Taste: Anyone who likes pizza and Italian food will appreciate this dish. This dish is lite and fresh which is great when its hot outside or if your trying to slim down but would prefer not to give up pizza (which is almost everyone). It's especially awesome when you consider how easy it is to prepare.
Preparation: This recipe is almost too easy. It takes 5 minutes to prepare and about 5 minutes to cook. Anyone in a time crunch can appreciate a meal that takes a total of 10 minutes before eating.
All that is needed:
-1 can of low sodium diced tomatoes
-2 oz. of part skim mozzarella cheese (I like the fresh mozzarella packed in water)
-Whole Wheat Pita bread
-a few leaves of thinly sliced basil.
I always drain the tomatoes to start with and thinly slice the cheese to put on top of your pita. Bake for about 5-7 minutes at 425. Right after you take it out of the oven, while the pizza is still hot, sprinkle the basil over the top (this way you don't burn the leaves but the heat releases the flavor).
A serving is one pizza and the Recommended Daily Allowances are as follows:
-Calories 250
-Total fat- 12%
-Saturated fat 22%
-Cholesterol 0%
-Sodium 15%
-Potassium 4%
-Carbohydrates 9%
-Fiber 16%
-Protein 12 g
-Vitamin A 10%
-Vitamin C 15%
-Calcium 25%
-Iron 9%
-under 2 grams of sugar
(nutritional information estimated based packaging)
Benefits of this dish: This recipe is low calorie and low fat but because of the complex carbohydrates and fiber in the whole wheat pita bread it will keep you full while helping to keep your blood sugars stable. It is also low in sodium and sugar. All of these benefits work together to give us a hearth healthy option. The tomatoes in this dish offer a wide variety of nutrients that are essential to maintain a healthy body. First of all, they are high in Potassium which is essential for making your heart beat correctly. Tomatoes also contain a lot of vitamin C which helps us ward off infection and absorb iron. Another little fact about tomatoes is that they contain Lycopene, the substance that gives red fruit its color. Lycopene has a lot of benefits for our skin and for men their prostates. The Calcium in this dish comes primarily from the cheese. Calcium is essential for our bone structure and muscle function, with out enough of it in our diets we risk diseases such as osteoporosis as we age.
What this could use more of: Although this dish does have some Iron and Potassium, for a balanced and healthy diet it would be beneficial to have more in your meal. As previously stated Potassium is essential for regulating your heart rate and Iron is essential for building your blood.
What to serve with it: I always have this with a tossed green salad. I like mine loaded with a variety of veggies and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice but you can make it however you like! This will help boost the nutrient content. Because this is a simple dish it does not have a high content of some vitamins and minerals such as Iron.
-Allred, S
It was a very simple time efficient recipe. It took almost no time to prepare and maybe a ten-minute cook time. It has a fresh taste to it and I love that it is figure friendly; I’ll definitely have to make this dish again! I love margarita pizza because it has fewer calories than most but it is still exploding in flavor, from the juicy fresh tomatoes to the mozzarella cheese. The only drawback is that it doesn’t have all the necessary elements to make it a full meal, so I would just add something on the side to meet all the health requirements!
ReplyDeleteI choose this recipe because it is high in calcium from the cheese and the tomatoes helped as well in potassium and vitamin c. Not only are we at that time where everyone is sick so vitamin C is a great way to help boost your immune system a little bit. Also tomatoes help in iron absorption and I’m anemic so that’s something I’m always looking for!