Meatless Dinner

I've been putting some thought into starting a once-a-week meatless dinner night.  My only reservation is that I won't be able to come up with enough recipes that Michael and I both can agree on because he's picky in the vegetable department and he'd rather have steak for dinner every night.  It's going to be a work in progress with these meatless meals, and I'm sure there will be times where he's grilling his steak while I'm making my zucchini boats, but as long as everybody is satisfied, that's all that matters.

My first meatless attempt is a Smoky Corn and Black Bean Pizza recipe that I tried tonight.  I thought it'd be a good way to ease into the meatless options, especially, because I read one of the reviews that sounded exactly like Michael.  Her review went a little like this, "even my 'must-have-meat-in-every-meal' boyfriend loved this meal!"  This gave me hope for Michael.

The original recipe called for the pizza to be grilled, but because our grill isn't large enough I was forced to bake it like a traditional pizza.  Because this was my first time making this pizza, I also experimented with the sauce.  I did salsa on half and barbecue on the other half just to test it out.  Other than that, I pretty much kept the recipe the same.

Smokey Corn & Black Bean Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 pound whole-wheat pizza dough
• 1/3 cup barbecue sauce (or salsa)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella (preferably smoked mozzarella)
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin 
• 1/8 teaspoon crush red pepper

  Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
2. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet
3. Stretch the dough into about a 12 inch circle and lay it on top of the cornmeal, coating the entire underside of the dough
4. Transfer crust to oven and bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until the crust is puffed and lightly browned on the bottom
5. Combine tomato, beans, corn, and cumin in a medium bowl
6. Using a spatula, flip the crust and spread barbecue sauce (or salsa) on it and quickly sprinkle with the tomato mixture and cheese
7. Bake for another 20 minutes or until cheese is melted
8. Broil for a few minutes to get the cheese crispy 

Recipe Adapted from Eating Well

Although I thought this recipe was delicious, I didn't get the same response from Michael because he didn't like the barbecue/salsa sauce.  I'm taking suggestions for another sauce for this pizza because we both like the bean/corn mix and I think with another sauce I'd get Michael's approval.

Until my next cooking adventure, give me your suggestions :)