Making Healthy Homemade Pizza

Pizza brings to mind a crisp chewy crust, tangy red sauce, and loaded toppings swimming in a pool of melted cheese. A comfort food indeed. But, for many watching their diet, pizza has become a taboo item pushed aside to the junk food category alongside potato chips and candy bars.

Can pizza be redeemed? Absolutely, and it should be. A healthy homemade pizza is a smart choice providing fiber, protein, dairy, and vegetables. Not to mention, it has lower sodium as opposed to the frozen or restaurant pizzas that are so commonly available. I offer my tried and true recipe for healthy homemade pizza complete with low sodium sauce and whole wheat crust. Now, you just need to decide what your toppings will be.

Healthy Homemade Pizza

Yields: One 14 inch pizza or Two 12 inch pizzas

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 ½ cups wheat

1 envelope RapidRise yeast

1 cup very warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)

2 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1 can tomato sauce

1 clove garlic

2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

Topping of your choice (consider using chicken breasts or sliced turkey for the meat; include an assortment of fresh sliced vegetables such as tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc.)

Fresh herbs if available.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Make the crust first. In a large bowl, combine the flours and yeast. Pour the warm water and olive oil into the flour mixture. If needed, ass more flour into the dough to make it easier to work with. Knead the dough until it is elastic, about 5 to 7 minutes. Place it back into the bowl and cover. Let it rise for about 15 minutes.

Next, prepare the sauce. A blender or food processor works well for this step. Place the tomato sauce, peeled garlic, and Italian seasoning into a blender or food processor. Pulse until the garlic is chopped. It is also possible to use a garlic press, but the sauce tastes better when the garlic is finite.

Wait until the crust has had time to rise. It won't rise much. Using olive oil, lightly grease either a 14 inch pan or two 12 inch pans. Roll and shape the dough to fit the pan(s). Bake the dough in the oven for 5 minutes or until it is slightly crispy at the touch. This will keep your pizza from getting soggy when you put all the sauce and toppings on top.

Now spoon the desired sauce, toppings, and cheese on top. If possible, add some fresh herbs on the top as well.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is brown and crispy. Let it cool 3 minutes before slicing. Enjoy.