Call me crazy, but I have never been a huge fan of pizza. In fact, I use to despise it as a kid. I recall going to friends’ birthday parties on several occasions where their parents would kindly order something different for me–the weird kid that hated pizza and loved broccoli. As I grew up, I developed more of a taste for pizza (must be my Italian roots). I have to really be in the mood for it though, and it has to be pretty darn good for me to eat it. This weekend was one of those times. For some reason, I was craving pizza–a very rare occurrence indeed. Instead of running to Beau Jeau’s and ordering their gluten-free, lactose-free pie, I made my own Lactose-Free Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza.
Ingredients:
♦ whole wheat pizza crust (recipe here)
♦ ½ jar of tomato sauce (or make your own)
♦ 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
♦ 1 can black olives (sliced)
♦ 2 baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
♦ ¼ c diced onion
♦ ¼ c diced bell pepper
♦ fresh basil to taste
Begin with your pizza crust. You can use store bought, but I like to make my own. You can use this recipe like I did from my last pizza adventure. I think next time I will try to make a yeast crust. The crusts I have been making are very thick, and though delicious, they taste more like bread to me. In fact, I think I’ll use this recipe and put the dough in a loaf pan to see what happens.
Anyway–continue by adding the pizza sauce to the middle of the dough. I like A LOT of sauce on my pizza, but feel free to modify. I also like a lot since I omit the cheese.
Sprinkle (or dump) the nutritional yeast to the top of the sauce. If you are unaware of what nutritional yeast is, it is a deactivated form of yeast (NOT brewer’s yeast) that adds vitamins (like B vitamins) and gives a “cheesy” flavor, hence the addition to my pizza. Note: it is also delish on top of popcorn!
Top off with the sliced and diced veggies. Get creative here! The possibilities are endless!
Bake in the oven at 350º F for 30-40 minutes depending on preferences. I like mine a bit on the soft side since I reheat slices throughout the week for lunches and dinners.
E N J O Y
I have been enjoying this pizza all week. Today after Crossfit and my five mile run, I dove right into my fridge and heated up a slice. It was so satisfying to get those carbs and veggies in my system. Yum yum!
What’s your pizza palette? Love it? Hate it? Crave it?
Moving Mountains Wellness 