That's a Pizza Pie!

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I chalk it up to the fact that I was on vacation for over a week. I enjoyed lots of culinary treats from such far away lands as Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Quebec. Quebec was awesome by the way! That could take up a whole separate blog entry.

Amazingly, I didn't gain a single pound on vacation. As a matter of fact, I might have actually lost one due to all the walking and mucking around on the farm (that is another blog entry too). However, I wanted to get back to healthy eating, and I was actually missing being in the kitchen. So armed with my Cooking Light cookbook, I sat down and made my grocery list.

Tonight, after working all day in the yard and getting a sunburn (oops), I wanted something quick and easy for dinner. Oh.My.Goodness! This recipe is awesome! A friend of mine, Katie, actually recommended it to me several weeks ago. I am so glad I made it.

This was the perfect meal to end a hard day in the yard. It was portable, tasty, filling, and it had the right amount of carbs and protein. Nothing says a Saturday night like a pizza, especially one that you don't have to feel guilty eating.

I can't believe this is light. It was so good! While not a typical calzone (typical calzones have ricotta don't they?), it was still delicious. It had just the right amount of cheese, chicken and sauce. The only thing that was missing was fresh basil. The recipe called for it, but I didn't have any on hand. I was going to use the fresh basil from my garden, but the slugs nixed that idea for me. Note to self: Put slug bait down tonight. I used the dried stuff and it was still good.

Here are the cute little calzones all ready to be sealed and baked.

Enjoy this easy, portable dinner. Have a salad with it and you will be all set. I type this as my husband is eating his calzone one-handed while playing his video game. See? I told you it was portable.

The finished product.

Chicken and Basil Calzones

from: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2009

cooking spray

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground chicken breast

3/4 cup prepared pizza sauce

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 can (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust dough

1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add garlic and chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring to crumble. Stir in pizza sauce and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in basil. Let stand 10 minutes.

3. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; cut dough into quarters. Pat each portion into an 8x6-inch rectangle. Divide chicken mixture evenly among rectangles; top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese. Working with one rectangle at a time, fold dough in half over filling, pinching edges to seal. Repeat procedure with remaining rectangles. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.