Loaded Veggie Pizza

Vegetarian OR vegan, you can still get away with serving up a delicious pizza and not have to feel guilty about it.  Nixing the pepperoni or sausage, skimping on the cheese, using a super-thin crust and adding lots of vegetables is an easy way to turn such an easy and popular meal into a good-for-you dish.

Sticking to a recipe isn’t necessary for pizza, but this is one version my boyfriend and I tested out, makes 2 good size pizzas and is absolutely addictive!

1 bag whole wheat or regular refrigerated dough (we use Whole Foods All-Natural)

1 cup whole wheat flour for kneading and rolling out dough

1 broccoli crown, cut into small pieces

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

3 ripe-vine tomatoes, sliced

3 cups shredded, mozzarella AND/OR provolone cheese

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 cayenne pepper, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil for cooking (plus some for coating the crust)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• After the dough is rolled out onto cookie sheets (Note: This can take a LONG time to get super-thin crust), heat olive oil, cayenne and onion in frying pan on medium heat, and sauté until onions have caramelized, about 7 to 8 minutes
• When the onions have browned, add broccoli and red bell pepper and continue cooking on medium heat for approximately 5 more minutes, or until broccoli is tender
• Add garlic, salt and pepper and continue to cooking for another minute
• Lightly coat the crust of the pizzas with olive oil, then add a layer of half the tomatoes onto the pizza, then half of the broccoli/pepper mix and finish with 1 ½ cups of cheese on each pizza
• Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust turns golden brown