Grilled Pizza with Pesto Sauce and Herb Salad

The talented duo Holler of Tinned Tomatoes and fellow Canadian Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen have a fabulous vegetarian blogging event No Croutons Required . Each month they are looking for our vegetarian soups or salads. Both of these ladies follow a vegetarian and healthy lifestyle which is evident in each of their feature stories. They are both such sweeties that I have to participate in their event as often as I can!!I have missed the last couple of events but we know how that goes....the best of intentions or the best laid plans.....

I have had 3 days off so it may seem like I have been a blogging machine in the past few days...but it just means I have more time to do the things I love like cooking up a storm...and heading to the beach. This months challenge for No Croutons Required is a vegetarian soup or salad made with HERBS.

This pizza topped with herb salad is a combination that is so tasty you just have to try it!!!! I have wanted to try barbecued pizza for a while now so finally got around to attempting it. It was very simple to do and cooked up quickly over the flames. I have given you a recipe for your own homemade pizza dough, but, certainly if you have a favourite use that. Since I have a part time job in a gourmet take out pizza place I cheated and used their dough....after all theirs is arguably the BEST!!!!

**Grilled Pizza with Pesto Sauce and Herb Salad**

Purchased pizza dough can be used instead of homemade, if time is short.

Dough

1- 1/4 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 envelope (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

3 cups (or more) all purpose flour, divided

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing

2- 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

6 teaspoons pesto sauce (recipe below)

1- 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated Gruyére cheese, divided(in this case I used a 3 cheese blend including provolone, mozzarella and Parmesan)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Herb salad

4 cups mixed baby greens

1 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely torn

1/2 cup coarsely chopped assorted fresh herbs (such as chives, chervil, tarragon, and dill)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

***************

Dough: Mix 1 -1/4 cups warm water and sugar in large bowl; sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves and mixture looks spongy, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup all purpose flour; let stand in warm draft-free area until mixture is bubbling, about 35 minutes.Stir whole wheat flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and coarse salt into yeast mixture, then stir in 2 cups all purpose flour. Knead dough in bowl until almost smooth and beginning to pull away from sides of bowl, adding more all purpose flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Form dough into ball. Place dough ball in oiled large bowl; turn dough to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough; divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece on floured surface into ball. Cover dough balls loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle 2 large baking sheets with flour. Roll out each dough ball on lightly floured work surface to 7- to 7 1/2-inch round, letting dough rest briefly if springing back. Transfer to floured baking sheets. Brush tops lightly with olive oil. Working in batches, grill dough rounds, oiled side up, until bottoms are firm and grill marks appear, watching to avoid burning, about 3 minutes. Turn crusts over, grilling until dough is set, about 2 minutes. Transfer crusts, grill-marked side up, to baking sheets. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Spread 1 teaspoon pesto very thinly over top of each pizza crust. Sprinkle each with 1/4 cup Gruyére and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Return pizzas to grill; cover and grill just until cheese melts, about 4 minutes.

For herb salad: Combine baby greens, parsley leaves, basil leaves, chopped assorted fresh herbs, rice wine vinegar and olive oil in medium bowl; toss to coat thoroughly with oil. Place pizzas on platter. Divide salad among crusts; sprinkle with pine nuts.

Makes 6 individual pizzas

Pesto

125 mL (1/2 cup)each packed fresh basil leaves and ½ cup packed parsley

4 whole peeled garlic cloves
30 mL (2 T) pinenuts

60 mL (1/4 cup)sun-dried tomatoes drained and ¼ cup julienned

coarse black pepper to taste

3 mL (1/2 tsp) salt

60 mL 1/4 cup)extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

*********************************
Combine all ingredients except Parmesan in food processor and process until well combined. Recipe makes about 10 tbsp (150 mL) of pesto. Use desired amount in this recipe. Cover and refrigerate the remainder for up to 3 days for another use.