Building a Better Pizza ...

 ... vegetables and lean meat under some cheese

I love thick snowy white crusted pizzas that are loaded with cheese and sausage and peppers and mushrooms, but ... my backside and midriff don't so much. Sooo ... I'm making a pizza with a higher fiber crust, some very lean chicken, broccoli florets, red pepper slices, a bit of onion slivers, a more reserved amount of part-skim mozzarella ... and some herbs and garlic.  I'm also cutting way back on the amount of olive oil that gets slathered, the dollops of basil pesto that would get dropped, and the salty black olive bits. I'll def miss those salty bits and all that herb-y slather, but ... this will still be a great pizza!

... warmed up leftovers for lunch

My conscience is slightly mollified. Now, about that backside and midriff ...?

High Fiber Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 c. whole wheat flour
¼ c. wheat germ
1¼ c. all purpose flour
2½ tsp. active dry yeast
1 c. warm water (109°F )
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
About 2 tbsp. warm water more

Making the Crust:

1. Sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of the sugar into the warm water and stir it in ... set it aside for ten minutes to proof.

2. Whisk together the other dry ingredients in a deep mixing bowl.

3. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil all at once and mix until the dough forms a rough scraggly ball.

4. Add the extra water as needed until all the bits of wheat germ and flour have come away from the bowl’s sides and the dough is a firm ball.

5. Knead the dough with your fist (rub your knuckles with a bit of olive oil) for a minute or two.

6. Cover the dough with a damp towel and sit in a warm place for about half an hour.

Better Pizza Toppings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium crown broccoli, chopped into small florets, stems slivered
½ medium sweet red pepper, slivered
½ medium onion, slivered
6 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
2 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz. chicken tenders, trimmed
Montreal lemon pepper spice
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp dried basil

Making the Pizza:

1. Dredge the chicken tenders in a sprinkling of the Montreal lemon pepper spice. Heat a large non-stick pan and spray a bit of olive oil to coat. Drop the tenders into the pan and sear them until the outsides are all browned.

2. Remove from the pan and slice into bite-sized chunks.

3. Boil a few cups of water in a deep saucepan and blanch the broccoli for three minutes. Drain and spray with cold water to refresh. Set aside to dry a bit.

4. Slice the onions and sweet pepper and set aside.

5. Add the garlic to the olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

6. Grate the cheeses and have ready.

7. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F and lightly grease a pizza pan (14 inch size).

8. Using some of the oil that the garlic has been soaking in, grease up your fingers and gather the ball of dough, plop it dead center on the pan and spread it out to the edges of the pan to form the crust.

9. Slather on the oil and garlic, spreading it all over the crust.

10. Top the crust with – red pepper flakes, dried basil, onions, sweet red peppers, broccoli, chicken chunks, cheese, and oregano.

11. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes in the hot oven.

12. Remove and let the pizza ‘cure’ for a few minutes before slicing.

Makes 8 large slices