Summer Veggie Pizza

I came up with this recipe and I am so proud of myself! I think the most wonderful thing about experimenting with making a recipe, is when it actually turns out to be a success. That's never guaranteed, especially if you've got one in mind but have never even consulted a recipe before making it. With this recipe, I knew I'd need to make a tried-and-true pizza dough, because I'm just not cool enough to come up with one on my own. But otherwise, I figured with a little knowledge from here and there, I was armed and capable to pull together the toppings and that I would *hopefully* be successful.





This basically became a "how do I get these things out of my fridge" recipe, to ensure using a bunch of fresh veggies before heading out for a long weekend. I had used a little bit of each of the things on this pizza for other recipes, but couldn't determine what to do with the leftovers. That's where the idea of this veggie pizza was born. Talk about an easy way to get rid of a smattering of leftover foods! I got lucky it turned out so well. I recommend you purposely try this recipe while all these veggies are in season. If nothing else, make this new honey-wheat dough because it is amazing!!!!



Cooking Notes: I shouldn't have cooking notes for an original recipe, but I do! I didn't have any garlic for some reason, so I subbed garlic powder. However, I really wanted to use regular garlic, so I included that below. I also recommend using Mozzarella cheese, but I only had a Mexican blend on hand so that's why I used!

Summer Veggie Pizza (serves 4-6)
1 helping of honey wheat pizza dough (see below) 
1/2 bunch kale
1/2 head red cabbage
2 small yellow squash
2 jalapenos, deseeded and diced
2 cloves garlic
1 small green bell pepper
3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp olive oil, separated
S&P
1 tsp Italian seasoning



Begin by preparing honey wheat pizza dough (see recipe below).

Tear kale leaves and place in a colander. Chop red cabbage and place with kale, rinsing thoroughly. Allow a few minutes to dry out slightly. Slice squash into circles. Deseed and dice jalapenos; mince garlic. Slice bell pepper into thin strips.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute olive oil with the jalapeno and garlic. After 1 minute, add the squash circles and continue to saute for 2-3 minutes. Next add the kale and red cabbage, cooking until wilted. Add S&P as desired. Remove from heat.

Begin to preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle a pizza stone or large baking sheet with cornmeal, then spread the honey wheat dough out, gently pulling into a large circle shape. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle on Italian seasoning and sprinkle on cheese. Spoon veggie mixture over prepared honey wheat dough. Place squash circles on top with salad tongs. Add bell pepper slices and fresh chopped basil/oregano leaves. Once oven is heated, place pizza in oven for 15 minutes or until the edges are brown. Serve immediately and store leftovers in refrigerator, reheating when ready to eat. Enjoy!





Honey Wheat Pizza Dough (from Budget Bytes; makes 1 pizza)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup water
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp yeast
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

In a small bowl, stir together the warm water, honey and yeast. Let it sit for 3-5 minutes or until very frothy on top. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture. Next, stir one cup of whole wheat flour into the wet ingredients until evenly mixed. Stir in the all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you can no longer stir with a spoon.

Turn the ball of dough out on a floured surface and continue to add in and knead the all purpose flour until the ball of dough is stretchy and soft, but not sticky (3-5 minutes of kneading). You'll ultimately use 1-2 cups of all-purpose flour. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray (or grease with Crisco) and place the ball of dough inside. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

To shape, remove it from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Press the dough down into a large circle, then transfer to a pizza stone. Top pizza with ingredients and bake in a 450 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Honey Wheat Pizza Dough