restaurant review: z pizza

August 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I haven’t done a restaurant review in forever and I thought this one would be a great place to start doing them again!*  I had heard of Z Pizza before but after Matt tweeted about how great it was I knew I had to try it out!

 

I live in Carrolton, which is a little too far from where Z Pizza is located in Flower Mound to get pizza delivered to us so we went there to check it out in person!

 

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When we walked in we were pleasantly surprised by how fresh it felt inside this pizza joint!

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And there are so many different types of pizza/choices of toppings to choose from.  They also have salads and sandwiches on the menu as well.

 

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I love how obvious it is that Z Pizza has a commitment to healthy eating and that definitely starts with their dough which  is 100% organic (regular OR whole wheat!!)!  Then they add fresh produce and other toppings of your choice after that!

I’ve never seen so many veggie options at a pizza place before- it was definitely hard to make a choice!

I couldn’t decide between the Berkeley or the California and in the end I went with the California with a whole wheat crust.  (next time I’ll check out the Berkeley for sure)

The California pizza included tomato sauce, mozzarella, tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and black olives.

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First of all the crust was fantastic!  It was crisp but it still had a nice chewiness to it!

Then there were the veggies- they were super fresh.  I adore  zucchini and mushrooms on my pizza so this was perfection!  It also had the perfect amount of cheesiness on it.  And also they carry vegan cheese!

My only complaint about the pizza was that I thought that it didn’t have quite enough sauce on it.  Easily remedied though- that definitely wouldn’t stop me from going back!!

 

 

Two happy campers with bellies full of healthy pizza!

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* (Here’s the disclaimer where I state that I paid for this meal with my own money. Z Pizza did not give me anything in exchange for this review and all of the opinions expressed in the review are my own!)

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Meatless Monday: Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms

August 1, 2011 by 2 Comments

Happy Meatless Monday friends!

On Wednesday I promised an awesome stuffed mushroom recipe and here it is!!  Hope you enjoy!

Pizza Stuffed Mushrooms
(Print this recipe!)

Ingredients:
4 Portobello mushrooms (you could also do this with baby bellas)
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup of your favorite pizza or pasta sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella (I like Daiya), plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.

Lightly scrape the gills out of your mushrooms (you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I find the gills kind of oogey so I like to scrape them out) and wipe them down with a damp towel to clean them.

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Sauté onion and bell pepper on medium heat until tender. (I like to sauté my veggies with a little vegetable broth instead of oil!)

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Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.

Remove veggies from the heat and place into a bowl with Italian seasoning, sauce, breadcrumbs, and cheese.

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Divide the mixture between the mushrooms and sprinkle the tops with a little more cheese.

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Bake in the 400 F oven for 45-50 minutes.

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We served ours with a big pile of steamed broccoli and some salad!

So. Good.

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Mushrooms.  Pizza.  Cheese.  Can’t go wrong there my friends!

Have a great week!

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Filed Under: Meatless Monday, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Pizza Pie

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Saturday was national vegan pizza day!  We celebrated a day early because we had other plans on Saturday.  I do believe that this may be the most perfect pizza dough you’ve ever had.  And of course, you’re welcome! 😉

Perfect pizza crust (makes two pizzas)

Ingredients:
2 cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (you can use regular whole wheat flour but it won’t be as fluffy and light… go for the pastry flour!)
1 Tablespoon Canola or EVOO
1 packet yeast
1 1/3 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar

Directions:
(I use my food processor with the bread blade for this.  Or you could use a stand mixer.  Or you can even mix by hand if you want.)

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar.  Let it dissolve until it starts getting foamy.  (if it doesn’t foam your yeast are most likely dead) 

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Add your flours and salt.

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Let ‘er rip!

As its going, stream in your oil.

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Let it go until it comes together and looks like dough.  If it’s really sticky you may have to add a little more flour.

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Form it into a ball and put it in a bowl.  Let it rest covered in a warm place for an hour.  It will be all nice and puffy like this.

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Divide it in two.  I like to freeze one for later.

Roll your dough out.  Be careful not to over work it or it will be tough.

Top with your fav toppings.  We did ours margherita style.  A little sauce, Daiya Cheese, torn basil leaves, and slices of Roma tomatoes.

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Bake at 425 F until the crust is a nice golden brown and the cheese is melty.

NOM!

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Enjoy!

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Mama Mia!

July 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

Well, I had a whole post yesterday, but being the genius that I am, I didn’t save it before I tried to publish it and my sucky internet froze up whilst I was trying to publish and I lost the whole post!  I’ll try to recap real quick- it won’t be as good as the post I lost, but I’ll give it a go.

I’ll just post pictures and give comments on the pics instead of commentating the whole day.

A quick trip to the grocery…

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Did you know that Dr Kracker’s are made right here in Dallas?!  I had no idea!  I don’t usually buy them because they are really expensive, but when I found that out I had to get some.  The pumpkin seed cheddar doesn’t disappoint!  Very tasty!  And pretty filling for a kracker!  I’m going to have to arrange a visit of some sort since they’re right here next to me!

I gave the amazing grass another go (last time I tried it, it upset my tummy.  I got a sample pack again to try it again and it was all good this time so I went back to get a tub of it.)  The chocolate flavor is so good!  I mix it with vanilla almond milk and it tastes just like chocolate milk, not “green” at all.

Lunch…

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This was my last Ez 4:9 tortilla. Crying

In my quesadilla was black beans, cheddar, onions, bell pepper.  Toppins included salsa, big dollop of greek yogurt, and jalapenos!  SOOOO good and I just LOVE how filling those Ez 4:9 tortillas are!

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This was supposed to be dessert, but it was NOT BUENO!  I only had about 3 bites and I chunked it.  This is the only SO Delicious product I’ve ever tried that I didn’t like.  Oh well, there was bound to be something, lol.

 

Consumed this on my way to workout with my trainer.  I haven’t worked out like that in weeks, my arms are so sore I can barely lift them!

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When I got home from the gym it was PIZZA TIME!  I think this was the best one to date!!

I used this recipe for the dough (it’s the only one I use now.  I’ve searched the world over for a great healthy pizza crust recipe and this is it!  So hearty, but light at the same time, and crispy too!)

Toppings included mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, caramelized onions, and bell peppers. YUM!

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I also made a great salad!  With toasted almonds, dried cranberries, feta, and light raspberry vinaigrette!

My plate!

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While the pizza dough was rising, I worked on some blueberry muffins.  I’ve been meaning to make these for days and I finally got around to it.  Here’s the recipe.  I get so many great recipes and ideas from this blog, it’s my favorite!  Mine weren’t as pretty as hers, but they are MIGHTY tasty! Mine turned out a little darker because I used organic sucanat instead of cane sugar, and sucanat is about the same color as brown sugar.  They still tasted fabulous though.  Next time I might try it with some regular old cane sugar.  I don’t usually keep it in the house though…

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when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie…

June 7, 2009 by Leave a Comment

What a crazy day!  All I did was run around like a crazy person!

I was supposed to work out with my trainer this morning bright and early, but she was sick so she cancelled on me.  I decided to just hang around the house a bit instead.  I spent some time menu planning for the week, making a grocery list, and watching food network.  I might shred or run here in a bit, who knows!

I tried something new for breakfast this morning.

whole wheat english muffin, Fage greek yogurt, wild blueberry fruit spread

whole wheat english muffin, Fage greek yogurt, wild blueberry fruit spread

Soooooooo good!!  I will definitely be having this alot!  Close up…

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While I was watching the Food Network I looked down and the pup was sleeping like this…

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Weirdo.

Then I made a quick wrap for lunch before heading out the door to do some grocery shopping.

grilled chicken, sharp cheddar, lettuce, annies honey mustard

grilled chicken, sharp cheddar, lettuce, annies honey mustard

Then I headed off to the grocery store.  I’ve been obsessed with the mexican market lately, so that’s exactly where I went.  Where else can you get avocados 4 for $1.  Or Mangoes 3 for $1.  I mean come on!  I stocked up on lots of fresh produce and even came home with a sweet treat for me and the hubby (apple empanada for me and a pineapple on for him.  2 for 89 cents.  For reals!)  I love that place! (I hope I don’t get the swine flu though.  just kidding.)

I had two more stops before I got home and I was exhausted by the time I came in the door.  It’s amazing how I never used to get tired from grocery shopping but now that I’m old I do.  I hate being old!

When I got home I cleaned out the fridge and unloaded my new purchases.  Then I cleaned watched some more food network.  That shiz is addicting!

After a while I decided to start dinner which was PIZZA!  I knew it would take about an hr for the dough to rise so I went ahead and started so that the pizza would be in the oven by the time hubby got home from work.

I used this recipe and it was amazing!  Seriously the best pizza dough ever and it was so freaking easy!  I don’t have a mixer so I made the dough in my food processer using the dough blade.  It turned out perfect!  We put a little mozzerella, a little sharp cheddar, and some turkey pepperoni on it and stuck it in the oven.  15 minutes later we had this gorgeousness…

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Oh man, this was so good!  It was so worth it to make my own dough and not use the premade like I usually do.  I am going to be dreaming about this pizza dough tonight!

Here was my plate (plus one more piece that dodged the eye of the camera.  I just couldn’t help it, it was so darned good!)

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After we digested a bit it was time for our sweet treats from the mexican market.  I think I’ve decided that as healthy as I like to eat, life just isn’t worth living without treats now and then!  Seriously I think that I might die if I didn’t get some sweet treats with plain ole sugar sometimes!  Not all the time though, that’s key I think.

Here’s my apple empanada.  Those Mexicans sure know how to do it!  See that sugar sprinkled on top?  It added the most delish little crunch.  WOW!  This is so worth the calories/sugar/butter!!

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I may also be dreaming about that empanada tonight!

Well, I’m going to waddle my chubby butt back to the couch to digest my empanada a bit .  I probably won’t workout tonight.  If I workout this close to bed I’ll never go to sleep.  Ah well!!

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