mozzarella cheese | The Artful Gourmet :: Food Stylist | Photographer | Blogger

If there was one last thing I could eat before my last day on earth yes, it would be pizza. Italian food is one of my favorite things to eat and cook – in fact my Techniques of Italian Cooking course at the Institute of Culinary Education got me hooked on making homemade pizza and pasta from scratch.

But sometimes making pizza dough at home is time-consuming and labor intensive and all I want to do is eat pizza. Sure, I live in NYC and it’s easy enough to walk downstairs and get a slice or two at the local pizza shop. But when I want pizza but don’t really feel like paying $6 a slice or $25 for a whole pie, I make my own. And, I’m absolutely in love with thin crust pizza and honestly, it’s the toppings and flavor combinations that are so much fun to experiment with. It’s also Summer and beach days are calling, so using up all my carbs and calories with one slice of pizza is no fun. Alas, I discovered FlatOut flat breads that you can prepare yourself with the use of bread machines that you can get easily online at sites like Village-Bakery.com. They’re thin and light and bake up into a crispy shell in minutes and are the perfect base for any pizza. And they’re only 130 calories and 2 g of fat in each one. And that’s pretty awesome.

So today I made a Spinach Artichoke, Chicken and Bacon flatbread pizza on one of these cuties. And it’s absolutely delicious. And not too filling. And I don’t feel so guilty eating it that I want to hide under the covers and never put on a bathing suit again. Or fall asleep on my laptop after eating while writing this. I used the Honey Wheat thin flat breads which are perfect for one person, but you could also try another flavor (plain, whole wheat, spinach) or try one of their pizza flat breads which are a little longer and bigger if you’re feeding a crowd.

This flavor bomb pizza has a layer of spinach and artichoke dip on the base of the flatbread which I baked for a couple of minutes on the oven rack to get it crispy and lightly browned before adding the dip as a base for the other ingredients.

Then I topped it with some crispy bacon, sauteed onions and mozzarella cheese..

some cooked chicken breast (seasoned with Old Honey Barn Kentucky Seasoning that I bought in Louisville KY),

and a touch of garlic powder and a healthy dose of grated parmesan cheese.

I popped it in the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese melted, then topped it off with some chile flakes, green onions and more parmesan cheese as a garnish, and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper. OMG> so delicious and so easy.

I’m thinking this will be my new thing for Summer and I’ve already thought of a million pizza combinations and ideas I’m planning to make. In fact, you could use the same ingredients to make a kick butt quesadilla on the stove or a healthy chicken wrap. Sayonara gut bomb thick crust pizza, hello thin and crispy skinny pizza.

You’ve made my life. ;)

Spinach Artichoke Chicken & Bacon Flatbread Pizza

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Makes 2 flatbread pizzas.

Serving Size: 1/2 flatbread pizza

This flavor bomb pizza has a layer of spinach and artichoke dip on the base of the flatbread (I had some leftover from last night but you can certainly make your own) which I baked for a couple of minutes on the oven rack to get it crispy and lightly browned. Then I topped it with some sautéed onions, crispy bacon, seasoned cooked chicken breast, and parmesan cheese. I popped it in the oven for about 5 minutes until the cheese was melted and then topped it off with some chile flakes, green onions and more parmesan cheese as a garnish, and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper. OMG> so delicious and so easy.

Ingredients

2 FlatOut 100% Whole Wheat flatbreads
1 cup Spinach and Artichoke Dip (homemade or store bought)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ large onion, chopped
Seasoned salt or Kentucky Chicken seasoning
1 pound thin chicken cutlets (or breasts pounded thin)
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Dash of red chile flakes
½ cup green onions, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place two FlatOut flatbreads on a cookie sheet (or directly on oven rack for crispier crust). Bake crust for two minutes. You can also grill the flatbread with a little olive oil in a grill pan or on the grill for a couple of minutes.
Remove flatbreads from the oven and spread the spinach and artichoke dip onto the flatbread and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
Cook the onions in some olive oil over medium heat and remove from sauté pan. Add the additional tablespoon of oil into the pan and season the chicken breast. Cook chicken for about 5-6 minutes until cooked through, cut into strips or large chunks. Meanwhile, fry the bacon until crisp, then drain and crumble, and set all ingredients aside.
To make the pizzas, sprinkle the cooked onions, chicken and bacon on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with garlic powder, parmesan cheese, more mozzarella cheese and chili flakes.
Bake for 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Remove flatbread from the oven, and top with sliced green onions, red chile flakes, freshly ground black pepper, and additional grated parmesan, to taste.

Notes

You can substitute any flatbread you like for this pizza or even use real pizza dough if made super thin.

Feel free to experiment with the toppings too - the sky is the limit!

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2017/06/spinach-artichoke-chicken-bacon-flatbread-pizza/

So this is where I’m supposed to go on and on about how delicious this grilled cheese sandwich is. And what’s in it. And why it’s a rockstar recipe that nobody else has. And why you need to make it now.

But guess what? I just did a food photo shoot for a NYC catering company and bakery for the past 2 days and shot at least 1000 photos that need to be culled through and selected to share with my clients and it’s enough to make your head spin faster than Linda Blair in The Exorcist. AND the fact that the Mad Men finale is coming on in less than 2 hours and I have some catching up to do and some last savoring moments of Don Draper to hold on to while I can.

OK – so now that I got that off my chest, here’s a little ditty of a recipe that I whipped up on Friday afternoon for a grilled cheese contest I entered for Wisconsin Cheese. It’s actually quite lovely and spring-y and full of good things. Homemade Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote, strawberries, granny smith apples, grilled chicken paillards, kale with lemon and parmesan, honey dijon mustard, melted sharp white cheddar and gooey mozzarella cheese – all grilled on a whole wheat pita (actually 2 of them).

It’s called California Dreamin’ Grilled Cheese because all the good things inside remind me of a sunny, breezy day on Pacific Beach in San Diego watching the sunset with a margarita in my hand with my toes in the sand, salty sea mist on my face, while basking in the glow and enjoying everything in life there is to offer. So here you go. Whether I win the contest or not – it’s absolutely fabulous, and will make you want to hop on a plane to the west coast and catch a few rays yourself.

Now back to my Sauvignon Blanc and Don Draper fix. Enjoy and Happy Sunday! 🙂

Yum

California Dreamin’ Grilled Cheese

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 whole wheat pitas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise and pounded thin
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup green apple, sliced
1 cup kale, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp Wisconsin Parmesan, shredded
Sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
4 slices Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar, sliced
4 slices Wisconsin Mozzarella
4 tablespoons Strawberry-Rhubarb compote
Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:
1 cup strawberries, sliced or chopped
1 stalk rhubarb, sliced into small chunks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:
Stir strawberries, 1/8 cup sugar, and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp of water in a small nonreactive pan; bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add the rhubarb, 1/8 cup sugar, and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 tbsp of water back into same pan and simmer for about 6 minutes until rhubarb is tender and soft. Transfer rhubarb to same bowl as strawberries and add all liquid to the pan through a strainer.
Raise heat to medium high and simmer until liquid thickens and reduces to almost half.
Return strawberries and rhubarb to liquid and let cool.
Make sandwich:
Preheat olive oil in a grill pan or sauté pan to medium/high heat.
Mix honey and mustard together in a small bowl and set aside.
Rub chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill chicken pieces for about 6-8 minutes until cooked through, remove from pan.
Spread both pitas on one side with butter.
Spread each pita on reverse side with honey Dijon mustard on a cutting board or piece of plastic wrap.
Top with sliced mozzarella cheese slices.
In a small bowl, toss kale, lemon juice, salt and pepper and place on top of each pita over Mozzarella.
Top one pita with both pieces of grilled chicken.
Drizzle Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote over the chicken.
Layer on the sliced strawberries, apples and top with cheddar cheese slices.
Top the sandwich with other piece of pita bread (butter side up) and place in preheated grill pan.
Smash the sandwich together with a heavy spatula or panini press and grill on both sides until cheese is melted and pita is crispy.
Cut in half and serve with additional Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote and Honey Dijon for dipping.
Makes one sandwich.
Note: you can make the Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also double the recipe to make more for other uses (great over vanilla ice cream, pancakes, whipped cream or greek yogurt and granola!!)