Zucchini Crust "Pizza"

Recently I've decided that I'm going to use the ideas from the South Beach Diet to guide my meals. I'm not cutting anything out completely - I don't believe that is good for your body. Yes, it works to lose weight by cutting out carbs and sugars completely. I've done it before and been successful. But of course, eventually that weight comes back, even though you gradually add in fruits and whole grains on the diet. In the past, my biggest issue was that I would eat too much food and not work out. So that is what I'm working on - eating less, working out more.

I'm not trying to spend hours in the gym. I'm just trying to be more active. Going for walks with my husband and talking about our day instead of sitting on the couch talking about our day. Playing bocce ball in the yard instead of binge watching The Office. And I've been doing much better about the amount of food I eat. I've been trying to listen better to how my body feels as I'm eating. If I start to feel uncomfortable I know that I should stop eating. I've struggled in the past with emotional eating, whether that emotion is sadness, anger or boredom. 

Dinner last night was an old stand by, Flatbread Pizza. However, I made my dinner a little different than normal. Instead of using the naan bread (which I made for my husband), I made a zucchini crust. Now, it in no way shape or form tastes like, looks like or smells like a regular pizza. As long as you go into it knowing it's not going to trick you into thinking you're eating pizza, then you will be surprised by how yummy it truly is! It resembles more a flattened frittata or thin omelette.

Zucchini Crust "Pizza"
Makes 1 large pizza

Ingredients
2 zucchinis, grated

1 large egg

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Additional pizza toppings

1. Preheat oven to 450. Wash and grate your zucchinis into a colander. Set the colander over a bowl or in the sink and allow excess moisture to drain out for 10-20 minutes. Press on the zucchini with a spoon to help push some of the moisture out.

2. Pour zucchini into bowl, along with egg, cheese and spices. Mix well to combine. 

3. Place parchment paper onto a pizza stone. Spread zucchini mixture onto parchment in desired shape. Bake for 20 minutes.

4. Remove from oven. Place additional toppings on pizza and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

ENJOY!

*To grate the zucchini, I used my Vegetti to cut it into thin strands, then took a knife and cut it down into smaller strips. You can use a box grater, mandolin, whatever device you want. 

**We roast garlic in the toaster oven to spread over our pizzas in place of sauce. Then we lay provolone strips, basil, diced tomatoes and caramelized onions on top. Mix it up, try out different combinations!