It's important to have some basic recipes in your cooking arsenal. This all-purpose pizza dough recipe can be used in a variety of ways beyond regular pizza, like for focaccia, calzone or breadsticks. The pizza pictured above has homemade lactose-free cheese on it, made special for my husband. It almost looks like fresh mozzarella, doesn't it?

Pizza Dough

From foodnetwork.com, makes 2-3 pizzas

Ingredients

2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups warm water (100 to 110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for bowl

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water and stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.

If you're using a stand mixer, combine the salt and flour to the bowl and pulse a few times to mix. Add the yeast mixture, at the lowest speed, until the flour incorporates. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough gathers into a ball. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and pulse a few more times. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough as you're making it by squeezing a small amount together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water, if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead the dough for 6-8 more minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times, kneading until it's smooth and elastic.

Form the dough into a round and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e., over a gas pilot light) until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. The dough can be cut into 2 or 3 pieces depending on desired size of the pizza. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before rolling out into pizza dough.

See The Kitchn's post on how to cook pizza at home (http://www.thekitchn.com/want-awesome-pi-163038).

Green or Brown Lentil Dal

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

1 pound dried green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 pound fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 a medium fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

¼ cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped, thick stems discarded

Salt and black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Put the lentils, half the tomatoes, and the jalapeño, garlic, coriander, and turmeric in a large pot; add enough water to cover by 1½ inches. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the lentils are almost tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Continue cooking the lentils while you put the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the oil melts, add the cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, and cloves, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.

3. When the lentils are fully tender, partially purée them with an immersion blender. Stir the onion mixture into the lentils along with the remaining tomatoes and the cilantro. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve hot or warm over rice, if desired.

Perfect Pizza Dough

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

Directions

Green Lentil Dal

Green or Brown Lentil Dal

Ingredients

Directions