Good inFo for food : Red pepper and goat cheese make pizza healthy

All Food Recipes

Pizza is a fantastic meal to make on the fly, especially if you have a flat bread or ready-made pizza crust. It’s got a big surface, with lots of room for nutrient-filled vegetables.



In this easy-to-make recipe, creamy goat cheese balances the bright and fresh flavours of red pepper, onion and tomato. Combined with mozzarella (a pizza classic), olives and basil, it’s a healthy meal that’s ready in about 20 minutes.


Feel free to experiment with whatever you might have in the fridge: feta is a welcome substitute for goat cheese; zucchini and mushrooms pair nicely too. Chicken with spinach,
red peppers and cheese is another dietitian-approved combo that you can easily cook and enjoy!


Using a baking stone is a great way to give your pizza a crusty finish. Place the pizza stone in a cool oven, turn on the oven and preheat the stone for about 45 minutes before cooking the pizza.



1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C) if using flatbread or 450 F (230 C) if using pizza dough
2. Place flatbread on baking sheet. Alternatively, if using pizza dough, spread out dough on lightly greased pizza pan to make a 12-inch (30 cm) circle.
3. Brush olive oil on top of flatbread or pizza dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with goat cheese, red pepper, tomato, black olives, onion, if using, and basil.
4. Bake pizza in bottom half of preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.



Ingredients



• 1  12-inch round of flatbread or enough pizza dough or a 12-inch (30 cm) pizza crust
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 cup (250 ml) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 ml) cup soft crumbed goat cheese
• 1  large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup (50 ml)  sliced black olives
• 1/4  cup (50 ml) sweet Vidalia onion, sliced (optional)
• 1 tsp (5 ml) dried basil (or 2 tbsp/ 25 ml chopped fresh basil)



Recipes excerpted from Dietitians of Canada, Cook Great Food: 450 Delicious Recipes © 2001 Robert Rose Inc. Robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.