Poor Man's Pesto Pizza

There could be unending variations on this theme, this is what I threw together last night:

Ingredients:

1 ounce (2tbsp) olive oil
1 tbsp dried basil
2 packages leftover pizza hut grated parmesan
1 ounce pine nuts (small handful)
just-add-water pizza crust mix
dash of italian seasoning
dash of garlic powder
chunks of leftover chicken

Combine olive oil and basil in a bowl and let soak overnight if you have time.
Put oil and basil in blender, add parmesan and pine nuts. Puree for a few seconds, don't worry about there still being chunks of nuts - that adds to the texture.
In separate bowl, mix crust as directed but add italian seasoning and garlic powder.
Spread crust out onto baking sheet or pizza stone. Spread pesto out evenly over crust and add chicken. Bake as recommended (my crust called for 15 minutes or until golden brown).

Tips:
If you have any of these ingredients fresh, add them!!!
In a pinch, use canned chicken chunks or even tuna!
Leave out pine nuts or cheese if you don't have them.
Other nuts work well too. Try cashews or walnuts.
Roasted red peppers would make this dish perfect.

Pantry Tip #1

Utilize Your Blender or Food Pocessor

Add variety and nutrition to your pulled-together pantry meals by trying some of these ideas:

*Blend 1/2 your prepared soup before adding it back to the pot and dishing it out for a "cream of" texture when there's no milk or cream to be had. Works best with veggie and bean soups - especially lentils!

*Puree canned veggies and add to most any recipe for extra flavor and vitamins without changing the texture too much. Try a drained, pureed can of mixed veggies in meatloaf or chili.

*Ice blended with canned fruit makes a refreshing Summer snack beverage

'Regular Joes' on food stamps

This article from USA Today sheds light on a problem we see firsthand here at Hillcrest: People are struggling to make ends meet and many who wouldn't have relied on others for food before are now turning to food stamps and food banks/pantries.

Good reason to stock your pantry and plant a garden this summer so that there's always something to pull together for dinner.

Southwestern Salad

1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Corn
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, sausage)
1 pkg taco seasoning
tortillas or tortilla chips

Prepare meat according to directions on seasoning package, or leave out the seasoning and just cook the meat till done. Drain canned goods and mix together with meat in bowl. Warm everything together in microwave for a minute or so, or serve cold. Dish mix out into tortillas or scoop out of individual bowls with tortilla chips. Also delicious by itself if neccessary.

Substitute fresh ingredients whenever possible and rinse canned goods before use to reduce sodium.