pizza sunny-side-up

sunny-side-up? say wha?! rise & shine, my friends. yes, that is a pizza with an egg on it. call it breakfast, call it brunch, call it a midnight snack. call it what you want. :)

i’m a big fan of breakfast-for-dinner, so what better way to enjoy it than to combine fried eggs and pizza — two of my favorite things.

two free-range eggs, a homemade yogurt-based, dijon pizza sauce, and some fresh pizza dough from itza bakeshop made for a fantastic base for this culinary experiment.

- preheat oven to 400F

prep the dough:
- sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean surface before rolling out the fresh pizza dough
- using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
- sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
- place the prepped dough pie on a pizza stone (at room temperature) or a lightly-greased, round baking pan

prep the sauce:
whisk together the following ingredients in a small prep bowl:
- 2-3 tbsp low-fat, plain yogurt (instead of traditional pizza sauce)
- 2 tbsp fresh french tarragon (stems removed, leaves finely chopped)
- dollop of dijon mustard
- dash of sea salt
- season w/ ground black peppercorns

prep the toppings:
- 2 free-range eggs (cooked separately, sunny-side-up)
- 1 cup organic cherry tomatoes (sliced into halves)
- 1 cup organic mixed greens
- 75-100g queso blanco (grated)
- 1/4 cup green onions or scallions (rough chop, rooted stems removed)
- 1 tbsp fresh french tarragon (stems removed, leaves finely chopped)

sundried tomato & tofu pizza

i’m a tofu newbie. in the spirit of culinary experiments, i thought it was about time to venture into the (wonderful) world of tofu.

i’ve ordered agedashi tofu at izakaya bars before, but somehow it’s never made its way into my kitchen. who knew that tofu is such a versatile ingredient?! i guess i’ve been missing out all this time… not anymore! :)

some organic tofu from the neighbourhood market and fresh pizza dough from itza bakeshop made for fantastic feature ingredients in this culinary experiment.

- preheat oven to 400F

prep the dough:
- sprinkle some whole-wheat flour on a clean surface before rolling out the pizza dough
- using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a thin, round pie
- sprinkle some more flour on the dough pie, flip over before applying the rolling pin again
- place the prepped dough pie on a pizza stone (at room temperature) or a lightly-greased, round baking pan

prep the toppings:
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (rough chop)
- 1 cup organic raw tofu (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
- 1 sprig of fresh organic rosemary (leaves removed from stem)
- 1 cup organic mixed greens
- 75-100g queso blanco (grated)

prep the pie:
- spread 1 tbsp low-fat, plain yogurt on the dough pie (instead of traditional pizza sauce)
- add organic mixed greens over yogurt sauce
- add tofu chunks & sundried tomato pieces
- sprinkle fresh rosemary leaves over tofu chunks
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- generously sprinkle grated cheese evenly over pizza toppings

pistachio lamb burgers

there’s nothing quite like a fantastic piece of marinated meat on the grill. one of the many important lessons i’ve learned from my dad (love you, xo!). in honour of father’s day today, i thought this meaty, delish bbq recipe would be a great way to celebrate.

i picked up some lean ground new zealand spring lamb at the grocery store in the frozen foods section, at a surprisingly reasonable price — under $9, if you can believe it. i took it as a sign to embark on a meaty culinary experiment! and besides, how can you say ‘no’ to a really good burger? ;)

burger prep:
combine the following ingredients in large prep bowl:
- 500g lean ground new zealand spring lamb
- drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
- 3 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
- 2 tbsp crushed pistachios (shelled, crushed in mortar & pestle)
- dash of sea salt
- season w/ ground black peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled, diced)

(tip: fold & combine ingredients until well-incorporated. best to use your hands to combine ingredients in prep bowl. remember that you’re handling uncooked meat here, so be sure to wash your hands before handling the veggies.)

patty ‘em up:
- roll lamb mixture into 2 large meatballs (approx 2.5- to 3-inches in diameter)

(tip: a bit larger than the size of a golf ball, but definitely smaller than a tennis ball.)

- arrange meatballs approx 3 inches apart on a plate
- use the palm of your hand to flatten each meatball into a burger patty

(tip: you’ll likely have leftover lamb mixture after making 2 patties. you could make extra patties, or regular-sized meatballs for another meal. i used the extra mixture to make lamb meatballs for another dish — stay tuned for that recipe in another post!)