Sally's healthy pizza parlour
Shop bought pizzas are often loaded with far too much salt and unnecessary fat. The great news is that by making a few little tweaks and changes, you can very easily, quickly and affordably create your own pizzas at home. Just remember to keep your portion size in control!
In this section, I have given you three basic pizza base recipes that you can choose from. All of these are easy...in fact two are so easy they are shop bought!
I have also given you a list of acceptable healthy toppings that are full of goodness and can be eaten guilt-free. Most pizzas have some cheese on top, although you could do any of these variations without cheese. My suggestion is that you keep the quantity of the cheese low and only use a low-fat mozzarella.
Here are 3 recipes for the bases:
Skinny thinny pizza base
You will need one roll of shop bought filo pastry, the sheets being split between two square pizza trays. If you only have round pizza trays, stagger the sheets as you lay them, spiralling them in a circle so that you have lots of points coming out of the edge.
Puff pastry pizza base
You will need one roll of shop bought low-fat puff pastry or one of the frozen blocks of puff pastry. You can then make either square pizza or round, whichever you fancy.
Original, no-salt pizza base (you can either make this by hand or use a food mixer)
3-4 fl oz hand hot water¼ tsp sugar1 ½ tsp dried yeast8oz strong white or strong wholemeal flour1 medium egg, beaten1 tsp olive oil
Start by pouring 3 fl oz of hand hot water into a bowl and mixing in the sugar and the dried yeast, give this a quick whisk to dissolve the yeast and set aside for 10-15 minutes until it forms a frothy head.
After this time, pour the liquid on top of the flour in another larger bowl, or your mixing machine bowl. Add the beaten egg and olive oil and mix together with your hands or the mixer.
This then has to be kneaded for about 10 minutes. You may need to add a little extra water if the mixture is too dry – this will depend on the flour. The dough is ready when it’s soft and pliable and elastic.
Pop this mixture back in a bowl and cover with a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
When you are ready to use your dough, simply flour a clean surface, knead the dough for a final couple of minutes, cut into two equal portions and roll out to your desired size.
This mixture will make 2 x 15cm pizzas.
For the Tomato Sauce:
Tomatoes are one of the healthiest foods you can eat. They retain their goodness whether they are eaten hot, cold, tinned, pureed, oven baked, poached or in a jar! You just cannot go wrong with tomatoes.
For the tomato sauce on the bottom of your pizza you can use passata, bought in a jar or carton, and mixed with herbs of your choice. You can also spread tomato puree or paste or simply use some very ripe good old-fashioned tomatoes that are washed and finely chopped or blitzed in a food processor.
When you apply your tomato sauce onto the base of your pizza, don’t leave great puddles, as it will make your bottom go soggy! And nobody likes a soggy bottom! Also make sure you leave a gap around the outside so that you have a bit of holding room on your pizza that won’t mess your fingers up too much.
Toppings:
Let your imagination run wild with your toppings as long as you are starting from a healthy standpoint. NO processed meat is allowed, therefore no salami, no pepperoni – you can however add some sliced sausage if you have bought it from a reputable butcher who promises that its low-fat and low-salt!
Vegetables
Alfalfa SproutsArtichoke heartsAvocado (added raw after cooking)Baby leeksBeetrootBlack beansBroccoliCapersCarrotCourgettesCherry tomatoesSundried tomatoesFennelGreen BeansBaby cornAubergineMushroomsGreen peppersRed peppersYellow peppersOlivesRocketOnionsOlivesKidney beansCauliflowerRoasted garlicShallotsMange ToutSpinachSweetcornWatercressSquash
As long as you have no allergies in the house, nuts offer great protein and essential omega 3 vitamins. Don’t choose roasted nuts or salted nuts!
Fish/seafood (choose from)
Anchovies (very salty so only ever have a couple and cut them up very small)PrawnsCrayfishLobsterOystersSalmonSquidTunaWhitebait
Herbs and Spices
Of course the herbs and spices are what adds the extra dimension to any pizza.
The classic Italian herbs that go brilliant with any plain pizza are basil, oregano or mixed Italian herbs. You can use fresh or dried, whatever you have to hand.
Meat
The list of meats to go on your healthy pizza is short, as I don’t recommend any processed meats.
But you can safely go for chicken, cooked, and flavoured anyway you like. Other options are turkey, thin strips of lean beef, low-fat and low-salt good quality sausages.
How to cook:
Preheat oven to 220°C. As long as all the meat and fish is pre-cooked, the pizzas will only take between 10-13 minutes to cook.