Taco Braid + PB & J Braid

I couldn't resist this recipe when I read it on the girl who ate everything.

Use this pizza dough recipe (from the previous post) then divide in two. (one half for each braid.)

Taco Braid

4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 to 1 lb. ground turkey, beef, or sausage, cooked and seasoned with a taco seasoning mix

1 15 oz. can black beans

1 cup of shredded cheese

olive oil

garlic salt

Spray counter and hands with cooking spray and knead dough for a few seconds to form a smooth ball. Roll dough into a 15-inch rectangle. Place on a greased cookie sheet. (It's very important to place the dough on the cookie sheet before you fill it because once you fill it, it will be too heavy to move onto the cookie sheet.) Spread cream cheese lengthwise down center third of rectangle., salsa, then seasoned meat and black beans. Sprinkle with cheese. On each long side, cut 1 inch wide strips about 2 1/2 inches into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack or cutting board with a couple spatula's. Garnish with Sour cream, avocado slices, and cilantro.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Braid

(use the other half of the pizza dough)

Peanut butter, creamy or crunchy (we used about 1 1/2 cups

Favorite flavor of Jelly (we used about 1 cup)

Roll dough out into a 15 inch rectangle (fit it to a cookie sheet) and put it onto the cookie sheet. Spread the peanut butter, then the jelly down the center third of the dough. On each long side, cut 1 inch wide strips about 2 1/2 inches into center. Starting at one end, fold alternating strips at an angle across filling. PInch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack or cutting board with a couple spatula's. Enjoy! (this one goes best with a glass of milk)

Pizza dough

(homemade veggie/cheese pizza)

1 1/2 cups very warm water

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

4 cups flour

in a large mixing bowl dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Foam should form on top. Whisk in salt, olive oil, and 1 cup flour. Whisk in 2nd cup of flour. At this point put add the last two cups of flour as you gradually mix, or in a Bosh / Kitchen-aid with the dough hook attachment. If your dough is too sticky, add flour a little bit at a time until dough forms a ball. Knead for 5 minutes by mixer, or 10 minutes by hand. Place dough in oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour in a warm place until double in size. Punch down dough and divide into two parts. Each half will make a 12 inch pizza, If using this Assemble desired amount of sauce, cheese and toppings, then let bake at 450 for 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is starting to brown and crust is golden. Pizza stone's dusted with cornmeal seem to produce the best results!

this recipe adapted from The Sister's Cafe. Thank you "Sisters"!

Taco Pizza

My niece came to stay with me a few weeks ago and together we experimented and just came up with this meal. It was actually super good! If any of you have other taco pizza recipe's please post them because I would love to try it! 

Ingredients:

Either store-bought dough/crust, or use 1/4 of the dough from this recipe

1 lb. ground beef/turkey

1/2 diced white onion

2/3 packet of taco seasoning

1 can refried beans

1/2 cup salsa

2-4 cups of mozzarella cheese (however much you like)

diced tomatoes*

crisp chopped iceberg lettuce*

sliced avocados*

sliced olives*

green onions*

Pizza instructions :

If you make home made dough, roll it out onto a large cookie sheet  and bake it for 10 minutes at 350. When it comes out of the oven it will be only partially cooked.  While it is cooking brown the meat and onion with the taco seasoning. Then combine the refried beans with the salsa. When the crust comes out of the oven, spread it with the bean/salsa mixture. Then top it evenly with the browned meat. Cover with however much cheese you like. Increase the oven temp to 400  and throw the pizza in there for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. When you take it out, give it a minute to cool down, then top it with whatever you like on your taco's. 

It also sounds good to drizzle the finished pizza with a small amount of ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Pita Pizza

Why did I not try this until now? (even though Melissa submitted a recipe for it 8 months ago!?)

you will need:

Pita bread

Marinara sauce or BBQ sauce

Mozzarella cheese

pizza toppings, whatever you like.

COULD THIS BE ANY EASIER? Seriously, they were so yummy too! The baked pita bread tastes like real pizza dough. I bought some pita bread on a whim at Costco (10 for $2.80) I assembled the pizza's, (Jayma and her friend were so excited to make their own) and put them in the oven on 425 for 9 minutes. I will be making these more often!

Cilantro Chicken Pizza

1 Pound pizza or scone dough (I buy mine at the deli at Dicks or Bowmans)

1/2 bunch cilantro, de-stemmed and finely chopped

3 T olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic, finely grated or diced

2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 or 2 tomatoes diced

salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to taste

1 1/2 to 2 cups smoked provolone (or mozzarella) cheese

*Preheat oven to 400. Roll out dough and cover a greased rectangle cookie sheet with it. Brush olive oil on the dough. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, pepper oregano and basil. Top with cilantro. Sprinkle on half of the cheese, then the chicken and tomatoes. Then add the rest of the cheese. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve with fresh avocado slices on top.

Individual BBQ Chicken Pizzas

Cooked chicken: cut into strips or chunks
BBQ sauce
Shredded cheese: mozzarella and/or cheddar
Whole wheat pita bread

Spread desired amount of BBQ sauce on top of pita bread, sprinkle on some shredded cheese, then put on strips of chicken and sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Bake several on cookie sheet at 350* for about 8-10 min till desired crispiness.
Dinner is done in about 15min total!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 plum tomato, diced
1 can black beans
1 cup (or can) corn
1 pound prepared pizza dough
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
grilled chicken

Combine tomato, beans, and corn in a medium bowl. Prepare pizza crust as you like it or use store bought. Spread BBQ sauce on, then cheese, and then add chicken and black bean mixture. Cook in oven 350 for 30 minutes.