Roasted Red Peppers.. my new favorite pizza topping!

So I was feeling a little lazy Saturday night, sitting on the couch watching some tv and messing around on the Internet. I finally got hungry and just didn't feel like spending too much time in the kitchen (which rarely happens!), but I didn't want to sacrifice taste, or nutrients! So looked around in the cabinet and refrigerator, and took out a bag of frozen broccoli. That's when I saw the Boboli pizza crust!

A few months ago a Food and Beverage PR company in NYC sent me some vouchers to pick up some of the products they've been working on promoting for their clients. A few of the vouchers were for Boboli products, which at that time I had never tried. I used the vouchers on a package each of 8" mini white and 8" mini whole wheat pizza crusts. SUCH a good decision!

Whole wheat crust, mozzarella, red bell pepper, black olives

Shortly after  redeeming my vouchers I noticed that the crusts should be used within a few days of purchase, unless they're frozen. So I made one the night I got back to school from holiday break and froze the rest.

One (of the several) great things about having these crusts on hand is that you can use up whatever you have in the cabinet and refrigerator. My mom sent me back with a few fresh ingredients we didn't use over the holidays, so I cut up a red bell pepper and used about 1/3 of it. Then I found some leftover large black olives and cut about 10 of those in half. I grabbed some jarred pasta sauce I had on hand and spread it over the crust, then added shredded mozzarella cheese and my veggies. I did as the directions indicated, and placed the crust right on the rack in the oven at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes.

I love pizza. All kinds. I was skeptical of this crust, but it was great! It was soft on the inside, but not rubbery, and cripsy on the outside without being a threat to my tooth enamel. The best part, for me at least, was that it was whole wheat and DIDN'T taste like cardboard! I have definitely jumped on the whole-wheat band wagon over the past few years, but I have yet to find a whole wheat pizza that I really like, so this was exciting! It was so quick and easy, I was glad to have them on hand.

Whole wheat crust, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, spinach, ricotta

Well, back to this Saturday night, like I said, I was feeling a little lazy, but didn't want to sacrifice taste or nutrients. So after finding the crusts, I made another pizza. Again it was whole wheat; there are 2 in each package of the mini crusts. But this time I wanted to mix it up topping-wise. I had some fresh spinach on hand, some leftover crushed tomatoes from making chili, shredded part-skim mozzarella, a little low fat ricotta and what I have been referring to as the never ending jar of roasted red peppers.

First I spread the crushed tomatoes over the crust. Wasn't sure how this would wind up tasting, but until just now I had forgotten that I used crushed tomatoes rather than sauce, so it was a perfectly acceptable substitute.

Next I sprinkled the part-skim mozzarella over the crushed tomatoes, followed by about 10 spinach leaves, about 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, and four small dollops of ricotta cheese.

Piping hot and deeeeelicious!

It baked for about 12 minutes until the cheese was melted and the crust crispy. After taking the first bite I realized that I never had roasted red peppers as a topping before, because there's no way I could forget this taste. I'm a huge fan of roasted red peppers, and I'm the newest fan of them as a pizza topping. The flavor is so strong and delicious, plus the spinach, crispy crust and gooey cheese. SO GOOD!

It honestly was delicious. My mouth is watering ask we speak.

Also, as I mentioned, the first pizza I made with a fresh, not frozen crust. The second pizza I made using a frozen crust (I didn't thaw it out, either) - and they both tasted the same. I was worried about the frozen crust, but you never would have known!

Yes, those vouchers were given to me by a PR company, but there would be no reason or benefit to myself if I lied to you. If 30 of you then went and tried the crusts and hated them, then came back here and wrote a comment saying so, it wouldn't help me, or anyone. Some of you may not be huge fans, but I will tell you, truthfully, that I am a fan of the Boboli whole wheat pizza crusts, and I suggest trying them out!

At the very least, do yourself a favor and try pizza with roasted red peppers - if you like them to begin with - I promise you will not be disappointed!

New pizza cutter - makes things a whole lot easier

Having the right tools of the trade make the task a whole lot less tricky (I really love alliteration) - I will be posting in the near future about my favorite kitchen tools! I've become quite the gadget collector and I want to share a few of my favorites! :)

Do you have a favorite tool or gadget in the kitchen? I'd love to hear about them if you do!

I'm also thinking about doing a giveaway soon with one of my favorite tools - so stay tuned!