Friends don't let friends miss out on Spanakopizza

Some of my favorite recipes are those that have been tested and vetted by good, trusted friends. Such was the case with this Spanakopizza recipe given to me by my friends Emily and Michaela, complete with editorial comments (i.e. arugula makes for better presentation than parsley). Homemade pizzas are a weeknight staple in our house, so I was happy to add this fabulous recipe to our cache. I love this recipe because you get all your veggies and protein and, if you use whole grain pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's) your good carbs too. It was perfect for our Oscar night dinner in front of the TV:

Ingredients
1 pizza dough, refrigerated or from your favorite pizzeria
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, plus some for
drizzling
1 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed in the palm
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound ground chicken or turkey breast
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, a palm full (recommended: Montreal Steak
Seasoning by McCormick)
2 (10-ounce) boxes, frozen spinach, defrosted
1 cup feta crumbles
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded provolone
2 jars roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 cup (10 to 12) pitted kalamata olives
1 cup arugula, coarsely chopped or shredded or 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf
parsley
1/3 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
Hot pepper rings or pepperoncini, optional

Instructions

1)Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2)Stretch out your dough on to a pizza stone or into a pizza pan. Pierce
the dough with a fork, drizzle the dough with a touch of extra-virgin
olive oil and sprinkle it with oregano. Bake dough 10 minutes.
3)While the pizza dough bakes, heat a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
(1 turn of the pan) in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium- high heat. Add butter to the warm oil, then the chicken or turkey.
4)Lightly brown the meat 3 to 4 minutes, then add the chopped red onion,
garlic and grill seasoning and cook 5 minutes more. Wring the defrosted
spinach dry by twisting it in a clean kitchen towel over your sink. Add
it to the meat, separating it with your fingers. Add in feta crumbles.
5)Once the pizza has cooked 10 minutes, remove dough and top evenly with
meat and spinach mixture. Cover the pizza with shredded mozzarella or
provolone, roasted peppers and olives. Bake pizza another 13 to 15
minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is crisp.
6)Remove pizza from oven, top with chopped parsley or arugula, cucumbers
and hot peppers and serve.