nutritionbitsandbobs

I hate ordering delivery pizza with vegetables.  I guess I just don’t really like unseasoned, barely cooked bell peppers with nearly raw onions slapped on top which is pretty standard for delivery.  If I’m going to like vegetables on my pizza, I’ve decided I’m just going to have to make it myself.  So, I made one of my old favorites.  My British friend, Emma made it for me several times and I began to crave it on the regular.  As a single gal, my co-workers would often bet what I had eaten for dinner the previous night.  They were likely to guess, as I rarely ventured beyond butternut squash soup, roasted brussels with sweet potatoes or roasted vegetable pizza.

I was running 5.5 miles 6-7 days a week back then.  When I made meatless meals, full of veggies and low in fat, I would guiltlessly clean not just my plate but, the platter!  Eating meatless meals saved me time and money!

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I took a bit of a risk making this pizza for Mike.  He hates eggplant.  I hardly notice the taste of the eggplant when combined with all the other flavors on this pizza.  I remember complaining to Emma once that I couldn’t make this for Mike because of the eggplant and she suggested I just make it anyway because she felt certain he would like the pizza, eggplant and all!  Finally, five years later, I made it and guess what?

All the chopping may get you down, but once you’ve chopped, you’re on easy street.

1 small eggplant, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 sweet potato, chopped
1 small bunch broccoli florets
2 Portobello mushroom caps, gills and stems removed, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Mix all your hard work together onto two baking sheets.  Avoid overcrowding vegetables when roasting.  Add salt, pepper and a generous amount of olive oil, tossing to coat vegetables. Roast at 400° for about 25 minutes, turning about half way through.

While vegetables cook, roll out pre-made pizza dough onto round baking sheets.  Drizzle olive oil over dough and freshly ground pepper to taste.  I use either Publix pre-rolled fresh dough or Naan bread.  I’ve made my own crust from scratch before and it tasted like cardboard.

Cover dough with mixture of roasted vegetables, piled high.  Cook according to dough instructions.

When fully cooked, remove from oven and top with crumbled goat’s cheese.

Not a fan of goat’s cheese?  Use dollops of ricotta instead.  A sprinkle of low-moisture mozzarella under the vegetables will help keep the roasted gems on the crust while eating it.  I prefer to only use the goat’s cheese so, I usually end up eating the lost vegetables with a fork.

*something you may not know:  eggplant contains potassium, is high in fiber and low in calories.  It also contains compounds called anthocyanins, a type of phytochemical which research clearly suggests may be beneficial in regulating immune responses. This color pigment provides protection from estrogenic activity (altering development of hormone-dependent disease symptoms).

Maybe one day I can get Mike to like Moussaka!

 

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