Taco Bread

Taco Braid

Ingredients

1 canister refrigerated pizza crust

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 lb. Super Lean Ground Beef

3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning

1/2 cup water

1 cup Fiesta Blend shredded cheese, divided

1 tomato, diced, plus additional for top, if desired

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups chopped Romaine lettuce

Sour cream and taco sauce for serving, if desired

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

Place ingredients in a bowl or small jar and mix well.
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with parchment.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the Ground Beef and cook until brown. Add the Homemade Taco Seasoning and water and mix until well incorporated.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 - 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer the piece of parchment to your work surface.

Place the pizza dough on the parchment and roll it so that it measures 10 X 15 - inches. With a pizza cutter, make slices 1 1/2 - inches thick and 3 - inches in along both long sides of the dough.

Place the ground beef down the center of the dough. Cover the beef with 3/4 cup of cheese and then add the diced tomato.

Beginning at one end of the braid, fold the end up and wrap the first two slices over to secure it. Repeat the wrapping with the remaining slices just until the last two.

Fold the remaining end up and wrap the last two slices over it to secure. Gently brush the top and side with the melted butter.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese on top. Transfer the parchment on to the rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Cover with chopped Romaine lettuce and additional tomato, if desired. Serve with sour cream and taco sauce. Enjoy!

Perfect Pizza Crust

                                   

Perfect Pizza Crust

This is a recipe from King Arthur Flour.  I will say it truly is the perfect pizza crust!  My daughter Anne made Pizza for dinner Sunday evening and it truly was Perfect!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast

2 cups Artisan Bread Flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl.  Add flour and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface.  Knead until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky, about 5 minutes.  If dough is too sticky, knead in more flour until smooth, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat.  Let raise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Dough can be used immediately or refrigerated up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 500*F degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Divide dough and form each into a disk.  Place disks on prepared baking sheets.  Working from the center of each disk, gently press and stretch dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Add toppings and bake 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Makes two 10-inch pizzas.

Pizza Toppings
Arrtichoke Hearts, Asagio Cheese Anchovies, Banana Peppers, Black Olives, Broccoli, Canadian Bacon, Chicken, Fresh Basil, Garlic, Green Olives, Green or Red Peppers, Ground Beef, Italian Sausage, Jalapeños, Mushroom, Pepperoni, Pineapple, Proscuitto, Red onions, Smoked Gouda, Squash, Sundried Tomatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Zucchini.

Speicality Pizzas from Main Street 

Pizza And Noodle  Park City, Utah.

For the pizza crust, refer to the King Arthur recipe for the "Perfect Pizza Crust" on this blog.

House Speciality: 

Pesto Based mozzarella cheese, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp.

BBQ Chicken Pizza:

Sliced red onions, cilantro, smoked gouda, mozzarella cheese, shredded or diced chicken with BBQ sauce.

Hot And Spicey Soujthwest Burito Pizza:

Grilled chicken breast in lime and herbs with fire roasted chiles, Jalopena peppers, red onion, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.  Salsa, sour cream, and guacamole served on the side.

Focaccia Pizza:  

Garlic, olive oil, mozzarella, asagio, cheddar, fresh basil, fresh tomatoes.  No sauce.  

Cholesterol Hiker:  

Italian sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mozzarella cheese.

Maui Mama Pizza: 

Canadian bacon, crushed pineapple, mozzarella cheese. 

Sante Fe Chicken Pizza:

Grilled chicken breast marinated in lime and herbs, red onions, fresh cilantro, and a side of salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Mountain Garden Pizza:

Mixed bell peppers, red onions, mushrooms, black olives.  Made with or without cheese.

Five Cheese Pizza:

Smoked gouda, parmesan, feta, mozzarella, and asagio cheeses.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust

         CHICKPEA CRUST PIZZA MARGHERITA

If you want slightly crispier crusts, bake the pizza shells in the middle of the oven for 5 minutes before topping them.

Start to finish: 1 hour
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
5 ounces coarsely shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil

*

Directions:

Into a medium bowl, sift together the chickpea flour, table salt and pepper. Add 1/3 cup of water and whisk until the mixture has the consistency of a smooth paste. Add the remaining 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking until the batter is smooth with each addition. Let stand for 30 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

In a colander, toss the tomatoes with the kosher salt. Set over the sink or a large bowl and let drain for 15 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to dry, then in a medium bowl combine them with the garlic.

Heat the oven to 400 F.

In a 10-inch nonstick or stick-resistant skillet over very high, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil. Whisk the batter and add a quarter of it (about 1/2 cup) to the skillet. Tip the pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-high. Drizzle 2 teaspoons of the oil on top of the pancake, spreading it with a rubber spatula and cook the pancake until nicely browned on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Peek underneath the pancake to see if it is browned. Do not attempt to flip it until it is browned.

Flip the pancake and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned on the second side (it will not brown as much on the second side). Transfer the pancake to a sheet pan, browner side down. Repeat the procedure with the remaining batter and oil to make 3 more pancakes, transferring them as they are done to the sheet pan. You will need 2 sheet pans.

Divide the tomatoes among the 4 pizza crusts, then top each with a quarter of the cheese. Bake the pizzas in the middle of the oven for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Cut the pizzas into wedges, sprinkle the basil on top and serve immediately.

Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories; 200 calories from fat (54 percent of total calories); 22 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 690 mg sodium; 24 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 17 g protein.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals" and has written three cookbooks, including "Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners."