White Veggie Pizza

Even though it can be a time-consuming meal to take on after I've worked all day, there's just something about Friday that says "pizza" to me. And since the husband has been itching for a white pizza for the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd try my hand at it last night. Sure, we didn't eat at 5:30 like we usually do (that's right, we might as well be senior citizens), but it was worth the wait.

White Veggie PIzza
Crust recipe adapted from The New Basics Cookbook

Dough:
1 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon cornmeal

Cheese sauce:
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup low-fat milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Toppings:
1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup mushroom
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup tomato, chopped

Mix the warm water, sugar and yeast in a measuring cup until it became a bit foamy. Then, transfer it to a large bowl and add in the white flour. Stir in the rest of the dough ingredients   (MINUS the cornmeal). I mixed the dough in my KitchenAid mixer, but I'm sure a bowl and wooden spoon would work just as well. Mix the ingredients together until they became a smooth, elastic-like dough. If the dough hook attachment doesn't help you achieve a smooth dough, knead it on a lightly floured surface. Move the dough to a cooking-oiled-sprayed bowl, and let it rise for about an hour. (I covered mine with a kitchen towel to let it rise, but you could also use plastic wrap.) 


Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

While the dough is rising, heat the garlic clove and butter over low heat. Once the garlic is fragrant, add the flour and slowly add in the milk. Continue stirring the cheese mixture until it is smooth and thick. This step took quite awhile - possibly 10 whole minutes or more. Just keep stirring. (You may even want to make your husband take a turn. I know I did!)

Eventually, the milk/cheese mixture will thicken. Remove the sauce from the heat and add in the parm, cream cheese, salt and pepper. Stir the cheese mixture until combined and thickened. (If it isn't completely smooth, I'd say that's OK.)

Check the dough. If the dough has risen significantly (about double in size), remove from the oiled bowl. Prepare an cooking-oil-sprayed pan with 1 TBSP cornmeal and spread the dough to fit. Arrange your veggie toppings as you'd like. We had a pepper, onion and tomato. (I thought I'd even be a bit generous and add a bit of mozzarella to our pizza.)

Bake the pizza for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it's golden brown.

Enjoy!

Amount Per Serving: 8

Calories: 228, Total fat 6 g,  Total Carbs 34 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 9 g