Here is the easiest version of Pizza I have made so far using All Purpose Flour. This is a good choice for beginners though there are healthier Pizza crusts like Whole Wheat Crust, Cauliflower Crust, Coconut Flour Crust and so on.

Home made Vegetable Pizza

A perfect crust can be obtained by baking the Pizza on a Pizza Stone at the highest oven temperature. If you don’t have a Pizza Stone, you can use a Pizza Pan or Baking Sheet. I have used  pie pans and cake pans for making my pizza.

Ingredients

1. All Purpose Flour – 2 cups
2. Yeast – 1 tsp
3. Warm Water – 1/2 cup
4. Salt – to taste
5. Sugar – 1 tbsp
6. Corn Flour/All Purpose Flour – for dusting
7. Canned Tomato Sauce/Puree – 1/4 cup
8. Dried Parsley Flakes – 2 tsp
9. Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
10. Barbeque Sauce – 2 tbsp (optional)
11. Thinly Sliced Tomatoes  – 1 medium
12. Thinly Sliced Mushrooms – 4 or 5
13. Thinly Sliced Bell Peppers – half of one small bell pepper
14. Chopped Fresh or Frozen Spinach – 1/4 cup or less
15. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – 1/4 cup (You can use Low Fat Cheese)
16. Olive Oil – 2 tsp + 1 tsp (for coating the pizza pan)

 Preparation Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of lightly warm water along with 1 tbsp sugar. Keep it aside for ten minutes so that it becomes foamy.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, little salt, 2 tsp olive oil and the yeast solution. Knead lightly to form a smooth dough and leave it aside for ten minutes. You may have to add a few tablespoons of water while kneading.
3. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup of the canned tomato sauce, parsley flakes, garlic powder and salt in another bowl. You can also add 2 tbsp of barbeque sauce for an extra kick.
4. Dust your working surface with little corn/all purpose flour and roll the dough into desired shape. The crust shouldn’t be too thin but should be atleast 1/4″ thick. You can roll it into 10-12″ diameter approximately. Brush the top of the dough with little olive oil.
5. If using frozen spinach, defrost it. If using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly and then chop it.
6. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Lightly grease a pizza pan, stone or baking sheet with olive oil and dust with all purpose flour or corn flour.
7. Transfer the rolled out dough to the pan and press lightly. Pinch the edges to keep the toppings inside.
8. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the crust. Top the crust with all the vegetables and shredded cheese.
9. Bake for 10-12 minutes on the lowest rack until the cheese melts. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Note

1. For a thin and crispy crust, roll the dough into a thinner circle and bake for 12-15 minutes on 450 degree F.
2. Feel free to top the pizza with vegetables of your choice like olives, basil, onions and so on but do not overcrowd the pizza with too many toppings.
3. You can also lightly saute toppings like onions and mushrooms in little oil before adding it to your pizza base.
4. Be careful with the amount of tomato sauce you spread on the base or else the pizza will become soggy.

Vegetable Pizza

Vegetarian Rice Noodles

Ingredients

1. Rice Stick/Noodles – 1 packet 250g approx
2. Diced Onions – 1 small
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 small
4. Diced Beans – 1/2 cup
5. Diced Carrots – 1/2 cup
6. Diced Bell Peppers – 1/2 cup
7. Cashew halves – 10 to 12
8. Curry Leaves – a sprig
9. Slit Red/Green Chillies – 2 (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
10. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
11. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
12. Garlic Powder – 1/4 tsp
13. Oil – 2 tbsp
14. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
15. Lemon Juice/Vinegar – 1 to 2 tsp
16. Sugar – 1 tsp
17. Salt – to taste
18. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Bring water to a boil and cook the rice noodles in salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Keep an eye as these noodles cook in 3-5 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and splutter mustard seeds.  Add the onions, cashews and chillies and saute until the onions are translucent.
2. Throw in the curry leaves along with the chopped beans. Saute for a few minutes.
3. Next, throw in the carrots and stir fry for a few minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and bell peppers along with salt to taste.
5. Continue sauteing until the vegetables are cooked.
6. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder, chilly powder and garlic powder. Stir fry for a minute and add lemon juice or vinegar along with 1 tsp sugar.
7. Add the cooked rice noodles and toss everything together and remove from stove top.
8. Serve with any pickle or chutney of your choice.

Couscous with Vegetables

Here is a very simple recipe using Couscous and Vegetables. Couscous tastes good with Indian spices. Since Couscous is larger than Rava, you don’t have to worry about it becoming mushy. The grains tend to remain separate.

Ingredients

1. Whole Wheat Couscous – 1 cup (Instant Variety)
2. Diced Onions – 1 small
3. Diced Tomatoes – 1 small
4. Slit Green Chillies – 2 (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
5. Diced Carrots – 1/2 cup
6. Diced Bell Peppers – 1/2 cup
7. Finely Chopped Cilantro (Malliyella) – A few
8. Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp
9. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
10. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
11. Oil – 2 tbsp
12. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp
13. Salt – to taste
14. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Cook couscous according to the instructions on the packet. For 1 cup of Couscous, I used 1 and 1/4 cups of water. Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Add couscous, stirring quickly. Cover with a lid and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and splutter mustard seeds.
3. Saute onions until translucent.
4. Add tomatoes and slit green chillies along with salt and continue sauteing until the tomatoes are cooked.
5. Reduce heat and add ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2 minutes.
6. Throw in the carrots and stir fry for a few minutes.
7. Add the bell peppers and cilantro leaves. Continue sauteing until the vegetables are cooked but crispy.
8. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder and chilly powder. Stir fry for a minute.
9. Add the couscous and toss everything together and remove from stove top.

1. Yellow - Carrot, Pumpkin, Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Sweet Corn, Mangoes, Apricot, Peach, Pumpkin
2. Green - Spinach, Lettuce, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini, Peas
3. Red - Tomato, Citrus Fruits, Melons, Berries, Chili Peppers, Apples, Pomegarante

Tri Color Vegetable Pasta

You can use Whole Wheat Pasta for a healthy meal.

Ingredients

1. Any Pasta of Your Choice – 1 packet, 16 oz/1 lb approx (I used Tri Color Bow Ties)
2. Olive Oil – 1/2 tsp + 1 tbsp
3. Diced Onions – 1 medium
4. Diced Mixed Vegetables – As needed (I used 2 Carrots, 6 to 7 Sugar Snap Peas and 1 Bell Pepper)
5. Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil – 4 medium pieces
6. Garlic Cloves – 2 or 3 small
7. Red Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. McCormick Italian herb seasoning – 1 tsp (The ingredients are Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Basil)
9. Black Pepper powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your Spice Tolerance)
10. Salt- to taste
11. Water – as needed

Preparation Method

1. Cook the pasta in boiling water according to the instructions on the packet. Add salt and 1/2 tsp olive oil while cooking pasta. Drain water from the spaghetti and keep aside.
2. Meanwhile, use a food processor and make a paste of the sun dried tomatoes and garlic.
3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and saute onions until soft.
4. Add the diced vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Cover and cook on medium low heat until soft but crispy.
5. Reduce heat and add Italian seasoning, pepper powder and chilly powder. Saute for a minute.
6. Add the tomato-garlic paste and saute thoroughly for a few minutes so that the raw taste of garlic goes away.
7. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and bring it to a slow boil to make a little sauce.
8. Finally, add the cooked pasta into the pan and toss everything gently so that the pasta is covered in the sauce.

Vegetable Masala Curry

You can use vegetables like Potatoes, Carrots, Beans, Green Peas, Cauliflower, Capsicum and so on for this curry. This curry is healthy as you are not using any cream or coconut milk for the gravy.

Ingredients

1. Diced Carrots – 2 big
2. Diced Potatoes – 1 small
3. Chopped Beans – 6 to 8
4. Fresh or Frozen Green Peas – 1/2 cup
5. Thinly Sliced Onions – 1 medium
6. Chopped Tomatoes – 2 medium (Alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup of Canned Crushed Tomatoes)
7. Green Chillies – 2
8. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp (optional)
9. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
10. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
11. Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
12. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 to 1 tsp
13. Curry Leaves – A sprig
14. Salt – to taste
15. Water – as needed
16. Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker and saute onions and green chillies until the onions become translucent.
2. Throw in the curry leaves and continue sauteing for a few minutes.
3. Reduce heat and add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, chilly, coriander and garam masala powders. Saute for two minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and all the vegetables along with 1 cup of water and salt to taste. Add more water if you want more gravy.
5. Close the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles on medium flame.
6. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to subside.
7. Serve this yummy vegetable curry with Rotis, Appam or Rice.