My Favorite Pizza Places

So I am back from vacation, and back to reality. It is always so weird getting used to the same old routine even though there was only a week of the routine off. The alarm always sounds louder, mornings seem to come faster, and work clothes seem to become uncomfortable. Now that I am adjusted back to “normal” life I decided to change my lifestyle a little bit, kind of a vacation resolution. I decided to cut back on coffee and alcohol, sugar and white flour carbohydrates. Overall, I want to eat healthier although this can be a bit of a difficulty when it comes to certain foods,

 I love, I mean absolutely love pizza. Some people will do anything for a great pizza; check out this story about driving for a ton of miles for delicious pizza. Everyone I know also has their favorite pizza places. I have a favorite place in every town I have lived or visited regularly. I love deep dish Chicago pizza from Giordano’s Famous in Naperville, Ill., I love whole-wheat crust from Kaleidoscope in Medford, OR, and wood-fire pizza from Apizza Scholls in Portland, OR. Trouble is, and this may be alarming, but pizza isn’t the greatest for you. Although many have said it, myself including, that having something like pizza occasionally is ok, what if you want it more often.

            For those who are like me, I want to enjoy pizza more often then I should. There are ways to cut back and make pizza better for you, so you can go out to your favorite place and not feel so bad. Cut back on cheese, instead of covering your pizza with large amounts of shredded cheese, place either slices of mozzarella, or crumbles of blue cheese instead. Also, cut back on the fatty toppings, instead try these on top:

Toppings:

Garlic

Broccoli

Mushrooms

Spinach

Pineapple

Tomatoes

Chicken

Onions

Zucchini

Basil

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

425 degrees

Bakes 16-20 minutes

1 t honey

1 package yeast

1 ½ c warm water

1 T olive oil

1 t salt

2 c whole-wheat flour

1 ½ c flour

cornmeal

Directions:

            Dissolve yeast in the water, let sit until yeast is foamy (about ten minutes). Add the honey and salt to mixture, let it dissolve. Alternatively, add the whole-wheat flour, flour until a ball forms. Need the dough for 12-15 minutes, and cover with olive oil. Let rise in a warm place for one hour.

Punch dough, and slowly form into pizza shape. If not sure, check out this video. Sprinkle pizza pan with cornmeal, place dough on top, and covered with desired toppings.

Tomato Sauce (for pizza)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

10-12 tomatoes           

1 T chopped basil

1 T chopped rosemary

1 T chopped oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a large saucepan, sauté garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Spread on pizza, use for dipping sauce, or freeze. Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

If you don’t have time to make these things from scratch, you can find prepared whole-wheat crust, as well as natural or organic pizza sauce. Check out where your favorites rank on this list of “world best pizzas”, and let me know what your favorite place is. I am always searching for new places to become my favorite.

Eat Well & Enjoy!