Harvest Pizza

Sorry so long between posts!  Things have been busy around here.  Mark and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary on the same night we celebrated Obama’s victory!

But let’s talk about autumn.  I love autumn and all of the things that go with it: falling leaves, crisp air, Halloween, and of course great, rib-sticking food.

There is a restaurant in town that makes a similar version of this pizza, only with real ham. I have never tried it, but I decided to come up with my own veggie friendly version, with a few tasty modifications.

Harvest Pizza

1 package whole-wheat pizza dough

3 tablespoons maple syrup, use local when you can

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

1 cup cheddar cheese

Half of a Macintosh apple, sliced into wedges

½ cup chopped red onion

½ cup dried cranberries

3-4 slices of veggie ham, diced

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread the dough on a pizza pan. I almost always fail miserably at this, so if you have some special technique, go ahead and do it, and please pass it along to me.

Next, mix the maple syrup and mustard together, and spread it on your pizza, as it is the sauce.

Sprinkle the pizza with the cheddar cheese. This doesn’t call for a lot of cheese, because you want the other flavors to meld together, not overwhelmed by an excessive amount of cheese.

Arrange the rest of the toppings in any way you want. Me, I kinda just throw it all on and spread it out. This is a hearty pizza, so presentation isn’t all that important.

Pop the pizza in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This might be a bit gooey in the middle, so you may have to adjust your cooking time and temperature accordingly.

This is a great quick meal. It is a nice break from the traditional pizzas and it allows you to enjoy some of the tastes of this wonderful season.

The next time we meet, I will tell you all about black bean and black-eyed pea soup. Until next time, have a great day and keep cooking!