Weekly MM: Roasted Summer Vegetable White Pizza

There were some highs and lows in this past week of training...I'm starting to think that's how every week, here on out, will be. It was another "recovery" week of sorts, where we took a break from speed play and instead seemed to focus on hills. In actuality, we were basically running the same times/distances as the previous week; the hills were just an unintentional bonus.

Have I told you about how Tuesday mornings at 4:00AM always come too quickly? Our 1 1/2 hour run started at a local university and climbed through the local neighborhoods. Half an hour in, Boyfriend felt the familiar twinge of a reoccurring injury and decided to sit the remaining run out. He's not one to hold back, so I'm incredibly proud of him for doing so.

The remainder of the week he rested, as I continued to cross-train with Seal Team PT workouts and run. Also, I bought my official race shoes! They're Brooks Adrenaline, which are "my" running shoe, and I found their limited edition color at Dicks: NEON PINK. The display shoe was my size, 11, so it truly was fate.

On Saturday, Boyfriend decided to try to run. He smartly cut his run shorter again (in time, not distance-- he's a fasty!). I, however, went on to FINALLY complete 13 miles in the 2-hour time slot (2:01:42 to be exact). I felt fairly strong throughout my run; it was only in the last half hour that I started to feel a creaky muscle burn. The weather was a lot cooler than we've been running in--about 60 degrees--which I think really helped my pace. And I definitely noticed that I didn't take as many pulls from my Camelbak of half water / half sports drink.

Post-run, we got breakfast at a little fountain attached to a pharmacy. Boyfriend got a breakfast sandwich, while I ordered two over-medium eggs, wheat toast, bacon, and potatoes. I'd say it was an improvement from last week's Chick-fil-a! Next step, I'd also like to try to get in some fruits and vegetables following a run.



After breakfast, we joined two of our friends at the South of the James farmers market. I stocked up on some vegetables that have been staples in my fridge for the last month: zucchini and eggplant. I'm smitten over this roasted vegetable pizza. I made it twice in two weeks, and it's as easy as homemade pizza-making gets.



Quick-rise crust, plus some multi-tasking are the perfect elements to a weekday meal. Start-to-finish, it's only a little over an hour of prep and cooking. Obviously, it wouldn't be a pizza without cheese. The combination of ricotta, parmesan, asiago, and egg white (akin to a lasagna cheese layer) fills you up without the greasy weigh-down.



Also, roasted tomatoes? I'll never get enough of them.

Roasted Summer Vegetable White Pizza

Crust from King Arthur Flour

Servings: 2

Quick Pizza Crust
1 1/2 cups (6.6 oz) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (3 oz) warm water
1 tablespoon milk or yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast

Filling/Topping
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 medium zucchini (and/or squash), cut in 1/4 inch slices
1 medium tomato (or a handful of cherry tomatoes), cut in 1/4 inch slices
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
Cooking spray
1 cup ricotta (part-skim works)
1 egg white
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup grated asiago
Salt and pepper, to taste

• Make crust by combining flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine water, milk/yogurt, and olive oil. Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Stir until well-mixed and a dough has formed. It should be slightly sticky. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a well-oiled bowl, cover tightly in plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm area (e.g. on top of preheating oven) to rest for at least 15 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil. Spray with cooking oil and line with prepared vegetables and cloves. Spray tops of vegetables with additional spray and lightly season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until eggplant & zucchini are soft and tomatoes have begin to caramelize and appear dried out. Remove from oven.
• Turn up oven temperature to 425 degrees. In a small mixing bowl, smoosh garlic cloves into a paste and then combine ricotta, egg white, and 1/2 of the parmesan and asiago. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Prepare a pizza pan or another baking sheet with parchment or non-stick spray. Remove rested pizza dough and shape into a thin circle (or whatever shape you want), making sure not to tear any holes. Pinch sides up for crust.
• Spread cheese mixture evenly oven dough. Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes and remove. Carefully layer roasted vegetables, and cover with reserved grated cheeses. Return to oven and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust has browned.