Saving Dinner...

[Guest guest]

Someone mentioned getting Saving Dinner the Vegetarian way; this is from the

author, Leanne Ely. She is also a nutritionist, and sends out an interesting

weekly newsletter:

 

 

Dejunking Junk Food

by Leanne Ely, C.N.C.

 

If you thought there was a way to make that Twinkie you're snarfing a little

less dangerous, I have a short answer for you--no. If this is a little too close

for comfort, how about pizza? You like pizza, don't you?

 

I don't think I've met anyone who doesn't (if you're the one in the over 50,000

rs here that doesn't, please don't email me and let me know. I'll take

your word for it! ;-) For the rest of us humans, pizza is a part of our own

personal food pyramid. We order it on Fridays or another night of the week when

we've blown our prep time for making dinner--any of this sound familiar? Anyone

feeling guilty yet?

 

It's not my intention to ratchet up guilt--I'll leave that to your mother. My

intention is to bring you over to the healthy side of pizza and to leave that

yucky old take-out stuff to the cretins who know no different. YOU can have your

pizza and eat it, too! And, it can be a healthy food!

 

You've already heard me spout about lycopene, the wonderfully potent

phytochemical found in tomato sauce. So it goes without saying, that the sauce

is already quite healthy. And calcium? Well, a nice low-fat mozzarella is full

of it--just go easy. The crust? Now let me tell you white flour and water

makes....play doh. You want THAT in your colon for the next 50 years? I have a

solution to that one...keep reading.

 

That leaves the toppings. Pepperoni and sausage aren't exactly the poster

children of good health, so top your pizza with tons of veggies, fresh basil,

some ground turkey seasoned with fennel and oregano...you get the picture, it

can be done.

 

Now for recipes. If you think pizza needs to be difficult, get over yourself!

Pizza is easy...it only look intimidating when you watch the guy at the pizzaria

tossing the dough. No one says you have to TOSS the dough. All he's doing is

getting the gluten (in the wheat) to stretch--it' s a form of kneading, LOL. If

you're smart, you'll merely knead it on the counter. If you have children with

relatively clean hands, you can get your kids to do it or if your children's

hands are completely untrustworthy (like my son's), you'll want to use your

Cuisinart or other reasonable facsimile thereof.

 

Here are the recipes and this time I mean it:

 

Kneadless Pizza Dough

Makes 2 crusts--size depends on thickness of crust

 

1 cup warm water

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

 

In a measuring cup, add yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon of the honey. Mix well

and let sit for 5 minutes.

 

In the meantime, in a food processor bowl, add flour, oil, salt and remaining

honey. Pulse to blend. Now keep the food processor running, and slowly add the

yeasty water through the feed tube. Let the machine run for about a minute (this

is the fake kneading part). Dough should be smooth when it's done, if not, add

more flour or more water depending. Now let that dough rest about 5 minutes.

You'd need a good 5 minute rest too, if you were violently spinning around a

food processor for a minute.

 

Divide the dough in half and roll out and use according to your recipe.

 

Per serving: 110 Calories; 3g Total Fat; 4g Protein; 2g Dietary Fiber; 19g

Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 180mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch) ; 1/2

Fat.

 

Roasted Garlic Pizza Sauce

Makes enough for two crusts

 

1 bulb roasted garlic -- squeeze roasted garlic to taste (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes

1 teaspoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

 

In a saucepan, crush tomatoes with a potato masher, add remaining ingredients

and bring to a low boil. Let simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

 

Per serving: 13 Calories; 1g Total Fat; trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0mg

Cholesterol; trace Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch) .

 

How to Make Roasted Garlic

 

1 head garlic -- slice off top to expose garlic. Remove any excess, papery peel.

1 teaspoon olive oil

 

Slice off the tip top of the garlic head to expose garlic. Don't slice too much

off!

 

Sit the garlic on it's root end in a casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil on the

top. Cover with a lid.

 

Bake about an hour at 375 degrees. The heavenly scent of roasted garlic will

waft all over the house. Let cool.

 

When you want to use it, pick it up and squeeze the soft, buttery contents out

into whatever you're making--pizza sauce, garlic bread, mashed potatoes,

whatever. Not good with chocolate.

 

Per serving: 44 Calories; 5g Total Fat; trace Protein; 1g Carbohydrate; 0mg

Cholesterol; 1mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch) ; 1 Fat.