10 Healthy pizza recipes and cooking tips

Pizza can go either way: quintessential greasy junk food or healthy combo of fresh ingredients. Which one sounds better to you (and for you)? Here’s how to build a pie with a healthier profile.

1)    Give it a Whole-Grain Crust

You can make your own with this quick and easy recipe. Each satisfying slice will have extra fiber and protein.

2)    Use Lighter Cheeses

Go for big flavor and fewer calories by using a combination of part-skim mozzarella, sharp provolone and naturally lower-fat Parmesan.

3)    Load Up On Veggies

Pizza night is a great way to use up what’s in the fridge. There are no rules–whatever you’ve got, toss it on.

4)    Mind Your Portions

Pizza is one of those foods that folks mindlessly shovel, so it’s worth paying attention to portions (do you really need that third or fourth slice?!).

5)    Go for Healthier Topppers

Instead of gobs of cheese, opt for hearty, healthy pizza toppers like roasted squash and meaty mushrooms.

6)    Choose Leaner Meats

Meat lovers don’t have to lose out. Swap out fatty meats like pepperoni and pork sausage for thinly sliced (leaner) cuts of salami, turkey bacon and chicken sausage.

7)    Serve with Salad

Instead of simply eating less pizza, serve it up with a large salad. That will make it a lot easier to stick to tip No. 4 (see above).

8)    Spoon on Homemade Sauce

Jarred pizza sauces are usually drowning in sodium and other preservatives. Making your own will instantly improve the quality of any pizza recipe. Think beyond red sauce and try pesto or some good olive oil and fresh garlic.

9)    Add Spice

Get spicy instead of greasy. Fresh chiles and red pepper flakes are a good match for more subtle flavors like fresh tomatoes and herbs.

10)   Go for Protein

Lean steak, grilled chicken, shrimp and other lean proteins make pizza a super satisfying meal.

Fresh and Flavorful Combinations

Looking for a new favorite pizza recipe? Try any of these combos and fall in love with healthy pizza.

1)    Spinach, fresh tomato sauce and ricotta (above)

2)    Taco style: refried beans, salsa and cheddar

3)    Broccoli, fresh tomato and a smidge of crumbled bacon

4)    Roasted Butternut Squash and fresh kale

5)    Grilled chicken, roasted red pepper, fresh mozzarella, basil

6)    Zucchini, fresh fennel and chicken sausage

7)    White pie (aka no sauce) with fresh figs, caramelized onions and ricotta

8)    Arugula pesto, red onion, thinly sliced Italian salami  and red pepper flakes

9)    Portabello mushroom, roasted cauliflower and provolone cheese

10)  Thinly sliced potato and chives.

Read More

Have Another Slice: The Surprising Health Benefits Of Pizza

Pizza has a bad reputation . The flat can claim early origins dating back to the 1st century BC is often combined with fast food like burgers and fries as a treatment that should be consumed in moderation. In fact, pizza is healthier than you might think. Pizza can actually be a highly nutritious meal that covers most of your basic food groups and meets most of your nutritional needs. Forget the protein bars and mung bean sprouts sautéed . Take another look at the pizza.It starts with the sauce

 

Read More

Why pizza can fight cancer

Pizza has always been seen as a meal high in fat and big guilt factor. 

But, according to a study, it can also cut your risk of developing a range of cancers.

Researchers discovered that those who ate pizza at least twice a week were 59 per cent less likely to develop cancer of the oesophagus, had a 34 per cent lower risk of throat cancer and were 26 per cent less likely to get colon cancer. 

There is growing evidence of the health benefits of a diet rich in tomato sauce, but this is the first time that experts have claimed eating pizza can fight disease.

Dr Silvano Gallus, of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmaceutical Research in Milan, said: 'We knew that the tomatoes used in the sauce are considered to be a food that prevents certain tumours. 

Read More

Healthy Pizza Is Not an Oxymoron!

"Healthy" and "Pizza" don't usually go together. Grease-drenched paper plates, dripping wax paper, or oily deep dish pans plainly demonstrate why pizza is normally thought of as a food to stay away from if you are looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle, lose weight, or keep pounds away. The carbohydrates, calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat content on a standard pepperoni pizza certainly justify this common view. But there is such a thing as healthy pizza. Even fast-food pizza outlets now serve healthy, low-calorie pizzas. Gourmet pizzas, too, are often much less oily, and vegan pizzas cut out the cholesterol and bring down the calorie count substantially, especially when no cheese is used (as with the authentic Neapolitan Marinara pizza). As far as health is concerned, pizza, after all, does have the once traditional "four main food groups": meat, dairy, vegetables, and breads. Healthy pizza, however, will have these ingredients in the right proportion, and also of high quality (organic, fresh, etc.). Whether you are making pizza at home, buying frozen pizza, or eating out, there are principles for healthy pizza that you should keep in mind. Calorie-count, cholesterol and saturated fat content: Where available, you should check the nutritional information about the pizza you are eating for calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. One large slice of Hand-Tossed pepperoni pizza from Domino's, for example, has 340 calories, 14g of fat, 5g of saturated fat, 16 mg of cholesterol, 660 mg of sodium, and 42g of carbohydrates. Vegan pizza, on the other hand, has on average 155 calories, 4g of fat, 0g of saturated fat, 0g of cholesterol, 251g of sodium, and 28g of carbohydrates. (As a rule, all vegan food has zero cholesterol, as it is purely plant-based and all plant-based food has no cholesterol.) (An extreme example can be seen in 8oz, or two slices of Domino's Deep Dish Pepperoni Pizza, which has 780 calories, 37g of fat, 15g of saturated fat, and 1,940mg of sodium.) As a general guideline, a serving of tasty, healthy pizza (2 small to medium slices) should be 200 calories or less. Indeed, some scrumptious vegan pizzas have a less than 100 calories per serving. Toppings: Perhaps the greatest factor in the calorie count of pizza is whether you will have cheese or not. A cheeseless pizza is almost by definition a healthy pizza. Each ounce of mozzarella, for instance, contains 80 calories, 5-6 grams of fat, and 25mg of cholesterol. No-cheese pizzas may seem strange in North America, but in fact the original Italian pizza, the Marinara was made without cheese, just crushed tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, and a thin crust, baked in a wood-burning oven. If you go to an authentic Italian pizzeria, you can order one to try for yourself. (Using high-quality ingredients makes all the difference in these pizzas.) Many pizza experts consider this their favourite pizza, and the European Union has officially recognised the Marinara pizza as a European Traditional Food Product (TFP). Low-fat mozzarella or vegan cheese substitutes can be used if preferred. However, these are not usually available at restaurants, unless the restaurant is a vegan one. Moreover, the calorie and fat count of these substitutes is not much different from ordinary mozzarella. The main difference with the vegan cheese is the absence of cholesterol. Finally, using your imagination with veggies not only makes your healthy pizza more interesting (e.g. spicy Thai-curried broccoli, or briny Kalamata olives to substitute for anchovies), but also increases its fibre content as well. Healthy Pizza Crusts: Whole wheat pizza crusts are available from many fast-food pizza outlets. Using whole wheat pizza crusts alone increases the fibre content of your pizza by about 50%. In addition, there are many interesting variations which are gluten-free, have no refined carbohydrates, and incredibly fibre-rich. These are not usually found in restaurants (except for specialty health-food and vegan ones), but can be made fairly easily at home. Some vegan cookbooks, for instance, have very interesting pizza crusts made from seeds, legumes, and vegetables. These make for super-healthy pizzas, particularly suited for athletic types. So, although the run-of-the-mill fast-food pizza is almost a definite no-no for health conscious individuals, healthy pizza can definitely form a mouth-watering part of a good diet plan. AJ Neal administers the website veganpizzaplace.com where you can find information on healthy vegan pizza toppings, crusts, recipe books, and other vegan pizza ideas. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6309858

Read More

Pizza - Can This Be A Healthy Food?

Every component of pizza - crust, toppings, sauce and cheese are thought to be unhealthy. This is no longer the usual case today.

Many pizza parlors today offer this delectable food in a new way - the use of organic ingredients only. Thus, every slice of organic pizza becomes healthy food. Many of us believe that pizza is very unhealthy food because it contains ingredients that can add weight to the consumer. A slice of pizza has many calories, depending on its toppings and crust. This connotation will change if you know how the making of pizza had been modified by many people who advocate the use of healthy and organic ingredients. You may believe that you cannot rely on pizza delivery and that the healthy kind can only be made available when you create it yourself. But you are wrong because today, many pizza stores had started to serve purely organic pizza. The making of a healthy pizza means using the right ingredients, all natural and organic. Let us take a look at the different basic ingredients in the making of a pizza.

Crust You can examine the dough which actually is the crust. You can have gluten-free dough. Many people find its taste horrible but then, your palate can adjust to this taste until you get used to it. The gluten-free pizza can either be chewy or crispy; you can have it thin or thick.

Good pizza stores find the right balance between crispiness and chewiness to come up with a flavorful and good crust. This good recipe for crust blends together different types of flour. Tapioca flour, brown rice flour and sorghum flour, all organic and gluten-free varieties, can be used. Some ingredients like brown sugar, sea salt and olive oil can be added to add flavor to the crust.

Depending upon your choice, you can have a thin or a thick crust. You can even have options for the shape, round or square. Sauce The sauce is another important part of a pizza. Organic ingredients can be purchased from farmer's markets. This can be made of fresh tomatoes infused with fresh herbs and garlic. Then these ingredients are pureed in a food processor.

There are different textures of sauce; with diced tomatoes, it can be a little bit chunky. You can opt for a spicy or sweeter flavor and to add more health benefits, this is made with low levels of sugar and sodium. Toppings There is a wide range of choices for toppings.

To really make it ultra healthy, you can choose organic vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower florets, mushroom, sweet bell pepper and more other choices. You can have some low-sodium organic ham, bologna and others meat toppings.

Meat can also be organic now so this is the kind that is added to the toppings. Cheese Pizza is never complete without the cheese. You can use little amount of cheese or you can have lots of it. The most classic kinds are mozzarella and goat cheese.

There are kinds that used skimmed milk and with this, you get less fat which is beneficial if your are conscious with your calorie intake. With all these ingredients put together and baked properly, your pizza can be the healthiest of foods. The secret is just having purely natural ingredients to have a real organic pizza.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7379979

Read More

The Health Benefits of Pizza

Some people believe that the only time a food should be considered healthy is if it is filled with vegetables and fruits. That's why they may have a hard time ever seeing fast food items as healthy. They may have a point, in some cases. However, this still doesn't give them a reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. In fact, there is actually one food item that can actually be put into the health-centered category. That food is pizza. This may seem like a joke to some people. In their eyes, something like pizza could never be considered healthy, but this isn't always the case. Now, of course it's ludicrous to think that this particular food has the same caloric value as a bowl of celery sticks, but people should realize that some of the ingredients are actually very beneficial to people's health. One of the beneficial ingredients it contains is cheese. Unless someone is lactose intolerant, consuming cheese can actually be a great thing. That's because it's a dairy product and most dairy products contain a significant amount of calcium. Calcium helps to build strong bones. This in and of itself is a great reason to see this food item as a healthy choice. Just think about it, as people get older they begin to experience the horrible effects of diseases such as osteoporosis. This causes their bones to weaken and become fragile. Eating a food that contains a respectable amount of cheese can help to prevent or curb the harmful effects of these types of issues. Another great thing about pizza is the fact that it contains tomato sauce. One of the reasons that this ingredient is so helpful is because it contains vitamin C. This vitamin is good because it helps to fight against bacteria that cause things like the common cold and other viruses. Some may not see the common cold as being a big deal. However, they aren't taking into account how agitating and problematic something like the common cold can be. It may not be life threatening or dangerous, but it can be extremely agitating and cause major inconveniences. There are times when people have to actually take financial hits, because they are forced to miss a few days of work just to get over their cold. As for viruses, these sicknesses can be a little more harmful. Some people have actually had to stay in the hospital for days at a time until they got over their virus. So, there's more to pizza than the great taste that it provides. The ingredients in this particular food can actually help to keep people healthy. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7396035

Read More