Arugula Salad Pizza

Hump day. This is yet another busy week for me and I'm anxious for things to settle down so I can relax and breathe some. Despite how busy my schedule is, I'm certainly thankful for the little bursts of time I do have. The tender moments I have with Joel every night after we say our nightly prayers and snuggle until he dozes off. The calm and quiet morning hours when I'm working online or working out, waiting for dawn to break. And to add to the list, the lovely evening I recently had just enjoying someone's company, laughing and sharing stories over dinner. It's these things I treasure and think about when the stress is on and I'm thrown back into the world of tasks, meetings and deadlines.

Speaking of which, tonight I'll be attending an event with California Pizza Kitchen. They are debuting a series of healthy and inspired dishes from around the globe and I've been invited to preview the new menu items before their official launch. Some of their new items include:

• Cedar Planked Salmon with Corn Succotash - Norwegian Atlantic Salmon roasted on a cedar wood plank with smoked paprika and lime; served with homemade corn, spinach and red bell pepper succotash with cilantro and feta. 
• Fire Roasted Chile Relleno - Roasted poblano chile stuffed with chicken, quesadilla cheese, roasted corn & black bean salsa, wild mushrooms, spinach and eggplant over a Southwestern tortilla sauce, topped with a creamy avocado salsa and cilantro.
• Grilled Chicken Chimichurri - Grilled marinated chicken breast with homemade chimichurri sauce, wild mushrooms, spinach, roasted cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, broccoli and carrots. 
• Quinoa Arugula Salad - Quinoa, arugula, red onion, sun dried tomatoes, asparagus and toasted pine nuts tossed in a homemade champagne vinaigrette and topped with feta. 
• Shrimp Scampi Zucchini Fettuccini - Shrimp sauteed with lemon, garlic, white wine, tossed with zucchini ribbons, fettuccini, parsley and parmesan.

Don't they sound good?! I'm looking forward to enjoying these dishes and I encourage you to check them out at your local California Pizza Kitchen. I think it's great they have these healthy dishes available and many are gluten free too! Did you notice there was no pizza listed above? Well, not to worry. I have a healthy pizza recipe to share that could very well blend with the menu. This Arugula Salad Pizza is light, flavorful and good for you. A toasted whole wheat pita is topped with a bright pesto followed by a melange of peppery arugula, creamy white beans, toasted pinenuts, and sweet tomatoes. Who said pizza has to be bad for you?...

This recipe comes from my friend, Dawn Jackson Blatner. She's the queen of the flexitarian diet and she's shown me that eating healthy doesn't need to taste bad. This pizza was great to put together in minutes and it's delicious as a snack or meal. If you're gluten free, you may be able to find some gluten free pita. If not, you can use gluten free pizza crusts (either store bought or homemade).

Arugula Salad Pizza
recipe from Dawn Jackon Blatner

2 teaspoons pesto
1 whole grain pita {or gluten free pita or pizza crusts}
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon pinenuts, toasted
1/4 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced



Preheat broiler.

Spread pesto on pita and broil until golden, about 4 minutes.

Toss remaining ingredients and serve on top of toasted pesto pita.