Fresh and Healthy Thai Pizza

Good afternoon! I've been MIA lately as some mini family crisis's have kept me away from my usual computer time, but I'm back! And make no mistake, I have still been collecting and cooking while I was away!

Today's recipe was given to me via a great friend, who gives me loads of great recipes. I'll be featuring more of her delightful dishes in the future. Since it is now summer break in many parts of the country, I thought I'd feature this delish pizza that loaded with fresh veggies and chicken, and only a little bit of cheese.

Now, as I've mentioned in the past, I'm not keen on making my own dough. I seriously mess it up every time. I think it's because I'm pretty impatient. well, that and I'm not one to follow recipes exactly- so when it says "put yeast in water between such and such temperature", I tend to throw it in too hot (or cold) and yeast does not work that way my friends! Thank goodness for frozen dough balls in the store!

Pinterest has sparked my curiosity on the cauliflower crust though. I'm pretty sure it's yeast free and I'm super excited to try it sometime in the future. Plus it's more healthy. I'll bet it's still delicious when piled high with these topping too!!

Although I'm not a huge fan of making my own crust from scratch, I am a huge fan of Thai food. I love coconut everything, and Thai food uses plenty of it. I like their mix of sour and salty and their use of cool veggies that I have to trompse (is that even a word?!) through town hunting down ll kinds of cool oriental shops to find ingredients. I feel like I'm a kid on a treasure hunt and I love it!

I do however recognize that not everyone is up for this kind of food fun treasure hunt, so you'll be delighted to know that all the ingredients can be found at your friendly neighborhood market.The original recipe is from Rachel Ray, but I have altered it a bit to make it easier and tastier.

So, get cooking, and invite a few friends over for dinner! They'll love this gem of a pizza!

 Thai Pizza

• 1 pizza dough, any brand- thawed if frozen
• 1/2 jar duck sauce or plum sauce(I've even used hoisin!)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning
• 4 chicken breast cutlets, or already cooked chicken (like rotisserie- or leftovers!)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1/2 C shredded carrots
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups fresh bean spouts
• Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces

Preheat oven to 430-440 degrees F.

Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet.(I roll mine out on a baking stone. I don't need to use extra flour or oil!) 

Top with duck or plum sauce(here I used 1/2 jar of hoisin as that's all I had. It's a bit spicier and a little heavier than duck or plum) - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. 

Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers.


Preheat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then cook chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice into small chunks.
**(If using rotisserie or leftover chicken, as I did, skip the cooking part and just chop chicken into chunks and coat with peanut butter mixture.)

Add the chicken to your uncooked pizza and bake for 15-18 minutes. check it after 11. Pop any bubbles in the dough.


While pizza cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the carrots. Turn to coat evenly. 

 (fresh out of the oven- so delicious looking isn't it?!)

When Pizza is a nice brown and bubbley color pull it out. Let stand just a couple of minutes, the pile on all your fresh goodies. I start with the bean sprouts, then I add the green onion, the carrots (drain them of the liquid they've soaked in), and finally the cilantro and peanuts.

 (It's a feast for the eyes and for the tum!)

Now, get ready to become addicted! I'm sure this will become a regular on your menu just like it is on mine!