Friday Lunchbox #12

Today's Lunchbox...

Morning Tea: Seaweed and plain rice crackers with tomato dip.
Lunch: Homemade pizza fingers, fresh blueberries with canned apple and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
Drink: Water

Because of Miss Five's peanut allergy we tend to avoid bought dips (not to mention the fact they often contain preservatives and other nasties) but it's no hassle as it is so very quick and easy to make our own.  The tomato dip here simply contains a few spoons of Light Philedelphia Cream Cheese (I use "light" because it's softer than the regular, so is easier to mix and we only buy the one in the rectangular box as the one in the tub has preservatives.  Why on earth do they do that, I wonder?), some chopped fresh tomato (no seeds), and a squirt of organic tomato sauce.  Whip it together with a fork for about 30 seconds and voila!  This dip can contain any number of yummy things depending on your child's tastes and is also marvelous for adults too.  Try any one or mix of the following - chopped beetroot (pink dip!), diced capsicum, garlic, herbs, sweet chilli sauce, spinich, avocado and lemon, fried bacon and onion, chopped kalamata olives (great with tomato, basil and red onion), mashed pumpkin...I'm sure you can think of more!

The pizza fingers are leftovers from our homemade pizza which we had for dinner.  Again, top this how you like.  While you could easily use the bread base recipe from Friday Lunchbox #1 as a pizza base, I personally find it a little soft for pizza.  I prefer to use the following recipe which is my own personal one:

Homemade Pizza Base

Ingredients:

1 tsp white sugar

1 tsp salt

7g sachet of dried yeast

2 tblspns olive oil

1 cup lukewarm water

2 2/3 cups plain bread flour

Method

Combine sugar,salt, yeast, oil and water in a large bowl.  Sift in flour and mix to a dough.  Knead for a few minutes until it reaches an "elastic" consisentcy.  Reflour bowl and leave dough, covered, for approx 40 minutes until it has doubled in size.  Punch down dough and reknead breifly before using a rolling pin to roll into desired shape.  (This amount of dough makes a big rectangular pizza which fills my  38cm x 24cm tray and ends up being a thick base.  You could also cut the dough in half and roll thinly to reach the same size for two thin base pizzas.  If you have a smaller circular tray it will definately be enough dough to make two bases of a good thickness.)

Spread with sauce and desired toppings before baking in a 200 degree celcius oven for approx 20 minutes.

Delish!

It absolutely leaves store bought bases for dead.  Let me know how you get on making it, I know you'll love it.  Have an awesome weekend, everyone!