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Filed in Healthy Living, Meatless Meals on June 21, 2010 with no comments
Last Thursday was National Eat Your Vegetables Day. Now even for a veggie lover like me, there is no better way to eat your vegetables than pizza! No, I don’t mean the local chain’s “Vegetarian” special- usually canned mushrooms and generic onions covered with enough cheese to obliterate all other flavor. The best pizza is made at home. So, I started with a personal sized pizza crust from my freezer (how-to directions follow this post), and covered it with our first veggie – homemade pizza sauce.
To me, the best part of any pizza is the sauce. The key is to make a really simple sauce, not one that is full of unneeded spices and extraneous ingredients…
View Full Recipe at Wine Barrel Gourmet's Blog
,%20and%20covered%20it%20with%20our%20first%20veggie%20%E2%80%93%20homemade%20pizza%20sauce.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETo%20me,%20the%20best%20part%20of%20any%20pizza%20is%20the%20sauce.%20The%20key%20is%20to%20make%20a%20really%20simple%20sauce,%20not%20one%20that%20is%20full%20of%20unneeded%20spices%20and%20extraneous%20ingredients%20like%20high%20fructose%20corn%20syrup.%20My%20pizza%20sauce%20is%20usually%20a%20combination%20of%20unsalted%20pureed%20tomatoes%20and%20a%20can%20of%20low-salt%20diced%20tomatoes.%20Sometimes%20I%20add%20dried%20leeks%20for%20sweetness,%20or%20you%20can%20saute%20minced%20onions%20or%20shallots%20for%20the%20same%20result.%20Then%20I%20add%20a%20dash%20of%20crushed%20red%20pepper%20and%20cook%20the%20whole%20thing%20just%20long%20enough%20to%20warm%20it%20up.%20Spoon%20a%20good%20portion%20onto%20the%20dough%20and%20you%20have%20your%20first%20veggie.%20(Tomatoes%20are%20an%20excellent%20source%20of%20Vitamin%20A%20and%20are%20full%20of%20anti-oxidants,%20including%20lycopene.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ECompletely%20cover%20the%20sauce%20with%20some%20greens.%20Spinach%20is%20the%20usual%20choice,%20but%20here%20I%20used%20red%20leaf%20lettuce.%20I%20know,%20most%20people%20don%E2%80%99t%20think%20of%20cooking%20lettuce,%20but%20it%20is%20a%20green%20and%20the%20garden%20was%20over%20run%20with%20the%20stuff!%20I%20topped%20it%20with%20chopped%20red%20bell%20pepper,%20canned%20artichoke%20hearts,%20and%20sliced%20black%20olives,%20giving%20us%20another%202%20servings%20of%20vegetables.%20I%20also%20added%20some%20chopped%20walnuts%20which%20are%20excellent%20on%20pizza.%20(Leaf%20lettuce%20and%20walnuts%20provide%20healthy%20plant%20sterols%20and%20antioxidants,%20red%20bell%20pepper%20is%20a%20good%20source%20of%20Vitamin%20C,%20artichokes,%20walnuts%20and%20olives%20are%20good%20sources%20of%20monounsaturated%20fat%20and%20Vitam%20E.%20Walnuts%20also%20provide%20added%20protein.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ENow%20add%20the%20cheese.%20It%20looks%20like%20a%20lot,%20but%20it%20isn%E2%80%99t.%20I%20added%20some%20sliced%20pepperjack%20cheese%20and%20then%20topped%20it%20all%20with%20shredded%20asiago.%20The%20shredded%20cheese%20gives%20you%20the%20effect%20of%20lots%20of%20cheese,%20without%20actually%20adding%20lots%20of%20cheese.%20The%20key%20is%20to%20use%20flavorful%20cheeses,%20then%20you%20can%20use%20less.%20Pizza%20chains%20that%20only%20use%20mozzarella%20use%20TONS%20of%20cheese,%20because%20mozzarella%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20have%20much%20flavor.%20(Note%20%E2%80%93%20I%20often%20make%20this%20a%20vegan%20pizza%20with%20almond%20pepperjack%20and%20shredded%20soy%20cheddar%20%E2%80%93%20still%20yummy%20and%20full%20of%20tangy%20flavor.)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPlace%20the%20whole%20thing%20into%20the%20oven%20(preheated%20to%20425%20degrees)%20and%20bake%20for%20about%2015%20minutes.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELet%20sit%20for%20a%20few%20minutes%20before%20cutting.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPat%20yourself%20on%20the%20back,%20then%20call%20your%20friends%20and%20tell%20them%20how%20brilliant%20you%20are.%20Some%20people%20get%20their%20veggies%20by%20eating%20mounds%20of%20salad%20%E2%80%93%20but%20we%20got%20ours%20with%20pizza,%20and%20a%20healthy%20pizza%20at%20that.%20%20Now%20really%20%E2%80%93%20who%20needs%20pepperoni!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPizza%20Dough%20%E2%80%93%20One%20cup%20each:%20bread%20flour,%20semolina%20flour,%20white%20whole%20wheat%20flour.%20Add%201%20tsp%20yeast,%202%20Tbsp%20olive%20oil,%20and%20about%201%20cup%20of%20water.%20Mix%20together%20and%20knead%20for%20about%205%20minutes%20in%20a%20stand%20mixer,%208-10%20minutes%20by%20hand.%20Cover%20and%20let%20rise%20for%20an%20hour.%20Gently%20deflate%20and%20form%20into%20pizza%20crusts.%20Makes%202%20large%20pizzas%20or%204-5%20personal%20pizzas.%20Bake%20at%20425%20degrees%20for%203%20minutes.%20Then%20either%20freeze%20for%20later%20use%20or%20top%20with%20veggies%20and%20follow%20the%20above%20directions.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ELike%20Loading...%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ERelated%3C/p%3E){kind=link}