Pizza Party!

Last week, I decided to make pizza for dinner.  Now while most people I know just adore pizza, I think it's just ok...unless I have a craving...then I think it's terrific.  I happened to be craving it last week.  I had flour and yeast, canned tomatoes and plenty of fresh vegetables for toppings and I had low fat mozzarella cheese and a few other cheeses in the fridge...so I was all set.  I needed to make the dough from scratch and the sauce from scratch, which done in one day, is a bit of an undertaking...but if you plan right, you can make the dough and sauce ahead of time, leaving the pizza prep for the night you plan to make it.

I made a wonderful sauce that worked out to 1 points+ per 1/2 cup serving.  I divided it up in half, and pureed half  with my immersion blender for the "pizza" sauce and left the other half "chunky" to top pasta or spaghetti squash on another day.  The recipe yields about 2 quarts of sauce.  If you can, use no added salt tomatoes to keep the sodium content in check.

Once it's been pureed into a smooth sauce for pizza

Smooth sauce and chunky sauce

Basic Tomato Sauce Two Ways

Servings - approx 2 quarts   Serving size - 1/2 cup   Points plus per svg - 1 point+

Calories - 41,   Total Fat - 1g,   Carb. - 7g   Protein - 1g,   Fiber - 1g

1 TBS olive oil

2 sweet onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced 

1 (28 oz. ) can of diced tomatoes 

1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes

2 TBS tomato paste

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregeno

1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1.  Heat oil in dutch oven or large stock pan over med high heat.  Add onions and garlic and stir.  Cook until softened and fragrant, about 5 -6 min.  

2.  Add remaining ingredients, and allow to come to a boil.  Turn heat down to allow sauce to simmer.  Partially cover and allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. 

3.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. 

4. Divide the sauce in half.  Leave one half chunky for pasta and use an immersion blender ( or blender or food processor) to puree up other half for a smooth sauce for pizza.  This sauce freezes very well.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pizza made using homemade sauce, turkey sausage, peppers, mushrooms and cheese.  6 pp per 1/6th of pizza.

Mmmmmm....cheesy.

Spinach, onion, turkey bacon and smoked gouda cheese.  No sauce, just a spritz of olive oil from the misto.

 

Easy Pizza Dough adapted from WW New Complete Cookbook

Servings - 12 ( 2- 12" pizza crusts cut into 6 pcs)   Serving size - 1/12th of recipe   Points plus per svg - 3 points +*

Calories - 102,   Total Fat - 1g,   Carb.- 20g   Protein - 3g,   Fiber -1g

3/4 cup warm water ( about 100 - 105 degrees F)

1 tsp. active dry yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp olive oil

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour*

1/4 tsp salt

1.  In a 2 cup glass measure, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar.  ( the water should feel luke warm to touch, but not hot)  Set aside and allow yeast to get happy.  ( about 5 min)   Add the oil and mix.

2.  In food processor, with dough blade in position if you have it, combine the flour and the salt.  Pulse a couple of times to combine.  With food processor running, pour a stream of the water mixture through the shoot into the flour, until the dough comes together. (It should be soft but formed into a ball.  If its not formed add more water, if its too sticky, add more flour, until you get the right consistency.  Flour will absorb different amounts of water depending on the amount of humidity in the air.)   Continue to run food processor for about 3 minutes to "knead" dough.  If you aren't using a dough blade, remove dough and knead by hand until smooth and elastic.  

3.  Put dough in bowl sprayed with oil or cooking spray and cover.  Allow to rise for until about doubled.  About an hour or so.  ( again, will depend on the temperature of your home)

4.  Once dough has risen to about doubled it original size, punch down and divide into two equal pieces.  ( I weigh mine to get them as even as possible).  Allow dough to "rest" , covered, for about 10 minutes before forming into pizza crust...this allows the dough to be stretched a little easier.  This recipe makes TWO 12" pizza crusts.  ( you can freeze one half  for up to 6 months, defrost in refrigerator, or refrigerate it for up to 1 day in a ziplock bag)  

*You could make this dough with whole wheat white flour for one less point+ per serving.  I didn't have any, so I just used all purpose flour. 

PRINTABLE RECIPE