Hot Pockets

by AnitaAh...Hot Pockets...I remember coming home from High School around 3:30pm every day and ravishing with hunger. What else does one teenage grab for, pop in the microwave, and burn their tongue on?? HOT POCKETS! Well, fast forward to now and I realize how fake and processed Hot Pockets are as well as half of the freezer/convenience section. It definitely takes a much longer time to make these than the 2 minutes in the microwave oven but these are beyond easy once your dough is ready. My refrigerator was running low on ingredients but I had a bell pepper from our Green B.E.A.N. Delivery (which inspired me for some of these recipes) and I wanted to use it inside a recipe somehow. A random desire to use my bell pepper turned into a pizza pocket of goodness that was all vegetarian. Whole wheat pizza pockets make this REAL food recipe something that can be your go-to for a quick dinner and great leftover as well with a side of marinara sauce and a salad. This recipe can be turned into a meat lovers heaven, a cheese head's paradise or vegetarian's oasis so get creative and have a pizza pocket party!

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA POCKETS

Serving Size 4 - 6 (pending on your dough outcome)Food processor or mixer needed

DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons Dry Active Yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups whole wheat Flour
• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 1/4 cups fresh mozzarella or shredded cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

• OPTIONAL Fillings I used: Sauteed green bell pepper, green olives, onion, garlic. Also try another time: sauteed sausage, ground turkey, BBQ chicken, flank steak. Add pesto, BBQ sauce, cilantro, pineapple, caramelized onions or shallots, basil, spinach, eggplant, zucchini, goat cheese, or sprouts. 
• Pizza sauce or marinara sauce (I used Muir Glen Organic Garden Vegetable Pasta Sauce)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Pour the 1 cup warm water in a glass measuring cup, heat up if necessary. Put in the 2 teaspoons of Dry Active Yeast and let it rest for a minute.
3. Once the yeast foams a little add the salt and olive oil and stir.
4. In a food processor with a dough blade/hook add 3 cups of flour. Pour in the water mixture and start the mixer until the dough forms a ball in the processor. 
5. Coat a large bowl with olive oil and add the pizza dough ball and cover with plastic wrap so that it can rise (20-30 minutes) while you prep the filling ingredients. *You can also make the dough earlier in the day or day before to have it ready to go.*
6. In a separate bowl, put the ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses in and mix together. 
7. Chop/dice the other filling ingredients (bell pepper, onion, garlic, and green olives) and saute in a pan on med-high heat.
8.  Divide the dough into 4 or 6 pieces and shape each into a ball. With a rolling pin, flatten them but not too thin since you need enough dough to fold the pockets. 
9. Place a spoonful of the cheese filling, then sauce, and then the veggies in the middle of the flattened dough.
10. Fold the dough up and seal the edges as best as possible (some ingredients might come out on the sides). You can seal up like a square or circular pocket. 
11. Place the dough seam side down onto a greased baking sheet and pierce the top of the dough with a fork to avoid a cheesey mess while baking. 
12. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes; remove and let cool for a minute.
13. Enjoy with a little marinara sauce, salad, and broccoli as well as some Chianti wine.

The flour and the yeast -- what a beautiful marriage to make tasty dough.

Dough in it's beginning stages of rising...it took a lot of patience for me to wait. 

The cheesey goodness with Mozz, Ricotta, and Parm

The greenies in my dish: basil, bell pepper, and olives

Sauteeing those veggies for the filling

The 4-pack pizza pocket

Ohhh the satisfaction of cheese oozing out is bliss!

OPA! Greek Fajitas!

by Anita


So long story short, I had a great meal all planned out. Ingredients bought and everything. Minor detail...I forgot to read the recipe which called for a slow cooker to be set for 6-8 hours. OOPS! So at 7pm I decided to improvise since I was a tad hungry at that point in the evening.


One quick look in my refrigerator and I found inspiration: cucumbers, feta, Greek yogurt, limes, spinach & feta chicken sausages, bell peppers, pitas...see where I am going here?! OPA! Greek Fajitas night! You could use any type of meat or choose to make this purely vegetarian as well using chickpeas for the protein and other veggies. This quick meal took around 30 minutes to prepare and included: Greek Fajitas, homemade Tzatziki sauce and quinoa. 

Save time while prepping items when other things are cooking

LIME-CILANTRO QUINOA (servings  4 - 10*)


Make this first since it cooks for about 10 -15 minutes and there are items to prep/chop/mix before it is done cooking. *

Lime-Cilantro Quinoa with bell peppers, feta, and pine nuts

   *I made a HUGE batch of the Lime-Cilantro Quinoa that I have made a few times before now. It is such a versatile side dish and topping that I knew if I made 3 cups of dried quinoa versus the 1 cup, we (2 people) would finish it within a few days. 



For this Greek inspired dish, I opted to not include any dried fruit and added crumbled feta instead. This has been a part of my lunch to work all week and I am not sick of it yet so try it out if you have not already!


Quinoa can be served hot or cold.


TZATZIKI SAUCE (servings: 4 - 10)


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 Cucumber , grated with cheese grater/Microplane
• 1 Garlic clove, minced; OR 1 Tblsp pre-minced garlic in a jar (that's what I used)
• 1 tsp of dried Oregano (or dill); or 1 Tblsp of fresh
• 1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tblsp red wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl that can be sealed to store later.
2. Can be served right away or even better to let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours. 

The finished and homemade Tzatziki sauce

GREEK FAJITAS (servings: 2)


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 or 2 Chicken sausages, chopped (w/ feta/spinach or any type of added vegetables)
• 1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 Cucumber, diced
• 1 cup or more Spinach
• 2 whole wheat pita pockets
• OPTIONAL: 2 Tblsp of hummus, crumbled feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a saute pan on medium high heat with 1 Tblsp of oil. Once it is nice and hot, add your chopped chicken sausages to the pan. Stir and cook thoroughly for about 6 minutes.
2. While the chicken is cooking, chop the cucumbers and set aside.
3. Get your assembly line ready with plates, open pita pockets, hummus, spinach, chicken sausage, cucumbers, feta and top with your homemade Tzatziki sauce.

Assembly ready for Greek Fajitas

Add hummus, spinach and a tasty amount of Quinoa

Add sauteed chicken sausage on top -- only a little is necessary

Top with Tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, and feta

Leftovers Galore: 

• The Quinoa and Tzatziki sauce were phenomenal the next day at lunch with a side spinach salad all tossed together. 
• The next day I rolled the Quinoa, Tzatzki sauce and sliced turkey breast into a whole wheat tortilla. 
• AND the following day (yes, I made my meal stretch!) I rolled yet another whole wheat tortilla filled with Quinoa, cheese and leftover Texas Caviar (multi bean, tomato, corn dip from a 4th of July party) and warmed it up for another delicious lunch!