Flax & Parmesan Pizza

For my kids and I, this is one of the most delicious recipes I've tasted and so easy to make.  I remember buying Boboli pizza crusts and I can't remember how much they were, but this ground flaxseed and parmesan crust is soooo inexpensive and for the price of a package of Boboli pizza crust (contains 2), you could make probably more than a dozen pizzas that are way healthier.

Ground flaxseed is less than $2/lb and on sale, a fraction of that.  One pound can make the equivalent of probably 6-8 pizzas.  Fresh parmesan does cost some at around $4-6/lb, but a little goes a long way.  Okay, maybe I exaggerate, but you can still get about 6-8 pizzas for the price of 1 pkg Boboli.

This recipe was inspired by Melissa from I Breath . . . I'm Hungry blog.  She is a food blogger and she has some easy, amazing, low carb recipes.  She's also quite funny, too and has beautiful pictures.  Mine cannot compare, but here is my aim at what I did of her recipe.

Ingredients for Crust:

• 1.5 cups ground flaxseed
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (using fresh is better, IMHO)
• 3 eggs
• Olive oil or water (to keep hands & rolling pin from sticking)
• Spray olive oil (to spray pizza stone or bakeware)

\
Directions for Crust:

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  I also added dried herbs to this.  Do or don't.  Depends on you.
• Whisk eggs in a separate small bowl. 
• Add SOME of the whisked eggs into the dry ingredients.  Using a fork, being mixing everything until it's all most.  After a bit, I just used my hands.  Don't put all the eggs in at once, as this may make it too wet.  You want it just wet enough, but not overly wet.

• Grease pizza stone.  I use a spray olive oil, but you can use butter or regular extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil.  If you do not have a pizza stone, you can do this in a baking sheet or even casserole dish (the bigger the better).
• Spread mixture onto pizza stone with hands that are wet first.  You can wet with water or with oil.  I did it with oil.  This is to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands too much.
• To get a more even layer, and I wanted it thin, I used a rolling pin.  Oil rolling pin before using, otherwise mixture will stick to it.

• I can't remember if this was taken before or after it baked.  But, after you are done getting it to the thickness you want, pop it into the oven for 8 min. at 350° F.  I love how evenly baking is on my pizza stone.  If you don't have one, you gotta get one.  I've had this one for over 15 yrs and it's great.
• As a note, you can make this into crackers.  I'll have a different entry for this when I do it.

Ingredients for My Pizza:

• 1/3 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 2/3 cup walnut pesto
• 2/3 cup marinara sauce
• a few thin slices of prosciutto
• a handful of basil leaves, fresh
• shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Had leftover homemade walnut-basil pesto from last week.  Had a jar of Trader Joe's marinara, since I didn't have enough pesto to cover the pizza.

• You really can put whatever toppings you want.  I looked in my frig to see what I had and what was easy to use.  I saw that there was 1/3 rotisserie chicken left (this has lasted for several meals), deboned it and shredded the chicken with my fingers.  Had a package of thinly sliced prosciutto and used a few slices.

• Had a bunch of fresh basil, so I threw on some fresh leaves.

• You can top with any cheese or NO CHEESE for those who can't eat cheese or are lactose intolerant.  I had fresh mozarrella but was just too lazy to grate or slice, but I had a bag of cheddar cheese that was perfect to top with.  Easy.  Use what you have and feel like putting on it.

• For pizzas, you don't have to use a ton of ingredients.  A little goes a long way.  Put pizza in oven and bake for 15 min. at 350° F.

• Oh my goodness.  This was the BEST pizza.  The crust was thin, a little crunchy, but not crispy.  The crust, because of the pesto and seasoning it with dried herbs, was so flavorful.  I don't normally like crust on the pizza, but this was finger licking good and you have to gobble every morsel of it.
• Here is a slice of the pesto base.  This was absolutely so flavorful and no crappy stuff added to this pizza.  Very healthy, but it didn't taste healthy, rather rich.

• The side that had marinara tasted healthier and less rich.  The sauce does make a difference.  The pizza crust held up well.  I could eat it with just picking it up and it didn't fall apart.  However, it did get a little crumbly and messy, so I finished with using a fork.  Bon appetit.  Oh, from start to finish (pulling out the ingredients to cleanup was about 45 min.  Next time, I'll be faster).

• Okay, I just broke down the cost of the crust.  It cost me about $1.75 for the ingredients.  Nothing was on sale, all regular priced.  The toppings was about maybe $6-7.  Nothing on sale.  This pizza was about $8.25 out the door, minus the small utilities used.  This is a gourmet pizza and no, it doesn't beat the cost of the $5 pizza, but it tastes way better and super healthy, loaded with fiber, protein, richness, and great ingredients.