For lunch today we had the girls’ all time favorite meal, PIZZA!

After my workout this morning I was getting pretty hungry and I knew I wanted to make my girls a lunch that they would eat without complaining and actually enjoy. Since we had tofu dogs yesterday, I thought that I would make them pizza. Problem was, my pizza dough recipe would take an hour and I knew I couldn’t wait an hour and it was already getting late for lunch. So I got busy creating a yummy quick rise pizza crust and lunch was on the table and in our bellies in no time.

Quick Rise-Whole Wheat Garlic Pizza Crust

Makes one large pizza crust or two smaller pizza crusts

• 2 1/4 teaspoons quick rise yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

Whisk together the yeast, sea salt, water, oil, syrup and garlic powder in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the flour 1 cup at a time and mix until dough forms. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour in with your hands and knead the dough, until smooth and soft. Place the dough in an oiled bowl to rest for 10-20 minutes. Grease your pizza pan or pans (for the girls pizzas I used two 8″ cake pans) and spread the dough in the pan.

Add a few tablespoons of pizza sauce and desired toppings.

Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Broil an additional minute or so to melt the cheese.

Some topping we enjoy are:

• pineapple tidbits
• diced red or green pepper
• diced red onion
• sliced zucchini
• diced tomatoes
• vegan pepperoni
• soy mozzarella cheese (I use Earth Island)

Pizza is always so much fun for the girls and so yummy for everyone. I am glad I have this recipe now in my collection for the days we want pizza, but do not want to wait.