An Attempt at Healthy Eating, And It's Finally Cold
This Weeks Ramblings
Like most people, me and The Picky Eater are trying to eat healthier. I know it's the New Year, time to fill up on tree bark and fat free everything. Well, let's face it, I'm not going to stick to that. It's disgusting. I mean, if I enjoyed eating foods that were flavorless, dry, and all around unappetizing I wouldn't be in the shape I am now - which for me is a bit like an over ripe apple with legs. Think Humpty Dumpty but squishier and you kind of get the idea. It's not a pretty sight and steps need to be taken.
Well, we've been doing a fairly decent job in the first few days of the new year. After the traditional New Year's Day meal, we've really buckled down. The hard part is taking food we love and making them healthier. So far, it's been what you would expect. Smaller portion sizes, a lot less cheese, and more fruits & veggies.
Unfortunately, both me and The Picky Eater have started craving pizza. Probably because we're not supposed to have it and we know this, but nevertheless, the craving is there.
So, this week I experimented ... and it was a success! Okay, you saw that coming or I would have made some sort of wisecrack about how I ruined pizza forever (which would be another way to cut calories). Actually, this pie is awesome! I went with a pizza dough from the deli at the grocery. If you went with something like a cauliflower dough you could shave off even more calories, but I was trying to keep as close to normal as possible. Now the entire pie is, roughly, 2110 calories. I know that is a lot, but we're also talking about a pretty large pie, and it gets cut into eight pieces so that's not too bad per slice. Seriously, it's like 265 calories per slice! It's also full of all kinds of good for you stuff too. I know there's too much fat from the cheese and the dough itself ain't the healthiest, but seriously, if I can have a decent meal of pizza for 500-600 calories, I'm calling it the healthy alternative and I don't care what you think. Sure, it's got roasted chicken instead of pepperonis and sausage, but who cares! Seriously, this is an awesome pie and it's easy to put together! Go ahead and give it a try! I dare you to tell me different!
Oh, and not only was it freakishly warm on Christmas, but we got snow earlier in the week! That's right, it's finally cold and we got a big snow (for around here anyway) of 6-7 inches! So now that it's over, it's now starting to look a lot like Christmas. Welcome to Tennessee, I guess. After living my entire life here you'd think I'd been used to it.
Roasted Chicken And Basil Pizza
With Olive Oil And Spinach
My Thoughts
This is a really quick and easy meal for a weeknight. It's got everything, a garlicky basil pesto sauce, fresh spinach, leftover roasted chicken breast (okay, it's a little more work if you have to roast your own chicken, but not much!), four rich and creamy cheeses, all on a store bought pizza crust. The Little Weirdo is standing by and drooling!
Difficulty
Easy
Makes
8 Servings
Tools
Pizza Pan
Time
Prep Time 15 min.
Cook Time 30 min.
Total Time 45 min.
The How To Do It
If you are roasting your own chicken breasts, preheat your oven to 450° F, otherwise skip to step 6.
Heat a tablespoon of canola oil large cast iron pan over medium/high heat.
Coat the chicken breasts in oil and season. For this, salt and pepper is enough. If you want to season with other herbs and spices go for it.
Once the oil in the pan is hot, sear the breasts until they turn a golden brown. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Once the first side is seared, flip the chicken and insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the thickest breast.
Once the chicken has seared, slide the skillet into the oven and roast the chicken until your thermometer reaches 165° F. If you do not have the probe type of thermometer, it will take 15-20 minutes (maybe a little longer if the chicken breasts are on the larger side).
While the chicken is roasting, thinly slice the red onions, mince the garlic (not too fine, you want it a little chunky), and grate your cheeses.
While the chicken breast is resting, turn the heat on your oven up to at least 550° F. That's as high as my oven will go. You're wanting to get it as hot as possible. You don't have to go this route. You can bake it at a lower temperature and give the pizza more time in the oven. You want the spinach to wilt, the onions and garlic to soften, and the cheese to get all bubbly and golden brown in spots.
Once the chicken breast has rested and is cool enough to cut (if it's too hot to touch wait a minute!), thinly slice the breasts until you have enough to cover the pizza. You don't want to over top the pizza. Notice in the pizza the pieces of chicken are evenly spaced.
To assemble the pizza, roll out the dough and, using a fork, poke small holes all over the pizza dough. This will keep it from getting giant bubbles in it (some bubbles will usually happen and are just fine).
Now drizzle the olive oil over the dough and spread it evenly using an brush or back of a spoon (or your hand if you are so inclined). now do the same with the basil pesto. Sprinkle all of the mozzarella, provolone, and fontina cheeses. Now sprinkle on about 3/4 of the Parmesan cheese (keep some to sprinkle on after the pie has baked). Once the cheeses are added, evenly distribute the red onion, garlic, spinach, and chicken.
Bake in the oven for eight-and-a-half minutes. That's my oven at 550° F, it may vary for you. The first few times you make a pizza in your oven, make sure to keep a close watch on it. Yours may bake faster or slower.
Once the pie has baked and the spinach is wilted, the onions and garlic are and soft, and the cheese is bubbly in the middle and golden brown around the edges, remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Slice and serve with a sprinkle of the remaining Parmesan, fresh basil (if you have it) and a light dusting of granulated garlic and red pepper flakes (okay cayenne pepper since The Picky Eater can't have seeds).
