Pizza Pockets

Pictured with Mexican-Inspired Side-Salad.

The first time I used my Pampered Chef tool called "Cut n' Seal" was (seriously) a decade after I bought it. I was cleaning out my kitchen drawers and decided either it had to be used, or it had to go. So I thought I'd give pizza pockets a try.
They were awesome! They cooked beautifully with very few sauce "explosions", they tasted great, and froze really well. My son took some to school for a few lunches and said they were good to eat, even cold.
Rather than the safe cheese and pepperoni pockets, this time around I really wanted to experiment with fillings. Here is what I cut up for dinner:

Bell peppers (finely diced)
Green onions
Fresh mushrooms
Canned pineapple tidbits (drained)
Smoked sausage
Ham steak
Green olives
Grated reduced-fat pizza mozzarella

I've got canned pizza sauce for dinner tonight, because I haven't found a homemade one that everyone likes, and sometimes you really do need a shortcut. If you have a recipe for me, though, please send it my way. My dough recipe is tripled so that I can have lots of leftovers for school lunches. It came from The New Canadian Basics Cookbook, and I modified it slightly.

7.5-9 c. flour, half whole wheat and half all-purpose
3 pkgs. quick rising instant yeast
2.25 tsp sea salt
3 c. hot water
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

To make the dough, you mix it all together in a mixer, and let it rise, covered, for about a half hr. While it's rising you can cut up your veges. 

Preheat your oven to 350*F.

Once you're ready to begin, pull out a chunk of dough, and roll it thin on a floured surface. Then, take the cutter and lightly press into the dough so you can see where your toppings should go. (picture 3, above). Put a few spoonfulls of toppings and sauce into a bowl, and mix together. They should be a little bit wet or your pockets will be a bit on the dry side. Place your toppings onto your dough in the centre of each circle. Roll out and stretch a second piece of dough over the first, and use the cutter to cut out your pizza pockets. 

Place your pizza pockets onto a parchment-paper lined baking sheet. Leave a little space between them. Bake for about 25mins. or until browning. The bottom will brown more than the top. Allow to cool a few minutes before eating them, and cool completely before putting the leftovers away.

This recipe left me with some leftover dough for the freezer, and a rainbow of veges for the fridge for dinner tomorrow night. It baked 32 pizza pockets, and is a Meals Maven exclusive!

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Verdict: First son said "They're very tasty" Second son didn't try it. He ate plain old pizza bread and sliced apples instead. Husband said "The whole wheat makes it taste a bit different, but they're really good."