IMG_2821

I’m fairly certain I hyperventilated at least once every hour this weekend, as if that would stop time or insert pharmacologic mechanisms of action or adverse drug reactions into my brain.

It was fruitless.  Time passes whether you want it to or not.  Exams come and go.  You go through your index cards however many times you go through them.

And then, when it all comes down to it.  You hope for the best.

Picnik collage

If you are reading this between the hours of 8AM and 4PM on Monday then my palms are sweaty.

I’m shaking, slightly.  (Resting tremor?  Essential tremor? Intention tremor? The classic triad of too much caffeine, too little sleep, and being forced to sit through the USMLE Step One exam?

Or syphilis (because to have a differential diagnosis without syphilis is to go against everything Dr. House has taught you in the past 24 years of your life)?  Well.  At least we can definitely cross off syphilis.)

My epinephrine is possibly higher than it is two hours into a marathon.  Minus the runner’s high.

And for better or for worse, in a few hours, I can move on with my life.  What a relief.

IMG_2804

I’ve been pretty discombobulated lately.

Stumbling around with index cards falling out of every pocket.

Taking pictures of strawberries sitting next to rhubarb and posting them even though strawberries do not appear even for a second in this recipe.  (My mind does weird things under duress.)

Stress eating every single one of the oddly placed strawberries as I was waiting for this pizza to cook.  (That’s a pound of strawberries in ten minutes.  If they hadn’t been there, it probably would have been a pound of cheese. So I think this worked out better for everyone.)

And using an entire bundle of rhubarb in savory rather than sweet recipes.

So. Weird.

Yet, this pizza is the most addictive thing I’ve made all week.

A pizza topped with a compote of rhubarb, balsamic vinegar, and cranberry juice.  Capped off with a smoky chipotle-infused goat cheese.  Unlikely pairings, all of them.  But somehow. It works.

I implore you to try it.  Beg of you.  It’ll make your week better (and don’t we all need to start off our Mondays with a little more optimism?).  Just…don’t blame me if you end up eating half of it for dinner.  Even though it says it serves 4.

Self control under stress is not in my skill set.  (See strawberry binge above).

IMG_2757

This week at Eat.Live.Be. we are talking about how we’ve changed things up in the past 5 months.  Kept things interesting.  Well, I’ll be honest. I feel like for the first 3 months, I vacillated between really being committed to this and giving into temptation.  It was all extremes, all the time.  I was either knee-deep in salad or brownie batter.  No middle ground.

And it’s only now, in the past two months, that I’ve really committed to looking and feeling better.  To caring about myself.  In a well-balanced way.

I may have a brownie for dessert one night.  And then I may not the next.  No biggie.  One brownie in a sea of good healthy food doesn’t make or break you.  That’s what I’m trying to learn.

I run in moderation (well, as moderate as possible now that marathon training is starting up again).  But I also take strength training classes…two to three a week, which is new for me.

I used to be super skinny with the bare minimum of muscles and, sure, I could run pretty damn fast.  But it ended up in a pelvic stress fracture (or two) that is only now, over a year later, beginning to feel really truly healed.  This time around, I want to be toned and strong. I want to be able to run for the rest of my life, not just for today, even if that means slowing down, seeing the scenery, and letting go a little.

So I guess I’m mixing things up by keeping things balanced.  Which, for me. Is new and uncharted territory.  We’ll see how it goes.

How do you keep things interesting and change things up in order to help you stay on track with your healthy living goals?  Write a post about it or leave a message in the comments!

And feel free to check out these other Eat.Live.Be-ers posts!

Picnik collage

Savory Rhubarb and Chipotle Goat Cheese Pizza
Serves 4, an Eats Well With Others Original

Pizza Dough:
3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp instant yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar.  This should start to foam within about five minutes. If it doesn’t, then your yeast has probably gone bad.  Not good.  Try again with some new yeast.

2. In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour, sea salt, olive oil, and remaining water.  Add the yeast mixture.  Stir on speed 2 with a bread hook until combined.  Then stir for 2 minutes on speed 2 to knead.  Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for two hours.

3. After two hours, cover it in flour and form it into a ball.  Allow to rest for 20 minutes.  Roll out onto a pizza peel if using a baking stone or a pizza pan if not.

For the Pizza:
1 lb rhubarb, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cornstarch
4 oz chipotle goat cheese (essentially 1 4 oz log goat cheese rolled in chipotle chile powder. Yes, I paid money for this. Yes, I realize now how silly that was.  Roll your own goat cheese in chile powder. Save a dollar or two.)
Basil

1. Preheat oven to 500 (or as hot as it will go!)  In a medium skillet, combine the rhubarb, cranberry juice, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and ginger and bring to a boil.  Boil until it starts to thicken, adding 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water if necessary.  Simmer until it has the consistency of a loose cranberry sauce.

2. Roll out your pizza dough.  Top with the rhubarb mixture, leaving about a 1-inch crust around the edges.  Sprinkle goat cheese on top.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the underside of the dough is lightly browned.  Remove from oven and top with basil.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

IMG_2818

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
blog_share_subscribe
Share →

94 Responses to Savory Rhubarb and Chipotle Goat Cheese Pizza…Eat.Live.Be.!

  1. Shannon says:

    I love this! I keep walking by the rhubarb at the market and pausing but I have so few ideas on how to use it. Absolutely brilliance. And I totally understand how strawberries made it into this post, strawberries are to rhubarb what peanut butter is to jelly. Awesome together but not always necessary.

  2. Oh, I feel for you on the test! Not a fun Monday for you at all. Tell me it really isn’t an 8 hour test?! Hope you do well!

    Just keep thinking about this pizza! Honestly, I’ve never had goat cheeese but I’ll take your word for it!

    As far as how I change things up? I’m actually doing a weight loss challenge on my diet blog. I’m hoping it will kick things into gear for me and keep me accountable!

  3. This pizza looks incredible. I love how you interjected the strawberries into the post! Goat cheese is my favorite

  4. Ada says:

    Good luck girl, you are going to rock it! Just think, in a few hours you will be FREE!!!! You have studied SO hard and I know you will do amazingly:)

  5. Good Luck girl! I know you are going to do great! We all believe in you. As far as this pizza- what can I say- its like heaven! I just bought some rhubarb to make a pie with but now i am re-thinking it. Pizza sounds like a better idea! humm…. we shall see. Why is it that strawberries and rhubarb tend to go hand in hand? I have always wondered that.

  6. Lea Ann says:

    I don’t think I’ve ever typed the word “discombobulated”. The pizza looks really tasty Joanne.

  7. I love sweet and savory, as you know!! I would LOVE this pizza!! Hmmm, how do I keep things interesting… the BH would say it’s never NOT interesting with me 🙂 As much as I’ve wanted to rebel against it, this Challenge has helping me break out of my comfort zone (which I thought was pretty tasty) and forced me to eat more fruits and veggies (yes, sometimes even the RDs need help!) and come up with more creative ways to make meat that keep the spirit of the Food Hound alive! Can’t wait till it’s over, though- just saw a recipe for mocha cheesecake that I’d jump in front of a bus for 🙂

  8. Well, this is the beginning of your sweaty palms period…hope you’re waving them around a bit 😉 Love the concept of this pizza…love the savory application of rhubarb most of all. Okay, love the goat cheese most of all, but the rhubarb is a close second. Yum.

  9. I love this post and I’m so proud of you! And stress-eating strawberries? You could do SO much worse:-) And as for this pizza, sounds better than any pizza I’ve ever seen on a menu!

  10. Claudie says:

    First, as I’m reading this, it must be 8:22am in your time zone, and I am wishing you a lot of luck, although I am pretty sure you don’t need it. Someone studying that many index cards is more than likely to have prepared really well 😉
    Second, I’m glad to hear you are making such improvements to your life. I know for sure I need to make some adjustments to mine!
    And finally: your pizza looks delicious with that goat cheese just calling me 🙂

  11. Joanne says:

    Good luck on your Step One Exam! Treat yourself to an extra piece of this delicious looking pizza once the exam is done … Phew!

  12. Must make this for my husband – all his favorite ingredients here!

  13. Dawn says:

    Good luck! I just bought some naan to make pizza with the goat cheese I got from a visit to a goat farm on Saturday! Love this sweet/tart version with the rhubarb.

  14. Are you kidding me?! This looks sooo sooo good. I love homemade pizza. And rhubarb is a favorite of mine too, but I’ve never thought to put it on pizza. Wow! Best of luck on your exam! You are going to be awesome!

  15. sofia says:

    i’m not even gonna try to make this pizza. do you deliver? i’m just across the park… and i’ve got cash. c’mon!

    oh, and i hear ya on the healthy changes. i too have gone from skinny girl to trying-to-be-toned slim girl. it’s good, i know that for sure. the getting toned thing ain’t easy though!

  16. Amy says:

    I think from now on you should include a picture of strawberries in every single post, even if they’re not part of the recipe. Ha.

    At the Farmer’s Market last week, I got pizza on whole wheat with strawberries and balsamic. It was like dessert pizza..and naturally I devoured it. Your version with rhubarb and goat cheese – I want to gnaw on my arm. Lord.

    Hang in there Sweets. HOME STRETCH <3

  17. Wasn’t sure about the rhubarb but then you went and sucked me in with the chipotle goat cheese, looks fantastic!

  18. elly says:

    This looks out of control amazing. I’m honestly not the biggest fan of fruit in savory dishes BUT with goat cheese and chipotle, I can definitely be swayed. I do love spicy-fruity combos, for sure. Good luck! You’ll do great.

  19. Kristin says:

    Do you deliver? Seriously, this pizza looks like a million bucks. Good luck on your test.

  20. Toss out the 3 x 5 cards and order up old episodes of Marcus Welby, MD, M*A*S*H, St. Elsewhere, Trapper John, E.R., Chicago Hope, The Doctors (soap opera variety) and General Hospital and you’ll have it made. This will include plenty of sleep from boredom. You can thank me later.

    This looks delicious!!!!!

    Best,
    Bonnie

  21. Yum! Rhubarb and goat cheese seem like an inspired combo, plus they look so pretty together with the red and the white.

  22. sweetlife says:

    yummy pizza, love the flavor combo and the pic of berries…good luck!! on your test!!

    sweetlife

  23. Ooo I love the combination of sweet, tangy, smoky, and salty here. Looks like your stress eating resulted in something amazing — all’s well that ends well =D.

  24. Wow, wow wow. This looks like sheer perfection. Yes, I will make it. Thank you very much. Good luck with your exams.

  25. Marcia says:

    Ah, I know what you mean about balance. Last year’s 1/2 marathon training did not go well with the 40-year old joints. So now, I am trying to lose those 13 post-running pounds that found me, but in a way that won’t injure said almost-41-year-old joints. It’s very hard.

    I plan to train for the triathlon again, but if I have to walk instead of run, then so be it.

  26. That Girl says:

    Good luck! Thinking of you. It’s a little after 10 here which means you’re over halfway done!

  27. Megan says:

    What an interesting pizza.

    Lots of luck!!

  28. Victoria says:

    We have a date to burn your index cards and make s’mores over the flames. Don’t forget 😉

  29. Taryn says:

    Yeah, super skinny is no good – buen suerte on Step 1!

    (Also, just the title of this post made me drool.)

  30. Nicole says:

    Oh holy mother of yumminess!
    That looks amazing and yet another veggie/fruit i’m frightened of… maybe i’ll try it although i would have an excuse to eat the whole thing – no way the hubby would even try it!

  31. I hope your exams are going well and soon the hyperventilating will end. As for the strawberries, slice them thin and add them to this extraordinary pizza. I truly think they will add to it! YUMMY! 🙂

  32. teresa says:

    i’m thinking of you! i hope those tests are over for you very soon.

    this pizza is amazing, i love how unique it is, and it looks incredibly delicious!

    i’ve been working really hard this year to be healthy too and have lost twenty pounds so far. keeping a variation has helped a LOT, i can’t imagine eating the same thing every day. blogs with amazing recipes like this also help too!

  33. Juliana says:

    Joanne, this pizza not only sounds but looks amazing, love the idea of sweet and cheese on the pizza…hope you are feeling better 🙂

  34. Sounds and looks delicious! I was introduced to sambal (chili) rhubarb recently, bookmarked but haven’t made it, will do soon!

  35. Bob says:

    Intriguing, totally not a combo I would have thought of. Course I’ve yet to try rhubarb, so I don’t think of it much.

  36. Shannon says:

    marathon training already?! yay for strength training 🙂 LOVE this pizza, and i’m with you– i want to be running/doing tri’s for many many years, so take the time to heal and strengthen now! Hope your exam is going well!

  37. Miriam says:

    The pizza truly looks addictive! Best of lick with everything!!! Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

  38. You had me at balsamic. (Actually, in truth, I have never had rhubarb ever. I know I need to try it sometime, but that “hey the leaves are poisonous!” thing deters me every time).

    Hope your exam went super great today. And now, it’s over. Does that mean you have time to chill, relax and not have index cards falling out of pocket?

  39. Truly unusual and delicious sounding pizza Joanne!

  40. Val says:

    What an amazing recipe and your pics are beautiful!

  41. daphne says:

    and what good reason to make a pizza like this? best wishes..and if I were you, I would be sticking whatever I can find on that pizza- strawberries sound so good to me!

  42. Catherine says:

    Dear Joanne, I am sure that you will do very well on your exams. You have been studying with much intensity and it will just have to pay off. Also, according to all of these wonderful posts you have been feeding your brain good food therefore, you will be able to think better. The pizza looks wonderful. I am sure I would just love it. I pray that all goes well for you on your test. Blessings, Catherine xoxo

  43. I love the rush of flavors here..salty, sweet and tangy.But can you believe I have not eaten rhubarb ever..and I m seeing it so much on blogs around that I m totally convinced that I have missed on something really tasty in my life till nw.
    All the best for your exams sweets! I know u ll do well!!

  44. Veronica says:

    Wow, what an interesting combo for a pizza! I bet I’d like it. I hope you survived the exam with flying colors today! I love what you had to say about a balanced approach to health–that can be so hard and I tend to be black and white as well but I totally agree with your health philosophy.

  45. janet says:

    I hope your Step 1 went well, Joanne! This looks like great brain food, though. Love the savoury rhubarb recipes. 🙂 I went through a bunch last year. This one was one of my favourites: Tofu with a Zesty Rhubarb Sauce

  46. Mary says:

    I hope the exam went well and you have some time to relax before the next one attacks. This pizza is other worldly good. I’d love to have a slice. Have a stress free evening. Blessings…Mary

  47. megi says:

    I hope your exam went very well. The pizza looks amazing! Actually I just showed my husband the photos and told him I would be making it sometime this week. 🙂

  48. Candace says:

    I didn’t get to try your Chickpeas with spinach and rhubarb because my hubby wouldn’t hear of the first bunch of rhubarb being used in anything but dessert. I want to try this so badly but he just told me that I had better make two pizzas….and make one of them with meat. 🙂

    I will tell you soon how much he loved it. He is definitely having it for dinner soon. It looks amazing, girl. Hope everything went well for your test! I’m sure you did great!

  49. Patsyk says:

    That pizza sounds like something I would thoroughly enjoy… and NOT share with my family!

  50. Kalyn says:

    It’s past 4:00 P.M. so I’m hoping it went well. Love the random strawberry photos, and although I’m not a rhubarb fan, this sounds really good!

  51. Swathi says:

    I think you passed exams with flying color. this savory rhubarb pizza delicious. what else can i say, I badly need a piece.

  52. Julie says:

    I just had rhubarb for the first time today…now I see this and need it again. Soon!

  53. Lora says:

    I love savory recipes with rhubarb. Time to raid the garden and break out the pizza stone! Dee-lish…

  54. Mouth watering pizza, just cant wait to have it..!!

  55. Carolyn Jung says:

    Sweet, tangy and acidic — plus mounded on great dough. What’s not to like? 😉

  56. Love pizza! Somehow the addition of fruit and goats cheese makes it healthy. Dont ask why, dont care why, just does 🙂

  57. tigerfish says:

    For a while, I thought you had savory rhubarb, chipotle goat cheese STRAWBERRY pizza!

  58. Goodness me! This pizza is amazing for rhubarb addicts! Totally love the idea of rhubarb compote and balsamic vinegar… You’re a very inspired and inspiring cooking genius!

  59. What an unusual and delicious pizza! I still need to taste the rhubarb, but I love the chipotle flavor in this!

  60. Tasha says:

    With all you’ve had going on, I don’t know how you mananged the creativity to come up with this incrediable sounding pizza!

  61. Yayyy you’re done! Can’t wait to hear how well you did!

    This pizza looks delicious. I’m sure I would eat half…. or more.

  62. You don’t have to implore me to try this. I believe you wholeheartedly that it’s amazing!

  63. Faith says:

    It’s after Monday when I’m reading this — so congrats, they’re over! Time to breathe again, right? 🙂 Love the idea of using rhubarb in a savory pizza, Joanne!

  64. Allison says:

    I was googling savory rhubarb recipes and nothing other then a salsa peeked my interest. This however sounds like such an interesting combination of tart and smoky. I am intrigued. Hope all your tests went well.

  65. Nicole, RD says:

    So unique! I’ve been seeing rhubarb pop up at the farmer’s market and now I know what to do with it…other than the obvious sweets, which are fabulous, too. But I’m all for the unexpected.

    Hope your studying paid off. You amaze me with all that you do!!

  66. This pizza sounds like a delicious mix of flavors. The chipotle on the goat cheese must have given it a nice savory punch. I try to stay on a healthy eating track by getting as many fruits and vegetables into my meals as possible.

  67. Maria says:

    I love this Joanne! What a fantastic way to use rhubarb!

  68. Nadji says:

    je n’ai pas encore fait de pizza aux fruits mais l’idée me plait.
    Je note.
    A très bientôt.

  69. Raina says:

    I would be discombobulated too if I did all the things you do. You are doing pretty darn good if you can come up with an incredible pizza like this. Wow…it sounds amazing. Sweet and savory is my favorite:)

  70. Natalie says:

    I’m thisclose to coming to NY so that you can cook for me! You’re a rockstar, this looks fabulous!

  71. Ben says:

    You got me at chipotle goat cheese. I was wondering about the strawberries, now I understand. Haha.

  72. Claudia says:

    Congratulations! I’m sure you aced it. And, looking forward to trying this whole savory fruit pizza thing.

  73. I sure hope you’ve had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief now that your exams are done! I’m sure you did great. This pizza looks delicious- what a great way to change up an old favorite. The bold flavors sound amazing. And strawberries are a great choice for stress eating, btw. 🙂

  74. So glad it’s over. Hallelujah! This pizza with rhubarb compote looks like the utmost way to celebrate. Cheers my friend and I am doing a happy dance here, looking weird, just for you!

  75. Reeni says:

    You have been using rhubarb in such interesting ways! So unique with the chipotle! I can’t wait to try rhubarb for the first time…have some in my fridge just waiting…probably won’t be anything nearly as creative as this! Hope you are chillin’ now after all that… stress…

  76. Monet says:

    I’m working on balance too, my dear. I’m trying to allow myself the flexibility to work out one day, rest the next, eat a brownie one day, veggies the next, ect…And I must say that this pizza is making my stomach growl and my face smile. You are so creative! Thanks for sharing, sweet thing! I hope you have a beautiful day tomorrow.

  77. So I think you should email, or call me personally and let me know how your test went. Seriously. I’m nervous for you, not gonna sleep tonight….although that may have something to do w having sick kids as well.

    I absolutely will make this awesome pizza and do a tribute to you on my little blog. 😉 {and I’ll have to roll my goat cheese in chipotle pwdr cuz I’ve not seen it pre-rolled b4.}

    aaaaaand, good for u for finding balance, moderation and a path to happiness (I sound awfully Budda-ish). Life is a big, long learning experience so you might as well not be too hard on yourself and just do the best you can.

    Ehemmm, test results please……

  78. I haven’t done savory rhubarb before but this pizza has made me a changed man. Am definitely going to have to try this!

  79. I love pizza and yours sounds so perfect and yummy
    have a nice day
    Delphine

  80. Johanna GGG says:

    that looks like pizza I could have for dinner and dessert too – amazing flavours – I think maybe all the overactivity in your brain that is caused by exams spills over into your cooking mojo because this is just sensational – and when I have the answer to balance in eating I will let you know 🙂

  81. This pizza looks amazing! Yummy!

  82. I know you rocked that test!!! It is amazing what your brain will do when studying for tests…I have eaten entire bags of numerous things (pretzels, goldfish…carrots) when holding those note cards in front of my face for hours on end.

  83. kimberley says:

    I am in love. I was trying to think of fun and creative things to do with rhubarb in a savory context, but clearly I didn’t get too far. This is amazing.

  84. OMG, I don’t know what part I love most – rhubarb, chipotle, goat cheese or the pizza! Genius! Can’t wait to make this!

  85. Chris says:

    Syphilis on a food blog, only you could pull that one off! I use chipotle a lot but I have never worked one into a pizza…..yet. I’ll definitely be trying this one.

  86. A little late to the party here, I’ve been a bit behind on my blog love. I can totally relate to the anxious, nervous, study til you pass out, caffeine overdose during finals though… just got through mine last week! This looks fabulous! Such a creative way to use rhubarb, it’s funny how stress can just totally inspire the most offbeat but fabulous creations.

  87. Great post and an incredible pizza. I love all your savory rhubarb dishes lately. Good for you for finding the balance in your crazy, busy life.
    😉

  88. Cara says:

    Since I’m forever catching up on reading, I’m safe to say that I hope your stress has now been alleviated. Although if you’re anything like me (silly question, right?) that probably just means there’s diverging else to stress about. Hopefully it’s something fun like what else to do with chipotle goat cheese.

  89. Nutmeg Nanny says:

    Sorry I’m so late with my commenting BUT I’m sure you did awesome on the test 🙂 The pizza looks amazing too. I love goat cheese….yum!

  90. I’m not a big rhubarb fan but the way you’ve combined it with cheese and chipotle on a pizza is pretty tempting..

  91. This looks amazing! I love goat cheese and am a new, and avid, fan of chipotle peppers. Can’t wait to try this! As far as healthy balance: exercise- whatever you can muster or squeeze in, a glass of wine, and dessert. I find experimenting in the kitchen helps too!
    A2ZMommy and What’s In Between

  92. LittleBird says:

    My pizza is in the oven right now! I had to make a couple changes for lack of ingredients combined with lack of patience. As I live in Germany, stores are not open on Sundays, and I didnt want to wait to go to the store on Monday to buy cranberry juice and goat cheese, so I subbed mozzarella and apple juice. I tasted the sauce and it was amazing… I also used my own pizza crust recipe (half whole wheat flour).
    Thanks so much for posting this recipe, as I was beginning to loose hope that there were non-dessert rhubarb recipes. I love rhubarb anything and it is dirt cheap right now, so this made my day. Also, when I was grocery shopping last I went a little crazy and bought a ton of rhubarb, without having any plans for it.
    I also just started training for my first marathon, the Seattle Marathon in November. Im using Jeff Galloway’s training plan, as it is designed to help people run injury free.
    Thanks again!

  93. Fulham pizza says:

    The first step in making this pizza is to preheat your over to 200 degrees C. After you have let the oven heat a little bit oil up the bottom of two pizza blocks or stones and let them preheat at the bottom of the oven.

  94. Amanda Wang says:

    This pizza was very different but good. Kind of like a spicy cheese and jam sandwich? I weighed my rhubarb and think you could get away with only making half the volume of sauce. Also, made this with feta instead of goat cheese, and also tossed the feta with paprika and red chile powder. Oh and I didn’t have the ginger so I added some cayenne… haha, so not quite the some recipe but still pretty interesting. Thanks,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *