Pizza

We normally have a tradition of home made pizza fridays ! Any ideas or recipes for a healthy version !! :)

[ducky406]

This is my favorite recipe for pizza bread. If you add roasted garlic it also makes a wicked garlic bread. It makes a beautiful thick crust that doesn't sit very heavy on my stomach (gallstones). For toppings I usually a thin layer of tomato paste, garlic and BBQ sauce. Then top it with veggies and either prawns or chicken. No cheese (dairy intolerant).

For the 1/4 of an entire large 12" pizza (Crust only) the nutrition is approximately: 157 calories, 3.8g fat, 0.5 saturated, 0.5 polyunsaturated, 2.6 monounsaturated, 26.1 carbs, 1.5g fiber, 4.4 g protein, and 146 mg Sodium.

Pizza Bread
1 C flour
2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbs oil
6 Tbs warm water

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Add oil and warm water (almost hot to touch). Mix into a soft dough.
3. Knead on a floured surface until soft and pliable.
4. Return to bowl, cover and leave in warm spot for 30 minutes, or until 2x in size. When risen, punch once to remove air bubbles.
5. Remove from bowl and knead gently for 1 minute. Roll dough out to desired size and thickness (cooks thicker than it is).
6. Add desired toppings
7. Heat oven to 400F/200C and cook for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown on bottom.

Some things my mom did for us growing up was to take a loaf of french bread and have us make pizza on it. So if you're worried about all the white flour in the recipe above just look for a good loaf of bread and use it as a base. You might even be able to substitute some of it for whole flour, I just have never tried.

Also if the kids are up for it, a Tex-mex pizza could be a fun way to go. Take 2 low fat tortillas and sandwich between them desired meat and veg.

For the most part it isn't so much the base as what you add to the pizza. Alfredo sauces are really fatty, and some of those pizza sauces can have a lot of sodium, sugar, and even added oil to them. Measure out the cheese and meats because it's easy to go overboard and try to get kids to pick veggies. (My go to are spinach/basil mix, tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onion, and peppers. But sometimes it's fun to mix it up with jalapeno's, olives, and pineapples.)

[margypops]

Wow great post and recipe Ducky ..I have copied it down as my dh loves pizza and he needs to watch his weight , thank you so much

[CuteNsweeT]

You can also make cauliflower/cheese crust (really low in carbs and it's a vegetable so it's super healthy, and it doesn't even taste like a veggie!) or my fave is an omelet base; not a traditional crunchy crust, but great flavor and high in natural protein.

Cauli crust link:
http://dailydishrecipes.com/cauliflower-pizza-crust-recipe/

[margypops]

thank you so much I eat a lot of cauliflower , I have never heard of a cauil crust

[ducky406]

Is it possible to make the cauliflower crust without dairy? Or do you think that would ruin it? I'd love to make it because my hubby went gluten free and that's prefect, low fat and all.

[CuteNsweeT]

I guess it might be okay with egg to hold it together instead of the cheese, if you can eat eggs? It wouldn't have the same crisp texture though. Another option is coconut flour crust. I haven't tried that one as I live in Ireland and would have to order the flour specially, lol, but it's gluten-free and way healthier than regular white flour.

Here's a link:
http://eatthecookie.wordpress.com/2010/06/11/dear-pizza-i-missed-you-so-much/

[ducky406]

I can eat egg whites only. Even 1/5 of a yolk will give me a gallbladder attack. (Which is also why I need low fat and non dairy.) Maybe I'll try it on a small scale...