Mexican Pizza

Do something different for pizza night this week! Skip the grease, delivery charge and tip - make homemade Mexican pizza with the kids instead. This also is a great way to use leftover taco meat.

1 1/2c Warm Water
1 Package Instant Yeast
1/2T Honey (or sugar or agave nectar)
1T Homemade Taco Seasonings (recipe below)
1T Olive Oil
3 cups Thrive White or Whole Wheat Flour

Combine warm water, yeast and honey and let rest for 5 minutes. Add oil, taco seasonings and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture. Continue adding flour, 1/4c at a time, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball, put it into a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let rise for 1 hour. While the dough rises, make your sauce and prepare the toppings:

Two Bean Sauce:
1/3c Thrive Instant Black Beans
1/3c Thrive Instant Pinto Beans
1T Thrive Tomato Powder
1/4t Salt
1c Water
*Optional: replace 1/4c of the water with 1/4c of your favorite salsa

Combine all ingredients in large microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes or until beans are soft and liquid is absorbed. Puree in blender.

Taco Toppings:
1c Thrive Taco TVP
1T Thrive Chopped Onions
2T Homemade Taco Seasonings
1c Water
1c Shredded Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, or Mexican cheese)
Your favorite taco toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, olives, chopped onions

Bring water to a boil, then add taco TVP and onions. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain any excess water, then stir in seasonings and set aside.

To assemble your pizza, grease a large cookie sheet. Stretch your pizza dough to fit your cookie sheet. Spread the pureed two bean sauce over the crust, top with the prepared taco mixture, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake in 350 oven for 18-22 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Garnish with your favorite taco toppings and serve!

Taco Seasoning

4T Chili Powder
2T Ground Cumin
1T Paprika
1T Cayenne
1T Mexican Oregano
1T Onion Powder
1T Garlic Powder
1/2T Salt
1/2T Cayenne (optional - use if you want spicy seasoning)

Mix all seasonings. Store in an air tight container. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix per 1lb meat or beans.

Want to order the Thrive ingredients you'll need to make this pizza? Or maybe just one can of Taco TVP? Click here to contact me!

Black Bean Taco Soup

I know I promised you black bean chili with sweet potatoes, but I changed my mind. There has been a #10 can of Thrive Taco TVP* sitting in my pantry, begging to be tried, along with some instant black beans. All I can say is holy cow this soup is good! The corn and sweet potatoes bring a soft sweetness than balances out the cumin and red pepper nicely, while the onions and celery offer up the fantastic aromatics I have come to love about Thrive vegetables. And the instant black beans? These are great because you don't have to remember to soak them the night before. Plus they have, um, well, fewer "side effects". :)

1 1/2c Thrive Instant Black Beans
1/2c Thrive Taco TVP
2T Thrive Corn
2T Thrive Onion
2T Thrive Celery
3T Thrive Sweet Potatoes
1/2t Garlic Powder
1t Cumin
1/2t Ground Red Pepper (or Red Pepper Flakes)
6c Water
For Garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, salsa

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Add black beans, taco TVP, corn, onions, celery, sweet potatoes and seasonings.

At this point I decided to add a can of petite diced tomatoes and a small can of diced green chiles. Yeah, I know, it's not in the pictures. It was a last minute decision :) You could also throw in a can of jalapenos - maybe even a diced zucchini. That would be really good. Now I wish I had a zucchini.

Reduce the heat and let everything simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. After about an hour, give it a taste and adjust the seasonings at your discretion. I like my soup to have a nice kick to it, but feel free to add more or less seasonings to suit your taste. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips and/or salsa before serving.

* Are you afraid of TVP? Don't be. TVP, or textured vegetable protein, is a delicious meat alternative that is made from soy flour. It is an excellent source of low fat protein, and is quite inexpensive. There is a great little article about it here.

Question of the Day: what is your favorite soup?
Mine has always been split pea with ham, but the soup I made tonight ranks right up there with it!