Pizzas can be healthy!
The first recipe for my blog is something quite special.
This is my take on a pizza, done the healthy way. I pride myself on being able to take everyday meals, thought to be quite the opposite of healthy, and tweaking them so that they are just as (if not more?) delicious than their original, whilst packing much less of the bad stuff.
I have been met with much scepticism, but let me tell you that once the sceptics try my creations they are pleasantly surprised!
My family are converts and we are ever the healthy bunch.
But back to the pizza...
I have made this pizza many times, with a variety of different toppings. I do, however, generally opt for low fat/fat free products, which are free range or organic where possible.
This pizza has all my favourite toppings, namely mushrooms, fresh basil and tomato, olives, sweet Peppadews and lean back bacon. I regularly use pizza bases made from stone ground organic wheat, found at my local neighbourhood organic market. It makes a HUGE difference, so look for them in markets near you.
The secret to these pizzas is the use of cottage cheese. It is a trick I picked up on an episode of Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals, and it works wonders. it melts just like mozzarella, but can be bought in low fat or fat free varieties. Obviously that cheesy taste is what makes a pizza, and a sprinkling of mozzarella at the end achieves that quintessential pizza flavour.
Makes 2 medium pizzas
2 stone ground wheat based pizza bases
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tub smooth fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
handful basil leaves
handful baby rosa tomatoes, sliced length ways
4/5 green olives, sliced thinly
3 sweet Peppadews, sliced thinly
1 cup chopped button mushrooms
4 pieces lean back bacon, dry fried and chopped
some barbecue marinade sauce
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Mix the tomato paste, garlic and thyme together.
Evenly spread this mixture on the pizza base.
Spread the cottage cheese on top of the tomato base (use as much or as little as you desire).
Top with the mushrooms, bacon, rosa tomatoes, olives and Peppadews.
Sprinkle the mozzarella and basil over these toppings.
Finally, drizzle with a little barbecue sauce and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Enjoy your guilt-free pizza!
