Windy City Pizza

I have tried tons of different eating plan and programs, but there are a couple that I like more than the others. I like the GI Diet and the Eat Clean Diet. I recently discovered the Clean Eating Magazine. It has lots of great good for you recipes. I thought that I would try making the Windy City Pizza. It like a Chicago style pizza, which always reminds me the first ski trip that George and I took together. I thought that it turned out really well and it also has a ton of veggies in it. So here is the recipe

1 (8 oz.) extra lean turkey sausage (I used Tailgate Mild Italian that I bought at Coop)

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 ½ c. mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. corn meal

1 (1 lb.) whole wheat pizza dough (I made my own)

6 oz. low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1 c. tomato sauce (I made my own pizza sauce)

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut a slit along the length of the sausage and discard casing. Place sausage into bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer mixture into a bowl.

Return pan to burner over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes. Place sausage onto a paper towel lined plate. Brush inside of a 12 inch deep dish pizza pan with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out dough to 14 inches in diameter. Place dough into pan and press to sides and bottom of pan gently, stretching dough 1 ½ inches up the side of the pan.

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over bottom of crust. Evenly layer sausage, then sautéed vegetables onto crust. Pour tomato sauce evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 -25 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 12 wedges. Sprinkle each slice with ¼ tsp. oregano and serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional Information: Calories: 186, Fat: 9 g., Carbs: 17 g., Protein: 10 g.