mulberryshoots

After a run of philosophical topics, it’s finally February and I thought I’d write this post about food. Today, I was at Trader Joe’s where there are a few things you can’t get anywhere else that we enjoy: pistachios that are roasted and UNsalted; grapeseed oil for cooking. I looked at and considered some of the gorgeous orchid plants but restrained myself because I had just cleaned up the orchid plant shelf yesterday, fertilized all the plants: three of them are in bud and ready to flower soon. Plus there are three amaryllis bulbs with green leaves showing that I had forgotten to bring out of the cellar at Christmas time.

As I went by the sprouted wheat bread goods, I came upon a package of “brown rice tortillas.” I thought they looked appetizing and might work as crusts for instant pizzas at home. I bought a jar of Trader Joe’s pizza sauce, remembering that I had some shredded mozzarella and two remaining fresh mushrooms in the fridge at home.

So, for lunch, I put one of the wraps (these will go a long way!) on a cookie sheet, spread some pizza sauce in a swirl like you see them doing on TV, sprinkled the mozzarella and topped with grated parmesan cheese, then arranged the mushroom slices on top. Popped it into a 400 degree oven and took it out about ten minutes later.

G. and I agreed the pizza was “just right” since we each prefer thin crusts and this one was crispy with no bread-y after effects. The edge was crisp and the ingredients all went well together. Last week, we had tried a frozen pizza from the grocery store, adding mushrooms on top of a “pizza margherita”; but the tomatoes tasted like cardboard and the crust didn’t quite hack it either. Now, we have a quick and easy alternative to ordering a pizza for pick-up. And you know what? This one tastes better!

Postscript:
I’m almost ready to make another one! Other ideas for the brown rice wraps might include: mashed white beans (canned) with minced fresh garlic, avocado, red onion, sprouts; prosciutto, smoked gouda shavings, avocado and red onion; hummus, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts; bacon, lettuce and tomato wraps… Also, I don’t know how well pizza sauce freezes but I’m going to divide up the rest of the jar that is unused after today’s lunch and see how it works when defrosted.

Lesson Learned, the second time around:
Since the brown rice tortilla worked so well the first time, I made a second pizza for lunch, thinking that I might add a little more tomato sauce and slightly more cheese: more is not better, as it turned out. Here’s what happened, because there was more sauce, the bottom of the tortilla in the middle did not cook to a crisp but was a little soggy. The cheese was okay but had no where to go–so adding more fresh mushrooms worked, but holding back on the wet ingredients worked best. Thought I’d mention this for anyone wanting to try them out! Better to make two “drier” pizzas than one loaded up!