Fresh stone baked pizza straight out of a fire oven of a proper Mediterranean restaurant is definitely in the Top10 list of my all time favourite foods. I consider myself a foodie with a rather “mature” pallet but I would trade any hot meal for a good pizza. I love it. But as you know me already, I'm a health coach who absolutely "walks the talk", so I do what I preach, eating healthy and balanced. At some point in my life I decided to learn how to make my own healthy pizza myself with functional ingredients and learning how to control the right balance of nutrients accordant to what my body needs.
A healthy pizza is perfect for anything. You can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as snack. You can serve it as starter in miniature versions, you can invite friends and have each single one of them have a different pizza of their liking without having to actually make several different dishes. You can even have healthy sweet pizza … oh yes I said sweet pizza. I will at some point write a separate post just about that topic but for now this is about the most basic of all pizza variations. It is the perfect crust for a simple tomato sauce or a ratatouille as this pizza I made yesterday.
Let's start with the main part of a good pizza, the dough. I like it thin and crunchy borders. I love it.
NUTRITIOUS PIZZA CRUST
Portion: 2 small pizzas
INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
4 tbsp flaxseed flour *
2 tbsp tapioca
1 tbsp coconut flour
3 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp Mediterranean herbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black peper
Lukewarm water until you get a firm dough consistency
PS: If you only have flaxseed and not the flour, you can blend flaxseed in the blender until it becomes flour before you start making the dough
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and create a well in the center. Add the oil and slowly starting adding the water and mix very well until you get a hard consistency dough and let it sit for about 5minutes at room temperature. Add extra water, if necessary and mix lightly with a fork until all is combined. Turn the dough onto a floured (extra tapioca) surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Of course you can use the help of kitchen appliances to knead the dough but I am slightly old fashioned when it comes to my pizza dough. Also I have been told numerous times that you get a better dough from kneading it by hand.
When you can form it into a non sticky and soft ball that bounces back into shape when you push your finger against it it is done. Place the ball into a oiled (coconut oil) baking tray and flatten it very thinly onto this tray.
Preheat oven to the max temperature setting that it has to offer. Don't worry it can not be too hot. Real pizza is baked in stone ovens over the heat of embers.
Bake this dough for 15min on 180 celsius degree until it gets crispy.
Remove from the over and cover the pizza with the topping
PIZZA FILLING
RATATOUILLE VEGETABLES AND VEGAN CHICKEN STRIPS
INGREDIENTS
150gr Vegan chicken strips
600gr ratatouille veggies mix (I used my favourite organic frozen veggie mix)
2 tomatoes without skin
2tbsp Mediterranean herbs
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
1tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black peper
Vegan muzzarela or another vegan cheese that you like
INSTRUCTIONS
Stir fry the onions and garlic first for approximately 5min
Add the chicken strips, the herbs, salt and peper and stir fry it all for another 3min
At last add the vegetables and let it simmer for approximately 10min until it gets quick dry.
Place this topping onto the pizza crust and place it into the over for another 10min on 180 celsius degree
NOTES
Garnish the pizza with fresh basil leaves before serving it - if you have them. In any case it takes less time than ordering and waiting for the takeout to arrive. But most of all you made it yourself and frankly you can use any seasoning and topping you like.
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