Grilled Pizza

I've made pizza dough several times with both white and wheat flour and none of them turned out as good as this recipe. The crust was buttery and light and so good. I recommend letting the dough rise for the full 3 hours in order to get the right consistency. I've used quick rise yeasts they say the dough rises in 20 minutes and they never turn out that good.

• 1 cup warm water (105 - 115)
• 1 package active yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

Combine the water, yeast and sugar and let sit for about 5 minutes. The yeast will begin to puff up and foam.

*Note - be sure the water is the right temp. IF the water is too hot it may kill the yeast. Also if the yeast does not foam up then it may be dead. Start with another package. Use wheat or whole grain flour for a healthier choice!

Combine the flour and salt in a stand mixer fixed with a dough hook. You can also mead by hand if you do not have a mixer. Once the yeast mixture has started to foam, add the oil to the yeast, then add to the flour and mix on low for about 10 minutes. Once combined form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or towel and place in a warm place for 2 hours to rise. After 2 hours, punch the dough down in the middle and divide into four sections. Form each section into a ball and pinch the bottom. Place each section in another greased bowl and let rise for another hour. When ready, you can roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or you can just use your hands to form into a small pizza round.

*Note - you can cover any left over dough in plastic wrap and freeze.

Preheat your grill on one side to Med-High, the other on low heat. Place the dough on the med-high side and close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. The dough will bubble up and get good grill marks. Then flip over to the low heat side and brush with olive oil and salt. Place your toppings on and cook until the cheese melts. See toppings and sauce suggestions below.

Pizza Sauce

• 1 can of low sodium diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of minced yellow onion
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp flour
• Pinch red pepper flake
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan heat the oil and add the garlic and onions and saute over med-low heat. Add the seasons and tomatoes and simmer for about 25 minutes. In a separate dish combine the butter and flour and mash together then stir into the sauce. Let cook another 5 minutes. I use a potato masher to mash the tomatoes down...or you can blend them in a processor. You can also avoid the flour and butter all together and thicken with a tablespoon of tomato paste.

SUGGESTIONS:

(pictured)
Italian Sausage
Red Pepper
Shredded Mozzarella
Crimini Mushrooms
Fresh Basil

Roasted Veggies
Zucchini
Orange/red peppers
Mushrooms
Red Onion
Crumbled Goat cheese
Fresh Basil

Fresh Mozzarella
Fresh Basil

Asian-Style Ribs with BBQ Hoison Sauce

Dry Rub

• 2 (4lb) rack of pork spareribs
• 1 tbls Kosher Salt
  1 tbls Garlic Powder
• 1 tbls Chili Powder
• 1tsp Ground Pepper
• Canola Oil

For the Sauce

• 1 cup Lite Soy Sauce
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup Hoison Sauce
• 1/4 cup Ketcup
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 3 tbls Rice Wine Vinegar (substitute with Red Wine Vinegar)
• 2 cloves chopped garlic - smashed

Preheat your grill to medium-low heat. Rinse the ribs thoroughly and pat dry. Place each slab, bone-side down on its own large piece of heavy duty foil that is large enough to wrap over the ribs. Mix the dry rub spices together and rub onto each slab until well seasoned. (I usually only season one side of the ribs). Lightly drizzle oil over each slab. Bring together the sides of the foil over the ribs and fold over...then wrap up the sides so that the ribs are nicely wrapped in the foil and ensure that none of the ribs are exposed. Place the ribs on the grill and cook on one side for 30 minutes, then flip for another 30 minutes.

While the ribs are cooking...make the BBQ Hoison sauce. In a small sauce pan, bring together the sauce ingredients over medium-low heat. Simmer for about 30-35 minutes or until the sauce has reduced to a thick/BBQ-like consistency.

After an hour of cooking the ribs, remove the foil from the ribs and place back on the grill over high heat. Brush the ribs liberally with the sauce and grill for 5 minutes for each side until sauce starts to caramelize.

You can garnish with sesame seeds and/or chopped scallions....serve!

*Need a side dish? Check out Zucchini Rice....coming soon.

Greek CousCous Salad

This is a perfect salad that can be served hot, cold or even room temp and everyone seems to really enjoy it even if they do not prefer some of the ingredients. I usually serve this salad chilled and of course it pairs great with a cold beer or glass of Pinot Grigio...hope you like it! OH...and it's the easiest too!

• 1 box plain couscous
• 1/4 cup of kalamatta olives (pitted and sliced in halve)
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 block of reduced-fat feta cheese
• 1 small bag of frozen spinach - thawed
• 1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of Greek Seasoning (Kosher salt, garlic powder, lemon, black pepper, oregano, marjoram)
• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup kalamatta olive juice
• Salt & Pepper

**If you do not have Greek Seasoning you can substitute with Greek Vinaigrette dressing by using a half bottle and skip the olive oil as well.

Cook the couscous according to the directions. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl bring together the olives, tomatoes, onions, spinach and the feta by crumbling or as large cubes. Once the couscous has cooled, fluff with a fork and add to the rest of the ingredients. Add the olive oil, olive juice and seasonings and lightly mix together until everything looks well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.....then serve or chill first!

I've also added grilled chicken to this as well!

ENJOY!