A few months back, I was waiting for a coffee at Starbucks and found myself toying with the idea of finding a CSA to take part in. I turned around, and there was a Lucky Dove Farm flyer tacked to the wall.

Dana is a stay-at-home-mom with a small CSA operation and big dreams. I’m thrilled to be a part of her CSA and I can’t wait to pick up my boxes every week this summer. Fridays are going to be awesome.

The first box was on the small side as it’s so early in the season. We received a generous bag of spicy salad mix, a beautiful bunch of radishes, a small bunch of garlic chives, and a sweet arrangement of flowers in a mason jar.

In fact, I was so charmed by the bouquet that I didn’t pay enough attention when Dana shared with me what all was included in the greens. I know there were mustard greens in there, but, yeah. Total fail because: a bouquet of flowers! In a mason jar!

I’m planning to talk about my CSA treasures – and, of course, share many of the recipes I make with them – all summer long. But the only problem with Friday being a CSA day is that Friday night is also pizza night around here. And so I may have a lot of CSA-inspired pizzas. Like, you know, this one. But I will try to break out of the box – so to speak – more often than not.

But meanwhile, you got it: pizza! This pizza strays pretty far from your typical American pizza, but it was so, so good. The flavors are nicely balanced, none overshadowing the other – even with the heat of the spicy mystery greens, the snappy radishes, and the generous sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes. The ricotta base was absolutely perfect for showcasing the wonderful fresh veggies.

(See! Flowers!)

I adapted the recipe from Cooking Light’s version which features arugula and, well, overall far less cheese. You know me. I had to use more cheese.

So here’s how it went. I got home with my goods, placed my CSA flowers at the center of the picnic table, smiled, and went back inside to stretch my pizza dough. I placed it on a pizza stone (a cookie sheet works fine too), and then I smeared ricotta on the crust (an incredibly easy store-bought Trader Joe’s whole wheat dough). Then I sprinkled it with a little salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Then I sprinkled some cooked chicken on half for my carnivorous guy, and crumbled a good amount of soft, tangy goat cheese over the top of the whole thing. (If you’re a vegetarian and the idea of meat so close to your vegetarian half makes you queasy, just make two smaller pizzas).

While the pizza was cooking, I tossed the greens and radishes with a nice garlicky vinaigrette, then I pulled the piping hot pizza out of the oven and layed the veggies right on top of that bad boy. Oh, and I poured a couple of glasses of a beautiful local Riesling – not too sweet, just perfect – then I rolled the wheel through the pizza (veggie side first) and then, being a blogger and all, I quickly photographed it.

And then we ate it. And life was good. The end.

Well, the end of that meal. BUT! The very beginning of CSA season. Hooray!

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Radish & Goat Cheese Pizza with Spicy Mixed Greens and Optional Chicken

This unique light pizza is perfect for showcasing the freshest late-spring ingredients. The crust gets a slather of ricotta and then a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes, crumbled tangy goat cheese, and a little optional cooked chicken. A simple toss of spicy mixed greens and kicky sliced radishes top it off.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 32 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove garlic minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• Pinch salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the pizza:

• 1 pound 16 ounces of your favorite pizza crust dough
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes + more to taste if desired
• Pinch kosher salt or other coarse salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 4 ounces goat cheese chèvre
• 2 cups spicy mixed greens or baby arugula
• 5-6 radishes sliced
• Grated Parmesan cheese if desired
• If adding chicken to half
• 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken
• If adding chicken to all
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken

Instructions

• In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you wish.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pull/press/roll pizza dough into an approximately 14-inch circle. Sprinkle a little flour on your baking surface (stone or baking sheet) and carefully transfer the dough.
• Spoon the ricotta onto the dough and gently spread with a spoon, leaving 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pizza. Sprinkle the ricotta with the crushed red pepper flakes, a generous pinch of coarse salt, and the freshly ground pepper. Crumble the goat cheese and evenly sprinkle it over the top.
• If adding chicken, spread it onto half or all.
• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.
• Meanwhile, add the mixed greens and radishes to a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss.
• Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately top with the greens and radishes.
• Slice and serve. Pass grated Parmesan for topping, if desired.

Notes

Any spring green mix will work with this pizza, but the occasional baby mustard green and/or peppery arugula will add a welcome little kick.

Adapted from Cooking Light

The post Vegetarian Radish & Goat Cheese Pizza with Spicy Mixed Greens (Chicken Option) appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

I’ve been putting my daughter in short sleeves (finally!) and attempting to apply sunscreen to her chubby little arms and the little space on the back of her neck, which is really, really difficult to do on a wriggly one-and-a-half-year-old. Training her to wear a sun hat when she wants nothing (ever!) on her head is a challenge, too.

We’re just not used to this bright yellow orb in the sky, but we welcome it. Oh, how we welcome it.

It was so warm yesterday that a nice, crisp, simple salad sounded like the perfect lunch. So I tossed together some spring veggies and topped them with a wonderful, creamy avocado ranch dressing that made me even giddier than I was already feeling.

A simple bed of spring baby greens holds sugar snap peas, sliced scallions, tender asparagus, tangy marinated artichoke hearts, and snappy radishes. A drizzle of garlicky avocado ranch and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds completes the scene.

Oh, salad weather. How we missed you so.

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Spring Veggie Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch

A simple bed of spring baby greens holds sugar snap peas, sliced scallions, tender asparagus, tangy marinated artichoke hearts, and snappy radishes. A drizzle of garlicky avocado ranch and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds completes the scene.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 17 minutes minutes

Servings 2 as a main dish, 4 as a side

Author Kare

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1 small bunch asparagus washed and cut into 2-inch sections (about 1/2 cup chopped)
• 4 cups spring baby greens well-dried
• 3 - 4 small radishes sliced
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 - 5 green onions sliced
• 1 5.5 ounce jar artichoke hearts drained
• Sunflower seeds

Dressing:

• 1 avocado about 1 cup chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt I use 2% for this dressing, but whole-milk Greek yogurt or sour cream would work too
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 small garlic clove finely minced
• 1 tablespoon minced chopped scallions
• 1/4 cup minced fresh chives
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1/2 teaspoon fresh
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Couple dashes of Tabasco sauce optional

Instructions

• Make the dressing. In a food processor, whir the avocado and lemon juice until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt, milk, and garlic and puree until completely blended. Add additional milk if you prefer a smoother dressing. Move mixture from food processor to a small bowl. Stir in the scallions, chives, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, and Tabasco if using. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if you like. Set aside.
• Bring a medium saucepan half-full of water to a boil. Add asparagus pieces and cook for two minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a medium-size bowl with cold water and ice. Lift asparagus out of the water and immediately plunge into the cold water. This helps keep the asparagus from cooking any longer and keeps that nice, bright green color. Lay asparagus on paper towels to drain any excess water.
• Place spring greens into a medium salad bowl. Top with asparagus, radishes, sugar snap peas, green onions, and artichoke hearts. Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve.

The post Spring Veggie Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.