Grilled Veggie Pizza

So I just returned to the world of technology after spending 5 days at camp in Maine. Though I love blogging, it was so nice and refreshing to leave my phone and watch at home and unplug myself for a week. Living on “camp time” is great: you eat when you are hungry, go to bed when it’s dark and wake up when it’s light out. You “shower” in the lake with Doctor Bronner’s. And cooking is always an adventure (the grocery store is over an hour away) though I managed to run a pretty gourmet kitchen… tacos with fresh made guac, wild blueberry buckwheat pancakes, penne with veggies and a creamy chipotle sauce… just to name a few. Mark and I did a huge hike up Double Top Mountain in Baxter State Park and kayaked on the lake. And one day I went on a great 4 mile run.

This recipe is one of my favorites and is a regular in the dinner rotation, (and is easily do-able at camp). This healthier version of pizza uses whole wheat dough and is piled high with flavorful veggies and a small amount of cheese… and it’s grilled! When it comes to this recipe my philosophy is the higher you can pile the veggies on, the better. Feel free to use your favorite veggies, this is my favorite combination.

Grilled Veggie Pizza

Serves 2-4 people (depending on pizza size and hunger levels)

 

1 ball of pre-made whole wheat pizza dough

1 squash, cut into ¼” rounds

1 zucchini, cut into ¼” rounds

4-6 cups spinach

1 bunch asparagus, chewy, dry ends trimmed off

1 red pepper cut into ¼” rings or strips

1 Vidalia onion cut into ¼” slices and separated into rings

Black pepper

Dried basil

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons of your favorite Italian dressing

½ teaspoon dried basil

Few dashes of dried garlic

½ to 1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

4-6 oz of feta or fresh grated mozzarella cheese

First preheat your grill to a medium heat. Spray your grill pan with non-stick cooking spray. I like to put mine on a cookie sheet so the spray (and later the marinade) does not get all over the place. Then slice up vegetables. Place the prepared vegetables (minus the spinach) in a gallon size zip top bag. Add the oil, dressing, pepper, bail, and garlic into the bag. Close the top and shake the bag to coat the veggies. Dump the veggies out onto the grill pan and arrange into one layer. Place grill pan on the grill. Grill for about 10 mins, turning the vegetables occasionally. When the veggies start to get brown take them off the grill.

 

While the veggies grill, work the pizza dough until it is about ¼-1/2 inch thick and resembles the shape of a pizza. This is tricky, I like to use my fist pulling the dough gently. I made mine in the shape of a square to fit on the grill. Place the dough on the grill and grill about 2-4 mins, until it has light brown lines on the underside. Flip (I used 2 spatulas), and grill lightly on the underside.

Remove from the heat, spread a thin layer of sauce, leaving a ½ to one inch border around the edge. Arrange the spinach in a thin layer. Pile on the veggies and top with the cheese. Place the whole pizza back on the grill for 2-4 mins to melt the cheese. Take pizza off the heat, slice up, plate and enjoy!

 

 

You can also speed up the same recipe and make individual pizzas by using whole wheat pitas (8 pitas). Follow the same instructions for the veggies but while the veggies grill, lay out each pita and top with a thin layer of sauce. When the veggies are done divide them evenly among the 8 pitas. Top each one with 1 tablespoon of feta or mozzarella. Place the pitas on the grill for 2-3 mins until the bottoms start to brown and the cheese is melted. Take them off the heat, plate and enjoy!