Veggies Make it Into Pizza

Pizza places are ubiquitous with American culture, and are often just a call away. The ingredients, however, are often some of the most unhealthy imaginable. From whole milk cheese to bleached flour crusts to pizza sauce full of high fructose corn syrup, clearly pizza could use a healthy face lift.

Some good tips to make your own pizzas and calzones is to find store-bough pizza dough, normally available in whole wheat varieties. Good ingredients to have on hand are good tomatoes (either fresh or canned - fire roasted are nice) and a variety of vegetables. Frozen vegetables such as spinach and artichoke are creative and economical choices. Everyone loves artichoke and spinach dip - just try to put it on a pizza. No one will miss Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, or any other delivery pizza. Peppers and onions can even be found frozen and pre-chopped. Of course extra virgin olive oil and fresh basil are also great flavor additions. Cheese can be personalized to a nice smoked mozzarella or gouda, replaced for lower fat cheese or omitted all together. 

Hand-made pizzas aren't always as pretty as ones that come in a box - often they look like states (Pizza Ohio anyone?) It is a good idea to roll out the crust, brush it with dried oregano and extra virgin olive oil, prick it with a fork and then bake it for about 5 minutes before taking it out and putting the toppings on. This ensures that the crust cooks completely. Buying your own pizza dough allows you to make personal sized pizzas so that each person can top their own with whatever vegetables they see fit. Be creative, though, as always. Zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives, etc. all make fantastic additions. Also try using alternatives to sauce. Want an Indian pizza, use a spicy sauce like Korma for an alternative. A tip is to cook all the ingredients about 90 percent done before hand, so that topping is easy and then the final process is just melting cheese, finishing the cooking process of the crust and re-heating all the toppings. 

So vegans, vegetarians or just general health-nuts... don't rule out pizza too soon.