So the other day I was reading my friend Meghann’s blog, and she wrote a post that I think could win an award for most creative use of leftovers. She made a pizza with brussel sprouts, feta, walnuts, and soup. Yes, I said soup!
Not gonna lie, but my initial thought was one of skepticism- I assumed that the soup would make the dough soggy and the pizza would be gross. But there was no mention of soggy crust, and I pushed my negative thoughts aside. I love all of the ingredients independently, so why not put them together?
Her post was enough to get my creative juices flowing. If soup works as a “sauce,” what else could I use?
Flashback to Mary’s Fourth of July party. One of her friends made a delicious Moroccan carrot dip, and I’ve been dying to make it ever since. I’m a big fan of Moroccan spices- cumin, cinnamon, YUM! and I happened to have a bag of shredded carrots.
The dip’s consistency was a little thicker than a soup, so I figured it would be a great “sauce” for my pizza. I’ve seen red peppers and raisins in other Moroccan dishes, so I decided they’d be two of my toppers, along with some caramelized shallots and pine nuts.
I had no idea what kind of cheese would go well on the pizza. I considered paneer because it is so mild, but then I opted for goat, mostly because I love goat cheese and I had some in the fridge.
Oh, and why not take it up a notch and make the dough extra special?
I followed Ashley’s recipe for pumpkin garlic knots (which I also made for a pumpkin themed Eating Club almost two years ago!)
Topped with fresh cilantro after the pizza comes out of the oven, this baby knocked my socks off.
Yeah baby. Not gonna lie, I ate almost half the pie in one sitting. It was THAT. GOOD. 
I definitely learned a lesson in creativity in the kitchen, and it paid off! Thanks for the inspiration Meghann!
Moroccan Spiced Pizza
Ingredients:
Pumpkin Pizza Dough
Moroccan Carrot Dip (I halved the recipe and left out the olives)
1 red pepper, cut into strips, ~1/8 or 1/4 inch thick
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins, rehydrated slightly
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 oz goat cheese (leave out for a vegan pizza)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Note: my measurements for the raisins, pine nuts, goat cheese, and cilantro are approximate. I was just topping the pizza with what I liked. It’s your pizza, put what you want on it!
How to:
Start by making the dough. While it is rising, you can make the carrot dip and start to caramelize the shallots. When the shallots are done, saute the peppers so they are warmed through.
When you’re ready to make your pizza (aka the dough has finished rising, you’ve got the sauce made, and your shallots have caramelized), preheat the oven to 425°F.
Top your pizza with the sauce, the peppers, the shallots, the raisins, the pine nuts, and the goat cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is starting to brown. The cheese will start to brown too.
Take it out of the oven, and top with freshly chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
