Recipe: Whole Wheat Pizza

I made this the other night, and let me tell you- it was AH-MAZE-ING!!!!  I'd rather have this than Domino's any day!

Makes (2) pizzas- approximately 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. whole wheat dough ball- usually found in the deli section of your supermarket.  Prepared and ready to roll out and bake!
• 1 small can Hunt's Basil, Oregano and Garlic tomato sauce
• 2 cups reduced fat part skim mozzarella cheese
• 5-6 cloves fresh roasted garlic (see tip below)
• Toppings of your choice!  Be sure to use fresh veggies like spinach, broccoli, mushrooms- anything you want really... except pepperoni and all that bad stuff!
• Italian Seasoning and Garlic Powder
• Fresh Basil leaves, washed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Separate your dough into 2 equal (just eyeball it!) size balls. (Tip! If you put the dough balls in the freezer for 5 minutes or so and allow them to firm up, they won't be sticky and will be much easier to knead out into a circle)
2. use a piece of NON -STICK (very important - regular foil might get stuck to your dough!) aluminum foil on your pizza pan. use a tiny bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the foil to make sure your crust gets crispy.  Lay your dough in the center and gently push out with your palm or the back of your hand until the crust is thin, but not transparent in any spots.  Remember- appearance is not always as important as functionality- it doesn't have to be perfectly round to be delicious!)
3. Sprinkle garlic powder and Italian seasoning blend all over your crust- this is very important, or you'll end up with a bland crust.
4. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.  you want it to firm up, but still be white when you take it out- do not let it brown.
5. Cool the crust for 5 minutes, then using a butter knife, mash the soft roasted garlic cloves into a paste and spread some on the pizza.  You are not looking to cover the entire crust here, just spread on as much as you'd like in different spots around the crust.
6. spoon about 1/2 the small can of tomato sauce  across the crust.
7. Sprinkle about 3/4- 1 cup of cheese across the crust.
8. tear the basil leaves up with your hands- no knife necessary!  sprinkle them all over the cheese.
9. Top with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, broccoli... let your imagination run wild! However, please keep in mind that many vegetables have a high water content, and must be sauteed first to pull the water out- or you'll have a puddle in the middle of your pizza!
10. Bake at 350 degrees until the crust is browned and toppings are cooked.

My Pizza Aficionado Fiance used pepperoni on his pizza- but everything else was the same, and he said it was amazingly good and asks me to make it all the time!  I am still working on how to figure out my nutritional info, but each serving (2 slices) is about 200 calories of pure pizza bliss.  Enjoy!