Low-Fat, Filling Mexican Pizza

As you all know, I started Weight Watchers last week. I had a tremendously successful week! I went to my 2nd meeting today, and weighed in 5.6 pounds lighter! I feel wonderful about it! If you're unfamiliar with Weight Watchers, and all you see are the products for sale in the supermarket, you might think Weight Watchers stresses the use of packaged foods. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am so pleased with the program. It fits in perfectly with my family's lifestyle. I made this for lunch today and it's delicious, low-fat, and very filling. Plus, it's minimally processed -- just my style. Oh, did I mention that it took me about five minutes to put together?

Mexican Pizza Bagels

Per serving, you will need:

• 1 Bagel Thin (or Sandwich Thin)
• 1/2 cup "refried" black beans (cook 'em without fat and smash the leftovers!)
• 1/4 cup chopped raw onion
• 2 Tbsp salsa
• 1/3 cup shredded cheese made with 2% milk (I used a Mexican blend)
• 2 Tbsp low-fat sour cream

How it's Done:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees (if I had a toaster oven, I would have used it instead!).
2. Toast the bagel thin. While it's toasting, warm up your beans.
3. Top the bagel thin with the beans, then salsa, then onions, then cheese.
4. Stick it in the oven for 3 or 4 minutes -- you just want the cheese to melt a bit and the food to heat through.
5. Top with sour cream and enjoy!

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough....and Pizza Sticks for Lunch

Now that school's in session, you'll find me every Saturday in my kitchen, cooking for the week ahead. I'm determined to stop relying on basic sandwiches this year and branch out into better lunches. Pizza's great, whether warm or cold, so this was a natural starting point for me. My oldest is in middle school and has a microwave at her disposal, so she'll likely eat her pizza sticks warm. My youngest doesn't have access to a microwave, so we've compared these pizza sticks to the Lunchables pizza lunch, which kids eat cold all the time. She approves.

This dough can be made ahead and frozen so that you have two pizza crusts ready to go for dinner one night when Papa John calls out to you. Instead of relying on delivery (which can cost a family of four as much as I spend per week in groceries), pull out your dough and you'll be ready to bake in no time. If you roll your dough into pizza crust shape before freezing, the thawing time will be minimal. The other option is to keep it in a ball and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Either way, pizza night just got a whole lot cheaper and less complicated.

This is not the first pizza dough I've shared with you, but it has a different texture and taste than this one. The one I shared a while back is great for cracker-thin crusts. This dough is softer, which makes it a natural choice for my kids' school lunches.

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough
Makes enough dough for 2 medium pizzas (thin crust)

What You Need:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (if desired. adds color and flavor. I used parsley, basil, and thyme)
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour (white or whole wheat, or a combination)

How it's Done:

1. Stir together yeast, sugar, and water, and let it sit until bubbly. Stir in half the flour, the salt, herbs, and melted butter.
2. Knead in remaining flour until a stiff dough forms. Knead about 6 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half into desired shapes. In my case, rectangles, as I'm making pizza sticks. I want my sticks on the thick side, so I rolled my dough into rectangles that were about 1/2" thick. Place the dough on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. You can freeze at this point if you want. Otherwise, proceed.
5. Let the dough rest 20 minutes. Then, top as desired and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

For my pizza sticks, here's what I did once the dough was rolled into rectangles:

1. I placed each rectangle onto a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
2. I used a pizza cutter to cut through (but not separate) the dough, making 1" wide strips.
3. I spread a bit of pizza sauce -- just a couple tablespoons per rectangle -- on the dough.
4. Then, I topped the sauce with sliced veggies. In this case, sweet banana peppers.
5. Next, I sprinkled about 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan cheese on each rectangle, and baked them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I let them cool slightly before recutting the strips.

Pizza with Pizazz

Day 13.

Homemade pizza is so easy to make and so much tastier than the kind you call out for delivery that it would be a shame not to feature it here! Calling out for a pizza is simple. It requires little effort. However, you're often stuck waiting with grumbling tummies for 45 minutes to an hour! With a little prep work, you could have a pizza on the table in under 30 minutes, and it would be a much tastier pizza. The only things you'd miss would be the lighter wallet, the rubber cheese, and the mystery of not knowing what sort of germs drive around with your pizza in the teenager's delivery-mobile.

If those things appeal to you, please disregard this post. If I've got your attention, prepare for a delectable feast.

Sausage and Onion Pizza with White Sauce on a Garlic-Herb Crust

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp Italian seasoning

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups bread flour

2 packets of active dry yeast

How it's Done:

I used my automatic bread machine on its Dough setting to make my dough. If you have a bread machine, put the ingredients in your machine in the order recommended by your manufacturer and set to Dough cycle. When finished, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide in half and roll out into 14" circles. Place on pizza stones or pans and prick with a fork all over the dough. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool completely. At this point, the crusts can be frozen for quick pizzas in the future.

*NOTE: the dough is very soft. It bakes into a crispy cracker-thin crust.

White Sauce

White sauce is simply an Alfredo sauce. It doesn't take much to top a pizza, so using some leftover sauce from another meal is a great idea. May I suggest this recipe for Fettuccine with Toasted Walnut Cream Sauce?

If you want to start from scratch, here is a very basic Alfredo sauce for your pizza an dipping pleasure:

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp salted butter

1 cups heavy cream

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 oz grated Parmesan cheese (can use shredded, too, but grated melts faster)

dash of nutmeg (pretty crucial for a pasta sauce...can omit for pizza if desired)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

How it's Done:

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the rest of your ingredients and cook and stir over medium heat for about ten minutes, until thickened.

For our pizzas tonight:

1. Prepare crust and set aside.



2. Prepare Alfredo sauce and let cool.



3. Dice 1/2 lb smoked sausage. Slice 1/2 an onion into rings. Mince 1/2 cup fresh parsley.



4. Brush crust with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of Alfredo sauce on crust. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheddar cheese on each crust. Spread half of sausage on each, followed by onion rings and parsley. Sprinkle each pizza with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese on each pizza.



5. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, or until cheeses are bubbly and lightly browned. Cool slightly before cutting.



6. Skip the traditional Parmesan and crushed red pepper toppings. Replace these with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.



7. Enjoy!!