Well I had been told that graduate school would be busy, but a my friend, Pat, reminded me I have always been a little on the over programed side so shouldn’t fret and that I would be up for the challenge. And I am, but that still does not change the daunting fact that I have a to do list the size of the Empire state building, a job to find and new content to absorb, digest and synthesize at an alarming rate which leaves very little time for daily life activities -like sleeping cooking. On Wednesdays I have a fascinating course in Educational Assessment that is proceeded by a lab in the Dean Hope Center for Educational and Psychological Services which takes me from 5 until 9. Anyone who knows me intimately is aware that I could be the reigning Queen of any establishment offering the early bird special. So this lands my course right in the middle of my allocated prime dinner time slot. So I have had to be creative and eat prior to class and ensure I opt for something substantial because I can’t be snacking away as I administer tests. So tonight I went for one of our tried and true quick meals that I had published in Canadian Living and can still be found online here -Personal Pita Pizzas. I say personal because if your household looks anything like ours no one likes or will eat the same things. This recipe allows everyone in your home to swap out or in ingredients to suit their palates and dietary preferences. Tonight I did them a little differently than the recipe you will find in Canadian Living and the result was just a marvelous (better actually in my humble opinion) and had the added bonus of allowing me time to finish my last chapter of reading while they baked. That is a true culinary and academic success colliding in my books.
Individual Pita Pizzas
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp basil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 whole wheat pitas
- 1-1/2 cups spinach leaves (or chopped kale)
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts (optional)
- 3/4 cups skim-milk mozzarella cheese, grated (or Goat cheese for today’s dish) (also optional)
- 1 tsp basil, for garnish
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 450ºF; with a pizza stone inside (if you have one).
2. Place the diced tomatoes, basil and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend until smooth and well mixed.
3. Spread about 1 tbsp of the pizza sauce on each of the four pitas (or more if you wish).
4. Evenly distribute the spinach (or Kale) leaves between the four pizzas and cover the sauce of each with a single layer of leaves.
5. Finely dice the red pepper and evenly distribute between the four pizzas.
6. Next, evenly distribute the Mozzarella (or Goat) cheese among the pizzas.
7. Sprinkle a dash of basil on top of the cheese for a garnish.
8. Place all four pizzas on the pizza stone or a baking sheet and place in he oven to cook for 8 minutes or until the cheese melts and lightly browns.
9. Remove pizzas from the oven and let them stand and cool before serving
Raising Jordans 