Home run with the pizza boy!

It’s no secret that pizza is Mr. Prevention’s #1 love. I knew this going into marriage, and I’ve learned to adapt.

This pizza looked incredible on Joanne’s blog, and of course I would’ve loved to follow the recipe, but we he just can’t omit all the pizza classics, pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, and have it fly. Obviously.

Pizza Dough adapted from Eats Well with Others, originally from The Minimalist

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp yeast
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp roasted garlic-infused olive oil

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together the yeast with 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Add a pinch of sugar.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour and sea salt. Add in the olive oil, 3/4 cup lukewarm water, and yeast. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough gets too stiff, then incorporate the rest of the flour with your hands. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 2 hours.

Flour the dough, form it into a ball and let it rise on a floured surface, covered with a damp cloth, for 20 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 350º F. Stretch out on a pizza peel, parchment paper, or baking sheet. Pre-bake crust 4-6 minutes before putting on sauce and toppings. Yield: 1-16 inch pizza crust (8 large slices)

Nutrition Information (per slice of pizza crust): 195 calories; 3.4 g. fat; 560 mg. sodium; 33 g. carbohydrate; 1.5 g. fiber; 4.5 g. protein

Result: Sure, making homemade pizza dough takes some time and fore-thought…but the result is worth the work and wait! Delicious!

Zucchini-Sausage Pizza adapted from The Minimalist as seen on Eats Well With Others

1 pizza crust (recipe above)
3 1 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
coarse sea salt
2 spicy Italian turkey or chicken sausage links, cases removed
1 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
freshly ground pepper
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 500º F, with your baking stone already inside the oven (if using).

Mix the zucchini with the salt in a large bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. In the meantime, heat a small nonstick skillet and saute the sausage, breaking it into crumbles with spatula as you go, until it is cooked through,

Rinse the zucchini and pat dry. Spread sauce and cheese over dough. Layer the zucchini slices on your pizza dough. Sprinkle the sausage on top, along with the parmesan cheese, and freshly ground pepper.

Bake for 15 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Yield: 8 slices.

Nutrition Information (per slice): 358 calories; 11.6 g. fat; 34 mg. cholesterol; 1073 mg. sodium; 40.5 g. carbohydrate; 3.5 g. fiber; 18.9 g. protein

Result: Major home run! This was delicious! The spicy chicken sausage was delicious with the accompaniment of the zucchini. We will certainly be making this again soon!

Question: Did you eat or wear something red, white, and blue today?

I did, completely coincidentally (I swear!)…

Happy 4th of July!