Scallop, bacon and blue cheese pizza

This is a great easy dinner item that can be made in a flash with store bought dough. Cook it in the oven or on the grill for a hot summer night meal with a cool glass of Sancere or Chenin Blanc!

1 store bought pizza dough ball

1 pound sea scallops, raw (or bay scallops if you like the smaller ones)

1/4 cup 100% maple syrup

5 strips bacon, cooked until crispy, drained on paper towel

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

3/4 cup (approx.) tomato sauce  (I used Newman's Own)
1 large tomato, sliced
1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella
flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Marinate scallops in maple syrup - let sit while you prepare the dough
2. Roll out dough until it is about 1/2" thick - it should fill up most of a cookie sheet
3. Cover a cooking/baking sheet with tin foil. Dust tin foil with flour. Place dough down on floured cookie sheet. Cook in oven about 10 min (or if grilling then spray grill with PAM and grill one side directly on grill for 5-7 minutes).
4. Remove from oven, flip dough over (bottom side should be starting to get slightly tanned)
5. Start adding ingredients to dough. Spread sauce out evenly. Top with mozzarella, then tomato slices. Arrange scallops (discard extra maple syrup) then sprinkle blue cheese around the scallops and crumble bacon over the whole thing.
6. Bake for another 20 minutes.
7. Remove, cut, serve

ENJOY!!

An alarming stat

This is an alarming stat I learned today: 27% of people who try to sign up/enlist in the armed forces are turned away because they are too heavy.

If you think about this, it tells you a lot about the condition of our country; physically, emotionally; economically and defensively.

Historically, most people who enlisted in the armed services were from more depressed or less educated areas of the country. These are the same people who have been hit the heaviest by the obesity epidemic (ah no pun intended). The cost of health care for all the obese people is a topic that can be bantered for the next decade on a daily basis, but the fact remains that the heavier a person is the higher the risk of comorbidities and the higher the cost to society per individual. The cost to our nation's defense will also be harmed as we will have fewer people to pull from when our armed services need more bodies, which means fewer people fighting to keep us safe.

I could go on for a long time about all of this but a few words for thought on the Memorial Day Holiday.

Cheers!

Kale Chips

12 kale leaves, rinsed, dried off, stem and rib removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees
2. Toss leaves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Arrange leaves in single layer on baking sheet (may need to use two)
4. Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until leaves are dry and crunchy. Transfer to rack to cool.

ENJOY!

Crunchy Chick Peas

1-15oz can of chick peas, drained, rinse, dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
seasoning blend (see below)

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss chick peas once dry with olive oil and seasoning
3. Arrange in single layer on a baking sheet
4. Cook for approximately 35 minutes until slightly browned and crunchy.
5. Store in airtight container once cooled.

Seasoning blends:
*dried ground cumin, dried ground coriander seed, cayenne pepper
*dried rosemary, dried thyme, ground allspice
*ground cinnamon, ground ginger, splenda brown sugar

This is a great source of protein and a great way to get in your craving for a salty-crunchy item without reaching for chips or pretzels!

Tomato-Basil-Goat Cheese Salad

Tomatoes are full of lycopene, fiber, water and other essential vitamins. Local, fresh tomatoes are available now from farmers who have been growing vegetables all winter in hot houses, and the farmer's markets are starting to get into full swing so find the closest one to you and check out the merchandise!

1 orange tomato, sliced
1 red tomato, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 extra virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper

1. Arrange tomato slices on dish. Top with chopped basil and crumbled goat cheese.
2. Drizzle with oil and vinegar and grind black pepper over top.

ENJOY!!