Pizza Party!
Don’t we all have the same memories of childhood birthday parties? Plates of birthday cake and melted icecream, hotdogs, tummy aches and the chaos of grown-ups trying to keep sticky little hands occupied and off the clean walls! Now, with kids of our own, birthday party chaos and unhealthy party foods can leave us looking for new and better ways to keep kids occupied and still make sure they’re eating healthy. Well, here’s a trick that’s bound to bring out the little chef in everyone child. Create your own pizza party!
The key to a successful pizza party? Organization! Have the ingredients prepared ahead of time. If several children are going to be making their own pizzas try dividing the ingredients ahead of time and placing a plate of pizza toppings beside each child’s station. A small bowl of pizza sauce and a plate with several colorful ingredients will bring out the creative chef in each child.
Let your imagination run wild and include healthy ingredients such as:
- Pineapple
- Shredded mozzarella or soy cheese
- Sliced mushrooms
- Green and red bell pepper, diced fine
- Sliced soy pepperoni (Yves makes a wonderful brand)
- Blanched green beans
- More fun and favorite toppings!
Divide pizza dough into golf ball sized balls of dough and roll the dough out onto individual dinner plates. Put on some lively music, give each child an apron and one of the rolled out pizza shells and let the fun begin. Children are hilarious! Each one will create his unique and personality packed individual pizzas. They’ll lay out designs, make faces out of ingredients and surprise you with their results! If getting your child to eat was difficult before, you’ll be surprised at how they enjoy eating their own creations.
When each child has finished topping his or her pizza, carefully lift the pizza from the plate to a baking sheet. Bake each individual pizza in a preheated hot oven (400F or hotter) for 15 minutes or until done. When done, cut each pizza into several small pieces and serve. What could be easier!
Low-fat Pizza Dough (vegan)
What could be more fun and kid friendly than pizza? In this healthy version of pizza dough you’ll find not only a terrific recipe that kids will love, it’s also great for the whole family! This recipe will make enough pizza dough for two large 18” pizzas. We’ve gotten creative and have added some dried herbs right to the dough mixture, for extra flavor. Try experimenting by adding your favorite herbs such as cumin, garlic or even chives.
Ingredients:
- I cup of lukewarm water
- 4 to 4 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 package of yeast
- 2 teaspoons of sugar (or honey)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons of dried herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary or your favorite)
Directions:
- Mix sugar, salt and flour together in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the package of yeast in the warm water. When the yeast is dissolved, add to flour mixture.
- Stir until dough has absorbed all the water. Add the olive oil and herbs.
- Mix until dough is no longer sticky. If necessary, add more flour or water. Knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Place in back in the bowl, cover and set in a warm area for 30 minutes. The dough will rise and double in size.
- Take the dough out of the bowl, knead 2 or 3 minutes and return the dough to the bowl to rise for another 15 minutes.
- Divide the dough into two halves to create two 18” pizzas. Spread with tomato sauce and layer with your favorite ingredients including fresh veggies and soy cheese. Bake in a very hot oven (450F to 500F) for 20 to 30 minutes. Oven temperatures do vary, so keep an eye on your pizza to make sure the edges do not burn.
Serve your pizza with a fresh tossed salad, some good Italian bread and, of course, a dramatic flurry as you call from the kitchen “It’s pizza time!” You may never order out again.
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