Do you suffer from dieter’s remorse every time you eat
a piece of pizza? You can eliminate those feelings of guilt — and a lot
of fat, calories, and unhealthy ingredients — by ditching traditional
flour-based crusts and using a vegetable base for your pizza instead. In
addition to being far healthier than a typical pizza crust, vegetable
crusts are also easier to prepare. There’s no need to wait around for
the dough to rise; simply cut and steam your veggies, mix your
ingredients, and bake. From a nutrient-rich sweet potato crust to a
delicious-tasting broccoli base, these 6 recipes allow you to partake in
pizza night without worrying about your waistline.
1. Spinach Pizza Crust
Five ingredients and 25 minutes are all you need to prepare Food.com’s grain-free Spinach Pizza Crust, which is chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and health benefits. Men’s Fitness notes that spinach promotes healthy eyesight, contains almost 200% of the daily value of vitamin K, and is packed with iron.
Ingredients:
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- 2 cups spinach
- 1 egg
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
Directions: Preheat
oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Blend spinach and mozzarella in a food
processor. Add egg and blend. Spread on parchment paper and bake for 15
minutes. Edges should brown. Add your favorite sauce and toppings and
broil until cheese melts.
2. Sweet Potato Crust Pizza
PopSugar’s Sweet Potato Crust is
a gluten-free, veggie-filled crust that will be the life of your pizza
party. Filled with vitamin A, protein, and fiber, this healthy crust
pairs well with simple toppings, such as grape tomatoes, basil, and red
pepper flakes.
Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of your choice
Directions: Preheat
oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set a large pot of water to
boil. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into quarters. Add potatoes to
boiling water, turn down to simmer, and boil for about 20 minutes or
until a knife easily pierces the flesh. Drain potatoes from the water
and mash well in a large bowl. Add one cup of your sweet potato mash,
almond flour, baking soda, Italian seasoning, and salt to a large bowl.
Knead the ingredients together until the mixture
resembles a ball of orange pizza dough. Line a baking sheet or pizza pan
with parchment paper and press out the dough to a large circle. The
dough should be about ½ inch thick. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20
minutes or until the edges of the dough are slightly browned. Remove
pizza from the oven, add the sauce, cheese, and topping, and broil for
3 to 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
3. Zucchini Crust
Taste of Home’s zucchini-based crust isn’t entirely grain free, but it’s a nutritional option nonetheless. SFGate
explains that zucchini, which is a good source of magnesium, fiber, and
folate, supports your metabolism, keeps you feeling full longer, and
plays a role in bone health.
Ingredients:
Pizza crust
- 3 cups shredded zucchini
- ¾ cup egg substitute
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Toppings
- 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2 small tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup julienned green pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine
zucchini and egg substitute. Stir in flour and salt. Spread onto the
bottom of a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450
degrees Fahrenheit for 9 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sprinkle with the mozzarella, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, oregano,
basil, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until onion is
tender and cheese is melted.
4. Carrot Crust
As visually appealing as it is delicious, The Saffron Girl’s Carrot Crust
is the perfect base for your favorite pizza toppings. To ensure your
crust has a nice, crispy texture, make sure you squeeze as much water as
you can from the carrots before combining them with the rest of the
ingredients. This recipe was adapted from Farmgirl Gourmet.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups carrots, grated and squeezed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoons coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- ½ teaspoon cardamom, optional
Directions: Preheat
oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter the bottom and sides of a
springform cake tin and line with parchment paper. Add some olive oil on
top of the paper and with your hands or a paper towel, and spread the
oil around the parchment paper. Set aside. Peel about 6 to 8 large
carrots and squeeze the water out of them. Measure 4 cups; place the
grated carrots in a large bowl.
Add the butter and eggs, and with your hands, mix
well, cutting the butter into the mixture. Add the coconut flour and
spices, and knead until all is well-blended. Scoop the carrot mixture
into the prepared cake tin, and using your hands, spread it out evenly
to form a pie shell. Bake for about 35 minutes, remove from the oven,
add toppings, and bake again until the pizza is done to your liking.
5. Broccoli Pizza Crust
There is no shortage of nutrients in Oregon’s Broccoli Pizza Crust, which yields 2 servings. Care2 commends broccoli for its many health benefits, noting that the cruciferous vegetable reduces your risk of cancer, lowers your cholesterol, and prevents osteoporosis.
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-ounce) head of broccoli
- 1 egg plus 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Preheat
oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Make broccoli rice by pulsing a large
head of broccoli in the food processor about 20 times until it looks
like grains of rice. Measure out 2 packed cups of broccoli rice. In a
saucepan, begin heating ¼ cup water until steaming. Add the
broccoli rice, and then turn off the heat and cover the pan for 5
minutes to let it steam. Once the broccoli rice is steamed, squeeze it
in a dish towel to get out any extra water.
In a bowl, combine the egg, egg white, olive oil,
oats, salt, and spices. Add in the broccoli rice and mix everything
well. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the mixture into two
little round crusts. Bake these for 15 to 20 minutes, taking them out
when the edges are crispy and have peeled up. Remove the pan from the
oven and top pizzas with desired toppings. Bake for another 5 to 8
minutes until toppings are warm.
6. Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Cauliflower is the perfect replacement for refined white flour. To prepare AllRecipes.com’s healthy crust,
shred and steam the cauliflower, combine it with cheese, parsley, egg,
garlic, salt, and pepper, and bake until it’s lightly browned. It yields
6 servings.
Ingredients:
- ½ head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup shredded Italian cheese blend
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Directions: Preheat
oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment
paper or a silicon mat. Place cauliflower pieces through the feeding
tube of the food processor using the grating blade; pulse until all the
cauliflower is shredded. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill
with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a
boil. Add cauliflower, cover, and steam until tender, about 15 minutes.
Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl and refrigerate,
stirring occasionally, until cooled, about 15 minutes. Stir Italian
cheese blend, parsley, egg, garlic, salt, and pepper into cauliflower
until evenly incorporated. Pour mixture onto the prepared baking sheet;
press and shape into a pizza crust. Bake in the preheated oven until
lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
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