Organic Italian Pizza on the Cheap & Quick!

Organic Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Stone Baked Pizza

by

Cal Orey

The bitter the salad of endives, the stronger must be the vinegar.

--Palestinian Proverb

Today I went swimming in a cold pool and it was bliss. The last thing I want to do is slave in a hot kitchen. So, I am cheating (again). I purchased O Organics Organic Roasted Vegetable and Cheese Pizza... On the box it reads: "Made In Italy"--and it had me with those three little words.

If I ordered a gourmet pizza it would run about $20 with tip. Sure, I could whip up a homemade delight but it's hot, hot, hot. The Sierra Nevada heat wave lingers. So, this frozen baby looks like it could do the trick. Here, take a peek at some of the nutritional stuff:

Servings Per Container: 2
Calories 250 per serving
Total Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Sodium 460 mg
Protein 12 g
Vitamin C 37% [Wow, that's a lot!]
Calcium 16%
Iron 5%

Ingredients: Organic unbleached wheat flour, water, salt, organic cold pressed olive oil, natural yeast. Topping: organic tomato sauce (organic tomatoes), organic cold pressed olive oil, water, salt, organic onions, organic oregano, organic black pepper, organic mozzarella cheese, organic milk, salt, [something I don't know what it is], organic eggplant, organic zucchini, organic yellow and red peppers, organic parmesan cheese, organic milk [here is that strange word again--"microbial remet"]--correction, I put on my fave baby boomer reading glasses-- the small print reads microbial rennet (and Wikipedia provides the explanation quite nicely).

Overall, it sounds good to me, especially on a sizzling summer day. Organics says: "There is much to love about this pizza, which is made in Italy from Italian ingredients...The crust, which is light, crisp and golden, is stretched by hand, then the pizza is stone-baked in a wood-fired oven to bring out its complex flavors."
I'm easy. I'm sold. So, for less than $5.00 and teamed with a wholesome fresh green salad drizzled with homemade olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing--how in the frozen world can I go wrong? Oops. I now am reading "May contain tuna (fish)." Oh really. Well, that's OK. How do you say: When in the Italy (or America) do as the traditional Italians do. Eat fish. All this in 10 minutes. Amazing.

But the dogs need to go for a walk...and I'm not hungry yet because it's too warm indoors. The end result: I recommend trying this budget-wise pizza. What do you have to lose? It's summer--a time to get outdoors and take the shortcut route to cooking and staying healthy. But note, if you do want to really make a homemade pizza, in my book The Healing Powers of Vinegar, on page 276 there is a recipe "Greek Pita Pizza" created by a pro chef. And it includes both olive oil and red wine vinegar. It's your choice. Ah, it does look oh so good though.

To bake a quick frozen pizza or one from scratch? Nah, the recipe in the book is too perfect. It would be perfect to create on one of those cool days with those awesome summertime thunderstorms. Maybe later this week. But not today. It's time for our jog! "Simon. Seth. Let's go do it!" Buno Appetito.