Japanese Mushroom Thin Crust Pizza

Last month my friend from China took me to explore Houston's China Town! I have always wanted to check it out ever since we moved here but I was scared I was gonna be that awkward American, stumbling around, and ordering all the wrong things so it was nice to have a guide. The Market was unlike anything I've ever seen, I suddenly felt like I was transported into one of those Andrew Zimmern shows and I was wandering through the market in Xian. I have never seen any place that takes the word fresh so literally, the seafood section was full of live fish, turtles, crawfish, frogs, you name it! Plus the produce section was a thing of beauty. I decided to play it pretty safe my first go-round (plus I had to choose things that would keep for some time in the car) so I chose some colorful greens called Amaranth, seasoned extra firm tofu, matcha candy, and these beautiful Brown Beech Mushrooms.

Since cheese (and pizzas for that matter) are pretty obsolete in Asian cooking this recipe is a bit of a stretch but I wanted to make something that was summery and light (also I was just realllyyy craving some pizza ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . I used Parmesan and crumbled queso fresco (baaaad choice Annie) since I was trying to use up what I had in the fridge but of course it turned slightly rubbery because these cheeses aren't really known for there melting qualities. I made it again and I used a mix of goat and mozzarella and it was cheesy melty perfection.

I actually went all out and made my thin crust pizza dough but I wasn't really happy with the results (it turned out kind of sad and doughy) do I won't be sharing that recipe with you. I would recommend going to your local grocery and/or pizza store and buying some raw dough OR get this brand from World Market that is one of my faves OR if you have a really good thin crust recipe you could use that too...and uhhh tell me that recipe while you're at it.


Japanese Mushroom Thin Crust Pizza

makes on 12 inch pizza

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (bunch) package Japanese Mushrooms, cleaned and cut lengthwise
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup high quality olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 TBS fresh chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup goat cheese (or all mozzarella of that's more your thing)
1/2 cup mozzarella
more cilantro for garnish

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a saute pan add olive oil and sesame oil and heat on medium low setting. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and saute until soft.
2.In a mixing bowl whisk 1/4 oil with oregano, parsley, and cilantro.
3.To assemble, place dough on a pizza pan or stone, brush olive and herb mix over the surface. Sprinkle goat cheese and then mushroom mixture evenly on top.
4.Place in oven and bake until crispy on bottom and slightly brown around edges. Serve hot alone or paired with a salad.

Austin's Pizza Review & Giveaway!

Hey guys, guess what? One of Austin’s best known pizzerias is now selling pies in a freezer aisle near you! I was thrilled when I was contacted to try their new frozen pizza line that just became available at H-E-B this past month! Austin's has been a local favorite since 1999 so it makes sense that they would branch out and start selling their pies in stores across Austin, San Antonio, Houston and San Marcos.

The new pizza line includes innovative flavors all named after well-known Austin streets and places such as:

-Pepperoni (not a street name but that would be awesome!)
-Brazos (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, onions, green peppers, jalapenos and feta cheese)
-Downtown Special (pepperoni, sausage, black olives and mushrooms)
-MoPac (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, sausage, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and olives)

And just because it's frozen doesn't mean they compromised on quality, each 12-inch pizza is made with real ingredients and 100 whole milk mozzarella with a classic tomato sauce.

Frozen pizza is a favorite go-to dinner at our house, it's so easy to whip up and serve with a simple side salad and I feel like we're still getting a nutritionally rounded meal. So what do I look for in an ideal frozen pie? I couple of my must haves are: a flavorful tomato sauce, a thin crispy crust, and of course, it has to have quality toppings aplenty. So did Austin's live up to the hype?! I will say I was really impressed with the amount of toppings on the pizza, usually with frozen brands, it looks like one thing on the box and then you open it up and there's like 5 pepperonis and a sprinkle of cheese on there. I tried the "MoPac" and it was overflowing with veggies and meat. The crust was nice and it didn't become soggy as you ate it which is optimal for a prime pizza eating experience. My only complaint was that I wish it had more tomato sauce on it - next time I will try the simple pepperoni.

For more information about Austin's you can check out their website at www.austinspizza.com

Now, here's your chance to try an Austin's Pizza on me! To enter below you can leave your comment for one entry and like The Nifty Cupcake on facebook which is equivalent to 2 entries!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thai Chicken Flatbread

It's been a good while since I've done a savory meat based recipe. Since I don't eat meat, it's always hard just making a meal for Lewis. Usually a buy a whole chicken (because it's significantly cheaper) and roast it, then make mini meals from the left overs throughout the week. This recipe is super easy and delicious, it's one of those 'clean out the fridge' dinners, I used onions, fresh herbs, and carrots but feel free to manipulate the ingredients depending on what you have around the house.

The sauce serves as both a marinade for the chicken AND a sauce for the pizza. It's both salty, tangy, and slightly sweet due to the honey and peanut butter and the flatbread serves as the perfect crispy crunchy vessel to hold these tasty ingredients.

Thai Chicken Flatbread

makes 2 flatbreads

for the flatbread dough...

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon water
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil

Method:

1.Mix the flour and salt, then in separate bowl whisk together the water, egg and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

2.Stir together wet and dry ingredients then knead with your hands until the dough comes together (about 3-5min). Split the dough into two balls. Let the balls rest while the oven preheats to 400 degrees F.

3.Lightly grease two un-rimmed cookie sheets. Place the cookie sheets on a flat surface with a towel underneath so they don't slip. Place one ball of dough on each cookie sheet and roll the dough out as thin as possible - the thinner the dough, the crispier the flatbread.

For the Thai Peanut sauce...

(This is a slight guestimation, I just kept adding until I got the right balance, you might have to add more soy sauce or sesame oil)

2 TBS smooth peanut butter
2 TBS honey
1/3 soy sauce
1 TBS sesame oil
2 tsp ground ginger
splash of sriracha

1.Mix together (you'll have to whisk fast to incorporate peanut butter) and spoon some over shredded cooled chicken - place in fridge and let sit for at least 30min.

2.To assemble spread Thai sauce over both flatbreads. Sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice (I used muenster) over breads, followed by seasoned chicken, caramelized onions, shredded carrots (which I steamed), and a little more cheese.

3.Bake for 10-15min. or until edges turn slightly brown and dough is crispy in the center. Top with thinly sliced green onions.