Cooking Done Light

Who doesn’t love pizza? It is an all time favorite food for many American families. John could LIVE off pizza if I let him (I think before I came along, he actually did live off it for a while!!) But the pizza from the local pizzeria (or, even worse, the frozen food aisle) is not always the most healthy dinner fare. Using premade pizza dough for these calzones makes prep time super quick, but if you have the time, make your own dough. Not only is it more nutritious, but it has a much better flavor. The beauty of these calzones is that they are perfectly sized for one – so not only do you get automatic portion control, you get the satisfaction of getting a whole pizza all to yourself! You don’t even need a pizza stone if you’re using the store bought dough – a regular baking sheet will work just fine. You can change the filling of these calzones to include your favorite pizza toppings – try broccoli, spinach, chicken sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc. This is a great meal for the kids to help out with, too – set up a “topping bar” and let them fill their calzones with their favorite toppings. Finally a quick and easy meal that will please everyone in the family!! Oh, and did I mention, these calzones have 353 calories, 27 grams of fat and 832 milligrams of sodium LESS THAN the store bought variety! Try them with your family this weekend -I’m sure they’ll become one of your new favorites.

1 pound fresh pizza dough (homemade or store bought), cut into four pieces and rolled into four separate balls

3 tablespoons cornmeal

2 large red bell peppers*

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely minced or pressed

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 cup fat free ricotta cheese

4 ounces low fat part skim shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

* If you don’t feel like going through the trouble of roasting your own peppers, you can use the jarred red peppers from the supermarket. Just be sure to get the type packed in water, not oil and drain them well before adding them to the pizza. You may even want to gently press them between two paper towel to remove some of the excess moisture.

Set the oven to broil. Sprinkle a baking sheet with the cornmeal to keep your dough from sticking. Set aside.

To Roast the Peppers: Poke each pepper 4 or 5 times with a knife and place them directly on the top rack of the oven. Broil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side (15 – 20 minutes total) until the skins sre slightly blistered and almost black. Using tongs, carefully remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a paper bag. Close the bag and set it aside.

Change the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and rub them with the olive oil, and then the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet for about 8 minutes (or until practically cooked through). Set chicken aside.

Remove the peppers from the bag and peel off the skin, then cut into strips; discard the stems and seeds.

In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, and garlic powder. Press the dough balls into flat circles. Distribute the cheese mix, chicken and peppers over half of each circle – leaving 1/2 inch border around the edges. Using your finger, rub water over the edges. Carefully fold and stretch the bare half over the filling. Press the edges with your fingers to seal well. Transfer the calzones to the baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between them. Poke each top 3 or 4 times with a fork to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake for 20 minutes. Top with your favorite pizza sauce and enjoy~

Makes four servings. Per calzone: 369 calories, total fat: 6 g, saturated fat: less than 1 g, trans fat: 0 g, carbs: 47 g, fiber: 5 g, added sugar: 0 g, protein: 42 g, sodium: 388 mg, cholesterol: 4 mg, calcium: 89 mg.