Roasted Radish Naan Pizza with Ricotta, Microgreens and Balsamic Reduction

In the last post I got on my little soapbox about how great pea shoots were. Today I'd like to humbly suggest that you save yourself some money and grow your own microgreens too. You have a porch or a sunny window, right? Then you can grow your very own microgreens!

I hate having to buy large amounts of sprouts at the store, only to throw half away. Even with two people in the house, we have a tough time finishing a box of alfalfa sprouts. By growing my own, I grow what I need with no waste, and no wasted cash. Win win.

It sounds like some additional research is needed based on what I could find, but initial indications are that microgreens can contain up to 40 times the amount of vitamins and nutrients as their grown counterparts, depending on what you're growing.

Trendy new "superfood"? Yes.
Delicious and packed with healthy goodness? Easy and cheap to grow yourself? Also yes!

You can buy sprouting seeds online. 4 oz. of seeds will go a looong way, and the options are endless. Personally, I can vouch for radish and alfalfa sprouting seeds. They're easy to grow and just take a few days. I ordered some red amaranth last week as well, so I'm sure you'll see those in a recipe soon enough.

This super fancy microgreen planter was made by drilling drainage holes in the bottom of an old plastic bowl.

Back to the recipe. I had some radish sprouts that were ready to use. I was really hoping to have some french breakfast radishes from the garden too, but they didn't turn out well. (Too hot, perhaps? It is mid-June.) So I settled on some purchased from the market. You win some, you lose some.

Anyway, so I had some things on hand, and needed to make lunch. Here's what I came up with. A super messy naan pizza (I suggest you have a fork handy) heaped with toasty roasted radishes, and a creamy peperoncini and roasted garlic spiked ricotta. (Mmmm...) For a little kick and a little crunch, this pizza is sprinkled with goat cheese and a generous helping of radish microgreens.

This recipe is for one piece of naan. I served this with a spring salad, so my guy and I split one piece. Adjust the ingredient portions accordingly depending on how much you need.

Ingredients:
1 c. radishes, sliced in half
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 c. low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 Tbsp. peperoncini, minced
3 cloves roasted garlic, although I'm sure regular garlic (minced) will work just fine, just saute it a bit first.
1 slice pre-packaged Naan Bread
1 Tbsp. goat cheese
a small handful of microgreens (I used the radish variety)
Balsamic reduction to taste

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400F.

Arrange radishes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, tossing half way through. The radishes are done when they're brown on the edges and relatively tender.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, minced peperoncini and roasted garlic. Mash the roasted garlic in the mix as necessary.

Brush the remaining oil over the naan. Spread ricotta mixture on top, and add the roasted radishes.Sprinkle goat cheese over the pizza. Toss back in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and top with microgreens. Drizzle with balsamic reduction prior to plating, or just allow everyone to add their own.