So, I’m sitting here contemplating Crossfit tonight. I must admit – I’m a little really nervous. Our warm-up includes a 400m run which I can’t do. My first appointment with the physical therapist is tomorrow and while my leg is feeling better, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to run. Okay, well, I’m always ready to run but I have to lay low when my body revolts. Then, the WOD is a rehashing of 13.2.
Box jumps. Can I do it? Will my leg cooperate? On May 23rd, I could barely go up and down the stairs. I’ll give it a shot. I may NEED a shot just to help shut down the nervous voices in my head!
Um, maybe not so much.
Anyway, I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
I Love Grilling
I really do. We grill year round. Yes, we live in Florida and we can do that but when we lived in Maryland and it snowed (who remembers the Snowpacalypse of 2010? I sure do. I think I gained 5 pounds stuck in inside baking and nesting away!), I always dug out the grill because when a girl wants a steak, a girl’s gotta have a steak! And besides, we always grill our turkeys or hams for the holidays and that is definitely going to continue to happen whether there’s 4 feet of snow on the ground or not! 🙂
After the luau on Saturday night, I was totally in the mood for grilling and, in fact, most of my planned meals this week are grilled. It’s my hurricane training plan when, if a big one comes and the power goes out, grilling will be the only way we have to cook. Oh, we have two grills – one gas with a side burner and a charcoal. We are totally set! So long as they don’t blow away! I won’t grill inside – that would just be stupid – but I will bring the grill inside for safekeeping if I have to! Oh, and btw, my fingers are totally crossed for zero hurricanes this summer. I’m not really a natural disaster kind of girl. So, cross your fingers too, please. I need all the help I can get!
In addition to most being grilled, all of my recipes this week come from one Cooking Light magazine! The June 2012 issue is just packed with yummy recipes that just beg to be made. If you are normal (not like me) and don’t just happen to have the June 2012 issue of Cooking Light magazine laying around your house, you can find the recipes online. 🙂
Who wants pizza? Me, me, me! I made this whole recipe on the grill. The recipe calls for using an oven to bake the crust but, I can never find refrigerated pizza dough down here so I just buy Boboli pizza crusts and those are most definitely grillable. All you have to do is brush the top (where you’ll put the toppings) with olive oil and chopped garlic and a little salt and pepper and throw it, top side down, on the grill for a 2-4 minutes. Watch it to make sure it doesn’t burn! That would not be delicious. Then, take it off, flip it over, top it with your toppings, and put it back on the grill (lid closed) for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is all melty, gooey and the crust is nice and toasty brown. Now, remember that you’re cooking on a grill and when cheese melts, it drips, so…..make sure you don’t get the cheese too close to the edge of the crust. You don’t want your pizza to catch fire. Not good. Anyway, grilled summer veggies, a flavorful sauce, and yummy cheese and light to boot? Win! Om nom nom!
Do you love grilling as much as I do?
What’s your favorite meal to grill?
Summer Grilled Vegetable Pizza
1 pound refrigerated fresh pizza dough
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices
1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices
1 small red onion, cut into 12 wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 cup lower sodium marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and torn into pieces (if you have shredded, use it!)
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature, covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in oven. Preheat oven to 500° (keep pizza stone or baking sheet in oven as it preheats).
4. Flatten bell pepper pieces with hand. Arrange all the vegetables in a single layer on a large cutting board or baking sheet; brush both sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Arrange onion wedges on skewers, if desired. Arrange vegetables on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender and grill marks appear. Remove from grill. Coarsely chop bell pepper.
5. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface, and pierce entire surface liberally with a fork. Carefully remove pizza stone from oven. Sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone; place dough on pizza stone. Bake at 500° for 5 minutes. Remove the partially baked crust from oven. Spread sauce over crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange the vegetables over dough, and sprinkle evenly with salt and crushed red pepper. Top evenly with cheese. Carefully return pizza to pizza stone. Bake at 500° for an additional 12 minutes or until the crust and cheese are browned. Brush edge of dough with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Cut into 6 large slices.
6. FOR GRILLED PIZZA: Alternatively, brush Boboli crust with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. Grill, oil side down, for 2-4 minutes, or until golden. Flip and remove to cutting board. Top with sauce, grilled vegetables and cheese. Return to grill and grill, lid closed for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Remove to cutting board and cut into slices.
– jennifer
A Hungry Runner 