Second Helping: Blue and Purple Pizza

After several plane rides, a business trip to Vegas, and a wedding in Long Island last week, my body was shot - and on Monday, I was sick. I spent all of Monday morning stretched out on the couch with the TV remote in my hand - it was blissful, and the rest was just what I needed.

So, when dinner time rolled around, I was feeling almost 100 percent already, but the meal that I ended up making wasn't the best choice visually, as the colors blue and purple were vibrant in this dish. (I never claimed to be normal).

I had half a container of crumbled gorgonzola leftover from last week's Red Wine Burger, so I perused through my cookbooks in hopes of finding a recipe to use my leftover cheese. Finally, in The Frugal Foodie Cookbook, I came across a recipe for Gorgonzola Pizza with Radicchio and Asian Pears. After several revisions, I made a Gorgonzola Pizza with Red Cabbage and Red Wine Pears. And, despite the color combination, it was damn delicious.

Gorgonzola Pizza with Red Cabbage and Red Wine Pears

Yields: 4 servings

-Whole wheat pizza crust (the original recipe called for regular crust; I purchased whole wheat dough at Hannaford for $1.99)

-1/2 head of red cabbage, roughly chopped (or radicchio, if you can find it)

-1 Packham pear, sliced into 1-inch thick pieces ($1.29/lb. at Hannaford; original recipe called for 1 Asian pear)

-1/4 cup red wine (I used Yellow Tail Pinot Noir)

-1/2 5 oz. container of crumbled gorgonzola cheese (the original recipe called for an entire 6 oz. container)

-1 tbsp. olive oil

-1 generous tsp. dried rosemary (the original recipe calls for fresh rosemary leaves - I recommend you use the fresh, if you have them. I only used 1 tsp. here because dried herbs are much more potent in flavor than fresh)

Directions: Put sliced pears in a bowl with red wine, and let set in fridge for at least 30 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough to desired thickness. Brush with olive oil. Cover crust with gorgonzola, cabbage, pear slices, and rosemary. Place in 500* oven for 20 minutes.

This pizza was awesome, and really comforting - especially after being away from home for so long. My only gripes are that the pears didn't soak up too much of the wine flavor, and I used a little too much gorgonzola (despite the fact that the original recipe called for a lot more than I used). The intense flavor of the cheese really overpowered the cabbage and the pears. But, I will be making this pizza again - and I highly recommend using the whole wheat crust, for extra flavor and texture.

What's your favorite meal to have/make when you're sick?

Roasted summer veggie lasagna (in winter)

The other night, I finally broke out my Frugal Foodie Cookbook in hopes of finding a comfort food recipe for dinner. This meal was also being eaten during the filming of "Food, Inc." in my apartment, so I wanted to make sure it was meatless. Thankfully, the Frugal Foodie has a vegetarian section, and Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna was one of the more comforting recipes. Even though the ingredient list asked for a lot of seasonal summer produce, the only item I had to omit was zucchini.

The end result was fantastic, and the lasagna was chocked full of flavorful, fresh vegetables. The pesto/ricotta cheese mixture also made a huge (and satisfying) difference to the dish. Even though I highly suggest you buy a copy of this cookbook for your own culinary book shelf, I really want to share this recipe with you here. So, here it is, taken straight from the Frugal Foodie Cookbook:

Roasted Summer Veggie Lasagna

Total price: $20

Servings: 8

Price per serving: $2.50 (can't beat that!)

-2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly (1 yellow, 1 green)

-1 medium tomato, sliced thinly

-2 portabello mushrooms, sliced thinly

-2 peppers, sliced

-1 onion, sliced thinly 

-1 eggplant, sliced thinly

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1 box whole wheat lasagna pasta

-1/3 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade - I used store-bought)

-2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese

-2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

-1 16-ounce jar tomato sauce

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (I skipped this step). Toss vegetables in oil and vinegar; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread evenly across two baking sheets; roast 30 minutes, or until caramelized. Cook pasta until just barely done; mix pesto and ricotta together in bowl. In another bowl, combine mozzarella and Parmesan. When vegetables are done, turn oven to 325 degrees. Layer lasagna in 9" x 13" baking dish (I split mine into two baking dishes, because I don't have a 9" x 13") by adding sauce to bottom, then 3 noodles, 1/3 of pesto-ricotta mixture, 1/3 of vegetable mixture, then 1/4 of mozzarella-Parmesan mixture. Repeat twice, then add remaining mozzarella-Parmesan and any leftover vegetables or sauce on top. Bake 40 minutes uncovered; let site 10 minutes before serving. Freeze single portions in plastic containers for up to 6 months for easy weeknight meals.

The only other thing I would change the next time I make this: I'd cook the noodles for less time (if at all).

What's your favorite seasonal recipe to eat off-season?

The perfect cookbook for any economical eater

Christmas came early for me this year: my roommate gave me a gift that any economical eater can use. Erica (my roommate) left for New York today for the holidays, but before she left, she gave me a copy of "The Frugal Foodie Cookbook," by Alanna Kaufman and Alex Small. The paperback holds "200 gourmet recipes for any budget," and, after flipping through it, is one of the few approachable cookbooks I have found. Many of the recipes have ingredients that most "everyday" pantries possess, but the recipes themselves are innovative and unique to the routine meatloaf and mashed potatoes. An even bigger bonus: Each recipe comes with a total price, number of servings, and price per serving. Talk about keeping your budget (and meals) intact. A few of the recipes I'm most excited to try are Slow-cooked Rosemary Scrambled Eggs, Chai Muffins with Figs and Oats, and Mediterranean-style Beef-stuffed Eggplant.

For now, however, I'm off to bake some Merry Berry Cream Cheese Squares for my family holiday party tomorrow (recipe to come).

Do you own "The Frugal Foodie Cookbook," or have you made/tasted any of the recipes? I'd love to hear your review!