I really miss pizza

[tatortot]

TYLER'S MOST AWESOME INDIVIDUAL PIZZA CRUST
3 tablespoons flax meal
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon granular Splenda, optional
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoons oil
Toppings

Mix the dry ingredients; add the egg, water and oil. Spray a microwaveable dinner plate with cooking spray. Spread the batter on the plate in a circle. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute 40 seconds. Meanwhile heat a little oil in a medium skillet on about medium heat; slide the crust off the plate into a skillet. Brown on both sides. Place the crust on baking sheet; add the toppings of your choice. Bake at 350º about 15 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Makes 1 serving
Can be frozen

Per Pizza Crust: 264 Calories; 20g Fat; 14g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Per 1/2 Pizza Crust: 131 Calories; 10g Fat; 7g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 2.5g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs

With the following toppings:
1 tablespoon pizza sauce
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
7 slices pepperoni
1 tablespoons green pepper, chopped
Dash garlic powder
Dash Italian seasoning

Per Pizza: 518 Calories; 40g Fat; 30g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 6g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Per 1/2 Pizza: 259 Calories; 20g Fat; 15g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs



This makes a cute little 6-inch pizza with a somewhat crispy crust. I liked it, but I will leave out the Splenda next time. I don't care for a sweet pizza crust. I'm sure you could make a bunch of crusts and freeze them for quick pizzas. I'm going to try making little round flat breads using this batter in my muffin top pans. I bet they'd make nice sandwiches. Here's a picture of the pizza with the toppings on it:

I love this recipe. Of course I use all southbeach legal ingredients for phase I. Since we are allowed 3 Tbsp of flaxseed a day, this is phase I legal.

[kimmipoo57]

PIZZA

tomato paste spread on
whole wheat pita
sprinkle on Marjoram (spice)
tope with l/f mozzarella
and turkey pepperoni

bake till brown and toasty at 375 degrees, and serve with a nice salad.
the Pizza tastes like the real thing.

[Tootswog]

I love pizza SO much and I know this recipe won't exactly make up for the crust, but I think it looks delicious for a snack or appetizer. You could do the same thing with portabello mushrooms.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/07/zucc ... bites.html

[living_out_loud]

I made a delicious dinner that I would encourage anyone on phase 2 to try. I took ww wraps. We loaded them up with pizza sauce and fixings. Fold into a burrito shape, then bake the wraps at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. This was so satisfying and yummy. I usually don;t like homemade pizza but these tasted so good...like pizza pockets. Fast and the kids had a blast assembling their own. I loaded mine up with veggies and some lf cheese and pepperoni. Yum.

[RaeRae]

I've been experimenting with pizza recipes for years trying to incorporate the SBD recipes and strategy. Recently I assembled eveything to make a pizza and realized that most of my tomato sauce cans were 6 years PAST the expiration date and bulging... ugh. So I threw them out (how does stuff stay hidden in the cupboard that long?) and pondered how to stretch the one small can of chopped tomatoes into a decent sauce. Besides adding the requisite italian spices, chopped garlic and onions, I took a chance and added a can of Kidney Beans. I then threw it all in the blender an used it on my latest pizza.

I have to say it added just a hint of an interesting flavor. For the added fiber and good stuff I figure it's a flavor I can live with. Kind of like a hint of refried beans, but really it worked well to stretch the sauce.

Anyone else have tricks for stretching ingredients? As I try to save money (and last minute trips to the grocery store) I'm up for experimentation.

Cheers!

[ami]

Healthy Ways to Makeover Your Pizza

Pizza on the South Beach Diet? You bet! In fact, pizza can be one of the healthiest meals to enjoy as long as you use the right ingredients. No matter what Phase of the South Beach Diet you’re on, pizza makes for a delicious, filling meal for lunch or dinner. Check out these healthy ways to enjoy pizza:

Phase 1 Pizza Ideas:

* Make a portobello “crust.” Meaty, flavorful portobellos make a great base for pizza toppings because they hold up well during baking. To prepare the mushrooms, gently wipe the outsides, then scrape out the gills. Rub the caps on all sides with some garlic-infused olive oil. Place the caps, cavity up, on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then fill with the Phase 1 cheesy topping suggested below. Bake at 450°F for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Just before serving season with fresh or dried herbs of your choice, such as basil, oregano, or parsley.


* For a Phase 1 topping: Sprinkle each mushroom cap with some shredded or thinly sliced reduced-fat mozzarella. Top the cheese with tomato slices or choose a prepared tomato sauce to complete the pizza. Be sure to check the nutrition label on the back of all tomato-sauce products and avoid varieties with added sugars.

Phase 2 Pizza Ideas
Enjoy the Phase 1 pizza, above, as well as:

* Choose white whole-wheat flour to make your own pizza dough. Most pizzerias use white flour to make the pizza crust, but with white whole-wheat flour, you get the added health benefits of fiber, protein, and iron. And unlike regular whole-wheat flour, white whole-wheat flour makes for a softer, smoother-textured crust.


* Use vegetables for a topping. Vegetables are a healthier alternative to the fatty cuts of meat usually found on pizza dishes, such as pepperoni and sausage. Moreover, vegetables are a healthier choice because they are an excellent source of vitamins and disease-fighting antioxidants. Try topping your pizza with some reduced-fat cheese, then add some sliced zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms, and/or chopped spinach. Bake, following the directions for your crust, being careful that the veggies don’t burn (cover the pizza with foil if the veggies are done before the crust).


* Make a mini pizza. For a quick pizza on a rushed night, use a whole-wheat pita, whole-wheat tortilla, or whole-wheat or whole-grain English muffin as the crust. Toast first, then top with Canadian bacon, turkey sausage, grilled chicken or shrimp, or tofu, for example, and return to the oven to heat through (and melt any cheese).


* Make a dessert pizza by spreading a toasted whole-wheat tortilla with a layer of part-skim ricotta mixed with a little sugar-free jam and some lemon zest. Scatter some fresh berries of your choice over the ricotta and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Phase 3 Pizza Ideas
Enjoy the pizzas on Phase 1 and Phase 2, above, plus:

* Try whole-grain frozen pizza crusts on occasion. These usually contain small amounts of white enriched flour for tenderness but are a great convenience. For a Hawaiian pizza: Make a thin-crust pizza and top with a thin layer of tomato sauce, shredded reduced-fat cheese, Canadian bacon, and pineapple.

[Magna]

Another thing to remember, especially in phase 1 when pizza crusts are harder to come by, is that a lot of what you may be missing is the cheese-tomato-herb-oil (and maybe meat) combination. There are some great recipes for phase 1 vegetable lasagnas here, as well as other Italian dishes like chicken cacciatore. If you're making a meal for people who aren't all on SBD, you can make one of those dishes, and serve bread on the side.

[Magna]

Made a very delicious pizza yesterday using Trader Joe's whole wheat crust dough (it comes refrigerated in a bag, and is very affordable.) Just a few tips to share.

First, I use both tomato paste and tomato sauce. Tomato sauce by itself, in my experience, tends to be too runny. You could mix them together, but I just spread the tomato paste on first, then add the tomato sauce on top. I spread on a little olive oil first, then the sauce. I also sprinkle herbs on before adding toppings (and sometimes after).

Be sure to add some vegetables, like mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc. I cook them fully and let them cool before adding them to the pizza, because the 10 minutes or so the pizza is in the oven isn't enough to cook them. Sun-dried tomatoes and sliced olives also work well.

I made some meatballs a few days ago and saved a few for the pizza - just cut them up and spread them around. You could also keep leftover shrimp, ham, sausage, or ground beef in a small container to add to your next pizza.

I also had a breakthrough with anchovies. When I've had them before, they've been very smelly. Got a can of Trader Joe's anchovies packed in olive oil. I had to separate them with a fork, lift them out of the can one by one, and space them out over the pizza, among the other ingredients. I didn't use the olive oil. though it might be good for salad dressings or cooking other things. They're very salty, so no need to add salt to the pizza. They really added some great richness and depth of flavor - not nasty and fishy. I could barely detect them.

Lowfat cheese doesn't grab onto other toppings like fully-fat does, and I find they usually fall off if they're on top. So I put the other toppings on first, and cheese on the top so that it holds them in.

[ami]

Healthy Pizza Makeovers

Pizza on the South Beach Diet? You bet! In fact, if it’s made with the right ingredients, pizza can be one of your healthiest lunch or dinner options on any Phase. Check out these healthy ways to enjoy pizza:

Phase 1 Pizza Ideas:

Make a portobello “crust.” Meaty, flavorful portobellos make a great base for pizza toppings because they hold up well during baking. To prepare the mushrooms, gently wipe the outsides, and then scrape out the gills. Rub the caps on all sides with some garlic-infused olive oil. Place the caps, cavity up, on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, and then fill with the Phase 1 cheesy topping suggested below. Bake at 450°F for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Just before serving, season with fresh or dried herbs of your choice, such as basil, oregano, or parsley. On a hot day, put the filled portobellos on a medium grill.

For a Phase 1 portobello topping: Top each portobello with a fresh tomato slice or some prepared tomato sauce, then sprinkle each with some shredded or thinly sliced reduced-fat mozzarella. Be sure to check the Nutrition Facts panel on the back of all tomato-sauce products and avoid varieties with added sugars.

Phase 2 Pizza Ideas
Enjoy the Phase 1 pizza above and try the following:

Choose white whole-wheat flour to make your own pizza dough. Most pizzerias use white flour to make the pizza crust, but with white whole-wheat flour, you get the added health benefits of fiber, protein, and iron. And unlike regular whole-wheat flour, white whole-wheat flour makes for a softer, smoother-textured crust.

Use vegetables for a topping. Vegetables are a healthier alternative to the fatty cuts of meat usually found as toppings on crusty pizzas, such as pepperoni and sausage. Moreover, vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins and disease-fighting antioxidants. After adding your favorite low-sugar spaghetti sauce, try topping your pizza with some sliced zucchini, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and/or chopped spinach or arugula, then sprinkle with some reduced-fat cheese (try feta instead of the traditional mozzarella). Bake, following the directions for your crust, being careful not to burn the veggies (cover the pizza with foil if the veggies are done before the crust).

Make a mini pizza. For a quick pizza on a rushed night, use a whole-wheat pita, whole-wheat tortilla, or whole-wheat or whole-grain English muffin as the crust. Toast or warm the crust first, then top with tomato sauce, and precooked diced Canadian bacon, crumbled turkey sausage, or grilled chicken or shrimp. Tofu is also good. Return to the oven to heat through (and to melt any cheese you might also want to add) You can also drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the pizza.

Make a dessert pizza by spreading a toasted whole-wheat tortilla with a layer of part-skim ricotta mixed with a little sugar-free jam and some lemon zest. Scatter some fresh berries of your choice over the ricotta and sprinkle with a little cinnamon.


Phase 3 Pizza Ideas
Enjoy the pizzas on Phase 1 and Phase 2, above, plus:

Try whole-grain frozen pizza crusts on occasion. These usually contain small amounts of white enriched flour for tenderness but are a great convenience. For a Hawaiian pizza: Make a thin-crust pizza and top with a thin layer of tomato sauce, some Canadian bacon, shredded reduced-fat cheese, and chopped pineapple.