Veggie Calzones

These were actually very tasty! It makes eight large calzones. I used the Pioneer Woman's pizza crust recipe found under "favorites" but you could do bread dough or whatever. Also these are freezable. There are instructions on how to recook at the end. I didn't make any but they would probably be good dipped in marinara sauce!

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 Tbls oil
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I didn't seed mine and I used roma)
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 cup shredded Monteray Jack (I used cheddar)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 loaves ( 1 lb each ) frozen bread dough thawed (I did one recipe of PW's pizza crust)
1 egg
1 Tbls water
garlic salt (optional)
Italian Seasoning

1. Saute onions, green pepper, mushrooms and oil until tender. Add tomatoes; cook and stir for 3 min. Stir in tomato paste; set aside. Combine cheeses and set aside.

2. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into a 7 in circle ( I sprinkled garlic salt onto the dough before I put any filling on it ). Spoon a scant 1/2 c vegetable mixture and 1/4 c cheese mixture over one side of each circle. Brush edges of dough with water; fold dough over filing and press edges with a fork to seal. Place calzones 3 in apart on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 20 min.

3. Whisk egg and water; brush over calzones and sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Bake @ 375* for 15 min. If freezing remove desired number of calzones from baking sheet and cool. Bake the remaining calzones 18-22 minutes longer or until golden brown (I made them ahead of time and cooked all eight for the first 15 min then I cooled four and put four in the fridge. I cooked the four from the fridge at 375* for 15 min). Serve immediately. Place the cooled calzones in freezer bags, will keep up to 3 months in freezer.

4. To use frozen calzones: Place 2 in apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake @ 350* for 30-35 min or until golden brown.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

This one we were kind of scared to try. But it has become a staple. It's fun because you can really put whatever toppings on it that you like.

INGREDIENTS
3 cups shredded zucchini
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1.5 cups reduced fat biscuit mix
15 oz can pizza sauce*
1/2 cooked Italian sausage, crumbled
1/2 cup sliced black olives, drained
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
4 oz can sliced mushrooms
1 cup Italian Blend shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray.

Mix together shredded zucchini, garlic, eggs, parmesan cheese, and biscuit mix. Spread in bottom of prepared 9x13 pan. Drizzle with pizza sauce; gently spread over zucchini base. Top with pizza toppings of choice; top with 1/2 the Italian Blend cheese.

Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until base is cooked through. sprinkle with remaining cheese and return to oven until cheese is melted Allow to set 5-10 minutes before cutting.

*May substitute pizza sauce with 15 oz tomato sauce mixed with 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves, 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.

**May substitute with pizza toppings of choice (some toppings may increase juiciness of final dish).

Three Cheese Pizza (zucchini & tomato pizza)

This is our new favorite pizza. I like that it uses a zucchini because there are so many around this time of year. I also double this and make two pizzas. One for me and one for Matt!

1 c shredded mozzarella
1 c shredded cheddar
1 medium zucchini
3-4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c grated parmesan (I use the can)
1 medium tomato
1 small onion (I have also used a bunch of green onions which worked fine)
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
1 recipe of your favorite pizza crust

Roll dough to 14" circle (I just spread mine out onto a cookie sheet and get it to fill the entire sheet) If you need to prebake your crust do so now. Lightly spread with olive oil. Spread garlic, veggies, and cheeses on. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes. Super yummy!