No Cheese Pizza

Why would I make pizza without cheese, you ask? Well, because it is so amazingly tasty. And also, no matter how you slice it, cheese is just not on a low saturated fat diet. That does not mean we don't eat it sometimes, but how about a pizza that is so delicious without cheese that you don't even miss it? And there are loads of people who can't or don't eat cheese for various reasons, so I figured it was worth writing about.

Let's start with the crust...

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tsp granulated yeast

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs olive oil

1 cup room temperature water

Put all ingredients in a bread machine and put on dough setting. Or, mix all ingredients and knead gently. Let rise two or three times (kneading between rises).

Set oven to 400 degrees F and place pizza stone in the oven. Once the dough has had a chance to proof two or three times, roll out on a board to the size of your pizza stone (or toss in the air if you want to make the kids laugh). Place the dough on the hot stone and brush with some olive oil. Return the dough to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the dough has risen and is dry to the touch. Bake longer if you want a crispier crust.

The Toppings...

To save time, most of these can be made ahead and refrigerated

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Fresh marinara (see below)

2 onions, sliced & sauteed in oil until caramelized with a splash of white balsamic vinegar

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sauteed in oil & red wine.

Olives (optional)

Fresh spinach, chopped

Avocado, sliced

Marinated heirloom tomato slices (see below)

To make the marinara, saute 2-3 garlic cloves in oil and before they brown, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs De Provence, 2 bay leaves, salt, olive oil & red wine. The quantities don't really matter that much, just don't make it too watery. Taste it to make sure it has the right balance. You can add a little honey, basil or balsamic vinegar if you like it sweeter. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. This can be made ahead of time & refrigerated. Extras can be frozen in small containers for the next time you make pizza, or used as the base for a pasta sauce.

To marinate the tomatoes, use thick slices of white, orange, yellow or pink heirloom tomatoes. Place in a bowl with salt, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and herbs De Provence. Let soak overnight. Place the tomatoes in a colander before assembling on the pizza. You can save the juice for a salad dressing or sauce.

Assemble the pizza with the toppings in the order they are listed. Bake at 400 degrees until the spinach is wilted and the crust begins to brown on the edges. You are going to love this.