Mango Salsa

After a big lull in blog posting due to a lack of time and sleep, I am determined to get at least 2 posted soon.  Bennett has gone from scooting to basically crawling, and I have no documentation since I use my blog as our only baby book (Lincoln actually has a paper baby book, but the only parts filled in are from his birth...).  But first, a recipe.  

I have a bunch of recipes just waiting to be published, but this one seemed the most timely since tomatoes should be in season (not here of course...you have to have weather under 100 degrees to have tomatoes).  I DO have peppers, though!  So the above salsa was made with red bell peppers and jalapeños from my garden and tomatoes from my mom and dad's garden (mom was visiting from Omaha).

Printable Recipe Here!

Mango Salsa

adapted from a recipe of my brother's

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, rough chopped

1 small, sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 sweet pepper (red, yellow, or orange), diced

2 jalapeños, diced (use more if you like a hotter salsa)

1-2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, minced

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Combine mango, tomatoes, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, and jalapeños in a bowl.

2.  Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.  Pour over vegetable mix and stir to coat.  Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with tortilla chips!

Spinach, feta, and red pepper alfredo pizza

This is based off a delicious slice of pizza I had from Whole Foods when I was up in Omaha visiting one time. Sadly, we don't live close enough to the Whole Foods in Houston (wait, I think there are maybe 2 now?) to visit very often (read: ever).  Whole Food is actually a Texas based company (Austin).  Houston is the 4th largest city in America.  And yet...we have only 2 Whole Foods and no Trader Joe's (booooo!).  So, since I don't have ready access to this pizza, I had to try my hands at duplication.  I think it turned out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself!

Note:  This makes extra alfredo sauce.  I freeze it in the snack size ziplock bags--5 Tbsp. per bag.  That way I have sauce ready to go when I want to make this again.  You could also use it on pasta the next night and get two meals out of it...

Print Friendly Version (NEW!!!)

Spinach, Feta, and Red Pepper Alfredo Pizza
created by Kelly (http://ourlincolnlog.blogspot.com), but based off recipes from Money Saving Mom and The Picky Apple.


Ingredients:
Pizza Crust (use your favorite recipe, or see the one I use below)

Alfredo Sauce:
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup milk (2% or whole)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or pecarino romano)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
dash of black pepper

Toppings:
~1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (highly recommend grating your own cheese!  Buy the ball of mozzarella instead of the prepackaged shredded cheese--it melts AND tastes better!)
1/2 cup baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, thinly sliced (I buy these from the olive bar in the deli area at my grocery store.  You can also find them jarred in the specialty Italian section, or you can roast your own)
1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven while the oven preheats so it is warm.  If you are using a metal pan, spray it with cooking spray.
2.  Prepare the crust dough (see recipe below if needed)
3.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on the stove over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk, adding a little add a time.  As it thickens, stir in the cheese.  Remove from heat.
4.  Roll out the dough into a circle big enough for your pan.  Place dough on hot pizza stone (you can sprinkle corn meal first, if you want) or your prepared metal pan.  Spoon the alfredo sauce on top--I use about 5 Tbsp. for my pizzas.  You don't want to use too much, or the crust will be soggy.
5.  Top pizza crust with the mozzarella cheese, spinach, red peppers, and feta cheese.
6.  Bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly golden.

Crust Recipe
from Money Saving Mom

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. oil (olive or canola)
2.5 cups all purpose flour (i sometimes substitute a cup of whole wheat for part of the all purpose...but for this particular pizza, i actually prefer all purpose)

Directions:
1.  Combine yeast and water.
2.  In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk together.  Pour the water/yeast mix on top and stir to combine.  Cover and let rest 5-10 minutes.
3.  Knead dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes, or until smooth.