Sooner or later, most serious pizza lovers will need to go on a diet. Unless you were lucky enough to inherit an incredible metabolism, chances are, you’ll probably end up with a few unwanted pounds one day.

Low carbohydrate diets, like the South Beach diet, are usually effective for weight loss. In fact, they’ve even been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Low carb diets are pretty easy to stay on because there are lots of satisfying foods you can enjoy, and it’s not hard to find something to eat if you go to a restaurant.

The down side is that conventional pizza is off limits. And after a few weeks of protein and veggies, you’ll likely be craving one. Most pizza toppings are okay on low carb diets. It’s the pizza crust that’s the deal breaker. Just one slice of Boboli thin crust has 24g of carbohydrates.

Delicious low carb pizza.

But recently, we tried a low carb pizza crust that was worth getting excited about.

(subhead)
Really good low carb pizza crust.

This crust is tasty, inexpensive, easy to make, and perfectly legal. There are really only three ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 beaten egg

Cut a large head of cauliflower in half and then use a hand-grater or food processor to cut it into rice size pieces. Put the riced cauliflower in a microwave-safe dish with a lid and microwave it for about four minutes. Don’t add any water.

Spread the cauliflower on a plate to let it cool for a couple of minutes. Then combine it will the grated mozzarella and egg. We added some oregano, basil, garlic powder, and a little grated parmesan for flavor.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Oil a cookie sheet or pizza pan — we got good results with our cast iron pizza pan — then spread the cauliflower mixture onto the pan. We ended up with about a nine inch round.

Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove it from the oven, add you favorite pizza toppings, then pop it under the broiler for a few minutes until everything is hot and melted.

Because there’s so much cheese in the crust, you’ll need less cheese as a topping. If you’re doing the Atkins diet, you can use traditional pizza meats like Italian sausage and pepperoni. Just make sure they’re cooked before you use them. For the South Beach diet, leaner meats like ham, prosciutto, or sausage made with chicken are preferred.

Tomatoes and tomato sauce have some carbs, so use these sparingly. But most vegetables are virtually carb free, so add as many as you like. Onions, peppers, artichokes, olives, and mushrooms are all good choices.

The pizza we made was extremely satisfying. In retrospect, we added more cheese than we needed to. And even though it was smaller than the pizzas we usually make, we couldn’t even finish it. We each ate about a third, and left a third for some other time.

We didn’t get hungry later, and we satisfied our pizza craving without blowing our diet. If you’re trying to lose a little weight, or even if you’re not, give it a try. It’s a good way to get another serving of vegetables into your diet.

Find more diet pizza ideas here.

It’s summer and no one wants to heat up the kitchen by having the oven on at 450 degrees. But sometimes you want a pizza, and chances are the pizza you make yourself will be better than a pizza that you can get delivered.

Cooking a pizza on a barbecue grill isn’t hard, but there is some technique involved. And which method works best for you depends on what kind of grill you have.

As a rule, you’ll be able to use all your favorite pizza toppings. But since it’s summer, lighter toppings such as shrimp or chicken may be more enjoyable.

If you have a gas grill with a lid, it’s a little easier, because you have more control over the temperature and the flames. But charcoal adds more flavor. You can add some wood chips soaked in wine to the coals for extra smokiness.

Pizza on the grill

Before you get started, brush the grill with some oil so your pizza dough won’t stick. Once you roll out your pizza dough, you’ll want to put it on the grill before you put on the pizza toppings, so you need to plan how to transfer it.

You can put some corn meal on a pizza paddle or peel and use that to transfer the dough onto the grill. Another alternative which works really well is to roll out your pizza dough on waxed paper or parchment. Brush some olive oil on the dough, season it with some garlic powder, a little freshly grated Parmesan, and herbs, then take it out to the grill, lay it face down on the grill, and peel off the paper.

Cook the dough on one side until it gets golden brown. Depending on how hot the barbecue is, this might only take a couple of minutes. It may get charred in a few places, but that’s okay. Once it’s done, turn it over and add your pizza toppings.

Make sure all the ingredients are well drained so your crust gets nice and crisp.

Just topped pizzas

You’ll need to keep an eye on things so your pizza doesn’t burn. If you’re using toppings that take a while to cook, such as onions or peppers, you may want to pre-cook them. That way, your pizza will be ready when the cheese is melted and all the ingredients are heated through.

If your grill is big enough, you can also place a pizza stone or pizza pan in the grill, preheat it, and then transfer an already topped pizza to the stone and cook it as you would in a conventional oven. This will produce a pizza that‘s similar to what you‘d get using an oven. So the main advantage to this method is that you won’t heat up the kitchen.

Brian Boitano buys bricks at the home stores, heats those up in his grill and then cooks his pizza on top of the heated bricks. This technique produces a pizza that’s very similar to the brick-oven pizzas that are popular in New York and Chicago.

Pizza on the grill Image Flickr: gesika22
Just topped pizzas Image Flickr: Michael_Lehet

Although you can make pizza with almost any kind of cheese, mozzarella cheese is the hands-down favorite. Stringy, chewy, and slightly salty, it holds its own without overpowering the other pizza toppings. In fact, what many argue is the world’s best pizza — Pizza Margherita — has only tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella as its ingredients. And the flavor is incredible.

There are actually several kinds of mozzarella cheese available. So if you’ve been using the packaged, pre-shredded kind that comes in a plastic bag, branch out and try something different. Fresh, high-moisture cheese produces a pizza that‘s quite different from one made with the low-moisture kind.

Two kinds of mozzarella are used in Naples, which is the pizza center of the universe. Fior di latte is made from cow’s milk — it can be either pasteurized or unpasteurized. And mozzarella di bufala is made from the milk of the water buffalo.

Fresh mozzarella cheese

During the 16h century, water buffalos were brought back to Italy from India. The milk is hard to digest, but it makes cheese that’s sweet and creamy. Unlike mozzarella from cow’s milk, it is pure white. Because there are so few herds, it’s more expensive than fior di latte, but you don’t need much to make a great pizza.

Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, which is made in the area around Naples, is a European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product. Most authentic, Neapolitan pizzas are made with this.

Unlike most cheese, mozzarella isn’t aged and it’s best when it’s very fresh.

To make mozzarella, the cheese curds are heated in water until they form into strings. Then they’re stretched, kneaded, and shaped into balls. This fresh cheese is stored in brine and is quite moist, so you’ll need to drain it and press out the liquid before using it to top your pizza. Otherwise, your crust will be limp.

Pizza with burrata cheese

Don’t grate it. Use a sharp knife and cut it into thin slices, then lay them on top of the pizza about three or four inches apart. They will spread a little during cooking. But this kind of mozzarella should cover the pizza. And consider foregoing other pizza toppings so you can really savor the flavor of the cheese.

Burrata cheese has been eaten in Italy for decades, but it has only recently become popular in the United States. It has an outer shell of mozzarella, and an inner core of fresh cream. When you cut into it, the center oozes out, blends with the mozzarella, and creates a sinfully delicious concoction. The sweetness of burrata is great when combined with salty meats like prosciutto.

As the burrata bakes, it will spread over the surface of the pizza. It’s very rich — and expensive — so use it sparingly.

Smoked mozzarella, also called affumicata, can add a whole other dimension of flavor. And hard, grating cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano also are an excellent complement to fresh mozzarella.

Next time you’re at your grocery store, look in the cheese section for fresh, high moisture mozzarella cheese and give it a try.

Read how to make your own mozzarella cheese here.

Fresh mozzarella cheese Image Flickr: SanFranAnnie
Pizza with burrata cheese Image Flickr: arnold | inuyaki

If you’re like most people, you probably never thought about making your own mozzarella cheese. But it’s not that hard, it’s relatively inexpensive, and you can do it in less than an hour. And with a little luck, the result will be the best pizza cheese you’ve ever tasted. In fact, it may turn out to be your favorite pizza topping ever.

You won’t have everything you need on hand. But you should be able to get all the supplies at your local organic grocery or health food store. Here’s what you’ll need to make your own mozzarella pizza cheese:

* One gallon of whole milk, the freshest available
* A 6 – 8 quart stainless steel stock pot (aluminum or cast iron won’t work)
* 2 teaspoons of citric acid
* ¼ teaspoon of lipase powder that’s been dissolved in 2 tablespoons of distilled water
* ½ teaspoon of calcium chloride that’s been dissolved in 2 tablespoons of distilled water
* ½ rennet tablet that’s been dissolved in ¼ cup of distilled water
* ½ teaspoon of flaked salt

You’ll also need a candy thermometer.

Cheese making supplies

To start, set out five custard cups, or similar containers, and put the citric acid, lipase powder, calcium chloride, rennet, and flaked salt mixtures in them. Pour the milk into the stock pot and heat it over medium heat. Gradually stir the citric acid, lipase powder, and calcium chloride into the milk. Continue stirring the milk. It’s important not to let it heat too fast. When the temperature reaches 88 Fahrenheit, stir in the rennet. By this point, you should start to see some curds forming. Continue stirring until the mixture reaches 105 degrees.

Remove the stock pot from the heat, cover it, and let it rest for 20 minutes. During that time, the curds will separate from the whey.

Drain the curds with a slotted spoon or a strainer. Drain off as much of the whey as you can. You may need to press the curds with the slotted spoon. Then transfer them to a microwave-safe dish.

Freshly made Mozzarella

Microwave the curds on high for one minute. Press them again to remove as much moisture as you can. By now, the curds should start to stick together. If not, microwave them for another 20 or 30 seconds. Add the flaked salt and work it into the curds well. Then microwave the cheese again for one minute.

The cheese will probably be too hot to knead with your hands, so use a spoon to work the mixture until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The next step is the most fun — stretching the mozzarella. Pull it like taffy until it’s completely cooled. This is how mozzarella cheese get the stringy, chewy consistency that makes it everyone’s favorite pizza cheese.

Wrap the ball of cheese in plastic wrap or place it in an air-tight container and then refrigerate it until you’re ready to make your pizza. Like fresh mozzarella, it may be too soft to grate. You can use thin slices for your pizza or put it in the freezer for a bit. You’ll be able to grate it when it’s partially frozen.

Use the homemade mozzarella with other delicious pizza toppings to make pizza that’s truly special. Once you start making your own cheese, you may never go back to store bought.

Read more tasty pizza recipes here.

Images Flickr: RBerteig

The first topping for any pizza is the sauce.  Depending on what you choose, the sauce can either be the predominant flavor of your pizza or a more well-balanced accent.

In Naples – the spiritual home of all good pizza – crushed San Marzano tomatoes are spread over the crust.  You can buy canned San Marzanos at good grocery stores.  Grown in the ashy soil on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, they’re expensive but have wonderful flavor.

Just be sure you drain them thoroughly before using them so your crust doesn’t get soggy.

For a more American pie, you can use your favorite marinara sauce, or ready-made pizza sauce from a can or jar.  Tomato sauce stands up well to bold flavors like cured meats, olives, and artichokes.   And it’s great with Italian cheeses.

A “white pizza” is made without a sauce in the conventional sense.  The crust is brushed with olive oil and maybe a little garlic before the cheese and other pizza toppings are added.

Although a tomato-based sauce is the traditional favorite, it’s by no means the only choice.   Pesto is a wonderful base for a vegetarian or a chicken pizza.  If you grow your own basil, consider making your own.  You can freeze it in ice cube trays and then just pop out the number of cubes you need.  They’ll thaw in a flash and taste fresher than many of the alternatives.

If you don’t feel like making your own, many grocery stores carry fresh pesto in the refrigerator section, and it’s also available in jars and tubes.  Pesto, ripe tomato, artichoke hearts, and pine nuts make a wonderful combination.  And big, full flavors like these let you reduce the amount of cheese, yielding a healthier pizza.

In addition to basil, there are many other kinds of pesto – sun-dried tomato, artichoke, and walnut, to name a few.  These are all terrific pizza toppings.  When trying to decide which toppings to combine, think of your favorite pasta dishes.  If the flavors blend well in the bowl, they’ll likely complement each other.

A barbecued chicken pizza with barbecue sauce, smoked gouda, red onions, and cilantro is a nice break from the usual.  And enchilada sauce or salsa makes a great base for Mexican pizza toppings like ground beef, chiles, and cheddar.

Non-traditional or “gourmet” pizzas, use sauces from other cuisines to great advantage.  Thai peanut sauce is a wonderful base for chicken, shrimp, or crisp vegetables.  Hoisin or plum sauce – the kind used in mushu pork – is another bright taste that is fantastic with Asian ingredients.

Think outside the box, and you can enjoy pizza every night of the week.

When you think pizza, chances are, you think mozzarella.   It’s the default pizza cheese, and with good reason.  It melts well, has a mild flavor that goes with almost any pizza toppings, and it’s readily available and affordable.

But before you reach for that bag of shredded cheese in your grocer’s refrigerator, remember that there’s more than one kind of mozzarella.  And your pizza will be very different depending on which one you choose.

High-moisture — or fresh — mozzarella is packed in liquid and has a short shelf life.  It can be made from cow’s milk or buffalo milk.  It’s more expensive than low-moisture cheese, but as a rule, you’ll use less of it than the shredded kind.  Fresh mozzarella has a creamy texture and sweet, milky flavor that many purists prefer.

If you’re topping your pizza with high-moisture mozzarella, you’ll want to squeeze out the excess liquid and slice it into medallions.  Otherwise your crust will be soggy.  And you don’t need to cover the entire surface of the pie.  As the cheese melts, it will spread a little.

Low-moisture mozzarella is easier to work with and it’s often available made with part skim milk.  Whole-milk mozzarella melts a little better.  But part skim has less fat, and consequently, fewer calories.  Smoked mozzarella is another option that’s especially good with chicken and caramelized onions.

Because mozzarella, especially the low-moisture variety, is so mild, you should use a hard cheese to add a little punch.  Freshly grated parmesan is a great addition.  For the best flavor, buy Parmigiano-Reggiano.  It’s made from grass-fed cow’s milk and aged for a year.

Romano, which can be made from either sheep or goat’s milk, is salty and sharp.  And Grana Padano, which comes from outside Milan, is another flavor booster.  A little of any of these goes a long way.

But why not change things up and use something other than mozzarella?  A Greek pizza with olives, onions, tomatoes, and feta cheese makes a wonderful summer supper.   For something really special, top it with tzatziki sauce after it’s baked.  Feta is also great with shrimp and tomatoes.  And tangy goat cheese is terrific with arugula and sausage.  Just spray the greens with a little oil before baking.

Combine Fontina with wild mushrooms, and bacon or pancetta.   Or try Gruyere with pancetta and ripe pear slices.  Gorgonzola is also excellent with pears.

Creamy, smoked gouda is perfect for a Mexican pizza with chicken and enchilada sauce.   Or a barbecued chicken pizza with barbecue sauce, red onions, and cilantro.  Cheddar and Cheddar blends are also go well with Mexican toppings or ground beef.

For a lasagna fix without the fuss, top your pizza with a rich meat sauce, mozzarella, and ricotta cheese.

Next time you make a pizza, look in your grocer’s cheese section for inspiration.