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Is there anything more delicious than succulent vegetables fresh from a Farmer’s Market? Full of nutrition and bursting with flavor, they are spilling out of their baskets, just waiting to be gathered into your arms. While I can joyfully bite into a wide variety of fresh vegetables (including onions!), my children are slightly more reserved. Raw tomatoes and onions may be left to perish on the side of their plates, but these same veggies, properly prepared, inspire them to ask for more.
I have learned the secrets of preparing veggies for non-veggie lovers, thanks to one of my all-time favorite books, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, by Barbara Kingsolver. My family may not share my passion for hunting and gathering in our local Farmer’s Market, but they do share a passion for great meals. Sunday night dinners are a huge hit as everyone prepares their own version of a food I never thought was healthy, until now.
Growing up with commercially prepared pizza, I thought all pizza was patently unhealthy. Now I know better. It’s all in the ingredients you use! After much experimentation with the recipes in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I discovered the combinations my family loves.
For anybody who thinks pizza dough is hard to make, I encourage you to think again. Bread machines make this a snap. Just 4 minutes of effort will provide you with enough dough for two large pizzas! No bread machine? No problem. Preparing the dough by hand takes all of fifteen minutes – quick work by anyone’s standards.
Here is my favorite version of an unlikely health food:
Crust
3 tsp. yeast
1-1/3 cups warm water
1 tsp. salt
3 tbs. sucanat or other unrefined sugar
3 tbs. olive oil
3 cups sprouted spelt flour (or whole wheat as a substitute)
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour
Once you’ve dissolved the yeast in warm water, add in salt, sucanat and olive oil. Knead the flours into the liquid and let the dough rise for 30 to 45 minutes. This waiting time is the perfect opportunity to prep your toppings.
Toppings
Feel free to customize based on your tastes!
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 red, green or yellow sweet peppers, sliced
olive oil
1/2 jar all natural pizza sauce OR 2 cups fresh tomatoes
1 pound of the freshest mozzarella you can find
1 cup cooked kidney or adzuki beans (perfect for fiber, flavor and protein)
fresh feta
black olives
Italian seasoning to taste (especially oregano)
free-range chicken (shredded pieces of leftovers work great!)
Preheat your oven to 425°. Gently sauté the onions and peppers in a bit of olive oil until tender. This brings out the natural sweetness, so even children love them.
When the dough is ready, split it in half, reserving a bit if you have children who will enjoy creating their own pizza specialties. If you have a lot of people to feed (and you will when people realize what you’re up to), roll out two round pizza crusts on a lightly floured surface. Alternately, prepare one pizza now and save the other half of the dough in the refrigerator for the next day. Remember to roll the edges of the crust to hold your delectable toppings! Place this dough onto a baking stone or pizza pan, and add your favorite toppings. If using pizza sauce, be sure to put this on first. Otherwise, lead with mozzarella.
Slide into the oven for about 20 minutes and enjoy an amazingly nutritious, easy to prepare meal custom designed for your family.
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