Summer vacation is (finally) here, and I am SO ready for slower paced days…however, with swim season in full gear, that’s not going to happen juuuust yet. Monday night we didn’t get home from practice until well after 7pm, and after a long day, the last thing I wanted to do was cook a complicated meal. To be honest, I would have totally made it a ‘fend for yourself’ night, but I know my kids, and that usually means a bowl of cereal. Normally I would have been totally fine with that (especially in the summer J), but after a long day of make-up piano lessons, lots of errands and then HOURS of swimming in the sun, I wanted to get something with substance into their tummies, and mine.
I had been looking through a Cooking Light magazine that morning, and there was a Greek open faced sandwich that looked ridiculously delicious! Keeping that picture in mind when I got home, I literally opened up the fridge and just started taking things out. What came out was one tasty ‘pizza’ that I will be making again and again!
What’s an UN-recipe you ask? Well, it’s an easy breezy meal that you can make in a flash that doesn’t have to be precise. Love hummus? Add more! Don’t care for roasted red peppers? Leave ‘em out! Use my “recipe” as a guide, but have fun with it and make this completely your own!!!
Let’s get those ingredients ready!
Flat bread, Fresh (not the precooked/smoked kind) Sweet Chicken Sausage (taken out of the casing), Hummus, Pine Nuts, Ground Cumin, Tzatziki sauce, Roasted Red Bell Peppers (NOT packed in oil), Onion or Shallot, Lemon and Fresh Cilantro.
For this recipe, you’re going to use the cilantro both in its fresh state at the end, and cooked alongside the sausage, so put a few stems aside so you don’t accidentally use it all on this step. A small handful of fresh cilantro (stems removed) once chopped will give you roughly 2 TBS. Mince your shallot, and go ahead and cut half a lemon so that everything is ready when you need it.
Remove the sausage from its casing. The easiest way to do it isn’t pretty, but it’s quick – just squeeze it on out. Brown the sausage over med/med-hi heat for about a minute breaking it up, then add the cumin, chopped cilantro and minced shallot. Every brand of sausage is different; if it looks like yours is too dry, just add a bit of extra virgin olive oil to help with the browning, or a bit of water to deglaze the pan a little. Cook until browned and cooked through – about 6 to 9 minutes. Right at the end, squeeze the juice of half of a lemon, stir well to incorporate, then turn off the heat and set aside.
I love pine nuts, and always have some in a zip-lock baggie in my freezer. If you’re not going to use your pine nuts over the course of a few days, go ahead and store them in the freezer so that the oils in the nuts don’t turn rancid on you. Remember, “the most expensive ingredient is the one you throw away”! This recipe is an awesome use of any leftover pine nuts.
You want to dry roast them in a small pan – only toast the amount you need, about 2 TBS or so. Place them in a dry pan, over med/med-low heat, tossing them from time to time so that you don’t get ‘burn’ spots on the bottom, but instead somewhat even toasting. Stay close by; it goes from nothing to burned pretty quickly. This only took me about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Put your Flat bread in the oven (preheated to HI-Broil), right on the rack. One minute on one side (bottom side), flip and one to 1 ½ more minutes for the top. Remove onto a wire rack to cool slightly while you get your assembly line ready, and prep your Roasted Red Bell Peppers. Just slice them open and pat dry a little, cut into thin strips, and then cut those strips in half.
To assemble the pizzas: Spread about 2 to 3 TBS of hummus onto the Flat Bread, then some of the sausage, roasted red bell pepper strips, Tzatziki, toasted pine nuts, and some fresh cilantro…ENJOY!!!
Cyn’s Goddess Pizza
– Flatbread (I really like the Harris Teeter brand in the bread section)
– 3 TBS Toasted Pine Nuts
– 3 to 4 Sweet Chicken Sausages (I get mine from the butcher at Harris Teeter), remove casings
– ½ tsp Ground Cumin
– Juice of ½ Lemon
– ¼ C Fresh Cilantro (see note above)
– 1 shallot, minced (or use ½ small onion)
– Hummus (your favorite brand – I really like Sabra Roasted Red Pepper for this)
– Tzatziki Sauce – I love the Cedars brand. It keeps for a while in the fridge, and is SO yummy as a dip for pita chips at the pool!
– Roasted Red Bell Pepper packed in water or vinegar, patted dry. I always have a jar of Trader Joes Roasted peppers in my pantry. They come packed in a seasoned vinegar.
