Clean Eating Pizza Party

Eating clean does not mean giving up on your favorite foods. You can still eat them. You just need to make them yourself and find clean versions. Here are a few cleaner versions of Pizza.





This healthy homemade pizza is topped with lean chicken, fresh ingredients, and a touch of Parmesan cheese.
Total Time:​ 18 min.
Prep Time:​​​ 10 min.
Cooking Time:​ 8 min.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients for Pizza Dough:
¼ oz​​​​ active dry yeast
1 cup​​​ warm water (100–110° F)
2 tsp.​​​​ sugar
3–3¼ cups ​​​whole wheat flour, divided use
½ tsp.​​​​ fine sea salt (or Himalayan salt)​
2 tsp.​​​​  olive oil, divided use
Ingredients for Pizza:
½ cup all-natural pizza sauce, no sugar added
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz cooked chicken breast, boneless, skinless, shredded
1 cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh arugula
Preparation:
For Pizza Dough:
1. Place yeast, water, and sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until yeast becomes foamy.
2. Combine 3 cups flour and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Mix with clean hands until mixture does not stick to your hands. Add additional flour if needed. Roll dough into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for 2 hours.
3. Punch down dough to remove air; knead and roll into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for an additional 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 450° F.
5. Roll dough until it will no longer stretch. Let rest for 5 minutes. Continue to roll until it reaches your desired diameter, about 10 to 12-inches, and about ½-inch thick. Place on baking pan lightly coated with spray.
6. Brush with remaining 1 tsp. oil.
For Pizza:
1. Spread pizza dough evenly with pizza sauce, stopping ½-inch from edge.
2. Top evenly with cheeses, chicken, mushrooms, and tomatoes.
3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, or until crust is golden.
4. Top with arugula.


Make a delicious gourmet pizza at home! This one is topped with artichokes, mushrooms, olives, and onion – yum! It’s worth the effort to make your own pizza dough, but if you’re short on time, a whole wheat pizza dough from the grocery store works well.
Total Time: 30 min. plus 2 hours
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min.
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
PIZZA DOUGH:
¼ oz. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (100-110°F)
2 tsp. sugar
3-3¼ cups whole wheat flour, divided use
½ tsp. fine sea salt
2 tsp. olive oil, divided use
ARTICHOKE PIZZA:
Nonstick cooking spray
½ cup all-natural marinara sauce
¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves
¼ tsp. dried Italian seasoning
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1 dash crushed red pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
6 marinated artichoke hearts, drained, sliced
¼ medium onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup sliced mushrooms
8 medium black olives, cut in half
4 oz. shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese



Preparation:
FOR PIZZA DOUGH:
1. Place yeast, water, and sugar in a medium bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until yeast become foamy.
2. Combine 3 cups flour and salt in a small bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to yeast mixture. Mix with clean hands until mixture does not stick to your hands. Add additional flour if needed. Roll dough into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for 2 hours.
3. Punch down dough to remove air; knead and roll into a ball. Brush with ½ tsp. oil. Place in a bowl; cover with a towel. Let rise for an additional 2 hours.
FOR ARTICHOKE PIZZA:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Roll dough until it will no longer stretch. Let rest for 5 minutes. Continue to roll until it reaches your desired diameter, about 10 to 12-inches, and about ½-inch thick. Place on baking pan lightly coated with spray.
3. Brush with remaining 1 tsp. oil.
4. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over dough. Season with oregano, Italian seasoning, pepper, red pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Top with artichokes, onion, mushrooms, and olives.
6. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is brown.


Sometimes simple is best, like in this classic Margherita pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
Total Time: 33 min.
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 18 min.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
Nonstick cooking spray
1 (16-oz.) package whole wheat pizza dough, at room temperature
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup tomato sauce, no sugar added
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 medium tomato, sliced
¼ cup whole basil leaves, torn in small pieces
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Lightly coat 12-inch pizza pan with spray. Starting at the center, and moving outward, use your fingertips to press dough to ½-inch thick. Stretch dough until it won’t stretch any further. Let dough relax for 5 minutes; continue to stretch to desired diameter.
3. Drizzle oil over dough; spread with a pastry brush to the edges.
4. Spread tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a quarter-inch border.
5. Layer with cheese, tomato, and basil.
6. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling.


Pitas make an ideal pizza crust! These pita pizzas are topped with basil, peppers and onion, or you can substitute your favorite vegetables.
Total Time: 18 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 8 min.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 (6½-inch) whole wheat pitas
¾ cup all-natural spaghetti sauce, no salt added
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (½ cup)
¼ medium onion, sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced into rings
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Top pitas evenly with spaghetti sauce, basil, cheese, onion, and bell pepper.
3. Place pitas on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Nina Pears