Homemade Pizza Dough

This is enough dough to make a pizza on a cookie sheet (10 x 15).

2 c hot water (about 120 degrees)
1 1/2 T active dry yeast
3 T sugar
2 T canola oil
1 t salt
approx 5 c flour (I use half white and half whole wheat pastry flour)

Gently mix yeast, sugar and water.  Allow yeast to start to work.  Then add oil, salt and flour.  I make this in my Kitchen Aid Mix Master so I know that it is done when the dough forms a ball around the dough hook.  If you are not using a Kitchen Aid, you will need to stir in all the flour you can and then knead in the rest. 

After you knead it for one minute (whichever method you use) allow it to sit (rest) on the counter for 10 minutes.  Then roll it out and place it on the sprayed cookie sheet.  Allow to rise for 15 - 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 for approx 10 - 15 min or until the top starts to turn barely brown.  Top with desired toppings and bake until the cheese melts.  This usually will serve 8 people. 

If you are counting the nutritional info for this, add the info for a serving of crust plus the topping group that you use. 

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

Honestly, this is such an easy dish to make.  Hope you like it.  We always serve it with extra sauce that has been warmed over whole grain pasta.

6  4 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1 c Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 large can or 1 qt spaghetti sauce
4 oz shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
6 t reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese (the one in the bottle on the shelf at the store)

Dip chicken in egg whites, then bread crumbs.  Place in a sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken so it covers the piece.  Sprinkle with Parmesan, then with Mozzarella.  Bake for another 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

Sausage Spinach Lasagna

9 whole grain lasagna noodles, uncooked

1 lb turkey Italian sausage, browned – look for the lowest amount of fat possible!

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained

3 cans petite diced Italian seasoned tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 T dried basil

1 T sugar

24 oz container fat free cottage cheese

1 egg white

¼ c grated parmesan cheese

2 c mozzarella cheese

Combine spinach, sausage, tomatoes, basil and sugar and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.  Combine the cottage cheese, egg white and parmesan in a bowl.  Pour the tomato sauce in the bottom of a well sprayed 9 x 13 pan.  Cover with 3 noodles.  Then cover that with 1/2 of the sausage mixture and 1 c of cheese.  Then 3 more noodles and then the cottage cheese mixture.  Then the last three noodles, the rest of the sausage mixture and the rest of the cheese.  Makes 8 – 10 servings.

Cover with a sprayed piece of foil and bake at 375 for one hour.  You may want to place a pan on the rack below the lasagna in the oven – it has a tendency to overflow.  J

You could easily make this meatless - substitute kidney beans or garbanzo beans for the sausage.