digress.

This dough was pretty easy to work with, although I’m now in the habit of wearing disposable gloves when I do so. The instructions say to roll it out using flour to keep it from sticking, but I prefer good old corn meal for that purpose. Corn meal doesn’t get absorbed by the dough, therefore making it easier to move the dough disk around, and gives a nice, crispy bottom crust – a texture I’m fond of.

I baked this directly on the stone, loading it up with mozzarella cheese, raw spinach, and sliced tomatoes. I sprinkled some salt, pepper and garlic powder over the spinach leaves before placing the tomatoes, thereby getting both the spinach and tomatoes seasoned, without burning. The spinach cooks nicely, picking up moisture from both the cheese beneath it, and the tomatoes above it. Lastly, I sprinkled a little extra virgin olive oil on the top.

I’ll definitely make this again, trying to get the crust a bit thinner. If you’re not used to whole wheat pizza crust, the taste will kind of throw you off, initially. But after the first couple of bites – especially with delicious toppings – your palate will become accustomed pretty quickly.

Here’s a favorite healthy brunch option that I love – all food groups in one place, all the flavor, none of the deprivation!

Brie Strata

Ingredients:

2 tbs. Olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 medium green or yellow pepper, roughly chopped
4 ounces Mushrooms (any variety) sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 6 ounce bag baby spinach
1 roasted red pepper (can be jarred), roughly diced
1 16 ounce bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
8 eggs (or 4 eggs plus 1 cup liquid egg substitute)
2 cups milk
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1 7.7 ounce Brie round(cold)

Preparation:
Sautee onions, mushrooms, garlic and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until soft, and onions are translucent. Add spinach, and continue cooking until wilted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add roasted red peppers and stir until combined.

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and spread hash browns to cover the bottom of the dish evenly.

Cut the Brie (which should be cold) in half and put one half back in the refrigerator. Cut the other half into small cubes (no need to trim off the rind) and mix in with the vegetables. Cover the hash browns with the vegetable /cheese mixture, spreading evenly.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and pour over the vegetable/cheese mixture. Refrigerate overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the remaining half Brie thinly (again, no need to trim off the rind) and arrange on the top of the casserole. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Top should be browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

If you skipped yesterday’s posts hoping I’d move on to a happier subject today, you’re in luck!

I’m on a healthy cooking kick lately, most of which seems to be occurring over the weekend. If something works out, Mondays are the logical time to share that with you. Mostly so I’m forced to write it down and remember what I did. I can’t promise a new recipe every Monday – or even any kind of post, for that matter – but, hey! This makes 3 in a row… I think it’s a trend. At least it’s not a muffin!

Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pasta
– Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs Smart Balance or butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped in large, coarse pieces
1 medium onion, cut in large dice
1 box whole grain short pasta (e.g., rotini)
1 package baby spinach
1 14-1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese to garnish

In a small sauté pan, heat olive oil and Smart Balance (or butter) together over medium-low heat.

Add the garlic, onion, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Stir together and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package directions to al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Add the uncooked baby spinach to the hot, cooked pasta, pour the hot oil with the onion and garlic over the top, and toss together.

Turn the heat back on to medium, add the diced tomatoes, stir to combine, and cover the pot. Heat for an additional 4 minutes. Serve it up with a little grated parmesan on top, and enjoy!

I’m really liking these new whole grain pastas that are on the market now. They’re not as tough as the old whole wheat versions, they’re high in protein and fiber, and have much better-balanced carbs. I used the Barilla Whole Grain Rotini here, but Ronzoni also makes some good ones, and you can use anything that looks good to you – even a long pasta, if you like.

I’m also fond of those bags of baby spinach you find in the salad section of the store. It’s completely clean, tender, and so quick that, as in this recipe, you hardly need any direct heat to cook it.

What about the oil? Olive oil, as well as being tasty, is one of those healthy, monounsaturated fats. From Wikipedia: “Unlike the high amount of animal fats typical to the American diet, olive oil lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. It is also known to lower blood sugar levels and blood pressure. Olive oil contains the monounsaturated fat, oleic acid which has antioxidants such as vitamin E and carotenoids, and oleuropein, a chemical that prevents the oxidation of LDL particles. It is these properties that are thought to contribute to the health benefits of olive oil. Research indicates olive oil prevents peptic ulcers and is effective in treatment of peptic ulcer disease, and may be a factor in preventing cancer.” So, while it is a fat, it’s one of the good guys!

This is really quick to throw together on a weeknight, and – served with a salad, maybe some garlic bread – a completely nutritious meal – especially if you want to go meatless one or two nights a week.