Chicken and spinach calzones

1 batch Definitely the Best Pizza Crust
2 chicken breasts, grilled and sliced thinly
1 1/3 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup goat cheese mixed with 1/2 cup milk
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Cornmeal
Marinara sauce for dipping (at least 1/2 cup per person)

Prepare dough and let rise once. Punch down and divide into four balls. Cover gently with plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes to an hour.

Roll dough out to about 9-10 inches in diameter. Spread goat cheese mixture in the shape of a D on one half of a dough round. Leave 1/2 inch of plain dough along the edge. Scoop 1/3 cup spinach onto the cheese. Cover with chicken slices. Top with shredded mozzarella.



Dip your finger in water and run it along the edge of plain dough. Fold the dough over the half with toppings, lining the edges up well. Press edges together gently with your finger. Sprinkle the edge with flour, then seal by pressing closed with a fork. Make the seal about 1/2 inch. Make 2-3 slices in the top of the dough with a sharp knife - be careful not to pull the dough.



Place the calzone on a baking sheet or baking stone sprinkled with cornmeal.



Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Serve hot with marinara sauce.

Mushroom pilaf

I started off with something quite different in mind, but I really like how this turned out!

1 cup mixed wild rice
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup bulgur
1 cup black mushrooms (I rehydrate dried ones), chopped
2 cups broth
1-3 cups water according to cooking directions for your rice
1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil over med-high heat. Add rice ance cook until translucent, browned and starts to smell yummy. Add mushrooms and broth. Add as much water as needed according to your rice instructions. Cover and reduce heat. Cook as directed.

Beef tagine coucous

This recipe originally called for lamb and the addition of turmeric, which I didn't have. It did not call for carrots or prunes, but we had both and thought, "why not?". In the end, we prefered the prunes over the apricots. I tweaked a few amounts of ingredients to our taste, but overall this is a basic beef tagine. Serves two, ready in two hours.

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced
1 lb beef, cubed

Spice mix:
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder

Sauce ingredients:
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
small handful dried apricots, chopped
small handful raisins
4-5 prunes, pitted
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp beef bouillon
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup water
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt to taste

Mix together the spices and coat the meat.



Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the onions well, then add the meat. Stir often until nicely browned. Add all remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well, bringing to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Serve over coucous.

San Diego fish tacos

I am all over this.

Mom's granola

Mom used to make this in Africa when we were little. I adapted it a bit based on my pantry stock, but the same overall recipe.

In a large bowl, mix:
2 cups whole wheat flour
6 cups oatmeal
1 cup dried coconut
1 cup wheat germ (I subbed ½ cup cornmeal + ½ cup wheat bran)
½ cup powdered milk (opt)
2-3 cups peanuts

In another bowl mix:
½ cup water
1 cup oil
1 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp maple flavoring (opt)

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix thoroughly. Spread on 2 non-stick cookie sheets or cookies sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 250 degrees for one hour or until dry and golden. Cool completely, then store in airtight container. Eat plain, as cereal, over yogurt or in trail mix.