Black Bean Pizza

The other night I decided to make pizza for dinner but I wanted something  a little different than the red sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni pizza that we ALWAYS have over here. When I told my husband I was craving Black Bean pizza he looked at me crazy and said, "That's a pregnancy craving!" and did NOT look too excited about said pizza. In the end he admitted that it was good and different than what he had expected. I think next time we make this we might put more of a Mexican flare to the flavor of the bean mixture by using diced tomatoes with chilies instead of Italian style and add salsa and sour cream on the side.

I have a fail proof, EASY, yummy recipe for pizza dough that I have used for a couple of years now that I will share with you too! Just follow this link.




Black Bean Pizza from Allrecipes


1 can refrigerated pizza crust (or use recipe above, much better!!)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup zucchini, finely chopped
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided

Press dough into a greased 15in x 10in x 1in baking pan (I just used the pizza pan pictured above). Bake at 425 degrees F for 4-6 minutes or until crust just begins to brown. (I did this step with the homemade crust too, just make sure you poke holes in the crust with a fork before it goes in and brush it with olive oil if desired).

Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add zucchini; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the beans and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes; drain. Sprinkle 2/3 cup of cheese over crust (I skipped this step). Top with bean mixture and remaining cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

This is my "go to" recipe for pizza crust or calzones. The original recipe calls for all white flour but I add some wheat in, so I changed the recipe to reflect that. Either way you have a very yummy, EASY recipe for pizza dough. Enjoy!


Whole Wheat Pizza Crust lightly adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)
1 1/4 oz packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

Place 1 1/2 cups warm water in a medium bowl. Stir in the yeast and sugar and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl combine 2 cups wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, and the salt. Make a well in the center, pour the yeast mixture in and stir with a wooden spoon. Add as much extra white flour as needed to make the dough to form a ball, but still be a little bit sticky.

Transfer to a floured work surface and dust with some of the remaining flour. Knead for 7 to 8 minutes, adding flour a little at a time as needed until the dough is smooth and springy. Wash and dry the bowl, then lightly grease with oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a moist dish towel, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour if your room isn't drafty.

After it's done rising turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. If you like "normal" pizza crust, not too thick or thin, spread it into a 9x13 inch pan. If you like thin crust divide the dough into two and use two 14 inch round pizza pans. Or use whatever pans you have in your house! If you like thick crust use the whole recipe on one round pizza pan. Really, this recipe can be so flexible with pan size and thickness, so find what works for YOU!

Before baking use a fork to poke holes in the crust, and if desired brush lightly with olive oil. Now you can either top your pizza and bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees, or pre-bake your crust for about 10 minutes before topping it and put it back in for about 5 minutes until your cheese is bubbly and melted.