Dishing the Dirty Deets on Grease

(recipe below)

We all know that grease is bad for you, but why???  Why can't we just enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza without all that guilt?

Well, it all comes back to your heart: more grease, otherwise known as saturated fats, causes the arteries supplying blood to your heart or brain to be blocked, which causes a heart attack or stroke.  Every attack that blocks off blood to any part of these organs causes that part to die, and it can never be restored.  After too many heart attacks and strokes, the heart and brain become too weak and receive too little blood.

Where are these "saturated fats" found?  In high-fat meat, high-fat milk and cheese, butter, ice cream, and palm and coconut oils.  However, ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST!  There is a good kind of fat: unsaturated fats.  These can be found in fish, some fruits and vegetables, and cooking oils (olive and vegetable oils).  Unsaturated fats actually lower cholesterol by preventing your arteries from getting clogged.

These fats are so relevant in this recipe because it is of pizza, which usually is negatively associated with grease and unhealthy eating.  This recipe is for a jumble of vegetables over a pizza crust that tastes absolutely amazing, and if fills that "pizza craving" without all of the guilt.


Smorgasbord Pizza

Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (preferably whole wheat)
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons pesto
sliced olives
asparagus cut into bite-size segments
cubes of tofu
1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
sliced mushrooms
sliced bell peppers
sprinkling of low-fat mozzarella cheese

Pile on the quinoa!

Turn the oven onto 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put breadcrumbs on a baking sheet so the pizza does not stick to it, and roll out pizza dough onto the surface.  Brush olive oil onto the rim of the pizza, covering about an inch to two inches around the circumference (or to your preference of crust).  Then, spread the pesto on the inside of the pizza, topping if off with the quinoa.  Next, spread out the olives, asparagus, tofu, mushrooms and peppers all to your liking over the quinoa-pesto base.  To finish, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the pizza fillings, leaving it off the crust.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.  If the center crust is not cooked through all the way, put it back in the oven for another 3 minutes.


Alot of these measurements depend on how much you like the ingredients.  If you don't like asparagus, don't put it on.  If too much tofu is overkill, tone it down.  These measurements are suggested, and, honestly, I don't even measure out simple toppings such as these.