Romesco Pizza with Sausage and Peppers

If you’ve never had romesco sauce, you’re missing out. This delicious nut-and-red-pepper sauce is easy to make (I like both The Kitchn and Pinch of Yum’s recipes) and great served with or spread on just about anything, including this fabulous pizza. The sauce, combined with sweet peppers, savory sausage and smoky cheese, creates quite a flavor sensation.

Romesco Pizza with Sausage and Peppers 
Pizza dough (I use one 16-ounce ball of Trader Joe’s dough)
Flour and cornmeal (for prepping the pizza dough)
1-1½ cups romesco sauce (depending on how saucy you like your pizza)
8 ounces cooked sweet Italian sausage, sliced
2 cups sliced sweet bell peppers (I used a mix of red and yellow bell peppers)
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded smoked gouda
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out your pizza dough on a floured surface and transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza pan. Bake just the dough for 5 minutes and remove from oven.

Give dough a good coating of romesco sauce and then top with sausage, bell pepper and cheese. Bake 12-14 minutes, until crust and cheese are golden. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes if you’ve got ‘em, and enjoy.

Make-Fast Mondays: Old Bay Shrimp with Tomatoes and Corn

I recently bought my first tin of Old Bay Seasoning and love using it to add some sass to seafood. Cook up this delicious dinner for two in just a few minutes, and bonus points for only using one frying pan to put it all together!

Old Bay Shrimp with Tomatoes and Corn
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kernels from 1 ear sweet corn
1 large Roma tomato, cored and diced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan (nonstick if you’ve got it), melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, until fragrant. Add corn, tomato and jalapeño and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season vegetables with salt and pepper and distribute between two dishes. Heat olive oil in the same frying pan you used for the vegetables. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Dust with Old Bay Seasoning and stir to coat. Add half the shrimp to each of your two dishes and enjoy.

Barbecue Chicken Burritos with Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Dressing

Have you made barbecue chicken in your slow cooker yet? Why not? It’s super easy and mighty delicious. Put it on top of a baked potato, mix it up with some fresh veggies to make a great dinner bowl, or try it my new favorite way by rolling it up into a burrito with some tasty slaw.

Barbecue Chicken Burritos with Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Dressing 
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for drizzling
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup avocado
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 cups shredded green cabbage (it’s about half a head of cabbage)
½ red onion, thinly sliced
4-6 burrito-sized tortillas

Place chicken in slow cooker, add barbecue sauce and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred with a knife and fork. Return chicken to the slow cooker and add pinto beans, stirring so everything is coated with sauce. Cook for an additional hour on low. Remove from heat. 

To make the dressing, add avocado, yogurt, cilantro, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, lime juice, water and white wine vinegar to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Make the slaw by tossing the cabbage and onions in a bowl with enough dressing to lightly coat everything. Add chicken and slaw to the middle of your tortillas, drizzle with extra barbecue sauce and avocado dressing, roll 'em up and enjoy!