How to Prepare a Healthy Pizza

http://www.karenrothnutrition.com Today I am talking about one of Americas favorite foods. Pizza! We have a love hate relationship with pizza, because it tastes so good, but we know deep down most pizzas contain a thick crust of refined carbohydrates and trans fats, while the toppings ranging from cheese to sausage are loaded with fat from unhealthy animal sources. So I want to share with you some of my ways of turning this delicious temptation into a healthy meal without sacrificing flavor. This is an easy fast recipe to making your pizza.

I start with a flour tortilla. I'm lucky enough to be able to find raw uncooked flour tortillas at my Whole Foods market. If you have a health food store, look for them there. Because starting with the crust is where you can save on a lot of harmful fat because you cook it yourself. You simply heat 1 tortilla in a non stick pan until its cooked on both sides. No oil needed. The tortilla is 120 calories. Once cooked, place on a pizza pan while you prepare the toppings.

Next sauté fresh or frozen vegetables with a little olive oil and crushed red pepper for some heat. Any vegetable will do. I always have in my freezer, a bag of frozen spinach and artichoke hearts. Both great pizza toppings. Other favorites are chopped onion, tomato, mushrooms, broccoli florets and asparagus tips. Very few calories in this topping.

The pizza sauce is important. I use a fresh one made that I find at my local Trader Joes that is made from fresh tomatoes and seasonings. Be careful of the pre-made versions in a jar as they may be high in sugar and full of artificial flavors and colorings and especially the artificial preservatives. So think fresh and look in your deli section. I like to add extra sauce, and less cheese. The flavor is really in the sauce. So once you've topped your tortilla with the sauce, sprinkle some mozzarella cheese, and top with the cooked veggies. Then I sprinkle with just a little more cheese, you don't need much. Then bake it in your oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Now this whole pizza runs about 350 calories. And in comparison to a popular chain pizza joint, you would consume approximately that same amount of calories in just 1 slice of a veggie pizza. Its all that dough and cheese!

So to make this meal even healthier, consider cutting it into 4 slices and share it with another person. Make a side salad and have it with your 2 slices. If you are gluten intolerant, you can use corn tortillas, or if you just want a mini pizza for one, corn tortillas are perfect. They tend to be crunchier.

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• healthy pizza

[johnferinal]

I am American and I do not love pizza.

[johnferinal]

The healthiest way is not to eat a pizza at all.

[fanzaz54]

i searched " fetch with ruff ruffman" and this showed up. i know there was an eppisode where he made the FETCHers try to make a healthy pizza, but still, what!?

[skardam]

Great talking, but you could try to make one? Thanks anyway I try it out

[msdebbskitchen]

THANKS, I WILL TRY THIS RECIPE.

[soup163]

thanks its good