Mini Pizzas

During the summers when I was growing up, my mom would be home with us because she was and is a teacher---we were so fortunate!  We had so much fun in the summers! My favorite thing that we would do in the summers was to go "pool hopping" as my mom taught swimming to families in their own pools and my sister and I got to tag along.  We would literally be in our swimsuits from the time we got up to the time we went to bed.  Often we would get in the car to go from one pool to the next with a soaking wet towel to keep us warm---and we thought it was grand!  We would eat some quick snacks so we could get in the pool when we arrived at the next home!  At the end of the day we would get home and be ready to eat everything in sight and really didn't want to wait long! My mom had the best answer for this--Mini Pizzas!  They were quick, easy, and so very delicious!  We would try to talk her into this option as often as possible!  Now that I am a mom, this is an easy go-to when I am short on time and it is a great option when I have leftovers from homemade pizza!  They can be different each time and can be individualized for picky eaters:)

What you'll need for 12 mini pizzas:
1 Large cookie sheet
1 package of English muffins or bagels--Halved (There are lots of options just with flavors of this ingredient!)
1 large can of Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce (No pizza sauce? You can add tomato paste to Marinara!)
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella (Or more if you really like cheesy pizza!)
*diced onions
*diced peppers
*pepperoni
*mushrooms
*chicken
*crumbled sausage
*crumbled bacon
*and the list goes on---whatever you like on your pizza:)

*Indicates optional items

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lay each half of the muffins or bagels open faced on a cookie sheet. Top with sauce, then cheese and toppings. Place in oven to bake for **10-25 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.  You can broil them for a minute at the end if you like toasty cheese too! Let cool for 2-3 minutes and serve!

**The cooking time will depend on the amount of toppings and whether you used muffins or bagels.  I would check every 5 minutes or so:)

Parmesan Crusted Flounder (GF Possiblities)

Some of my favorite fish was eaten while camping at Stony Lake, MN.  Several families would go up in the summers, the dads fished a lot, the moms cooked a lot and the kids ate A LOT!!  Depending on who was seasoning the fish, it would always taste a bit different, but always delicious!  Everyone was always too busy cooking to talk about what they put in the fish, but I loved watching and sometimes helping them make it!  My husband and I have decided to incorporate more fish into our meals, which shouldn't be too hard since our 2 year old asks for it almost every day for lunch.  I need variety, and without some creativity, fish can become boring! While this fish was nowhere near the same as those fried delicious pieces of blue gill, I got to thinking about those fun memories from the lake as well as all of the creative work all of the parents and came up with this recipe today!  We all loved it and will be having it again soon since it was so easy and delicious!

Parmesan Crusted Flounder

What you'll need:
9x13 Baking Dish or cookie sheet
*Basting Brush
1 Lb. Flounder (Or preferred fish)--Fresh or thawed
1/4 Cup of mayonnaise

1 tsp. garlic powder
*1 tsp. Italian Seasonings

*1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
*1/4 Cup crushed french friend onions

*-Indicates optional Items

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray the baking dish with Olive Oil.  Place fish into the baking dish.   Combine mayonnaise with spices. With the basting brush, generously coat the top of the fish with spiced mayonnaise.  In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and french fried onions.  Once combined, generously sprinkle on top of the mayonnaise coated flounder.  Lightly press the coating onto the fish.  Place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish is flaky and top is golden brown.

Notes:
Gluten Free:  To make this Gluten Free, simply substitute well crushed corn tortilla chips or cornmeal for the breadcrumbs!

Healthy Mexican Lasagna (GF and Vegetarian Possibilities)

My sister came to visit this past weekend and we had a wonderful time.  We don't get to see one another very often because we live about 5 hours apart and are both very busy.  When we do get together, we have lots of fun laughing, having serious sister talks and just enjoying time together!  Of course, since I love to cook, I asked her what she wanted to eat while visiting.  Her response was "Something healthy and spicy".   As I began looking through what we had in the pantry and also some recipes, I decided on a Mexican Lasagna.  My sister and I both love spicy things and pretty much anything that has black beans, corn and salsa in it!   I have seen a few different recipes for this, but this is what we ended up with.

Healthy Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas

What you will need:
10 inch Spring Form Pan (A round baking dish of any type will work)
4 9" Tortillas (More needed if they are smaller)

Sauce:
1 Medium Onion-Diced
1 Bell Pepper-Diced
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
3 Tbsp. Salsa
Dash of cayenne pepper--More if you like spicy!
2 Cups Shredded Chicken (Optional/Can be substituted with ground meat as well)

Filling:
2 Cans Corn (Drained)
2 Cans Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
2 Cups plus 1/3 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Many kinds of cheese would work)

Recipe Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, saute the diced onions and peppers with the garlic and olive oil.  This will take about 10 minutes. Then add the 3 cans of diced tomatoes and green chiles, 3 Tbsp. of Salsa, cayenne pepper and chicken.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Once cooked, scoop 1/3 cup of the sauce into a separate bowl for the top of the lasagna--we will call this the reserve.

While the sauce is cooking, drain and rinse the corn and black beans and mix together in a bowl.  Add 2 cups of shredded cheese and mix together.

Place your spring form pan on a cookie sheet and scoop 1/2 C of the filling into the bottom of the pan. Place a tortilla layer, then scoop 1/3 of the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with 1/3 of the sauce.  Place the second tortilla layer, then scoop 1/2 of the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with 1/2 of the remaining sauce.  Place the third tortilla layer, then scoop the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with the remaining sauce.  Finally place the fourth tortilla layer, cover that with the sauce reserve and the 1/3 cup of shredded cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.

To serve, cut like a pizza into 8 or 10 pieces, then remove the spring form side ring and you will be able to see all of the beautiful layers you made!

Notes:
Prep Ahead:  This recipe could easily be prepared the day ahead and kept in the refrigerator or made  to be frozen for later enjoyment!  Just remember to cover tightly!
Easy Gluten Free:  To make this recipe gluten free, you can use corn tortillas!  Everything else is already gluten free!
Easy Vegetarian:  This recipe has a lot of protein with the black beans in it, so to make it vegetarian, you can simply omit the meat!

***This recipe adapted from http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2012/01/mexican-lasagne.html