My very first job when I was in my teenage years, I had found myself working at a Dinosaur themed birthday party place. (Almost like Barney.) It was so much fun, and I worked the toys merchandise counter. We hosted private children's birthday parties, the facility had a huge playground for kids and plenty of arcade games. I also dressed up like the purple dinosaur and walked around the facility greeting kids, scaring them back to their parents, and posing for pictures. Oh, and my tail got pulled plenty of times by those little munchkins. Not fun. But it was my first job and it had it’s up or down perks.
One perk that I did love was my free lunch of pizza and soda whenever I worked my shift. Everyone loves good ole cheese or pepperoni pizza - it’s always a crowd pleaser. Plus, it was free – you can never beat free food right? I had my fair share of pizzas at my old stomping ground. It would be fair to say that my palate has changed as the years passed by, and it’s a little more sophisticated than my dinosaur days.
This raspberry and brie flatbread is a fancy pizza with interesting toppings: brie, raspberries and caramelized onions. I don’t miss the cheese or pepperoni needed for a typical pizza. The sweetness of the onions pairs really well with the tangy brie and sweet raspberries. It’s healthy for you and easy to prepare for a weeknight dinner. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to start Meatless Mondays and giggle about my purple dinosaur pizza-filled days.
Raspberry & Brie Flatbreads
Adapted from Clean Eating - August/September 2011
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 ½ teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Fresh ground pepper and salt
Flatbreads or pizza dough
3 ½ ounces brie, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries
2 tablespoon basil leaves, chopped
Preparation:
In a medium Dutch oven over medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Sauté the onions until they caramelize, slightly brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in rosemary and pepper.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Arrange flatbreads on large baking sheet or pizza stone. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of onions on top of the flatbreads. Add the toppings of raspberries and brie.
Bake until cheese melts and bread is slightly crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Yield: 2 flatbread pizzas or 1 large pizza
Review: Sweet and savory. It’s one of my favorite combinations to enjoy in a meal. You can easily make this using regular pizza dough, and cook the pizza dough according to instructions. Then add the additional toppings, and bake it until it’s ready – about 8 to 10 minutes.
