CHICKEN, CASHEW & CURRY PIZZA

I love making pizza on days & nights when I'm pressed for time. I do sometimes make my own pizza base, however the point of my recipes are to be fast, simple & easy so I often use wholemeal pita bread as a pizza base. The recipe below uses 2 larger Lebanese pita breads (around 80-85g each) to serve 4 (therefore 1/2 a pizza per person). If you are only able to find the 4 pack of smaller pita bread (around 45g in size), each serving would equal 1 pita bread and the quantities below would be split into quarters. This pizza was conjured out of thin air the other week and took on a random but delicious direction with the addition of baby spinach, spring onions and cashews. 

INGREDIENTS

• baking paper
• 500g chicken breast, preferably free-range, sliced into even 3-4cm pieces
• 1 heaped tablespoon curry powder 
• Optional- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 x Lebanese wholemeal pita breads (around 80-85g each)
• 1/4 cup lightly packed reduced-fat grated cheese
• a generous handful of baby spinach, washed & drained 
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely diced
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons unsalted cashews, either whole or roughly chopped 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. 

2. Place the chicken strips, curry powder, smoked paprika (if using), garlic, and olive oil in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook chicken, stirring constantly, until no pink flesh remains (this will take around 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken pieces are). Remove and cover to keep warm until the next step.  

3. Spread 1 tablespoon of tomato paste over each of the 2 breads. Next evenly distribute the cheese, red onion, baby spinach, cooked chicken, spring onion and cashews to each pita bread. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns and the cheese is melted. 

Serves / 4  

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / around 20 minutes 

x Emily 

TURKEY & VEGETABLE PIZZA

In addition to being quite healthy, I think that making miniature pizzas is rather fun! You can add any ingredients that you know to be healthy and low-fat (for example chorizo would not make the list, but mushrooms and tomatoes would), chop them up and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Just remember that when it comes to pizza, less toppings is always more! Coeliacs could substitute pita bread for a gluten-free wrap as a base or a small gluten-free pizza base. Vegetarians can omit the turkey and add more vegetables. If you are making this dish after a long, draining day at work and don’t feel like being creative, use my combination of  toppings, as they are delicious. Be mindful that portion sizes are very important, therefore try to stop yourself at ONE pizza. 

INGREDIENTS

• baking paper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 4 small whole wheat pita breads (45g each) 
• 120g sliced turkey, roughly shredded
• 60-80g red onion, finely diced
• 1 small red capsicum, finely diced
• 1 x 400g tin of artichokes, rinsed, drained & roughly chopped 
• 1 teaspoon of reduced-fat grated cheese for each pita bread 
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, finely chopped 

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. 

2. Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over each of the pita breads. Then evenly distribute the turkey, red onion, capsicum and artichokes to each pita bread. Top with cheese and oregano. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns to your liking. 

Serves / 4  / 1 pita pizza per serving 
Total Preparation time / max 10 minutes 
Total Cooking time / around 15 minutes 

x Emily 

EGGPLANT PIZZA

I love this 'clean' form of pizza. I even got my husband eating it, who initially turned up his nose at the mere idea of a pizza without a flour base. Eggplant pizza's are a great idea for a party as well, as they are easy to assemble and spend all of their cooking time in the oven unassisted. I like making these pizzas when I know a late dinner is on the cards, as they are so light and low in complex carbs. If you are vegetarian or not a fan of ham, add some pitted olives, artichokes or another vegetable to the pizzas. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large eggplant (around 700g), ends trimmed and thinly sliced into rounds 
• sea salt
• paper towel or clean tea towel
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium red capsicum, roughly chopped 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
• a generous handful of baby spinach, chopped
• 4 tablespoons grated reduced-fat cheese or 40g reduced-fat feta, crumbled
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
• Optional- 150g lean ham, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with paper paper. 

2. Place the eggplant rounds on the prepared baking tray then sprinkle salt on top to draw out the vegetables' moisture. Leave for 10 minutes, then rinse well in a colander and pat dry with a paper towel or tea towel. 

3. Whilst the eggplant is 'sweating', chop all the remaining ingredients. Combine the oil, tomato, capsicum, garlic, onion, spinach, cheese, basil and ham (if using, or add the other vegetable/s) in a medium bowl and mix well. Sprinkle with ground black pepper if desired and stir again. 

4. Once the eggplant rounds are rinsed and dry, return them to the prepared baking tray. Spread the tomato paste thinly on top of each round. Next, top each little pizza with the vegetable mixture, trying to place an even amount of toppings onto each eggplant round. 

5. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes or until the eggplant is just brown and tender. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly before handling. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 30-35 minutes 

x Emily 

VEGETARIAN ANTIPASTO PIZZA

A dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, antipasto and health-conscious pizza for your viewing pleasure! Perhaps not for everyone out there, but it worked for me on a dreary Monday lunchtime. If you have never tried goat’s cheese before, break away from traditional pizza cheese and branch out. There is a multitude of vegetables you can add, such as olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and/or capsicum. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 gluten-free pizza bases
• 1/4 bunch basil leaves, washed & drained
• 30g goat's cheese, crumbled 
• 1 medium to large tomato, finely sliced
• 200g eggplant, cut into 3-4cm cubes
• 1/4 red onion, sliced into thin wedges 
• 1/2 cup tomato paste

COOKING 

1. Heat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. 

2. Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add eggplant cubes and cook for 3-4 minutes, then drain well and rinse with cold water. Pat dry with a tea towel or paper towel and season with sea salt. Set aside.

3. Meanwhile, spread 1/4 cup tomato paste evenly over each pizza base. Place basil leaves on top of the tomato paste, covering the pizza base. Sprinkle eggplant, red onion and goat's cheese on the pizza and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until pizza bases are golden. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

x E

TOMATO, BASIL & CHEESE PIZZA

Pre-made gluten-free pizza bases are just my version of a godsend. When I’ve had a long work day or just don’t feel like standing in the hot kitchen slaving away, I buy these from Coles or Woolworths, add whatever toppings I have on hand and the oven does the rest. When I am feeling enthusiastic I experiment with more ingredients, such as an Antipasto pizza or a Tandoori chicken pizza. Yesterday I just wanted simple, quick and damn tasty. I must admit, this is the best tasting pizza out of all the ones I have made, and it’s the humblest.  

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x Gluten-free pizza bases (available at all major supermarkets in the bread aisle)
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste or prepared pizza sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3/4 bunch of basil, roughly chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced 
• 1/2 cup loosely packed light grated cheese

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. 

2. Spread 3 tablespoons of paste/sauce on each pizza base. Arrange tomato slices on top. Scatter 1/2 a clove of finely chopped garlic, 1/4 cup of cheese and 1/2 of the chopped basil on each pizza. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until base of the pizza is golden and no longer soft. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 23 minutes 

x E

GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA

Before I became dairy-free, I thought that a pizza was simply not a pizza without cheese. In fact, pizza was one of the many foods that I thought I would have to cease eating earlier this year. Now I haven’t eaten fast-food pizza for years; I’m referring to delicious homemade pizza, without bucket loads of oil and flour in them. With a few busy nights last week, I was at a loss for what to make for dinner. My gorgeous mother had stocked my pantry with potatoes and gluten-free pizza bases just that morning (I love living close to her), hence came my idea for Potato & Rosemary pizza. The Antipasto pizza is similar to my past homemade pizza creations. Without tooting my own horn at all, I think these pizza’s tasted better without cheese. If you are dairy-free and can’t live without cheese on pizza, try grating some hard goat’s cheese on the pizza or some goat’s or sheep’s feta. Unfortunately the images are not my own as my pizza photos are having a hard time loading but they will be up soon. 

Potato, Rosemary & Garlic Pizza

Image by http://www.cooktj.com/files/node_images/144/potato%20pizza.JPG

INGREDIENTS

• 1 gluten-free pizza base (Old Time Bakery does a great GF base)
• 2 medium potatoes, washed, peeled & cut into thin slices
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 
• sea salt & black pepper

COOKING 

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Heat the potato slices in a microwave for 7 minutes, making sure to cover the slices with glad wrap. 

3. Spread the minced garlic on the pizza base, then add the potato, covering the base. Sprinkle the rosemary, sea salt & pepper on top. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the base and the potato are slightly golden. 

Image by https://www.organicbuyersgroup.com.au/shop/images/OTB_Gluten_Free_Pizza_Bases.jpg

Antipasto Pizza

INGREDIENTS

• 1 gluten-free pizza base (Old Time Bakery does a great GF base)
• 200g artichokes (from a tin works best), drained well & cut 
• 1 teaspoon pine nuts
• 1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

COOKING 

1. 1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Spread tomato paste evenly over the pizza. Add the cut artichokes, red onion and pine nuts. Sprinkle the mixed herbs over the pizza. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the pizza base and pine nuts are slightly golden. 

Serves / 4 (both pizzas) 

Total Preparation time / 8 minutes Antipasto Pizza / 15 minutes Potato Pizza 

Total Cooking time / 10-12 minutes 

x E

CURRY CHICKEN PITA BREAD PIZZA

Its time for pizza again! As the end of the week (Friday night) called for a little celebration, I made pizza. Quite similar to the turkey pita bread pizza several blog posts ago but made with chicken and a few different spices. I don't like to play favourites, but if I did this chicken curry pizza would just win over the turkey pizza, as the curry and smoked paprika give it a very distinctive and exotic flavour. The avocado on top may not be to everyone's liking; therefore you can add rocket or leave the pizza as is when it comes out of the oven. Don't forget to add the dried oregano right before the pizza goes into the oven, as it makes a hell of a difference!  


INGREDIENTS

• 500g chicken, sliced into equal strips 
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
• 1 tablespoon curry powder 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil 
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 60g red onion, finely diced
• 1 ripe avocado, diced 
• 6 small whole wheat pita breads (45g each) or gluten-free wraps
• Pre-packed low-fat pizza sauce or tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese for each pita bread (6 teaspoons in total)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano (1/4 teaspoon per pita bread)
• 1 x 400g tin of artichokes, rinsed and drained well 
• baking paper

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. 

2. Place the chicken strips, garlic, smoked paprika, curry powder and olive oil in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat and cook chicken, stirring constantly, until no red flesh remains (this will take around 5-7 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken strips are). Remove and cover to keep warm.  

3. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce/tomato paste over each of the 6 pita breads. Then evenly distribute the artichokes, red onion and chicken to each pita bread. Top with 1 teaspoon parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns and the cheese is melted. Top with diced avocado when removed from the oven. 

NB: Usually when you buy the packs of 45g pita bread, they will come in packs of 4. You can either increase the ingredients by a 1/4 to be able to make more of the same chicken curry pizza, or you can make a simple but very taste margarita pizza by adding tomato paste, cheese and oregano or basil. 

Serves / 4  

TURKEY & VEGETABLE PITA BREAD PIZZA

 Last night, in preparation for day 3, I baked pita bread pizza. In addition to being quite healthy, making these miniature pizzas was rather fun. You can add any ingredients that you know to be healthy and low-fat (for example chorizo would not make the list, but mushrooms and tomatoes would), chop them up and bake them for 10-12 minutes. Just remember that when it comes to pizza, less toppings is always more! Coeliacs could substitute pita bread for a gluten-free wrap as a base or a small gluten-free pizza base. I made 6 of these small 45g pita bread pizzas, consumed 2 last night in front of some sitcom TV, gave 2 to my partner for lunch today and that left 2 for lunch for Day 3. Super easy! If you are making this dish after a long, draining day at work and don’t feel like being creative, use my combination of  toppings, as they are delicious.


INGREDIENTS

• 120g sliced turkey, roughly shredded (from the deli at a supermarket)
• 60-80g red onion, finely diced
• 1 small green capsicum, finely diced
• 6 small whole wheat pita breads (45g each) or gluten-free wraps
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon of reduced-fat grated cheese for each pita bread (6 teaspoons in total)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano (1/4 teaspoon per pita bread)
• 1 x 400g tin of artichokes, rinsed and drained well 
• baking paper

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large oven tray with baking paper. 

2. Spread a thin layer of tomato paste over each of the 6 pita breads. Then evenly distribute the capsicum, artichokes, red onion and turkey to each pita bread. Top with 1 teaspoon cheese and 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano. 

3. Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes or until the base browns. 

x E