fast dinner - pizza & mango salad

before....

after!

mmmmmango salad

delicious dinner

 Which do you prefer? Store bought, or homemade pizza? Even though I have featured frozen pizza on the blog before, I definitely prefer homemade -- and when I say homemade, I mean crust and all. And that's what was for dinner tonight.

You might be intimidated with the idea of making your own pizza crust from scratch (I know I was the first time I attempted it), but not to worry! I found a recipe (here) that is so simple and easy, and only takes about 15 minutes to make!

As for toppings: you can do whatever your little heart desires. We usually stick to veggies, with the occasional chicken or tuna (is that weird? My favorite pizza used to be one with tuna and shrimp!). Tonight I topped the pizza with tomato sauce, a layer of cheese, lots of garlic, mushrooms, green bell pepper, onion, broccoli, a few grape tomatoes, more garlic, and more cheese. Also a little shake of red pepper flakes and some Italian seasoning. So delicious!

I also made one of out other favorite salads (see? not always with the strawberry one...) - Mango & Goat Cheese salad. Oh goodness! The restaurant I used to work at served a salad like this called "Nirvana", and I must say eating it is very heavenly. The main ingredients are listed in the name, but you could add other yummy things that you like.

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Mango & Goat Cheese Salad:

lettuce

mango

goat cheese

almonds (sliced)

Cut mango into small, bite size pieces. Crumble goat cheese. Lightly fry the almonds. Toss everything together and dress with your favorite balsamic vinaigrette.

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Tanja's Balsamic Vinaigrette:

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

(lemon juice)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

I don't have exact measurements for the ingredients, because I always just "eyeball" it. But I do it kind of like this: Start with the oil, using about as much as you'll want of the finished dressing. Add about a fourth the amount of balsamic, and an eight the amount of lemon juice, if using. Add a few shakes of all the spices, and mix. Taste testing is key here! :)