This one was Tom's - it has more cheese on it ;)Pizza is one of my most favourite "yummy while still being very healthy" meals, not to mention quick! It is the Friday night staple at our place. Something about it just says "weekend" to me!!
A few posts back we talked about our favourite "fake-aways" and lots of people mentioned pizza as a meal that is often bought ready made but is very easy and healthy to make ourselves. I couldn't agree more! The only way it could improve is if I had my own woodfiring oven! Ha ha! The best pizza I've had here in London was at a woodfired place in the Kilburn High Road when I used to live in that area. Tom still has cravings for Pizza Hut every now and then - but the last time he indulged both he and my brother-in-law got the worst stomach aches, or "Pizza Hut Gut" as I dubbed it!
Have you guys ever had a "pizza party"? Some friends back home used to do that sometimes - it's a great way to cater for varying tastes! You set out all the toppings and just let people build their own. Great idea I think (provided you have a big enough oven!)
Laura makes her pizzas with vegan cheeze - which sounds great, but I haven't been brave enough to try it yet! It does look good though, and great news for the non dairy eaters among us :)
My original recipe for pizza can be found in the recipe index - but what follows is how I make it these days:
Serves 1
Preparation: 8-10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
You will need:
1 medium wholemeal pitta bread
½ cup tomato pasta sauce or tomato paste (I like Sainsbury's organic passata)
50g crumbled goats cheese
Tiny (as in tiny!) handful low fat mozzarella
Tiny (as in tiny!) handful low fat mozzarella
Mushrooms or courgette (zucchini), sliced (as much as you want)
Handful of Waitrose frozen grilled vegetables which includes onion, peppers and aubergine (eggplant)
Handful of Waitrose frozen grilled vegetables which includes onion, peppers and aubergine (eggplant)
Green and/or red bell peppers/capsicums, sliced (as much as you want)
6 kalamata or green olives, sliced or left whole
Baby spinach (as much as you want)
Fresh thyme and basil
Baby spinach (as much as you want)
Fresh thyme and basil
Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Place the pitta bread on a baking tray. Spread the base evenly with the pasta sauce or paste.
Place your toppings on the base. Don’t overload too much, because the base is very thin.
Finish with the goat's cheese, mozzarella and sprinkle the cheeses with sprigs of the fresh thyme and leaves of fresh basil.
This is what it looks like before it goes in the oven!
This is what it looks like before it goes in the oven!Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the pizza is browned and bubbling. Serve right away!
Mine on the left, Tom's on the right!
It's an ideal meal to have after exercise too (I had just been running in the photo above!) because while it's very satisfying, it's not too heavy when you use the pitta bread bases.
If I'm really hungry I have a salad with mine, and Tom will have chips (oh, having a partner who needs to put on weight! Aargh!) but most of the time the only thing that accompanies it is a glass of chilled white wine. It's Friday night after all!
How about you? Do you love pizza too? What's your favourite Friday night (or any night you like to chill out) dinner?
There's nothing better than a good pizza. Its been a long standing tradition to have Friday night pizza in our house too! Is there not a more perfect food. Go on now you've made me hungry.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this post just before lunch ;) ha ha. Have a pizza, it's your birthday! xx
ReplyDeleteWe love pizza too - a great Friday night fake away. We also do our own version of prawn laksa and chilli beans pretty regularly, mmmm...its almost lunch time and my stomach is rumbling with the thought. xx
ReplyDeleteYum, nothing better than pizza! I'm a huge fan of pumpkin on pizza.
ReplyDeleteHa, I well remember the 'Pizza Hut gut' incident of February 2010! DIY is definitely the way to go! Love you xx
ReplyDeleteLooove homemade pizza, nothing beats it and Friday's is always pizza night! I do the vegan cheese thing too but it's good for peeps to realise that it won't taste like dairy cheese. It's an alternative, not an exact tasting replacement.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out!
ReplyDeleteObviously I love pizza, particularly on a Friday night, paired with a chilli ginger beer :)
i love having pizza on friday nights too! your pizzas look delicious. pizza and chips, lucky tom! my new thing is making my own dough. i also just recently bought a pizza stone. i figured out the points value for my dough recipe and portion it out accordingly (i like pita bread, but for me nothing beats using homemade dough). mmm...
ReplyDeletetomorrow is friday, woo hoo!
Hello! Love making pizza too.
ReplyDeleteMake my own base as well---very easy 2 cups wholemeal/wholegrain flour, pinch of yeast (or half of the little sachets you get in a box) and warm water.
Knead.
Cover with tea towel and place in front of heater for half and hour while you cut up vegies etc
I don't even bother putting cheese on it at all---if you have enough tasty vegies you don't need too. However I do precook some vegies a bit like zucchini, and of course harder vegies like parsnips.
Roll dough out quite thinly --less than 5mms. Top with a handful of spinach Cook at 200 C
Always put a handful of spinach over the top as well.
Thanks for the great comments everyone! I like making my own dough too - if I'm organised enough! Using the pitta bases is so quick and easy though, but I like making my own dough if I have more time.
ReplyDeleteKathrynoh, I like pumpkin on pizza too - a recent favourite was pumpkin, fetta, spinach and pinenut! On homemade dough :)
Mary, I agree - the vegan cheese doesn't taste the same, and I think that's my biggest problem - I expect it to taste the same and it doesn't ;) The only thing that comes close to replicating cheese is Cheezly slices you can get at Wholefoods here in London. They aren't the same but are surprisingly good! I agree in getting the head around the fact it's an alternative not a replacement.
Or we could follow Anonymous's example and not use cheese at all....but I know myself too well! :D
Hope you're all having a great day and thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas :) xx
hehe great minds must think alike as Mr BBB was only saying to me this morning that we haven't had pizza for ages and must remedy that asap! Homemade pizza is normally our go to meal....LOVE IT!!! And I love that you added goats cheese - YUM!
ReplyDeleteHome made pizza's just say Friday night to me. My partner thinks I am mad, and just doesn't get the appeal! He is the man who grew up in Glasgow and used to have pizzas deep fried!
ReplyDeleteI love getting some good olives, fetta, asparagus and nice artichokes and peppers/aubergenes. I am half italian, so I always have these in my cupboard. I did find a great recipie to make them in the BBQ - which is ok when you live in Oz and have a 5-burner in the backyard with a hood.
I am a carnivore though.. so there is some good quality ham, or salami usuallly in there.
I love pizza parties too = great idea and you do all the work up front when you prepare ingredients.
I know what we are having for dinner tommorrow...
Hi Phil, I have just discovered your blogs and they are very inspiring and a great read. Thanks for sharing, Amanda.
ReplyDeletei often throw my dough ingredients together in a bowl in the morning and let it rise while i'm at work. then when i get home from work i knead it and let it rise for another 30 min or so.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE home made pizza. Ever since I read your post that is all I felt like so on Friday after getting home from the school disco & going to get fish & chips for the rest of the family, I made myself a yummy pizza.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind the same again for dinner tonight :-)
Lisa, I saw yours - it looked to die for!I miss pineapple on pizza :)
ReplyDeleteDani, those toppings sound yum - I love artichoke and asparagus on pizza too.
Hi Amanda, my pleasure! Thanks for the comment - I hope you'll say hello again soon!
Shazam, your tip for doing the dough before work is great! I have a breadmaker that I make my dough in, so I really don't have any excuse apart from my laziness/disorganisation! By the time I've realised I feel like pizza I usually don't want to wait the hour for the dough :P
Tracy - yes I would have pizza over fish and chips too! :)
Thanks for the comments guys! Pizza lovers unite!
I get the most amazing raw vegan pizza bases on the Gold Coast and have pesto, grated zuchini, carrot, rocket and tomato slices on it as a cold lunch - as the base is all crunchy from being dehydrated and full of super nutritious stuff - it is heavenly and very filling! It's an even healthier alternative, but I still like a nice grilled pizza occasionally too.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds AMAZING Kathie! I'm really curious about raw food. It's certainly been easier to eat more raw stuff lately, with the weather being a bit warmer!
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely stealing this so I can taste it. I love pizza! <3
ReplyDelete