Focaccia Pizza, Ginger&Sesame Artisan Salad, Apples&Dates

Focaccia Pizza

Simple Focaccia

from the New Vegetarian Epicure

**I split this recipe for each pizza

1/4 oz (one envelope) dry yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

pinch of sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 tbsp, Olive Oil

3-3 1/2 cups flour - (white, whole wheat, or a combination)

In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the warm water with the sugar, and leave it for about 15 minutes, until it starts to foam. Add the salt and half the olive oil, then start stirring in the flour, a scoop at a time.

When the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon, turn it our on a well-floured board, sprinkle more flour on top of it, and begin kneading. Knead it gently, working in as much more of the flour as you must to keep it from sticking. When the dough is smooth and elastic, form it into a ball and put it in an oiled bowl, turning it once to coat it. Cover the bowl with a tea towel or with plastic wrap, and leave the dough in a warm place to rise for about 45 minutes, or until almost double in size.

Punch the dough down, lift it out of the bowl onto an oiled baking sheet, and pat or roll it out into a large, thick oval, about 12x16 inches. Cover it with a tea towel and leave it to rise again for at least 30 minutes, or until almost doubled.

Brush the focaccia delicately with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle it with some coarse sea salt (I didn't do this, since I added toppings). If you like, you can cut shallow diagonal slashes in the top with a sharp knife, in a crisscross pattern. Or dimple the top of the focaccia with your fingertips, but don't be too aggressive-you don't want to punch it down again.

Bake the focaccia in a preheated 450 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is golden on top and sounds hollow when the bottom crust is tapped.

Toppings:

Tomato sauce (homemade, frozen from the spaghetti I made a few weeks ago)

mozzarella

goat cheese

mushrooms

caramelized onions

Salad

"Artisan" greens from Costco-(I thought these were really good, and I hope they keep stocking them)

chives

toasted sesame seeds

Ginger-Sesame Dressing

from the New Vegetarian Epicure

about 2 inches fresh ginger root (about 2 tbsp. minched)

2 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (I used bottled lime)

2 Tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice

2 Tbspdark sesame oil

1 Tbsp soy sauce ( I used Bragg's)

1 Tbsp Rice vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

Apples & Dates

I made this up, hope it was okay

2 green apples, sprinkled with key lime juice

about 20 dates, quartered

toasted walnuts

all drizzled with agave nectar