Healthy what?

         

Staying healthy while still enjoying food is a good thing, but can be challenging.  How does pizza fit in here?

For a truly guilt-free experience, a vegetarian pizza is the way to go.  What qualifies as a truly vegetarian pizza?

The pizza must be made with cheese that doesn’t contain animal-based rennet. Fortunately, this type of cheese is plentiful, so you are good to go here.

You can make a standard pizza crust with flour, water, and olive oil, or use any number of other bases.  For instance, add fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes as available; they have more flavor & a lot less salt than canned tomatoes.

NOTE - Seed the tomatoes before you use them. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a soggy crust.

You could also use pesto in your sauce. Again, fresh basil is the best, but when not available, most stores sell good, ready-made pesto.

To add an extra depth, consider opting for Gouda and mozzarella.  Both are excellent and melt well, which is key for pizza.

Great toppings include artichokes – either marinated or grilled.  To grill, first steam one for 30 minutes, cut it in half, remove the choke, baste it with some oil and grill for 5 minutes on each side.

Olives & roasted red peppers add lots of flavor and depth. Raw green or red peppers add crunch, as do onions. You can even make a four-variety pizza with sweet, green, red, and caramelized onions.

Garlic is a must, especially if you roast it first.  Mushrooms add a rich, savory note and help make-up for lack of meat.

For extra pizzazz, sprinkle your pizza it with a little extra virgin olive oil and crushed red peppers flakes when you take it out of the oven, if you like a little spice.  Hey, it's football season and pizza is a great tv companion.  

Goda la festa!