Deep Dish Pizza

If you're from Chicago like I am, you are most likely a pizza snob.  We like our thin crust pizzas cut into squares and our deep dish pizzas cut into traditional triangles.  We know that our Chicago style pizza is the best. When we travel, we try other pizzas (I think) just to prove we're right.  I know that my favorite pizzas are deep dish from Chicago.  Giordano's happens to be my personal favorite.  You can take a look at their website:  http://www.giordanos.com/. 

That being said, I know that most people like the pizza in their hometown simply because it's familiar.  Chicago is no exception.

Traditional pizza is just sooo bad for you.  It's salty and greasy and sooo yummy.  I found a way to make deep dish pizza better for you.  It might not be great for you, but we all need a little indulgence once in a while.  This pizza recipe makes me feel much better about indulging.  This pizza is heavy on the meat and light on the cheese.  It uses a homemade low sodium sauce instead of the high sodium stuff from a jar.

I must say, that this recipe is quite a bit of work.  Personally, I think it's well worth the effort.  Give it a try.

LOW SODIUM PIZZA SAUCE

Ingredients:
6 oz can low sodium tomato paste
8 oz low sodium tomato sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried, minced onion
1 packet sodium free chicken or beef broth
1 teaspoon sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:
Combine ingredients in saucepan over low heat and simmer 20 minutes.
(You may prepare this the night before making the pizza.  You may also make large batches and freeze single use sizes in Ziploc bags to use later.)

DEEP DISH PIZZA

Ingredients:

Filling:
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon crushed anise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
 a few dashes of paprika and black pepper
Low sodium pizza sauce (see above recipe)
 1 - 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 pound ground beef

Crust:
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornmeal
1-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2/3 cup very warm water
1/4 cup olive oil

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In skillet, heat onions, peppers, and meat until no longer pink and drain.  Add mushrooms and seasonings.  Add 1/2 cup pizza sauce and mix well; set aside.  Spray bottom of deep dish pan (I use the Pampered Chef Deep Dish Baker) with cooking spray.  Then sprinkle bottom of pan with tablespoon of cornmeal. 

In bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, yeast, and sugar.  Add water and oil and mix until ball forms.  Knead dough on floured surface about 3 minutes.  (I actually skip this step.)  Place dough in pan and press onto bottom and sides of pan.  Sprinkle a layer of cheese on the crust; top with meat mixture, another layer of cheese,

and rest of pizza sauce. 

Bake 30 minutes.  Yield 6 servings.

Minestrone

I have never made minestrone before so I thought that I'd give it a shot.  I have to say that this recipe turned out well.  It tasted different than most of the minestrone soups that I've eaten in restaurants, but I attribute that to the lack of salt.  Unfortunately, I have never eaten authentic homemade minestrone.  So If any of my Italian friends would like to make me some, I'd be happy to oblige.

I altered a recipe that I found in one of my many cookbooks and tried it.  This is the result.  Give it a try and leave a comment to let me know what you think.

I love garlic, so I probably added more garlic powder than what is called for in the recipe.

MINESTRONE

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) low sodium Italian diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (8 oz) low sodium tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Auntie Jean's Low Sodium Italian Dressing Blend*
1-1/4 cups water
1 can (15 oz) low sodium white kidney beans or great northern beans
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
1/2 cup small pasta (I used broken spaghetti)

Preparation:
In a large saucepan, Mix first 10 ingredients and bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Stir in beans and pasta and bring to boil.  Reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve in bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

*Please email me at: auntiejeans@yahoo.com if you'd like to order some Auntie Jean's Low Sodium Italian Dressing Blend.

Low Sodium Spaghetti and Meatballs

One of the easiest meals to make is spaghetti and meatballs.  Trying to adhere to a low sodium diet causes this meal to be slightly more difficult, but still totally worth the effort (in my opinion).

After I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, I was told to reduce my sodium intake to less than 2,000 mg per day.  That seems like a lot until you start reading labels and websites with nutrition information.  You could easily consume 1,800 mg in one meal if you're not careful. 

Jarred spaghetti sauce often has high sodium content (over 400 mg per 1/2 cup).  Pasta normally has little or no sodium, so no problem there.  Then you have to be careful how you prepare the meatballs.  The recipe that I use calls for Italian bread crumbs; again over 400 mg sodium per 1/2 cup.  I substitute Matzo Meal with Italian seasonings for the Italian bread crumbs.

The spaghetti sauce can be prepared ahead of time... the night before or earlier.  Sauce freezes well, so you can prepare a batch and pour it into a Ziploc bag and freeze it.  Thaw it the night before, and you can simply heat it like you would the jarred sauce.

Here are the recipes:

SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Ingredients:
1 can (6 oz) low sodium tomato paste
1 can (14 oz) low sodium diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans (8 oz) low sodium tomato sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 packet of low sodium beef bouillon/ broth
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in large pot and bring to boil.


ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef (or meat of your choice)
1 egg
1/2 cup Matzo Meal (or corn meal)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon thyme

Preparation:
Combine Matzo Meal and spices in small bowl.  In large bowl, combine meat, egg, and Matzo Meal mixture.  Roll meat into balls and set aside. 

Gently place meatballs into boiling spaghetti sauce and reduce to low. 

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 1 pound of spaghetti.  Pour meatballs and sauce over spaghetti and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.