Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Well I haven't been great about keeping up this blog, and now I'm being lazy and just repeating an old recipe that's on our family blog, but perhaps I'll have some new recipes to share in the future. I'm finding that because I'm so non regimented in my cooking, I don't always do a very good job of measuring the things I add or subtract from a recipe. The result of that is that I often make things that turn out yummy, but I can never repeat them exactly because I just dumped in a little of this and a little of that. So, I have several recipes that I'm needing to keep better track of so I can post them. Hopefully soon. But for now, enjoy some pizza!

Whole Wheat Pizza - Makes one large pizza or 4-5 personal size pizzas


1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 c warm water
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 T wheat gluten
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c olive oil


Combine yeast and water with a drizzle of honey to activate. In a mixer, combine flour, gluten, spices, salt, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. Combine oil and yeast mixture, then add to flour mixture. Knead in mixer until dough forms and is soft and pliable. Remove from mixer and let stand 30 minutes.

Roll out and shape as desired. Lately I've been dividing it into four or five personal sized pizzas just for fun. Bake in the oven at 425 for 7-10 minutes (time depends on pizza size). Remove from oven and add sauce, toppings, and cheese. Place back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melty and slightly browned.

Spicy Cajun Fish

When I got married, I never imagined that fish would ever be a regular part of our eating. I was pretty sure I hated all types of seafood except shrimp and I think we were well over a year into our marriage before I even attempted fish. I don't actually remember if this was my first fish recipe or not, but it was definitely the one that made me begin loving fish. I clipped it from a mailing we received, and, since I can't ever seem to just follow a recipe the way it's written, I made a couple of changes and it's been a regular menu item for us ever since. It's very light and perfect for these hotter days.

Spicy Cajun Fish
1/2 c each chopped red onion, green pepper, and celery
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
1 T olive oil
1 1/4 c chicken broth
1 t sea salt
1 t basil
1 t oregano
1 t thyme
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 cup petite diced tomatoes, well drained
1 lb mild fish of choice. I've used tilapia and perch with great results
hot cooked brown rice

In a large skillet, saute the onion, pepper, celery and garlic in oil until onions are clear. Add broth, salt, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Let simmer until liquid is reduced by about one third. Place fish in a 9x13 baking dish and pour vegetable mixture over top. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Serve over brown rice.

Sweet Chili Glazed Salmon

I debated whether or not to even post a picture of this here because my pictures turned out horrible and honestly that picture doesn't make me want to try this recipe. But I always like recipes that have pictures, so I'm going with it. You will just have to take my word on it that it was delish!!

Last night I had salmon on the menu, but decided at the last minute that I was tired of cooking it the usual way, which is to put a little olive oil in the pan, generously coat the salmon in cajun seasoning, sprinkle on a little salt, and cook it in the pan until done. We love it this way, but I wanted something new. Not sure why, but sweet chili glaze came to mind. I've never made anything like this and didn't even know what would be in such a thing, but I did a search and came up with several recipes. Unfortunately all of them called for sweet chili sauce. Not helpful for the last minute girl who wants to do something different 30 minutes before dinner needs to be ready. So, I decided to get creative and use what I had on hand. The result was fantastic and definitely something we will repeat. It does have quite a bit of sweetener in it, so it doesn't make it into my list of healthy meals, but for a treat, this is a keeper.

Sweet Chili Glazed Salmon

2 T water
1 T Olive Oil
1 1/2 T Sucanat (or brown sugar if you don't have sucanat)
1 T honey
juice from 3/4 of a lime
1/2 t minced garlic
1/4 t salt
1/2 t cajun seasoning
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t ginger

3 4oz salmon filets

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until well blended and the sugar has dissolved. Place salmon in a broiler safe dish lined with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and spoon about half the sauce over the salmon. Place in the oven on broil for 3 minutes. Turn filets and spoon remaining sauce over them before returning them to the broiler. Broil another 4 minutes or until the salmon flakes with a fork. Spoon the sauce over the salmon again before serving. We had this with wild rice and roasted brussel sprouts. Mmmm.