The Australian Open! The Super Bowl! The Olympics! We need food! Lots of food!
But, we need to stay healthy, and in shape ourselves, while watching all this athletic genius, so I am reinventing some favorite appetizers over the next few weeks to make them a little more figure friendly~
I started with a “deconstructed” pizza. Just a pizza taken apart, and to be eaten in small bites. Lots of flavor, a lot less calories~
A “Mama Mary’s” Ultra thin pizza crust is topped with roasted garlic and freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Roasted garlic adds so much flavor to anything, and did you know it is super good for you too? Click here for more information on the benefits of garlic.
I love putting it on pizzas and flatbreads. Just cut off the top of a large garlic head until the cloves are exposed, drizzle it with olive oil and salt and pepper, wrap it in a square of foil and pop it in the oven at 400 for about an hour. Your kitchen will smell amazing!
Once it’s cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic onto the crust and spread it around with your fingers. Top this with Parmesan and a little Kosher salt and pepper.
Bake at 400 about 8 minutes, directly on oven rack, until the edges are brown and crisp and the pizza looks done.
Slice into very thin wedges. It will be almost like a tasty cracker!
Hawaiian pizza is usually made with Canadian Bacon and pineapple. I decided to wrap Maple Bacon around pineapple chunks. Lots of recipes for similar bacon wrapped appetizers call for brown sugar, but there is plenty of sugar and flavor in the pineapple and maple bacon so I kept it simple. Give it a drizzle of soy sauce if you like~
About 25 minutes in a 350 oven, and these irresistible bites will be done!
No, bacon isn’t a low fat food, but a little can go a long way in satisfaction and flavor~
Cooking pizza crust this way is a great alternative for any kind of cracker or baguette slices for dips
But it’s also delicious all by itself!
Here’s the recipe:
Deconstructed Hawaiian Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 prepared thin pizza crust [I use Mama Mary’s Ultra thin]
- 1 head garlic
- 3 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 1 small can pineapple chunks about 16-20
- 5 slices Maple Bacon cut into fourths
- soy sauce [optional]
Instructions
- Cut off top of garlic head to expose cloves. Place on a square of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and wrap up in foil.
- Cook at 400 for about 1 hour. Remove and cool.
- Squeeze garlic onto pizza crust and spread garlic paste over crust.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little salt and pepper. Place directly on oven shelf and cook at 400 about 8 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Cut into thin wedges. Makes 16
- Wrap pineapples chunks in bacon pieces and secure with toothpick.
- Place on a foil lined baking sheet on a baking rack. Drizzle with soy sauce if desired.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Makes 16-20
- Serve with pizza crust wedges.
Enjoy!
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