Veggie Pizza

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Simple Sensations: Veggie Pizza!  Now don’t get this confused with your typical pizza parlor favorite. This particular dish is served cold as an appetizer or a side dish. And it’s easy to bake-and-take for cookouts and picnics. One recipe serves 24 easily, giving you enough for that second helping. 

VEGGIE PIZZA 

Ingredients:

2 8-ounce cans of Crescent rolls

2 8-ounce blocks of Neufchâtel cheese

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1 cucumber, peeled, cut-up, and seeds removed

1 small head of broccoli florets

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Unroll dough and press out onto an ungreased 11 1/2″ x 17″ baking sheet to form a crust. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. In a small bowl, mix Neufchâtel cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch mix until smooth. Spread evenly on cooled crust. Layer cheese mixture with cucumber, broccoli, and carrots. Press lightly. Top with cheddar cheese. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut into small bars or triangles. 

Veggie Burger

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Equal Measures: Veggie Burger! For a quarter-pounder without all the fat, substitute red meat for black beans instead. Sound crazy? Actually, I conducted a little taste test on my husband recently. By using mashed black beans, onion, green pepper, egg, and bread crumbs, it seemed more like a meatloaf than a burger. It kinda did. The texture was the same and they fried up real nice in the iron skillet. By the time we added lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle, we practically did a double-take on the finished product. Go all out and slide it between a brioche bun. The veggie burger definitely crossed the finish line at the dinner table. Now that’s delicious.

VEGGIE BURGER

Ingredients:

16-ounce can organic black beans, drained and rinsed well

1/2 green pepper

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

3 drops sriracha sauce

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Butter for frying

Brioche hamburger buns

Condiments, per taste

Instructions:

Using a food processor set on Pulse, mash black beans until thick and chunky. Transfer to a bowl. Next, combine green pepper, yellow onion, and minced garlic in the food processor. Chop into small pieces. Stir into the black beans. Add egg, chili powder, cumin, and sriracha sauce. Mix well. Add bread crumbs. Mix together with gloved hands until consistency is dense enough to form into patties. Melt butter in an iron skillet over medium heat. Place patties into skillet and cook about 7-8 minutes until a crispy outer edge is present. Flip and cook 7-8 minutes longer. Serve with condiments of choice on a brioche bun.

Veggie Burger

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Equal Measures: Veggie Burger! For a quarter-pounder without all the fat, substitute red meat for black beans instead. Sound crazy? Actually, I conducted a little taste test on my husband recently. By using mashed black beans, onion, green pepper, egg, and bread crumbs, it seemed more like a meatloaf than a burger. It kinda did. The texture was the same and they fried up real nice in the iron skillet. By the time we added lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle, we practically did a double-take on the finished product. Go all out and slide it between a brioche bun. The veggie burger definitely crossed the finish line at the dinner table. Now that’s delicious.

VEGGIE BURGER

Ingredients:

16-ounce can organic black beans, drained and rinsed well

1/2 green pepper

1/2 yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

3 drops sriracha sauce

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Butter for frying

Brioche hamburger buns

Condiments, per taste

Instructions:

Using a food processor set on Pulse, mash black beans until thick and chunky. Transfer to a bowl. Next, combine green pepper, yellow onion, and minced garlic in the food processor. Chop into small pieces. Stir into the black beans. Add egg, chili powder, cumin, and sriracha sauce. Mix well. Add bread crumbs. Mix together with gloved hands until consistency is dense enough to form into patties. Melt butter in an iron skillet over medium heat. Place patties into skillet and cook about 7-8 minutes until a crispy outer edge is present. Flip and cook 7-8 minutes longer. Serve with condiments of choice on a brioche bun.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter V

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Simple Sensations: Veggie Pizza! Now don’t get this confused with your typical pizza parlor favorite. This particular dish is served cold as an appetizer or a side dish. And it’s easy to bake-and-take for cookouts and picnics. One recipe serves 24 easily, giving you enough for that second helping. 
VEGGIE PIZZA 
Ingredients:

2 8-ounce cans of Crescent rolls

2 8-ounce blocks of Neufchâtel cheese

1 cup mayonnaise 

1 package dry Ranch dressing mix

1 cucumber, peeled, cut-up, and seeds removed

1 small head of broccoli florets

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Unroll dough and press out onto an ungreased 11 1/2″ x 17″ baking sheet to form a crust. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely. In a small bowl, mix Neufchâtel cheese, mayonnaise, and dry Ranch mix until smooth. Spread evenly on cooled crust. Layer cheese mixture with cucumber, broccoli, and carrots. Press lightly. Top with cheddar cheese. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Cut into small bars or triangles.