Hi Elana,
.
Low-fat/cholesterol pizza has been a mission of mine. I'm pretty happy
with what I've come up with by now.
.
Because I make low-fat or fatfree crust and use LF or FF toppings,
I consider pizza to be everyday food, not an occasional splurgy
treat I am concerned about re cholesterol, etc. Depending on what
you make it with, it's as nutritionally sound as a sandwich, . It's
actually a well-balanced meal, if you take a bit of care with it and
add a salad. It's one thing I am NOT willing to give up almost no matter
what! ;-)
.
While what I make is definitely not as yummy as olive oil
filled, brushed and drizzled dough and finished pizza, it's still good
and doesn't make me guilty. I use a lot of herbs and red pepper to
enhance the flavor and I don't think about the oil, tons of cheese,
pepperoni, etc. As for artichoke pizza, just set some
water-packed artichoke hearts on top and bake whatever pizza you like.
.
I use the dough I've just reposted 3 threads up (Bread the lazy
way) with no or very little oil (1-2 t.). It's so easy .. honestly.
Sauces are available with no oil .. or are easy to make. Top with
a combination of lowfat and fatfree cheese (I combine them and use
very little .. FF alone doesn't melt well :( .. I'm used to it now)
and whatever vegetables you want (like artichoke hearts .. I'd add
colored peppers, red onion, maybe a *little* olive (high fat),
mushrooms .. whatever suits you. Bake it on the lowest rack of
a VERY hot oven (500-550 F) for a very few minutes (I start
checking at 3 minutes and sometimes move it higher then for another
2-4 minutes or so (more if your crust is thick .. I roll, pat and toss
it - yep, don't know if it's performance quality, but I do toss it -
pretty thinly. I generally use a pizza screen, sometimes on top of a
pizza stone to lessen the mess on the stone ... but a regular pizza pan
works, too .. I'm just a gadget collector. :-) If you have a gas oven,
try putting the pan right on the bottom of the oven for crisper crust.
.
.
Here's an idea for a very low fat/fatfree pesto sauce. Oh, before that,
someone on a mail list had what I thought was a brilliant idea .. using
fat-free Italian dressing instead of olive oil in pesto. Bet that's
very tasty!
.
Pesto Genovese - FatFree
(adapted from Nutri-System Cookbook)
.
1 c. basil leaves, packed (not NOT use dried basil .. that's not pesto ;))
1 clove garlic, cut in small pieces
1 T. broth (recipe calls for 1 T. olive oil .. broth works .. or FF
Italian salad dressing)
1/2 T. water
1/4 t. salt (a little less, my notes say)
1 T. FF parmesan
.
Combine all in food processor or blender until paste or the texture you
prefer. Makes about 1/2 cup.
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(I only have numbers for recipe with olive oil, sorry)
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I usually triple this and sometimes use spinach for part of the basil, then
freeze it in ice cube trays (without cheese, add when defrosted) and have
a wonderful instant "flavor bomb" for pasta, to plop into soup for the last
few minutes, spread on bread, etc. If you're not devoted to 0% fat, you can
add 1-1 1/2 T. pine nuts or walnut pieces .. doesn't have to be much .. they're
traditionally added almost as much for creamy texture as flavor. I'm not a
tee-totaller with olive oil and add a little because I love the flavor, but if you never use it, you won't miss it.
.
Pestos can be made out of any edible herbs, roasted red peppers, sun-dried
tomatoes, etc.
.
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Fresh tomato sauces can be made with less oil than many use, too ... even
none, if you won't cry over missing olive oil. I have a fabulous Italian
friend/cook who makes THE best tomato sauce (simple) and she POURS in the olive
oil before sauteeing the garlic and such. Much as I love her sauce, I
just can't do that. Her pizza rivals ANY thin crust pizza .. she even
bakes it outside on the grill when company is over. It's GREAT and
everyone is so thrilled and impressed.
.
Here's a similar sauce from TVFN. My Italian friend adds herbs and red
pepper flakes .. and whole, fresh basil leaves on top of cheese before
baking. I think my friend doesn't even use onion .. VERY simple, real
Italian cooking, that sauce of hers is.
.
PASTA MONDAY TO FRIDAY
SHOW #PS6514
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SALSA MARINARA
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1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced (I use more)
1/3 cup olive oil (I use VERY little .. teaspons)
2 pounds firm ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces or two
28-ounce cans peeled, whole Italian plum tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
(I add herbs .. fresh or dried .. basil, oregano, marjoram [Schilling also includes thyme, savory, rosemary and sage] .. and red pepper flakes).
In a large saucepan set over moderate heat cook the onion, garlic and
oil, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and
pepper. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. If
desired, puree the mixture in a food processor or blender or through the
disk of a food mill.
.
Yield: 3 cups of sauce
.
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Also, Joe posted a *wonderful* collection of marinara sauces around 4/16.
They'll be in the archives. I'd just be mindful of the amount of oil in
those and the one I've included here, even though olive oil is
cholesterol friendly.
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Good luck with your pizza for your sweetheart :-). I guess my main message
is that, with healthy ingredients, pizza doesn't need to be a "red light" food.
The dough is often quite high in fat if you look at packages. I
love it, too. Since I've gotten in the habit of freezing discs of 1/4-1/2
batches of dough (freeze flat-ish so it's easier to store and shape
later), pizza is a quick staple around here. I do think of it as a
sandwich and put anything on it I might like on a sandwich (very
un-Italian, I suppose). I think of meal salads that way, too - just
substituting the greens for the bread in my head when I want a lighter
meal.
.
Hope these ideas have helped. Let us know if you find something you both
like, okay? :-)
Janet