Pizza Night

We love pizza night at our house! My daughter thinks that anything with red sauce on it is completely inedible, so she likes hers without sauce. My husband wants his loaded with meat and onions, and I prefer mine with fresh veggies and lots of cheese. So let's see... three pizzas, one with lots of toppings, one with fresh veggies, one with nothing but cheese, plus tax and delivery is... more than I want to spend. Or I could just make it at home without having to run out to the store to buy all the ingredients!

Tonight I made a whole wheat crust from scratch, and so can you. Trust me - it isn't hard at all and your kids will love the freedom to make their pie exactly the way they want to.

1 1/2c Warm Water
1 Package Instant Yeast
1T Honey (or sugar or agave nectar)
1/8t Salt
1/2t Garlic Powder (optional)
1T Olive Oil
2 to 4 cups Thrive Whole Wheat Flour

Combine warm water, yeast and honey and let rest for 5 minutes. Add oil, salt, garlic powder if desired and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture. Continue adding flour, 1/4c at a time, until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Knead for 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball, put it into a greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel. Let rise for 1 hour. This crust recipe will make one really big pizza, or can be divided to make up to 4 personal sized crusts. Tonight I divided this ball of dough into three equal pieces.

If the thought of making your own pizza dough makes you want to run away screaming, skip this step and just use store bought crust or dough! No big deal.

While the dough is rising, make your sauce.

1T Olive Oil
1 1/2c Water
1/2c Thrive Tomato Powder
1/2t Garlic Powder
1t Sugar
1/2t Italian Seasonings
1/8t Salt

In a small bowl, combine Tomato Powder, garlic powder, sugar, Italian seasonings and salt. In a saucepan over medium high heat, bring water and olive oil to a boil. Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the Tomato Powder mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you want your sauce to be a little thicker, continue to simmer until the desired consistency is reached.

If you haven't already, now is a good time to consider toppings. Here are a few ideas from your Thrive pantry:

• Veggie: FD Red & Green Bell Peppers, FD Mushrooms, FD Chopped Spinach, FD Chopped Onions
• Meaty: FD Chopped Chicken, Sausage Crumbles, Ham TVP
• Hawaiian: FD Pineapple Chunks and Ham TVP
• Taco: Replace pizza sauce with Instant Pinto Beans (mashed to make a spreadable sauce) and top with Taco TVP, FD Chopped Onions, fresh chives, salsa and cheddar instead of mozzarella

Rehydrate your toppings as per Thrive directions. Roll out your pizza dough to desired shape and thickness*. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the dough, then top with shredded cheese and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-23 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted and bubbly.

*If you want a deep dish pizza, pre-bake your dough for 8-10 minutes before adding sauce and toppings.

 Left: Bacon, Thrive Ham TVP and Thrive Chopped Onions; Right: Cheese, no sauce;

Bottom: Thrive Ham TVP and Cheese.