Kathy's diet tomato-topped flatbread
Serves 6
For basil-Parmesan flatbread: 1 cup boiling water 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal (see Note) 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 1/4 cup warm water 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup white whole-wheat flour (such as King Arthur flour) 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons olive oil Cooking spray 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal, divided use 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, divided use 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, divided use |
For tomato-cheese mixture: 2 cups tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely minced 2 tablespoons red onion, finely minced 3 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 cups Italian three-cheese blend made with 2 percent milk, finely shredded
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Combine boiling water and 1/3 cup cornmeal in a bowl; let stand 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl and let stand 5 minutes. Combine flours and salt with cornmeal mixture. Add yeast mixture and 2 teaspoons oil, stirring until well-blended. (You may need a little more warm water, a few drops at a time, to completely blend the ingredients.) Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly 4 or 5 times.
Place dough in bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until dough is doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If the indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
Punch dough down, cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 equal portions, shaping each into a ball. Gently press 1/2 teaspoon each Parmesan cheese and basil into each ball of dough. (Cover remaining dough while working to prevent it from drying.)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll each ball into a 6-inch by 5-inch oval. Place three ovals on a baking sheet lightly dusted with 1 1/2 teaspoons cornmeal. Repeat procedure with remaining ovals on an additional baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then cool flatbread on wire racks.
For tomato-cheese mixture: Preheat the oven's broiler.
In bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, onion, garlic and olive oil. Top each flatbread with one-sixth of the tomato mixture (about 1/3 cup). Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over tomato mixture and broil the flatbreads for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Note: If you use whole-grain cornmeal, you'll need to increase the all-purpose flour to 1 1/4 cups.
Adapted from a "Cooking Light" recipe
Don't Say Diet: Tomato-topped flatbread can provide a light meal
By Kathy Manweiler,
Wichita (Kan.) Eagle (SJMN 8/1/07)
Stouffer's says that its Corner Bistro Margherita Flatbread brings the taste of a restaurant meal into your home.
It sounds pretty nutritious. Topping off the flatbread, which is seasoned with basil and Parmesan cheese, are tomatoes, basil, garlic, red onions and mozzarella cheese in a tomato olive oil sauce.
However, a look at the nutrition label shows that the calorie count is anything but healthy. With 550 calories per flatbread, you'd save almost 100 calories by eating two medium slices of hand-tossed cheese pizza from Pizza Hut instead.
Plus, the pizza would be cheaper because each flatbread costs about $4.
But the photo on the Stouffer's box made me hungry, so I went home and put this flatbread on a diet.
My cheese-tomato topping is easy to make, and it tastes good with very little oil, which saves calories and fat grams.
Instead of mozzarella, I use an Italian blend of provolone, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses made with 2 percent milk.
The healthiest changes happen in my homemade flatbread, which is adapted from a "Cooking Light" recipe.
First, I use white whole-wheat flour in place of half of the all-purpose flour, putting more fiber and nutrients into the mix. (Look for King Arthur white whole-wheat flour at Trader Joe's and other stores.)
Most flatbreads contain quite a bit of oil, but mine doesn't need much, thanks to the additions of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese to the dough.
If you eat my margherita flatbread instead of Stouffer's, you'll save 230 calories and 11.2 fat grams. My version is also lower in sodium and carbs.
But even if you don't want to make the flatbread from scratch, you can still save some calories by topping flatbread from a bakery with my cheese-tomato mixture.
For example, one serving of my cheese-tomato topping on 4 ounces of focaccia from Panera Bread contains about 100 fewer calories than Stouffer's version.
Kathy Manweiler has lost 100 pounds. For more of her Don't Say Diet recipes, go to www.wichitaaliveandwell.com. Do you have a favorite food you'd like to see made healthier? Send your ideas and recipes, along with a daytime phone number, to kmanweiler@wichitaeagle.com or write: Don't Say Diet, c/o Wichita Eagle, 825 E. Douglas, Wichita, Kan. 67202.