I cannot do anything about the fries and the chips-they just really don’t have a place in a healthy food plan (other than as a ‘cheat’ treat). However, I do think there are some good alternatives for those pizza cravings. Here are a few of my favorite pizza alternatives-you can share yours in the comments!
Cauliflower pizza crust– -This tastes so much better than I expected! The crust is chewier than I thought-use a fork to eat this one-but much more flavorful, too!
Cauliflower crust
Ingredients:
1 small head or 2/3 large head of cauliflower
¼ cups Parmesan Cheese
¼ cups Monterey Jack Cheese
¼ teaspoons Sea Salt
½ teaspoons Dried Basil
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 Egg
Instructions:
Wash and thoroughly dry the cauliflower.
Cut off the florets. You don’t need the stem.
Pulse in the food processor until you get cauliflower “snow”. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups.
Cover the cauliflower and microwave for about 4 or 5 minutes.
Dump the cauliflower out onto a paper towel and clean tea towel and let it cool off.
Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place your cookie sheet in the oven to heat it up.
Wrap up the cauliflower in the dish cloth and paper towel and wring out as much excess water as you can.
Combine the Parmesan cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, sea salt, dried basil, dried oregano, garlic powder, and cauliflower in a medium bowl.
Mix it together with a spoon to combine the ingredients. Then add the egg and use your hands to form it into a dough ball.
Pat it down gently onto a piece of parchment paper with oil spread (or sprayed) onto it.
Use your hands to form it into a pizza crust, about 1/4″ thick.
Optional: Slide the parchment paper onto the heated up cookie sheet and bake the crust without any toppings for about 8 to 11 minutes until it is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and add your toppings. (I highly recommend spreading on a bit of olive oil and topping it with feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, kalamata olives, red onion, cherry tomatoes and parsley.) Bake it for another 5 to 7 minutes with your toppings on it.
Note: If you are only going to bake it once, leave it in for about 15 to 17 minutes.
Quinoa Pizza Crust-Another chewy and flavorful alternative. Additional plus-there are a few varieties of quinoa to choose from!
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
3 tsp. olive oil, divided
Quinoa crust
1 cup water
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. dried oregano leaves
½ tsp. dried basil leaves
½ tsp baking powder
¼ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese (pizza-blend or mozzarella would be good too)
Optional – For cheesy garlic bread: ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese and pizza sauce for dipping
Optional – For pizza: ⅓ cup pizza sauce, ½ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings
Instructions
- Place the uncooked quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and run under cool water for about a minute until water runs clear. Shake off as much excess liquid as possible. Add the rinsed quinoa and 2 tsp. olive oil to a medium sauce pot. Turn the heat to medium high and stir occasionally for 6-7 minutes. The excess moisture will evaporate and the quinoa will begin to toast.
- Carefully add the water to the toasted quinoa and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Let the quinoa cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and turn the heat to low. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally (evaporating excess moisture). Transfer the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and let it cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl, add the eggs, 1 tsp. olive oil, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and baking powder. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the cheese to the quinoa. Stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the quinoa. Stir until well combined.
- Spread the quinoa dough into a ¼ inch, even layer on the parchment paper. I made cheesy bread sticks so I made a 10 x 7 inch rectangle. Bake for 18-20 minutes, edges should begin to brown.
- Top with the pizza, or garlic bread, toppings and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
- Let the pizza, or garlic bread, cool for 5 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Information-Serving size: ¼ of the crust Calories: 169 Fat: 8.8 Saturated fat: 2.3 Carbohydrates: 14.9 Fiber: 1.7 Protein: 7.4
Flat Out Pizza-My quick favorite! Less labor intensive, and good for when you need pizza FAST!
Top your favorite flavor of Flat Out brand flat bread with low cal, low sugar, good carb toppings (we used canadian bacon, no sugar added pineapple pieces, reduced fat mozzarella, banana peppers and low sugar sauce. Bake for about 20 min. at 350*-quick and easy and healthier than frozen or delivery pizza!
(Nutrition: some Flat Outs are 100 cal. each, plus your toppings-guesstimate is around 250 cal. per 1/2 pizza)
Flat Out Pizza
There you have it, three variations for you to try, because we all need pizza and one type does NOT ‘fit’ all! Enjoy!
Feel free to share your favorite alternative in the comments below!
Until next time-be well! Your Bff
Recent Comments