Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Pizza - Using RawMio's Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

We got a new patio set last weekend, and of course we felt the need to break it in immediately. We decided to make our first night dining al fresco with the new set a little extra special by grilling out with family. Thanks to some inspiration from some good friends of ours, we decided to skip the usual cookout suspects and went with a variety of gourmet grilled pizzas, including a dessert pizza, instead.

My husband is the pizza chef and the grill master in our house, so I left this all up to him; as usual, he did not disappoint. He made his signature Southwestern barbecue chicken pizza, a kid-friendly margherita pizza, and the fan favorite - Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Pizza. Our friends that inspired our gourmet pizza cookout actually made a very similar strawberry dessert pizza for us recently that we enjoyed so much we wanted to re-create it using RawMio's amazing Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. ---Seriously, if you try any of their spreads you cannot go wrong with this classic - it is good enough to eat straight off a spoon; in fact, I'm pretty sure that would have been its fate had hubby not used it for the pizza.---

Today I am sharing the super simple Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Pizza recipe; this one was the biggest hit with both the adults and kids, and it was also the simplest to make. Don't worry, though! I will keep working on hubby to write a blog post, so he can share his amazing Southwest barbecue chicken recipe in the future; that one is a bit more involved. 

Strawberry Chocolate Hazelnut Dessert Pizza

The Finished Product!

Ingredients:

Dough (makes enough for 2 small thin crust pizzas)

1 cup all-purpose flour 

2 cups white whole wheat flour (We're partial to King Arthur's)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp active dry yeast

1 Tbsp honey (or sugar to make vegan) 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

1/4 cup flax meal or other whole grain (optional) - the flax meal adds a great texture to the dough

Toppings

1 jar (6 oz) RawMio Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

1/2 pint sliced strawberries, more if desired

Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

Directions: 

6-12 hours before cooking time: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a large bowl. You can use a stand mixer if you'd like, but the dough will be so wet that it won't knead well so I just use a wooden spoon. As soon as everything is mixed in, cover the bowl with a towel and leave it alone in your kitchen for 6-12 hours. If you want to do this the night before, just throw it in the fridge after mixing. The small amount of yeast and long rise time helps the flavors develop and makes it easy to roll out into thin pizza crusts.

30 minutes before cooking time: Warm up the oven or grill as hot as you can get it, ideally to about 550°.

Sprinkle a large flat surface with corn meal or flour. Place half of your dough on the surface and dust with flour. It will still be sticky, so you may need up to another half cup of flour to roll it out. Flip and knead the dough for 2 minutes, adding a dusting of flour as you go, until it doesn't stick to your hands anymore. Make sure the surface still has a dusting on it as you go too, so you can easily pick it up and flip it over. With a rolling pin, roll it into a pizza crust shape (about 10-14" diameter) as thin or thick as you want it; we prefer a thinner crust for the grilled version. If needed, keep adding flour so it doesn't stick to the surface.

If you're using a pizza pan, add a dusting of corn meal or flour to the pan, then flip your crust onto it.

5 minutes before cooking time: With a spoon, add the hazelnut spread to the crust, like you would for pizza sauce. I microwaved it for 20 or 30 seconds to soften it up and make it easy to move around. Add strawberry slices as a topping.

Put the pan in the oven or on the grill for 5-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your crust and how thick the dough is. When it starts to brown, you're done. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately before serving.

You can do this directly on the grill without a pan. After the crust rests, put it directly on the grill grate for 1-2 minutes. Flip it over, quickly add the spread and toppings, then cook covered for another 2-3 minutes.

RawMio Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Thanks, again, to RawMio for providing me with your amazing Hazelnut Spread. I'm hooked, and I can't wait to try some new flavors! 

Note: While the RawMio spread was provided free of charge, the opinions and idea reflected in this article are solely mine. This stuff is seriously DELISH! 

Whole Wheat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - Made with RawMio Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Spread

Anyone else out there a fan of all of the different varieties of nut and cookie butters? My personal favorite before switching to a more whole food based diet was speculoos cookie butter from Trader Joe's, so when RawMio offered to send me a jar of their Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough spread I was so excited. My family and I have tried it a few different ways now, including straight off a spoon (because who can resist?!), on toast, and in the cookie recipe I'm sharing today.

This spread is seriously yummy and loaded with all kinds of super foods. I personally like it best when it's in a warmer form since it takes off a little of the edge from the raw almonds and takes on a little more of the dry-roasted almond flavor I love. In order to really highlight the cookie dough flavor of the spread I added cocoa powder to the cookies; the cocoa powder majorly enhances the flavor of the cacao in the spread.

The finished product!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

Virgin coconut oil, softened 

2 tbsp raw honey (use maple syrup for vegan version)
½ cup RawMio Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough spread
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 egg (use flax egg for vegan version - how to make a flax egg)
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup oats

Instructions

1.   Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease cookie sheet or use Silpat to line cookie sheet.

2.   Add the coconut oil and honey to a large mixing bowl, and cream using an electric mixer. Next, add cookie dough spread, cocoa powder, egg, and vanilla to mixture; mix until combined.

3.   In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder together; add salt. Stir to combine. Add the oats to the other dry ingredients, mix until combined.

4.   Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring to combine as you add the dry mixture.

5.   Using a cookie scoop, form tablespoon-sized balls and place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet about 2” apart. Use a fork to flatten the cookies slightly and form a cross-hatch pattern.  

6.   Bake for 9 minutes on the middle rack of preheated oven. Remove from oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before enjoying. 

Stay tuned for more recipes using RawMio products.... If you would like to check out more of their products you can head over to their website http://rawmio.com/. 

Note: All featured products were provided free of charge, but the opinions are solely my own. 

Chipotle Black Bean Mango Salad

Lately I have been wanting Southwestern flavors non-stop, so I have been testing all kinds of new Mexican and Southwestern recipes to satisfy the craving. In my hunt I stumbled across this super tasty burrito bowl recipe from Damn Delicious. It is so tasty and a great substitute for my favorite Burrito Bowl from Chipotle, but it's a little heavy to eat as frequently as I want. I really liked the flavor combination and could seriously have eaten her burrito bowl everyday for lunch, so I have been tweaking her recipe and I finally came up with the perfect vegetarian salad I can eat for lunch everyday guilt-free. Here is my newest food obsession -

Chipotle Black Bean Mango Salad

Salad Ingredients: 

2-3 cups chopped lettuce of your choice, washed (I like red leaf or romaine)

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed

1 medium tomato, chopped

1/4 cup chopped mango

1/2 avocado, chopped

1/4 cup yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped (optional)

Cilantro for garnish, to taste (I'm a little heavy-handed with the cilantro as you can see)

Dressing Ingredients: 

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

1/4 cup salsa of your choice (I like to use a fresh salsa)

1 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/8-1/4 tsp ground Chipotle pepper - more if you like it extra smoky (I use Penzey's) 

I'm heavy-handed with the Chipotle because I can't get enough of the smoky flavor. 

Instructions: 

In a salad bowl, layer the lettuce, black beans, tomato, mango, avocado, and bell pepper (if using). In a small bowl, stir Greek yogurt (or sour cream), salsa, lime juice, and ground Chipotle seasoning together until well blended. Pour the dressing over the layered salad, add cilantro, and toss ingredients until combined and coated with dressing. Enjoy! 

Because we all know I love my gadgetry, I just had to add a little plug for the value of a mango slicer. If you haven't invested in a mango slicer yet, you seriously should! I picked one up for $0.60 at St. Vinny's a few months ago, and we have eaten more mango in the past few months than I think I have in my whole life. It is SOOO handy; I just put it over the stem, press down, and voila - 2 perfect halves of edible mango. After it's cut, I just scoop the fruit out with a spoon, just like an avocado. Here's a photo from today (because I was, of course, making this salad for probably the sixth time in 2 weeks). 

Perfectly Sliced Mango!!

Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Vegetarian Stew

I put this recipe together the other night while trying to figure out something to do with the dozens of sweet potatoes we keep getting from our vegetable CSA. I think my whole family is a little burned out on chili, so I decided to skip the meat and serve this one-pot meal over rice. 

You could easily add chicken, ground beef, or andouille to this one to change up the flavor. If you do, just brown it, cut it up, and mix it in when you add the chicken stock.

Chipotle Black Bean & Sweet Potato Vegetarian Stew

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes, cubed
3 medium carrots, chopped
¼ - ½ red onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped (add a tbsp of the adobo sauce for smokier flavor)
1 tsp chili powder
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup vegetable stock (or any stock for non-vegetarian)
sour cream (omit for vegan) & prepared rice for serving 

Instructions:
In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Once oil is heated, add cubed sweet potatoes, chopped carrots, and red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables are slightly softened. Add minced garlic, and continue cooking, stirring continuously, for 30 seconds – 1 minute. Add rest of ingredients through salt & pepper, stirring to combine. Add stock, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Continue simmering for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are completely softened and liquid has reduced. Serve over prepared rice, and top with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt. 

Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins Recipe

We're attending a Halloween party tomorrow, which presents a challenge when trying to avoid refined sugar and white flour. Since I knew there would be plenty of not so healthy sugary options available to the kids, I wanted to make something that followed the real food rules. Of course, I immediately turned to the Days of Real Food website to find some inspiration. In the end, I decided to adapt 100 Days of Real Food's Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins to make Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins. To make them a little more festive, I'm using Halloween themed cupcake liners. 

Ingredients
1½ cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup honey

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 very ripe bananas 

¾ cup shredded carrot (about 1 large) 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying each of the muffin cavities or using paper liners.

Mash bananas with fork until smooth and runny. Set aside.

Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt) in medium mixing bowl. Using a mixer, combine together butter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract on a medium-high speed until butter is well broken up.

Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until ingredients are just combined. Next, add the mashed banana and shredded carrot to the mixture and fold in on the lowest mixer speed or by hand with a spatula.

Divide the mixture evenly among each of the 12 (or 24 if mini) muffin cavities. Place the tin on the middle shelf. Bake for 18-21 minutes; if using mini-muffin tin, start checking for doneness around 11 minutes. When done, toothpick inserted into the middle of muffin should be mostly clean with a few crumbs. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites Recipe

Am I the only one that struggles to find a use for leftover canned pumpkin? It seems that I rarely pick recipes that use a whole can of pumpkin, so I always end up with some leftovers. Today I used the leftover canned pumpkin to make Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites. This is a super simple recipe that does not require you to cook or bake anything.

Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bites

Ingredients

1/4 cup pecans
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup dried cranberries
10 Medjool dates
2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon honey (optional; omit to make vegan)

Instructions
Add pecans to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients to pecans in food processor and combine until desired consistency - it should start to form a giant ball. Let mixture firm up for 5-10 minutes, and then roll into 1" balls. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Makes approximately 15. 

Adapted from My Whole Food Life's Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites 

If you are still reading, note the awesome built-in bowl scraper on my food processor. It is so nice to not have to open the food processor and scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper over and over. You can check out the Hamilton Beach food processor here. This one replaced our super nice KitchenAid that I rarely used because it was so heavy ... sadly, the KitchenAid came to its demise when I dropped it from an upper cabinet onto my head and then the floor. Yikes!

20 Minute Tomato Soup Recipe

Every year when the temperatures start to drop as summer turns to fall I get excited because I know "Soup Season" is upon us once more. Starting in mid-September there is rarely a week that goes by where I don't make soup or chili. This week is no exception.

A few days ago I found myself staring blankly into the refrigerator trying to figure out what to feed the kids for lunch, yet again. Since we've made the switch to minimally processed and unrefined food in our house, lunchtime seems to be a much bigger conundrum than it used to be. My kids used to eat PB&J 5 days/week, and while I still feed them PB&J regularly it's not as mindless as it used to be. We no longer get our bread from our grocery store shelf, instead D makes it from scratch. 

For some reason, the added effort that goes into the homemade bread makes me think twice about using it for PB&J; it's as if I feel like homemade bread deserves something a bit more extravagant than PB&J. So with that in mind, I decided to make the girls grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. Seeing as I had two hungry girls waiting for lunch, I did a Google search for "quick tomato soup" and came up with this Rachel Ray recipe. I doubted that I could make a decent tomato soup in 20 minutes, but after a few modifications and a short 15 minute simmer, I had a tasty tomato soup that both girls gobbled up. Here's the recipe:

20 Minute Tomato Soup

Ingredients
32 ounces chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make vegetarian)
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1-14.5 oz can tomato sauce (no added sugar preferred)
1 cup whole milk
1/2-1 Tbsp Penzeys "Pasta Sprinkle" or a combination of basil, oregano, thyme, and garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste

DirectionsPulse diced tomatoes in food processor for approximately 15 seconds (OR you can skip this step and use the immersion blender before serving). Combine chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce in Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a slow boil, add milk and spices. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grilled cheese or crusty bread. 

**Also, can I just say how awesome Penzeys Spices is? We're fortunate enough to live in Wisconsin and have access to a brick and mortar store, but even if you don't, you should definitely check out their website or catalog. You will be hard-pressed to find a better selection of quality spices and knowledgeable employees anywhere.** 

Modified from Food Network's "Quick Creamy Tomato Soup"