Ingredient: garlic Naan bread

Spicy Chicken Naan Pizzas

CELEBRATING FAMILY DAY!

Family Day is observed on the third Monday in February in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. This holiday celebrates the importance of families and family life of people and their communities. Its timing is said to have been selected to coincide with the American holiday of Presidents Day. About two-thirds of all Canadians will have the day off on Family Day.

Alberta was the first province to adopt Family Day as a statutory holiday in 1990. 

There are no established traditions surrounding Family Day as there are for occasions like Christmas and New Year’s Day. But, as the name implies, many Canadians take advantage of the three-day weekend in February to spend extra time with loved ones. Road trips, winter sports outings, and extended family gatherings are all popular ways to observe the holiday.

Who needs a holiday to eat pizza? Not Brion & I … YUM!

Print Recipe
 Spicy Chicken Naan Pizzas
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword spicy chicken naan pizzas
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
Guacamole
Pizza Toppings
Naan Bread
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword spicy chicken naan pizzas
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
Guacamole
Pizza Toppings
Naan Bread
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
  1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine all ingredients. Seal & turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-4 hours.
Guacamole
  1. In a bowl, mash avocados with lime juice & salt. Stir in garlic, onion & cilantro. Blend well. Cover & set aside until ready to use. You will have a bit extra for something else.
Pizza Topping Prep
  1. In a skillet, cook bacon until fairly crisp, drain & blot on paper towels; chop coarsely. Wipe skillet with paper towel, add marinated chicken & stir-fry until cooked then remove to a dish. Add onion to skillet & sauté until tender crisp.
Assembly & Bake
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. On a large baking sheet, lay a piece of parchment paper. Place the 4 Naan breads on it. Spread each naan bread with guacamole then spinkle each with a bit of cheese. Layer onion, bacon, chicken, tomato & remaining cheese.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes or until hot & cheese is nicely melted. Remove from oven, top with sliced avocado & serve.

Pineapple & Canadian Bacon Pizza

CELEBRATING CANADA DAY!

It seems there’s no pizza topping quite as polarizing as pineapple. While some pizza lovers might crave that sweet, sour & salty combination of fruit combined with melted cheese, others not so much.

Hawaiian pizza, which usually comes topped with canned pineapple and ham, doesn’t come from Italy, the birthplace of pizza, nor does it come from Hawaii, a pineapple paradise. Rather surprisingly, the country responsible for the odd combination of ingredients is Canada. The pizza was actually created in 1962 by a Greek immigrant called Sam Panopoulos.

Along with his brothers, Sam Panopoulos, owned a restaurant in Ontario, Canada. The food was initially very simple … traditional diner food such as pancakes and burgers. Inspired by a recent trip to Naples, Panopoulos decided to introduce pizza to the menu.

It was a relatively new idea in North America as most pizzas, at that time, were served topped with mushrooms, bacon and pepperoni. Panopoulos became more adventurous, introducing Americanized versions of Chinese meals such as sweet and sour chicken, which includes pineapple so he decided to take a risk with his pizzas as well.

He added canned pineapple to one pizza, with ham, not knowing whether it would be a hit or not. Soon , the combination of sweet and savory was proving a winner with his customers.

At the same time, there was a growing fascination with Tiki culture. Hawaii had officially became an American state in 1959 and people had fallen in love with the island lifestyle. Canned pineapple began to be imported into North America, along with pineapple juice. The brand of tinned pineapple Panopoulos used in his pizzas was called Hawaiian, so his creation became known as ‘Hawaiian Pizza’.

From its humble Canadian beginnings, the combination spread across North America and ultimately the world … but despite its global appeal, pineapple pizza has remained controversial. Today, Brion & I are having a version of this Canadian Pizza on naan bread. Yum!

Print Recipe
 Pineapple & Canadian Bacon Pizza
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pineapple & Canadian bacon pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pineapple & Canadian bacon pizza
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. Drain pineapple chunks on paper towel. Grate cheeses & mix into a combo. Slice green onions. Chop bacon into bite size pieces.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place a shallow baking pan with some water in it on the bottom shelf.
  3. Brush each naan bread with a Tbsp of BBQ sauce; top with some cheese, leaving 1/2-inch border. Arrange bacon, then top with pineapple & some green onions. Finish with a bit more cheese then sprinkle with 'everything bagel spice'. Your goal, of course, is to divide all ingredients equally between the four Naan breads. Place pizzas on a baking tray & place on rack above pan with hot water.
  4. Bake 15-20 minutes or until bottom is crispy & cheese is bubbling. Because the Naan bread has already been baked, I found with using the tray of water in the oven allowed the pizzas to become hot & melty while the crust heated & stayed chewy without over baking. These were soooo... good!