Cheesy. Creamy. Popping with flavor and pizza zang (my new word). Stuffed with healthy ingredients. The flavors meld together with warm pizza crust and marinara sauce.
It's been over three months, I am sure, since you asked me to
I've been thinking of your request, on and off, the whole time.
At first, it didn't seem like a difficult task. I had a basic recipe on hand that I had used for Calzones before.
But then.
I got to work on it.
And I realized I needed to rethink the recipe. The one I had on hand was good, but I felt that it was really not good enough. I wanted my kids to love it. Your kids to love it.
I basically, really, just wanna' see it gobbled up.
You've waited a long time. Never complained. Many times your comments, compliments, and encouragement have kept me going. You are a wonderful friend.
I know the challenges you face with trying to get your kids and hubby to really love eating plant based. Ah. Don't we all face some level of this challenge? Trying to get our families to enjoy eating healthier foods?
So I didn't take your request lightly. These Calzones needed to meet some high standards. I poured over books, brainstormed, consulted with other cooks.
Then I made a list of standards that these little Pizza Pockets had to live up to.
* Made with everyday, recognizable ingredients
* Kid-approved (and LOVED!)
* Nutrient dense (chock-full of healthy stuff)
* And still taste good
* No tofu (really? Tofu in my pizza? No thanks)
* Suitable for guests
* Easy (not an all day experience...or so-called, "labor of love")
* Only 2 or 3 main steps
* Variation-friendly (I provide a list of sauteed veg that would taste great as an add-in, or variation for toppings for the filling)
The standard of "No tofu" turned out to be a big deal. Most of my favorite cookbooks had recipes for Calzones, but inevitably, all of them used tofu as the main ingredient; throwing in a bit of spinach here and there for variety.
I just can't imagine handing an omnivore a tofu stuffed calzone, or even putting one in front of myself, and expecting myself or my lovely omnivore guest to want to eat said calzone. I like variations on tofu...but in my pizza???
And so. I have not forgotten you.
In fact, as soon as the right idea finally came to me yesterday, I was so excited I had all kinds of butterflies in my stomach. I was finally going to deliver what I had promised. I cannot tell you how badly I have wanted this moment to come.
Easy, home-made, pizza pocket goodness.
Have I told you lately? How much I care?
Because you and your friendship are SO. SO. WORTH IT!
The crust can be homemade, made in a bread maker, or store-bought. The marinara, or pizza sauce, likewise can also be homemade or store-bought. I use store-bought for ease and simplicity.
The filling takes as little time as it takes to put together a green smoothie.
With similar steps, and a short baking time. It contains 2 cups of artichoke hearts, and 2 cups of spinach. 3/4 cup of cashews, blended with lemon juice and seasonings make up the cheesy part of the recipe.
I will first show pictures, with detailed instructions and tips, and then show the posted recipe with the same detailed instructions below, for ease of keeping the information all together so that it can be copied, pasted, and printed. (I wish I had printable recipes option!)
The three main steps?
1.) Make pizza dough
2.) Make Creamy Artichoke Spinach Filling/Dip
3.) Put it all together and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, at 500 degrees.
Let's get started!
Assembling your Plant Infused Calzone:
When pizza dough is complete/ready, divide in half evenly. Rolling out only half of it at a time. Make sure to flour the surface so the dough doesn't stick.
After rolling/spreading it out into a smooth circle, I cut mine with a knife, on a smooth surface (my cutting board), into four equal parts.
Spread with marinara (or pizza sauce). I use Prego brand; use your favorite, or home-made.
Keep the sauce toward the center of the crust. You want dry edges so that they will fold and pinch together to seal the pockets/calzones.
Then, put about 3-4 tablespoons of pre-baked spinach artichoke filling on each calzone, again keeping it toward the center so that you have dry edges.
At this point, I would recommend adding in extra vegetables on top of the filling for the veg loving people in your life!
Some VEG Toppings that I think would work well:
* Sauteed, sliced mushrooms
* Sauteed, thinly sliced red onions
* Sauteed, thinly sliced red bell peppers
* Samuel loves black Olives, chopped or sliced
* Essie loves black beans in her pizza
* Roasted Green Chile...maybe? Sprinkled on top?
* Additional steamed, or sauteed, chopped spinach
Fold each calzone in half, bringing the two, straight matching edges together.
Then fold the matched edges; the bottom edge over the top edge, pinching the edges together at the same time, so it looks like this.
Just a tip: pinch really hard. That way it stays together. It's actually okay if it splits open a bit during cooking.
After the pocket is sealed, press gently down on the filling so that it fills up all spaces inside the pocket; evenly distributing the filling for savory, cheesy goodness in every bite.
With a spatula, and your hands, carefully transfer the folded, sealed calzones to a lightly oiled or nonstick baking sheet. You could probably also use parchment paper as a nonstick surface.
Repeat with the other half of the pizza dough.
Bake in a 500 degree pre-heated oven, for 12-15 minutes, until golden in color. Remove from oven, and optionally brush the tops with nondairy butter. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
SERVE, WITH A SIDE OF extra MARINARA SAUCE FOR DIPPING/DUNKING!
Spinach Artichoke Calzones
Modifications by Ashlee Crozier
Don't be frightened by the detailed instructions!
These are really, really easy, and quick to make. Especially if you have pre-made pizza dough, which, I do not frown upon.
Hey, make life easier.
Nor do I frown upon the use of store-bought marinara sauce. (I don't provide a recipe for marinara sauce, but you will need some for this recipe).
Pizza Dough for Bread Makers
(makes 2 lb size)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 cups, scantly measured, white whole wheat flour
3 tsp. sugar
1 tablespoon gluten flour (optional, helps the dough to rise and be fluffier)
2 tsp. yeast
Combine all ingredients in your bread-maker, in the order listed. Set the bread-maker to the "Pizza Dough" setting (about 55 minutes) and push start.
Creamy Artichoke Spinach Dip
By Dreena Burton
A delicious, dairy-free artichoke and spinach dip made without any cream or cheese substitutes, and also without any oil.
Note from Ashlee: My kids love this as their filling for calzones, or as a dip. Either way, they gobble it up.
Ingredients
(serves 5-6)
3/4 cup raw cashews (unsoaked)
3/4 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk (I like almond or soy, but your choice)
2 1/2 - 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-2 medium-large cloves garlic (use less/more to taste)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp dry (ground) mustard
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups frozen artichoke hearts, partially thawed (helps for pulsing in blender)
2 cups (loosely packed) spinach leaves (I used frozen, heaping 2 cups, to get in more spinach)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425. In a blender, first add cashews, milk, lemon juice (I like the full 3 tbsp for tanginess), garlic, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Blend until very smooth. (If using Blendtec (purrrrr) or other high-powered blender, this will only take a minute or so. If using a standard blender, keep blending until very smooth. Add artichokes and spinach and just PULSE through. Do not fully blend, keep some chunky texture! Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish, and bake for 17-20 minutes.
Remove and say ‘ahhhh’.
Assembling your Calzones:
Make Pizza Dough. While the dough is rising, prepare and bake Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Filling/Dip.
When dough is complete, divide in half evenly. Rolling out only half of it at a time, be sure to flour the surface so the dough doesn't stick.
I cut mine with a knife, on a smooth surface (my cutting board), into four equal parts. Spread with marinara (or pizza sauce); about 2-3 tablespoons of sauce for each calzone. I use Prego brand; use your favorite, or home-made. Keep the sauce toward the center of the crust. You want dry edges so that they will fold and pinch together to seal the pockets/calzones.
Then, put about 3-4 tablespoons (you can experiment with different amounts, to find what works for you) of pre-baked spinach artichoke filling on each calzone, again keeping it toward the center so that you have dry edges.
At this point, I would recommend adding in extra vegetables on top of the filling for the veg loving people in your life!
Some VEG Toppings that I think would work well:
* Sauteed, sliced mushrooms
* Sauteed, thinly sliced red onions
* Sauteed, thinly sliced red bell peppers
* Samuel loves black Olives, chopped or sliced
* Essie loves black beans in her pizza
* Roasted Green Chile...maybe? Sprinkled on top?
* Additional steamed, or sauteed, chopped spinach
Fold each Calzone in half, bringing the two, straight matching edges together. Then fold the matched edges; the bottom edge over the top edge, pinching the edges together at the same time, kind of how you would seal a double pie crust.
Just a tip: pinch really hard. That way it stays together. It's actually okay if it splits open a bit during cooking.
After the pocket is sealed, press gently down on the filling so that it fills up all spaces inside the pocket; evenly distributing the filling for savory, cheesy goodness in every bite.
With a spatula, and your hands, carefully transfer the folded, sealed calzones to a lightly oiled or nonstick baking sheet. You could probably also use parchment paper as a nonstick surface.
Repeat with the other half of the pizza dough.
Bake in a 500 degree pre-heated oven, for 12-15 minutes, or until golden in color. Remove from oven, and optionally brush the tops with nondairy butter. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
SERVE, WITH A SIDE OF extra MARINARA SAUCE FOR DIPPING/DUNKING!
This was worth the wait. The artichoke spinach dip was incredible
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