Summer Veggie Pizza

Do you have any food rules

that you live by?

If you're a follower of Michael Pollan .. you'll certainly be familiar with his .. which at their core are a great reminder that eating well doesn't have to be complicated. A few of my favorites ..

Rule #2 .. “Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food”   

Rule #6 .. “Avoid foods that contain more than 5 ingredients”

Rule #20 .. “It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car”

Rule #37 .. “The whiter the bread .. the sooner you'll be dead”

Rule #17 .. “Eat only foods that have been cooked by humans” .. is taken up in this brilliantly illustrated short. It's actually a clip from an outtake of a longer talk Pollan gave at RSA in London, last May.

On one hand .. I applaud & say “Yes .. of course!” But on the other .. I can't help but think it's often easier said than done in today's fast paced world where husbands & wives both work .. kids go in all directions .. and millions of other demands vie for our time

Nothing happens in a vacuum .. and even with the best of intentions .. utopia can often prove elusive. My sincerest hope is The Veggies will help inspire you to cook at home .. even just a little bit more .. and have some fun along the way.

Making homemade pizza .. whether it's open faced or calzone-style .. is great fun .. especially when kids get involved. Here I used my favorite whole wheat dough recipe .. which can easily be be frozen ahead .. letting even the busiest of families make pizza night a possibility

With a fridge filled with beautiful veggies from our CSA .. I couldn't resist using them as toppings. A few ideas for combinations are below .. though of course .. it's always fun to make them your own

Sauce .. a tomato-based sauce .. alfredo sauce .. or even a black bean dipping sauce would be great

Veggie options .. Broccoli, cherry tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, onions, yellow summer squash, zucchini, or spinach leaves

Cheese options .. Fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, soft goat cheese, shredded Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Swiss

Any favorite topping combos? I'd love to hear

Enjoy!

xoxo

~ Adapted from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day .. here

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

 

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Author: Sexy Veggie

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups lukewarm water
• ½ tablespoon granulated yeast
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• A teeny tiny dab of honey (not very scientific, but really a dab’ll do ya)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3½ cups whole wheat flour

Instructions

1. Mix the yeast, salt, sweetener, olive oil, and water in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (though not airtight) container
2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading .. using a spoon or a mixer (with a dough hook)
3. Cover with a flour towel & allow the dough to rest at room temp until it has risen & collapsed (flattened on the top) .. about 2 hours
4. The dough can be used right away .. after this initial rise .. though it's quite a bit easier to handle when it's cold. Refrigerated in a lidded container & use for pizza or flatbread over the next week.
5. (Alternately .. the dough can be stored for a month in the freezer (in ½-pound portions)
6. When using frozen dough .. thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before use.
7. On baking day .. roll out or stretch the dough into a thin round & finish with your favorite toppings.
8. Cook at 425 for 10 minutes (or until the crust is browned & the cheese is bubbly)

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