Whole Wheat Flatbread Gyros - California Style

"Delectable Cate, what do I do with all this leftover Italian Sausage?" I can just hear you asking me as you put away the leftovers from those Flatbread Pizzas you made after the last post. I know because I was asking myself the exact same question. Fortunately for you, I have an answer. And it will use up those leftover tomatoes, too! As for the other ingredients? They're all simple things you're likely to have on hand.

I was amazed when I made these, and couldn't wait to make them again (I even considered having one for dinner after eating one for lunch... is that wrong?) A great gyro is, well, wonderful. I love them. It's possible someone might say these aren't real gyros, and I won't argue; I haven't had enough of them to consider myself an expert. But these are definitely worth trying - to use up that Italian sausage if for no other reason!

Whole Wheat Flatbread Gyros - California Style
1/4-1/3 cup low fat sour cream or fat free plain Greek yogurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
about 1 tsp finely shaved onion slice, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp dried dill (to taste)
pinch salt if desired
Whole wheat pita flatbread (2)
Cucumber spears
Tomato spears
Ground sweet Italian sausage, browned
Fresh spinach
Avocado, sliced

1. Mix the sour cream or Greek yogurt, garlic, onion, and dill together. Add salt to taste if desired. This is a quick tzatziki sauce!

2. Spread the tzatziki sauce on a flatbread and top with remaining ingredients. Fold/wrap in half.

Enjoy!

Flatbread Pizza

Okay friends, I know it's been waaaay too long since I've posted anything on here. And I'm pretty sure I may have said that last time - and maybe even the time before that... broken record here? I promise I won't say it next time (even if it happens to be true)! Why has it been so long since  I've posted anything? Well, I quit my job, moved, and now am now a full-time grad student. A wee bit of change. And it was a crazy busy summer summer studying for the GRE to get into school, too (7-10 grade math = not fun)! Of course, I figured that as a student I'd have plenty of time for cooking and blogging... apparently I was a little off in my calculations in that department. I've had a little bit of fun with some recipes, but I'm afraid my writing skills have been spent on research papers, literature reviews, and article analysis. Suffice to say, I'd much rather be blogging about food. Lucky for both of us, this weekend I invented something fabulous and tonight I have some time to write about it!

My new favorite kitchen staple is the whole wheat pita flatbread. It is so versatile and delicious; dip it in hummus, spread it with cream cheese... the options are limitless. And as a bread product, it's really pretty healthy. So, my new invention with it? Pizza. You can really choose your favorite pizza toppings with this one, but these particular toppings were fabulous, easy, inexpensive (I am now a student, after all) and a great combo together. Give it a try and let me know what your favorites are!

A note on a few of the ingredients: The whole wheat pita flatbread I have been using is the Alexis brand (available at your local Fred Meyer - if you're in the Northwest) and is the type of flatbread you would wrap around a Greek gyro. For the Italian sausage, I used sweet, but feel free to try mild or spicy if you prefer (or use sweet and just add extra red pepper flakes!). Also, many stores will make their own version of Italian sausage, I've used these with great success, so give them a try if you'd like (I particularly like the Metropolitan Market brand!) Be careful of using a link Italian Sausage as they often contain more fat than a ground sausage. French sheep feta is a much milder version of feta and is quite enjoyable, adding a hint and depth of flavor without being overwhelming (I found it at Fred Meyer, packed in smaller quantities for less than the other feta cheese).

Flatbread Pizza
Whole wheat Pita Flatbread (4)
Ground Italian Sausage, sweet
1 Tomato
Mozzarella Cheese, grated
French sheep feta (optional)
Fresh spinach
Red pepper flakes
1 small can tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bottle tasty red table wine (okay, a splash for the sauce, the rest is for drinking with the pizza - or while cooking...
Italian seasonings
pinch of fennel seeds, crushed between fingers

1. To make pizza sauce, blend the whole can of tomato paste, splash of red wine, Italian seasonings, and crushed fennel seeds on very low heat. It will remain very pasty (thus the very low heat). If you don't want to use red wine, feel free to use tomato juice from a can of chopped/diced tomatoes (juice from a whole can will still leave it very pasty). Just stir around until very aromatic - you don't want it to burn to pan.

2. If you are good at cooking two things at once, brown the Italian sausage while making the tomato paste. If not a multi-tasker, brown the sausage after making the sauce.

3. Spread the sauce on the flat bread and top as desired with toppings.

4. Broil until cheese is melted. Don't close the door to the oven and don't walk away - it never fails that you forget or it cooks faster than you think and they burn. Just stay there and watch. It only takes a minute or two. Maybe three. And the sauce is just enough for 4 pitas, so if it's not just you eating, you really don't want to burn them!

Enjoy!

Strawberry Bruschetta

What could be better on a warm summer evening than a fresh dessert - with the crispness of mint and the sweetness of berries on your tongue? This weekend I was taken in by all the summer fruit in the store and came home with piles of strawberries, peaches, pineapple, grapes, mango, and ... I can't remember everything I had! My mind set to work on how I could use all this fruit before it was too late. We'll start with dessert first. Inspiration number one: Strawberry Blueberry Bruschetta with Mint and Salted Caramel Sauce.

Turns out, it was just as good as I hoped it would be. The mint and salted caramel are such an interesting, complex combination of flavors; it's a great brunch, afternoon tea accompaniment, or summer dessert in the evening. Give it a try for yourself!

Strawberry Bruschetta
(Quantities can easily be adjusted for need/taste)
1 cup strawberries, diced
1/3 cup blueberries, cut in half
3 mint leaves, chopped
salted caramel sauce (recipe below)
Baguette, sliced

1. Slice baguette into about 1/3-1/2" slices, brush one side with olive oil and broil on high until golden.

2. Wash and cut strawberries, blueberries and mint, and mix in a small bowl. When cutting strawberries, it's important to remember to cut the pieces small - if they are too big, they will tend to fall off when you try to eat it!

3. To serve, spoon the berry mixture on the slices of bread and drizzle the salted caramel sauce on top.

Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. fleur de sel
1/4 cup sour cream

1. Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium saucepan and stir gently to combine. Set the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture registers 350 F on a candy thermometer (if you don't have a thermometer, cook until the mixture is amber in color).

2. Turn off the heat and slowly add the cream (the caramel will bubble up quite a bit, so be mindful) and then the fleur de sel. Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is smooth. Allow to cool before using. May be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Dipping S'mores

No mess. No fuss. No fire. No smoke. No mosquitoes. Now you can have the deliciousness of s'mores any time of the year, any time of day, any time you want. All you need is four ingredients and a microwave.  Sound too good to be true? Well, today is your lucky day because this is real, people! You can see the picture for proof! Whip a batch of this up and you might thank me - or hate me - for introducing you to the sinfully delectable gooeyness of Dipping S'mores. Dip away, my friends!

Dipping S'mores
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (will be too sweet if you use milk chocolate, but don't be afraid to use a good quality chocolate here!)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff (estimate works)
graham crackers, enough for dipping (so a lot)

1.  Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a microwavable dish (a pie plate works great, and can be used for serving as well). Microwave 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate chips are melted.

2.  Drop marshmallow fluff on top by the tablespoon and microwave about 30-45 more seconds, until fluff is softened.  Stir in until mixture looks 'swirly.'

3.  Serve in dish if desired, but I also found it worked great to pour it into a small crock pot to keep the mixture warm and melted. This works especially well if you don't plan on devouring it all at once (just be sure to stir it every now and then as the bottom gets pretty hot!) This method works great on the patio with an extension cord. :)

Enjoy!