Tomato Basil Pizza

I had never had pizza other than pepperoni and olive (my mom's favorite) or Canadian bacon and pineapple (my dad's favorite) until I went to college. One of my roommates introduced me to tomato-basil pizza, or as it is sometimes called, margherita pizza.I have attempted to make this pizza in the past, but it has never really tasted right, so I haven't tried in a while. Then in one of the recent issues of  Clean Eating, there was a recipe, so I decided to give it another shot. And I am very glad I did.

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe whole wheat pizza dough
4-5 Roma tomatoes
2 small cloves of garlic
1 tsp red wine vinegar
6-7 basil leaves
tiny pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup mozzarella
15-20 basil leaves

Directions:
Roughly chop the tomatoes into 1/4" chunks. Mince the garlic, then roll the 6-7 basil leaves into a roll together lengthwise, and slice them into narrow strips crosswise. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, basil, salt, and black pepper into a saucepan, then heat over medium-low heat. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are broken down and smell great. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450, and roll out the pizza dough to the size you want (mine was about 14" across). Put it on the pan or pizza stone (hint, hint...I would love one of those for Christmas....). Spread the sauce onto the dough as thick as you would like. Sprinkle half the cheese on top, then tear the remaining basil leaves in half, spread them on top of the cheese, then sprinkle the other half of the cheese on top of the basil. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or so until the cheese is slightly browned.

This isn't exactly like the pizza my college roommate had, she prefers white (non-tomato sauce) pizza and I prefer it this way, with a chunky tomato sauce instead of tomato slices.  In the original recipe, it called for a 12 oz can of strained tomatoes, but I didn't know what those were so I went with my own gut on this and used fresh tomatoes instead. I also love basil, so I doubled the basil in both the sauce and the pizza.

This was really good and very easy, it took me about 40 minutes to put together, including the 30 minutes to simmer the sauce.

Rating? 5/5
Why? This was really easy to make and tastes great, as well as being pretty healthy. I like that there are limited ingredients and that it is heavy on the basil

Pizza Pita

I have a pretty serious weakness for pizza. I love everything about it - the crispiness, the saltiness, the cheese - everything. But frozen or restaurant pizza generally is really greasy, has slimy vegetables, too much cheese, and it is almost impossible to find one with a whole-wheat crust. I have posted a pizza recipe on here before, but it requires some forethought to make the dough. This one is made on a whole-wheat pita and it was so easy I will definitely be making it again.

2 whole wheat pitas
grated cheddar cheese
grated mozzarella cheese
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
1/3 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup corn
1/8 cup pizza sauce

Preheat the oven to 400. Put the two pitas on a baking sheet. Spread the pizza sauce on the pitas as thick or thin as you like. Layer the red pepper, black beans, and corn, then split the cheddar and mozzarella between the two pitas. Bake on 400 for 11 minutes, or more if you prefer it to be more crispy.

This took me 15 minutes from start to finish, including slicing the red peppers. I love how fast this comes together! I just threw on some ingredients I had in the fridge so it would be very easy to modify.

Rating - 4.5/5
Why? I wish I had baked it another minute or so (I adjusted the recipe above) as the center could have been a little crispier. I love that I didn't have to make the dough.

Thai Chicken Pizza

This is easily one of my favorite recipes of all time. It takes some effort to make it, but the end result is fantastic, filling, and fabulous.

Pad Thai sauce

1/2 cup dried unsweetened dates, pitted and chopped

3 Tlbs hot water

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 Tlbs low-sodium tamari soy sauce

2 Tlbs fresh lemon juice

1 clove chopped garlic

Pizza

2 tsp cornmeal

1/2 recipe of whole wheat pizza dough

1 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella

1 chicken breast, cooked and thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup mung bean sprouts

1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

1/8 cup green onions, sliced

2 Tlbs unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Make the Pad Thai sauce first. Let the dates sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients in the food processor (or blender) and chop until relatively smooth. Then start the pizza. In a cast iron frying pan (or pizza stone), spray olive oil, then sprinkle with the cornmeal. Tap the sides of the pan until there is a thin layer of cornmeal on top of the olive oil. Roll out the pizza dough, and put it in the bottom of the pan. Top with the pad thai sauce (I don't use all of it), then half of the mozzarella, then the chicken, then the bell pepper, then add the rest of the mozzarella. Put it in the oven at 475 for 15 minutes, or just until the tips of the peppers start to get brown. Pull the pizza out, and top with the green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro and peanuts. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so before serving.

I have a fairly small 12" cast iron pan, so that is what I use to make this. You could also use a pizza stone or a larger pan. I have tried making it on a cookie sheet type of pan, but only succeeded in ruining the pan, so I don't recommend trying it.

Rating: 4.5/5
Why? This recipe is delicious, but does take some time to make. But on the other hand, it is so filling, one piece of pizza will fill you up quite easily. It is packed with vegetables and fiber and is incredibly satisfying.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

I love pizza, so when I finally found a whole wheat pizza dough recipe that isn't too dry or chewy, I was very excited. I will publish my favorite pizza recipe on the next post. This is from Clean Eating.

1 Tlbs raw honey

1 C (-1.5 Tlbs) warm water

2.5 tsp yeast

2.5 cups whole wheat flour

4 tsp gluten

1 tsp salt

3 Tlbs evoo

Breadmaker instructions: Put the honey, 1/3 cup of water and the yeast in the breadmaker and let it proof (rise undisturbed) for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the water, flour, gluten, 2 Tlbs of oil and salt. Run the breadmaker on the dough setting until finished.

Regular instructions: Put the honey, 1/3 cup of water and yeast in a bowl and let it proof (sit undisturbed) for 10 minutes. Add the flour, gluten, salt and mix it together. Then add the rest of the water and 2 Tlbs of oil, and mix well. Let it rise in an oiled bowl until doubled in size. 

Whichever way you make the dough, after it has risen once, punch down the dough, knead it for a few minutes and form it into a ball. Let it rise in an oiled bowl for 30 minutes. Roll out half of the dough for a medium pizza. You can freeze the remainder for up to 2 months or refrigerate it for about a week. When you want to reuse it, thaw it (if frozen) and bring it to room temperature before trying to roll it out.

Do not skip adding the gluten. It makes all the difference. I get mine in bulk, so I can buy just a little at a time.

Rating: 5/5
Why? I have tried different whole wheat doughs, and they are either made with half white flour or they are dry. This is the recipe that taught me that gluten makes whole wheat dough elastic. I have since used it in different applications, like in cinnamon rolls, where I want the dough to be softer and more elastic. It takes time to make this recipe, but I can get two pizzas out of it, which is about what I go through in a month.