Some nights there is nothing better than curling up on the couch with a movie, a beer, and good slice of pizza. However the excess grease that typically comes with delivery pizza can be less than appetizing. As a result I eventually started making my own pizza. There are several ways you can vary this recipe, for one you can choose whatever toppings you like, I just show you green peppers because that is my favorite. Additionally at the bottom of this post I include my recipe for simple homemade pizza sauce if you prefer to use that rather than diced tomatoes.
With a Trader Joe's up the street from my building I usually cheat and buy their pre-made dough. Personally I like the whole wheat kind. If you want to make your own dough here is a great, fast dough recipe that I have had great success with. My one word of advice is to make sure your yeast is fresh and not expired.
Ingredients:
Pizza dough (store bought or homemade, if store bought bring to room temperature)
2 Cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Bag Part Skim Shredded Mozzarella (you can use fresh, but it does not melt quite as well or as fast)
1 Green Bell Pepper
1Tbs Olive Oil
Pinch of Oregano
Pinch of Parmesan
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover your pizza pan or stone with the dough by pressing from the center of the dough out towards the edges. Once you have the dough all spread out drizzle the olive oil over the top, use your fingers or the back of a spoon to ensure the oil covers the dough. Sprinkle oregano and Parmesan lightly over the dough. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 8 minutes.
Step 2:
While the dough is cooking slice the green bell pepper and drain both cans of diced tomatoes.
Step 3:
Remove the dough from the oven. Spread the diced tomatoes over the dough, leaving the edges clear to form your crust.
Step 4:
Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the tomatoes, you can use as much or as little as you like.
Step 5:
Lay the slices of green bell pepper out on top of the cheese. This is also where you change up and use whatever other toppings you prefer.
Step 6:
Place the pizza back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown in the center, approximately 18-20 minutes.
Step 7:
Slice and ENJOY!
Homemade Pizza Sauce:
This sauce is really quick and easy to make, I just prefer chunkier tomatoes to sauce for my pizzas.
Ingredients:
1 14.5oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cloves of Garlic Diced
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Oregano
1 Tsp. Dried Basil Flakes
Pinch of Parmesan
Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the diced garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, stir in oregano and basil and Parmesan, bring to a light bubble, reduce heat and let simmer for at least 5-10 minutes. You should still pre-cook your dough for the 8 minutes, once ready spoon and spread the sauce over the dough, add cheese and toppings and cook as directed above.
Do any of you have any great pizza making tips? What are your favorite pizza toppings? Also, considering my now lactose intolerance does anyone have a good non-lactose containing cheese option for pizzas?
Sigh, I do love myself some cheese. A nice creamy brie, particularly if it's been baked en croute; a good sharp Cheddar; and oh goat cheese, how do I love you. But alas, our affair can be no more. After dealing with digestive issues off and on for about a year, I finally made an appointment with my doctor this last summer. I had a strong suspicion that I knew what the problem was, I just didn't want to admit it, and then she confirmed my fear "you're probably lactose intolerant". In order to be sure though, she advised me to cut out all dairy for a week or so to see if I felt better. If that didn't work I could come back and talk about other potential causes.
So I did as told and completely cut out all dairy successfully for about two weeks. The difference was dramatic, I felt so much better and no longer experienced digestive discomfort. I was shocked at how quickly I was able to feel the difference. Unfortunately, though, this meant that the diagnosis I had dreaded was accurate, I had developed lactose intolerance. (After reading some articles I have discovered this may not be that uncommon in adult women.)
So now, faced with this new truth about my body, I have been trying to figure out the best ways to adapt my diet. Why oh why does something I love so much have to cause so much pain and discomfort? Luckily, after doing some online research I've discovered that there are still some dairy items I can, or might be able to, eat without issue. First, I learned that Greek yogurt is A.OK because of the cultures, but unfortunately frozen yogurt not so much. Additionally, harder, aged cheeses tend to have lower levels of lactose and therefore are less likely to cause an issue than say a fresh whole milk mozzarella (bye bye my beloved caprese salads). Through trial and error I have so far determined that I can handle small amounts of parmesan, however provolone is definitely not in the cards for me. I have also made the decision to switch to almond milk for my cereal, a change I surprisingly liked.
Figuring out what dairy items I can and cannot enjoy has been quite an experience, and has not been easy. In fact, I have to admit that after about 2 months of really trying to be careful about what went into my mouth at each meal, I started getting lazy and sloppy. I reasoned that, well, it's not like the lactose is going to kill me. I just have to be willing to accept the uncomfortable consequences that go along with it, and sometimes the cheese is worth the discomfort. This is not a healthy frame of mind, though; sure, the lactose isn't going to kill me, but I should value my body enough to respect when it's telling me that something isn't working.
I need recognize that I am lucky, there are people suffering from conditions such as Crohn's that wish it was just lactose intolerance. I have a simple solution to my problem, so I need to take charge and actually do the work to weed the negative products out of my diet. And that right there folks seems to be the issue for me, cutting out dairy (or specifically dairy containing lactose) is work, or at least for me it's work.
I am so used to being able to generally eat whatever I want, I had no food allergies or anything growing up. If I didn't want to eat meat or dairy at a particular meal, fine, but I could limit that decision to when I felt like it and I only needed a small number of recipes to accommodate those days. If I found a recipe I really wanted to try I didn't have to think twice about whether it called for cheese or milk or not. I do really prefer to eat limited amounts of meat, so over several years I have cultivated a wide range of tried and true vegetarian recipes, however virtually all of them rely on some form of dairy for flavor. So now, I feel like I am starting from scratch. Cooking without meat has become easy (I am not a full vegetarian however, I simply eat limited amounts of meat), but I now need to learn to make dairy-free cooking just as easy. Unfortunately, now many of my go-to recipes can no longer be in rotation, at least not without modifications. This means I have to put a lot more thought into meal planning. Until living without dairy becomes second nature I can't just go to the grocery store and figure things out there, everything related to my meals will have to be thought and planned out ahead of time, which will require significant effort on my part.
I know what I need to do, I just need to actually do it. I need to take the time to plan out all meals a week at a time. I need to reevaluate my pantry to ensure that I have it stocked to be friendly for a no-dairy household. I need to make the effort to find and try out new recipes, and I need to experiment to determine which current recipes can be modified. I need to do a lot, and it will be work, and it does feel daunting but it is necessary to ensure my body is healthy. So as I make progress with this process I promise to share any great recipes I come across, or maybe even create on my own, as well as any tips I learn to make such a complete dietary overhaul easier. Oh, and if anyone has a good vegan pizza recipe (not using soy cheese) please, please, pass it along! Pizza is something I don't want to have to give up on completely.
Are any of you struggling with late in life dietary changes? Was it as hard to modify your diet as it seems to be for me?
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