Faster-Than-Delivery Cowboy Pizza–Annabeth Albert

In Return to Sender, my heroine is a busy single-mother. One of her daughter’s favorite things is DIY gourmet pizza. Once you think outside the pepperoni-and-cheese box, pizza is an amazingly flexible base. This is one of my favorites because it’s great for cooking with kids.

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Faster-Than-Delivery Cowboy Pizza

1 pre-made pizza crust, store-bought dough, or your favorite crust recipe*

2 T. cornmeal (optional)

1 can baked beans ( Eden Organic is our favorite, but use whatever you have on hand)

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 T. olive oil

1-2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Mexican cheese blend

2 pre-cooked apple & chicken sausages thinly sliced * (1 cup of any cooked meat works!)

2 T. chopped cilantro

Additional veggies of choice: thinly sliced green peppers, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes (canned or fresh or salsa), red onion, zucchini rounds, spinach (optional—whatever you have in the fridge).

*see allergy friendly variations at end

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare the crust according to package directions. Then put parchment paper on the pizza pan or large cookie sheet (less clean up!) and dust w/ cornmeal. Next, roll or pat the dough out and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, cook the onion in olive oil over medium high heat until lightly browned. Add the sliced chicken sausages and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Then add beans & cook just long enough to evaporate some of the liquid and take the “canned” taste out—5 minutes or so. Stir in the cilantro. (I’ve skipped cooking entirely and just layered directly on the crust w/ fine results too.)

4. Spread the mixture evenly on the dough. Top with any additional veggies you want, then cover with the cheese.

5. Bake 20 minutes or until crust is puffy and brown and cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool slightly, slice and serve! Spinach salad with avocado slices is a great accompaniment.

Variations:

Gluten-free: This is how I make it. Any GF pizza crust mix or recipe works. I prefer the Gluten Free Pantry Pizza & French bread crust and I use 1/3 cup of olive oil rather than butter in the recipe, mix in my food processor, dump on parchment paper on the pan, and dust my pan and hands well w/ brown rice flour or cornmeal before patting it out. Pamela’s bread mix also makes a fine crust. You can also use Udi’s or a commercial GF crust, but reduce the baking temp to 375 and time to 15 minutes.

Dairy Free: Use rice or almond cheese. Or omit the cheese entirely and sprinkle w/ crushed barbeque flavored nuts, nutritional yeast, or extra veggies.

Soy free: Make sure the beans are soy-free or use plain beans seasoned w/ salt, chili powder, cumin, and garlic. You can also increase the onions & simply use a base of caramelized onions & no beans. Make sure the sausages are soy-free or use chicken or ground beef.

Nut free: The recipe is nut free, but check your package ingredients to be safe.

 

Jack Donovan and Bree Hendricks have been in hot competition since their school days, whether it’s tussling over the best apartment or bickering over local leash laws. Bree has never turned down a challenge, so when her new toy in its brown paper packaging is delivered to Jack’s doorstep by mistake, it’s the perfect opportunity for a game of truth or dare.

Bree is determined to set a good example for her teenage daughter, and that means no flirting, no flings and definitely no one night stands. But a bout of saucy cybersex demonstrating her new dildo…there’s no danger in that. Unless Bree allows her heart to become involved.

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http://www.annabethalbert.com