Recipe of the Week: Healthy Pizza w/ Whole Wheat Honey Crust

(image credit: Grilled Vegetable Recipes)

Pizza nights are such an easy & quick dinner fix, but ordering them from your local Pizzeria can be costly and fattening. (Ever feel that need to "mop" up the grease with a napkin?")

We have fun making up our own pizzas, either individual or a family-size, and throwing the week's leftover veggies on top. Since most traditional pizza crusts are nothing more than white flour and yeast, we use a yummy whole wheat crust as the base for our pie!

Whole Wheat, Honey and Flax Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, wheat germ, ground flax and salt. Make a dent in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 5-10 minutes.
4. Roll dough on a floured pizza pan and poke a few holes in it with a fork. This recipe will give you a large thick crust or two thinner crusts.
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and add your favorite sauce, meat, and veggies.
7. Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until desired crispiness.
8. If needed, use a low broil to "brown" the cheese.

Some of our favorite toppings are:

Margherita - Brush crust with olive oil, top with rounds of fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil strips.

BBQ - Brush with favorite BBQ Sauce and tops with shredded chicken, red onion, mozzarella cheese & shredded cheddar & cilantro.

Roasted Veggie and Goat Cheese - Brush with olive oil, and top with goat cheese and your leftover veggies from the week (we like peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and tomatoes).

Pesto Pizza and Sun-dried Tomatoes - Brush crust with pre-made pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, chicken (optional), and shredded Parmesan cheese.

White Bean and Spinach - Puree one can of northern beans with 2 cloves of chopped garlic and spread mixture over crust. Top with shredded spinach, chopped tomatoes and Colby-Jack shredded cheese.

Enjoy!