Quinoa Pizza with Stone Fruit, Chiles, and Queso Fresco

September is proving to be magical – the weather and fresh produce are astounding. October is my favorite month, but September is a close second. It’s also time for another round of #EatSeasonal. I’m joining in with some of my favorite bloggers to share recipes using fruits and veggies that are available in September. The links to their recipes are down below and you can follow along on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #EatSeasonal. Let me tell you – you won’t be disappointed. There are some seriously delicious recipes! My contribution this month is a quinoa pizza topped with slices of fresh stone fruit, thinly sliced hot chiles and shallots, a crumble of queso fresco, and the best part – a drizzle of raw honey.

It sounds sort of like an eclectic mix of toppings, but the work. The flavors and textures are all in harmony – sweet, tart, salty, spicy. The drizzle of honey is a must!

The plums are ultra sweet and perfumey, which works well with their tart peels. The peaches and pluots are also sweet and juicy. Then we come to the banana peppers. So, so spicy! The queso fresco adds a nice saltiness. The shallot adds that nice pungent onion flavor without being overwhelming. The honey is genius, I tell you. I sort of thought I might be a little crazy too, but it really does work. By the time I got to the crunchy edges, the honey had soaked in and it was almost like having dessert at the same time. Is that weird? (It might be kinda weird, but I’m going with it!)

Check out these amazing recipes made with September’s seasonal produce:

Honey-Sweetened Peach Lemonade from Amy at Simple Bites

How To Make Hatch Chile Salsa Verde from Heidi at Foodie Crush.

Apple Fritter Waffle Donuts from Annalise at Completely Delicious.

Coconut Macaroon Filled Peaches from Becky at The Vintage Mixer.

Crispy Eggplant Tacos with Cilantro Sauce from Kelley at Mountain Mama Cooks.

Baked Ziti with Roasted Eggplant and Peppers from Liren at Kitchen Confidante.

Roasted Grape Crostini with Brie and Thyme from Cookie and Kate.

Best Ever Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Lauren’s Latest

Green Onion and Chive Yogurt Dip from Becky at Project Domestication

Thai-Glazed Skillet Corn with Cotija Cheese from Climbing Grier Mountain

Pumpkin Cake Semifreddo Push Pops from Molly at My Name is Yeh

What are you making this month?

And hey – if you’re looking for more quinoa pizza recipes, check out my Lemon, Goat Cheese and Basil and Mediterranean Pizzas.

Quinoa Pizza with Stone Fruit, Jalapenos, and Queso Fresco

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

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A seasonal late summer to early fall pizza made with fresh stone fruit, hot chiles, shallot, crumbled queso fresco and a drizzle of honey.

• Total Time: 8 hours 30 mins
• Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• For quinoa crust:
• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, soaked overnight in water
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup high heat oil, such as avocado or coconut oil, for cooking
• For toppings:
• 1 cup thinly sliced peaches, pluots, plums
• 1 hot chile, seeds removed, if desired, very thinly sliced into rings
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1–2 teaspoons raw honey, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Have a 10-inch cast iron skillet or large metal cake pan ready. (Two 8-inch metal cake pans can also be used.)
2. In a high speed blender, puree drained quinoa with 1/4 cup of water, adding a little more if needed, but not exceeding 1/2 cup. Add the spices and salt. Pulse to blend. Set aside.
3. Place skillet or metal cake pan in oven for 5 minutes. Add the oil to the pan. Let heat another 5 minutes in the oven. Pour the quinoa batter into the center of the hot pan being careful not to splash any hot oil, scraping out as much batter as possible with a spatula. Carefully tilt the pan so the batter spreads evenly to the edges of the pan. It might not touch the edges, and that’s okay.
4. Cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the top should be somewhat dry and the edges golden. Use a long metal spatula to carefully turn the crust over, again try not to splash the hot oil. Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer crust to a cooling rack if not using immediately.
5. To assemble pizza:
6. Arrange the sliced fruit, chiles, and shallots evenly over the crust. Top with the queso fresco. Place back in oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese browns on top. (This can also be done quickly under a hot broiler.) Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Drizzle with honey while still warm. Cut into wedges and serve.

• Author: Lindsey Johnson
• Prep Time: 8 hours
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Main Dish