Fresh & Easy Pizza

So sometimes you crave a little pizza….

Here is how to save money and calories!

Step 1: Head to Fresh & Easy and pick up their pizza dough. Choose the whole wheat dough. Also grab: Basil, motzarella cheese, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, fresh garlic (choose colors to taste – bright colors are more fun). You will need some olive oil too.

Shopping List:
1 package pizza dough
1 Bell Pepper
1 Onion
1 Package of mushrooms
1 Bunch of basil
1 Package of mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno (optional)

Step 2: Pre-heat oven & pizza stone (if you have one) to 400 degrees (you can go to 500 if you feel confident – the hotter the better) – I know it sounds like it is hot, but you want it to cook quickly. When you pre-heat the pizza stone too, you get the nice crispy crust!

Step 3: Cut up all of your veggies in thin/medium thin slices. Cut up as much or as little of each as desired. For the garlic, mince it (cut it up fairly tiny). For the cheese you can cut it into circle slices ( I love it this way), or shred it. Your choice!

Step 4: “The Dough” – Dough is a bit funny! Sprinkle some flour onto your dough before you kneed it and work it into the shape you desire. Don’t mess with it too much. Slowly work the dough. Try not to tug and pull on it. To get it to stretch, try the “pizza spin” and if that is too sophisticated  try what I do and hold one edge and let the rest slowly stretch out, keep adjusting which “edge” you are holding until the pizza makes a shape that you like. I like it a little thinner, so there is less dough. Create a raised edge so all of your cheese and toppings don’t run off the edge during baking.

Step 5: After needing the dough, add a small (1 tablespoon or less of olive oil to the top of the dough-spread around softly) then sprinkle the minced or diced garlic all over the dough. Then add 1/2 cup or less of the cheese. If using the circles, don’t fill the entire space with cheese. Use sparingly!  Then add the onion.

Step 6: Grab the “Hot” pizza stone (use a mit) and add the pizza dough to it. Cook the pizza for 10-12 minutes (until the onions cook down a bit)

Step 7: Take the pizza out of the oven and add the rest of the veggies. Cook an additional 5-7 minutes until the crust is slightly brown, or until your desired “crispness”!

Step 8: Enjoy! Don’t forget to let the pizza cool!