Huh? Quinoa AND Pizza?!

In my quest to add more things like barley, wheatberries & quinoa into our diet, I picked up a copy of Quinoa 365, a cookbook devoted to this versatile superfood. Seeing as I haven't grocery shopped since returning from NYC, I needed a quick dinner using ingredients on hand. Pizza is about as quick & easy as it comes!

Outrageously Quick and Easy Pizza Crust

1 1/3 cups water

2/3 cup white quinoa

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tbsp. white or cane sugar

3 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. quick-rise yeast

1 large egg, beaten

3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour

*I used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and about 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour.

Combine the 1 1/3 cups water & quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

Mix the 1 1/2 cups warm water and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the oil, salt and yeast. Mix in the egg and cooked quinoa. Blend in the flour, starting with 3 1/2 cups. Work in another 1/4 cup of flour. Grab the dough with a clean, dry hand to test stickiness. (If the dough sticks to your hand but pulls off you have enough flour in the dough. If the dough remains stuck to your hand, add more flour.) Continue adding small amounts of flour, doing the "sticky test" after each addition (you should not require more than 4 cups of flour in total). Freeze unused portions of the dough in resealable freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Slide the dough in half for 2 large crusts or roll itinto a log and cut it into 3 pieces for medium crusts. Form the pieces of dough into balls. Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil or greased and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place in a warm area to sit for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly grease the pizza pan(s) and press the dough evenly into each pan. Dress with your favourite sauce & toppings and bake on the centre oven rack for 25-30 minutes (time may vary with different pizza pans and amount of toppings). Remove the pizza from the oven when the cheese in the centre is bubbling and the bottom of the crust is golden brown. refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

To prepare leftover frozen dough, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Place the dough in a bowl that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil or grease, cover it with a dishcloth and allow the dough to rise as above.

I personally couldn't tell there was quinoa in the crust though D said he could. The crust crisped nicely but still had a great chew factor. This will definitely become my go-to crust because it's much healthier & filling with all the extra protein thanks to the quinoa. This will make an easy meatless option for us in our quest to eat less meat.

*Outrageously Quick and Easy Pizza Crust, Quinoa 365, p. 120.