Veggie Pizza

Every party seems to have a tired, pre-made, store bought, vegetable tray.  You know the one where the carrots are starting to turn white and there is always more cauliflower than anyone will ever eat.  Why settle for vegetables that were prepared who knows when when you can have a delicious, fresh, and appealing vegetable dish that people will actually eat?  The best part?  You can make this veggie pizza yourself in no time flat and people will think your are a kitchen ninja!

This dish was a huge hit at Roman's baptism party.  It was almost completely devoured and people were asking for the recipe (always a sign of a great dish).  This original recipe this was adapted from was posted on Allrecipes.com.

 

 Veggie Pizza

 2 - 8oz cans crescent rolls
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1t dried dill
1/8t garlic powder
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/3 cup cucumber slices
1 tomato, seeded & chopped
1/4 cup carrot, shredded

*I also added red pepper to my veggie pizza because I love peppers.  You can add more/less veggies to your pizza to fit your taste.

Unroll dough into 4 long rectangles.  Obviously I didn't follow this step very well.  I pieced the crescent rolls into my round pizza pan (all my cookie sheets were holding cupcakes), then arranged the rest in a 9x13 baking pan.

Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool completely.  I was concerned because I was distracted with Roman and forgot about my crusts and they got a little darker than I wanted.  They were pretty crispy and I was worried they were going to taste horrible.  But after sitting in the fridge with the "sauce" and veggies on them, they softened up and were delicious!

 

 

While the crust is baking, chop and slice your veggies.  *TIP - when preparing a lot of veggies use a garbage bowl!  This saves you time by reducing the number of trips you make to the garbage can.  You wouldn't think this takes up much time, but I promise if you try this method you will notice a difference in prep time.

 

 

I also highly recommend hiring a cleaning crew.  I found these two at a local shelter.  They do an amazing job, work for peanuts, and who doesn't like to help the homeless!  Well, they actually work for kibble and the odd scrap, but they are quick and efficient!  All I have to do is mop at the end of the day, no sweeping required!

 

 

In a small bowl, mix Greek yogurt, cream cheese, dill and garlic until smooth.  Spread over cooled crust. The crust must be completely cooled or the cheese mixture will melt and run off your crust.  Top with veggies and serve!  You can also make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge.  I prefer making it ahead of time because it gives the flavors in the cheese mixture time to meld together.

 

 

Now don't these veggies look much happier than the sad, white carrots in the store bought vegetable tray!?  Vegetable dishes should be bright, colorful, and tempt you to sample them.  Eating your vegetables shouldn't be a chore, and this recipe definitely makes it an enjoyable experience!