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Heart-Healthy Pizza
Home made gourmet pizza can be heart-healthy when you use your imagination and some creativity. To make nutritious pizza, focus on the construction of the pizza.
Pizza Crust
You can make your own pizza crust. If you do not have the time or inclination to do so, use a prepared crust with less than two grams of fat per serving. To make individual pizzas at home, use fat-free flour tortillas lightly brushed with extra virgin olive oil. You can also spray the flour tortillas with an olive oil flavored nonstick spray. For a crispy crust, use a pizza stone or pizza screen.
Pizza Sauce
Tomato sauces can be home made (see recipe below) or store bought. If you purchase one from the store, look for a sauce that contains less than 1.5 grams of fat per one-fourth cup serving. The following home made sauce recipe is easy to make and contains less than one gram of fat per one-half cup.
No Cook Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Use one-half cup of the sauce for a 13-inch pizza crust or a large tortilla.
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Cheese: To make your pizza heart-healthy, you will need to use cheeses made with skim milk. You also can substitute light or non-fat cheeses in place of high fat cheeses.
Toppings: Try different herbs and spices as your topping. Fresh basil leaves placed on slices of fresh tomatoes sprinkled with Parmesan makes a delicious pizza topping.
Following are some pizza recipes to get you started but remember to use your imagination and get creative!
Recipes:
Chicken Salsa Pizza
Ingredients:
One precooked Italian bread-shell crust
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 jar (11 ounces) salsa
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast, skin removed
Directions:
Place bread shell on an ungreased, 12- inch, pizza- pan. Sprinkle with 3/4-cup of the cheese. Top with salsa, chicken and remaining cheese. Bake at 450-degrees for eight to ten minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Recipe makes four servings.
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English Muffin Pepperoni Pizzas
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pizza sauce
Six English Muffins, halved
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
3 ounces sliced pepperoni
Directions:
Spread the pizza sauce on each muffin half. Sprinkle cheese over sauce and top with pepperoni slices. Place on baking sheet. Bake in preheated 425-degree oven for five minutes or until the cheese is melted.
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Provolone Pizza with Chicken and Pesto
Ingredients:
Two tablespoons olive oil
Two boneless, skinless, split chicken- breasts cut into strips
Two medium-sized assorted bell peppers: red, yellow or orange
One medium onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup prepared pesto
1 -1/2 cups of (6 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Provolone Cheese
12-inch pizza crust or bread shell
Directions:
In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken; sauté until chicken browned (five to seven minutes). Add peppers and onion; continue to sauté until browned (four to five minutes). Stir in pesto. Place chicken mixture on crust; top with cheese. Bake at 400-degrees for ten to twelve minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
Recipe makes four to six servings.
Time Savers: Buy chicken cut into strips at the grocery store. Buy a pre-baked pizza crust, adjusting cooking time according to package instructions. Save additional time by using a pre-shredded Italian cheese blend in place of the Provolone.
*Recipe courtesy of WMMB for Wisconsin Cheese
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Deep Dish Pizza
Instructions:
Eight Texas rolls (Rhodes recommended) or 12 rolls, thawed and risen
3/4 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded non-fat mozzarella cheese
Toppings of choice
Directions:
Press dough into a ball. Roll into a 14-inch circle. Place into a 12-inch deep-dish pizza pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let rise 30 minutes. Pre-bake crust at 400-degrees for ten minutes.
Spread pizza sauce over crust. Add desired toppings and top with cheese. Bake at 350-degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese melts and becomes bubbly.
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Topsy-Turvy Pizza
Ingredients:
2 cups pizza toppings (mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.)
2 pounds lean ground round
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans of (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
˝ teaspoon garlic powder
One package (1.25 ounce) Italian style spaghetti sauce mix
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
One can of (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust
Directions:
In large skillet coated with vegetable oil spray, cook pizza toppings three to four minutes over medium-high heat. Spread cooked topping into 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Set aside. Add ground beef and onion to skillet; cook eight to ten minutes or until done; drain well. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic powder and spaghetti sauce mix. Bring to a boil; simmer five to six minutes.
Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
Spoon meat mixture over pizza toppings. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Unroll dough over top of cheese; making sure it covers filling ingredients completely. Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Recipe makes eight servings.
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Fresh Fruit Pizza
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 cup plus 1/4-cup honey, divided, plus more for garnish if desired
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1/4 cup non-fat milk
One package (8 ounces) cream cheese - non-fat if watching your diet!
3 cups assorted sliced or whole fresh fruits such as strawberries, oranges, kiwis, bananas or blueberries
Toasted coconut or granola (optional)
Chocolate syrup for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees. To make crust, in large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, 1/3-cup honey and vanilla; stir into flour mixture. Stir in egg yolk and milk; form into ball with hands. Place on lightly greased pizza pan or baking sheet. With floured hands, press dough to form 12-inch circle. Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack.
To make topping, in a small bowl, combine cream cheese and remaining 1/4-cup honey. Mix until well blended.
To serve, spread topping onto crust to within ˝-inch of edge. Arrange fruit over top; sprinkle with toasted coconut or granola. Drizzle with honey or chocolate syrup, if desired. Recipe makes one, 12-inch pizza.
Note: If time is of the essence, use pre-made pizza crust dough.
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Strawberry Pizza
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 egg whites or egg substitute equivalent to one egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups crushed strawberries
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for two minutes. Beat in egg and extracts. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
On a floured surface, roll dough into a 13-inch circle. Transfer to an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. Build up edges slightly. Bake at 350-degrees for 18-22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over crust. Arrange sliced strawberries on top.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and crushed berries until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes or until thickened. Cool slightly. Spoon over strawberries. Refrigerate until serving.
Recipe makes 12 to 16 servings.
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Quick Heart-Healthy Pizza Dough
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup lukewarm water
One package rapid-rise yeast
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the dough
4 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 100-degrees. Pour water into bowl of full-size processor. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over water and pulse twice. Add oil, flour, salt, and process until dough comes together. Process another 30 seconds. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky. If too sticky to handle, add one or two tablespoons flour and pulse once or twice.
Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead to form a smooth ball. Put dough in deep, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place in warmed oven. Let rise for 30 minutes, or until doubled. Remove dough, punch down and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into four balls.
At this point, dough may be refrigerated or frozen. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
To Roll: Place ball in center or work surface sprinkled lightly with flour or cornmeal. With rolling pin, roll dough from center to edges, to a ten to 12-inch circle.
To Grill: Brush both sides of dough with olive oil. Pick up circle by edges (like a wet T-shirt) and gently place on preheated grill.
Prepare toppings: Because baking time is short, some toppings should be precooked or blanched: meats, thinly sliced potatoes, peppers, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, garlic, zucchini. For best flavor, grate or crumble cheese just before topping pizza. Have all ingredients ready before placing crust on grill. If using a sauce, warm before spreading on dough.
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