Pizza

I think pizza has a bad reputation.  Sure, ordering a double cheese, double bacon, with  sausage pizza probably (well actually) is not conducive to a small waist or strong heart but that is not the pizza I have ever eaten, ever.

Let’s break down what pizza is; it is bread baked with tomato sauce, veggies, meats, and cheese.  Pizza is a blank canvas and let me show you the ways that pizza is not the enemy.  On the next page you are going to see the recipe for whole wheat pizza crust with the explanation of how to use white flour (why, why would you do that to yourself?) or how to make a pizza crust using half white and half whole wheat flour.  Every recipe will call for whole wheat crust but feel free to use whatever flour you prefer to use.

So you are now faced with homemade (hopefully whole wheat) crust which you kneaded by hand (really simple and also; cardio).  Then you top it with the sauce (homemade again meaning you control the salt and fat that is added), recipe also included!  Also remember that tomato sauce is included in the fruit/veggie category!

Now you top the pizza with fresh veggies and lean proteins.  There are recipes to follow but this isn’t rocket science; if you like pineapple and ham pizza, make a pineapple and ham pizza silly.

Then you are left with the (potential) enemy; cheese.  Cheese is loaded with saturated fats and calories but there are healthy (there’s that word again) choices.  Stick to the quantity of cheese that is listed, it is more than enough and sometimes I feel like I may have put too much to be honest.  Also try the reduced fat cheese that I recommend; on pizza you really can’t taste the difference, especially when you throw some parmesan on top.  Remember, the sky is the limit, use strong cheese, mild cheese, no cheese, whatever; this is your pizza and your rules!  Also keep in mind that when you use a stronger cheese you use less of it.

When adding meat like bacon or pancetta make sure you cook it first, for two reasons: the first is that you want to make sure the meat is cooked through when serving your pizza and the baking time most likely won’t be sufficient.  The second reason is you will be able to cook out and strain the excess fat.

Whenever possible top the pizza with fresh herbs, they add tons of guilt free flavour and don’t ever discount the nutritional value in those bad boys!

Now when you put all of these variables together not only is pizza not the enemy, pizza is our friend!  And best of all as mentioned above, pizza is a blank canvas, experiment with the toppings and soon you will see that you don’t want to order pizza because it doesn’t taste as good as yours does and you will definitely not miss blotting your pizza slice with a paper towel (like you haven’t done that before).

I love serving pizza with surprise, a salad.  I find that especially with the whole wheat crust two slices of any of the pizzas to follow is tons of food but for those with bigger appetites than mine, a salad is the perfect accompaniment here.

Enjoy and remember most importantly, have fun.