Fit Fare

I confess … I was never really a fan of cheese, so from that perspective, the dairy-free diet has been fairly easy for me. However, I do adore pizza. Not willing to give up my first love, I began making my own pizza crust from scratch many years ago (since many store-bought crusts contained dairy). As for the topping, until recently, there really weren’t any vegan “cheeses” on the market And even now, the latest cheesy inventions don’t always perform how I would like.

Enter, the cheeseless pizza. Yes, some may feel strongly that pizza is simply not pizza without the gooey string of melted mozzarella. However, I was very pleased to discover that not an ounce of flavor was lost when I unloaded this layer of saturated fat and calories. Sometimes we prepare one of our old favorites, with sauce and all, minus the cheese. Other times, I whip up a dairy-free white sauce or even decorate the pizza focaccia style. Whichever way, the end result always fulfills.

Of course, I am always open to new topping ideas, and was thrilled to discover three new cheese-free pizzas created by Chef Dick Mieli. He developed these recipes for the food allergy and intolerance magazine, Foods Matter.

Since this is Fit Fare, I will post the most virtuous of the three recipes below … but … if you are okay with a little extra indulgence in place of the absentee cheese, then you may also enjoy his recipes for ‘Sort Of’ Puttanesca and Onions and Sardines. For you die hard heart-health fanatics seeking a dinner free of saturated fat and cholesterol, enjoy this recipe for a Mushroom and Artichokes topping, and whip yourself up a batch of whole wheat pizza crust for the base.

MUSHROOMS AND ARTICHOKE HEARTS
Wheat, gluten, corn, soy, dairy, nightshade & nut free; vegan
(The lemon juice is not essential - just adds a little bite!)

2 tbsp olive oil
150g (5-6 ounces) chestnut or button mushrooms, wiped and sliced
6-8 tinned artichoke hearts (in water), drained and quartered
juice 1 small lemon (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy, deep pan and briskly fry the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes or until the juices run. Spoon them over the pizza base.
Arrange the artichoke heart quarters over the top, squeeze over the lemon juice if you are using it and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes in a hot oven.

SERVES 6 - PER PORTION
55cals - 2g protein
5g total fat - 0.5g sat / 2.7g mono / 0.4g poly
3.5g carbohydrate of which 0.8g sugar
1.6g fibre - 1mg sodium / 0.003g salt
2mg calcium

* This recipe was reprinted with the permission of Foods Matter. Do not reprint without prior approval.