3.14 It's Pi Day! This day was a particularly special day in my nerdy existence...celebrated fondly every year through middle and high school. Even my brother texted me in honor of pi day this morning!
And in celebration I had a pizza pie...well, a pie slice of homemade pizza...whole wheat crust with oregano and black pepper, tomato sauce, onions, bell peppers and just a touch of cheese. YUM!
I've decided that homemade pizzas can be pretty healthy depending on how you make them (and so much fun to make although I have to admit I cannot toss the dough in the air to magically spin out a crust. The picture below...definitely not me)...
Good whole grain crust (made from scratch or store bought ready made dough), or build it on top of naan, tortillas that are baked to become hard shells, flatbread - all breads of the best quality you can find or make, and that are made of whole grains.
Then sauces -- homemade tomato sauce will have less salt and preservatives. Or consider a drizzle of olive oil, some pesto, a paste made from white beans and garlic or an olive tampenade as your base.
Then go wild with the toppings really! All sorts of veggies (and some fruit) can top a pizza in whatever combination tickles your taste buds. Off the top of my head: tomato (fresh or sundried), olives (green or black), mushrooms of all varieties, bell peppers or other peppers, onions (fresh cut or caramelized), garlic (fresh or roasted), spinach, arugula, corn, broccoli, eggplant (really good grilled first), zucchini, artichokes, capers. Then for fruit depending on what you pair it with: pineapple (tastes good against a tomato sauce), pears (really good with walnut and gorgonzola)
And cheese. So the best thing about making your own pizza is that you can really balance your ingredients. Keep in mind that a little bit of cheese can go a long way. The stronger the taste of the cheese, the less you need to use. Instead of big chunks of goat cheese, gorgonzola or blue cheese...consider crumbles of it over the pizza. You can even freeze softer cheeses and grate them over your pizza (or other dish) and it spreads the taste all over your food without having to use a large quantity. And really, since you're making your own pizza and it is full of all your favorite toppings, you can always forgo the cheese altogether.
Consider finishing off your pizza with something like a drizzle of olive oil or a balsamic vinegar glaze, or topped with a fresh ingredient once you're done baking like fresh basil, oregano, arugula, cilantro, parsley.
Make it fun. Make it your own piece of art! In the past we have thrown a "make your own pizza" party before with individual crusts and tons of bowls of ingredients to choose from. It's interesting to watch your friends construct their own pie art and how their personalities are portrayed by their pizza.
Whatever you chose to do on the celebration of Pi Day, I hope it was a blast!
And in celebration I had a pizza pie...well, a pie slice of homemade pizza...whole wheat crust with oregano and black pepper, tomato sauce, onions, bell peppers and just a touch of cheese. YUM!
I've decided that homemade pizzas can be pretty healthy depending on how you make them (and so much fun to make although I have to admit I cannot toss the dough in the air to magically spin out a crust. The picture below...definitely not me)...
Good whole grain crust (made from scratch or store bought ready made dough), or build it on top of naan, tortillas that are baked to become hard shells, flatbread - all breads of the best quality you can find or make, and that are made of whole grains.
Then sauces -- homemade tomato sauce will have less salt and preservatives. Or consider a drizzle of olive oil, some pesto, a paste made from white beans and garlic or an olive tampenade as your base.
Then go wild with the toppings really! All sorts of veggies (and some fruit) can top a pizza in whatever combination tickles your taste buds. Off the top of my head: tomato (fresh or sundried), olives (green or black), mushrooms of all varieties, bell peppers or other peppers, onions (fresh cut or caramelized), garlic (fresh or roasted), spinach, arugula, corn, broccoli, eggplant (really good grilled first), zucchini, artichokes, capers. Then for fruit depending on what you pair it with: pineapple (tastes good against a tomato sauce), pears (really good with walnut and gorgonzola)
And cheese. So the best thing about making your own pizza is that you can really balance your ingredients. Keep in mind that a little bit of cheese can go a long way. The stronger the taste of the cheese, the less you need to use. Instead of big chunks of goat cheese, gorgonzola or blue cheese...consider crumbles of it over the pizza. You can even freeze softer cheeses and grate them over your pizza (or other dish) and it spreads the taste all over your food without having to use a large quantity. And really, since you're making your own pizza and it is full of all your favorite toppings, you can always forgo the cheese altogether.
Consider finishing off your pizza with something like a drizzle of olive oil or a balsamic vinegar glaze, or topped with a fresh ingredient once you're done baking like fresh basil, oregano, arugula, cilantro, parsley.
Make it fun. Make it your own piece of art! In the past we have thrown a "make your own pizza" party before with individual crusts and tons of bowls of ingredients to choose from. It's interesting to watch your friends construct their own pie art and how their personalities are portrayed by their pizza.
Whatever you chose to do on the celebration of Pi Day, I hope it was a blast!
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