(Super-Easy) Tandoori Naan Pizza

The hockey game is on soon, so this is going to be a short post. Kurt came over for dinner tonight and since I am in clean out the pantry, refrigerator and freezer mode, I made a quick, super-easy dinner using up some ingredients I had on hand in the pantry (pizza sauce and Penzey's spices), in the refrigerator (mozzarella cheese) and in the freezer (naan bread). I guess you could say that tonight I was an equal opportunity ingredient-user-upper. Kurt gave the pizzas two thumbs up. I tried a few bites of one (my stomach is still not 100%...it's been nine days...please, virus, go away!!!), and I agree they're very good. I think they would be even better with the garlic naan, though. Unfortunately, the garlic naan is always sold-out when I go to Trader Joe's. We both had some sliced pink lady apples, too. If you're not familiar with pink lady apples, they are sweet and juicy with a slight tartness to them, and they have a brilliant pink color (go figure). They weren't cheap at Whole Foods (then again, what is cheap at Whole Foods?), but they were delicious and worth every cent. Kurt's taking the other two naan pizzas home with him tonight after the Stars victory (fingers-crossed). Go Stars!!!

(Super-Easy) Tandoori Naan Pizza

1 package (4 pieces) Trader Joe’s Tandoori Naan (frozen, not thawed)
1 can Muir Glen Organic pizza sauce
1 (8 oz.) package Sorrento mozzarella cheese, shredded
Assorted spices (such as Aleppo Pepper, Italian Herb Blend and Garlic Powder)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Aluminum Foil (or lightly grease a piece of regular foil).

Place pieces of Tandoori Naan bread on foil. Spread pizza sauce evenly over each piece of bread. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese and your favorite spices.

Bake for 7-8 minutes. Let rest on baking sheet for 1-2 minutes, then serve.

Notes: You may have some leftover sauce and cheese.

Easy (and Cute) Mini-Bagel Sandwiches

I usually don't refer to food as "cute", but how can any sandwich made with a mini-bagel not be cute? I was looking for two things tonight when deciding what to make for dinner. First, I wanted to use up 4 oz. of cream cheese in my fridge. Second, I wanted something simple that didn't require any cooking or baking. This recipe for Roasted Red Pepper on Mini-Bagel Sandwiches fit the bill. These are really yummy. They aren't anything out of the ordinary, but they taste good and they're easy to make. And don't forget...they're cute.

This would be a good finger food to take to a picnic or serve at a party.

Roasted Red Pepper on Mini-Bagel Sandwiches

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1 (8 oz.) pkg. 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves -- minced
12 mini bagels -- halved and toasted
1 (12-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers -- rinsed, drained, and chopped

Combine first 5 ingredients.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cut sides of bagels. Arrange the chopped red bell peppers evenly over bottom halves of bagels; top with top halves of bagels. Cut each sandwich in half.

Notes: I halved the recipe. I still used the whole 1/8 tsp. of black pepper, though. I used a 7 oz. bottle of roasted red peppers, too.

Easy vegetarian dinner from leftover ingredients

In an effort to use up leftover ingredients from recent recipes I've made, I decided to make these Black Bean Rice Burgers tonight for dinner. Actually, I have wanted to make these for a while now, but I never seemed to have all of the ingredients on hand. Tonight I just happened to have everything I needed in my fridge, in my pantry and sitting on my counter. I had leftover hamburger buns from the Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches and leftover sour cream and salsa from the Fiesta Chicken Pasta, so I decided to use them up in this recipe.

The original recipe had no chili powder or ground cumin in it, but I added 1/4 teaspoon of each since I wanted these burgers to have a nice smoky flavor. I also used a medium salsa to add more flavor and heat than a mild salsa would.

Make sure you coat your nonstick skillet generously with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Also, use a thin spatula and make sure you get it all the way under each of the whole burgers before flipping over gently. They're somewhat fragile and may lose their shape a little bit when you flip them, but they are really forgiving, so it's easy to reshape them by flattening them and patting around the outer perimeter with the spatula.

The sour cream/salsa mixture that accompanies these burgers is fantastic. Not only does it add flavor, but it also adds moisture, too. I think the burgers alone would be a bit blah and dry without it.

Serve with Veggie Crisps and purple and green grapes.


Black Bean Rice Burgers

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup salsa, divided
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
4 lettuce leaves
4 hamburger buns, split

In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Add the rice, onion, egg, 2 tablespoons salsa, chili powder and cumin; mix well. Drop by 1/2 cupfuls into a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray. Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness. Cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until firm and browned.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining salsa. Place a lettuce leaf, burger and sour cream mixture on bun.

Yield: 4 servings

Kurt and his townhouse

My friend Kurt has been through he!! recently in his quest to sell his townhouse. (The letter "l" has been replaced with "!" in case there are any internet-savvy toddlers surfing the web and reading my blog. Auntie Mindy only uses four-letter words in the presence of adults.) In the midst of conversation (and many laughs) tonight, Kurt and I both decided a short list of rules needed to be made, and he would like for you to keep the following in mind should you be looking to buy his townhouse:

If you cannot afford to buy a townhouse, do not waste the realtor's or Kurt's time. Heck, if you know you have a lot of debt and cannot be approved for a home loan, why are you wasting your time, too?

If you want three bedrooms and you know in advance that the townhouse you are looking at only has two bedrooms, do not expect another bedroom to magically appear just because you want a third bedroom. Again, do not waste the realtor's, Kurt's or your time.

And, last but not least...

If you think that a townhouse that is on the market for just below $200k is going to have every bell and whistle that you want your "dream home" to have, think again. Wanting a chandelier in the breakfast nook (yes, I said breakfast nook) or wanting a jacuzzi tub with a warming towel rack and a heated tile floor in the master bath is unreasonable to expect for that price. And simply not liking his furniture really doesn't matter. News flash: The furniture is going with him when he moves to Arizona.

Since Kurt's realtor had showings with two prospective buyers tonight, I decided to invite him over to hang out. We noshed on Salsa Guacamole while we talked and watched a travel show. I sent him home with a batch of Caramel-Butterscotch-Loaded Brownies to help ease the townhouse-selling blues.

Salsa Guacamole

Source: Muir Glen

Salsa
1 can (14.5 oz.) Muir Glen organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, well drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small fresh jalapeño chile, seeded, finely chopped

Guacamole
3 ripe large avocados, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

In medium bowl, stir together salsa ingredients.

In another medium bowl, place avocados; coarsely mash. Stir in remaining guacamole ingredients. Spoon guacamole into shallow serving bowl; top with salsa.

Serve with tortilla chips as desired.




Caramel-Butterscotch-Loaded Brownies

Source: Brownie Mix Bliss

1 19.5- to 19.8-ounce package brownie mix
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup water
2 large eggs
2 cups butterscotch-flavored baking chips, divided
24 caramels, unwrapped
2 T. milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark-coated metal pan). Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Spray the bottom only of a 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick baking spray (or foil-line pan).

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the brownie mix, oil, water, and eggs with a wooden spoon until just blended and all dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in 1 cup butterscotch chips. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean (do not overbake). Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with remaining butterscotch chips. Return to oven for 1 minute to soften chips. Transfer to a wire rack and cool (do not spread melted chips).

In a medium saucepan set over low heat combine caramels and milk, stirring until melted and smooth; drizzle over brownies. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into squares. Makes 24 large or 36 small brownies.