Mexican Pizza

I remember, as a kid, always looking forward to our family's "fast food" Friday nights...one night a week, Heather and I got to pick take-out. Most of the time, we'd end up ordering pizza. My favorite? Taco Bell!
Of course, after all the research I've done on nutrition, I can never recommend fast food as a healthy food. Personally, I haven't been to a Taco Bell in...well, years. So what do I do to reconcile my childhood favorites with nutritional health? I "healthify" my favorite fast foods by subbing in good-for-you ingredients. Tonight, I pinned down a delicious recipe for Mexican Pizza (I would post a photo, but I was far too hungry to take pictures before diving in!).

Fabulous Veggie Mexican Pizza

Nutrition Stats:

Calories: 250
Fat: 4 g
Carbohydrate: 38 g
Fiber: 16 g
Protein: 30 g

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Mirepoix veggie mix (or equal parts diced carrot, onion and celery)
- 1/4 cup Trader Joe's Fat Free Pizza Sauce (in the jar, NOT the deli-fresh one)
- 1/2 cup Kraft Free Cheddar, shredded (or any shredded fat free cheese)
- 2 "Smart and Delicious Low Carb" tortillas, small (not burrito sized)
- 3 tbs pico de gallo salsa
- 1 tsp chili powder
- pinch of hot pepper flakes, if desired
- PAM cooking spray

***SERVES ONE PERSON
***Note: if you want a meat version, try using 1/4 cup black beans and 1/4 cup lean ground meat or meat substitute. This will, however, add about 100 calories to the recipe, depending on exactly what you use.

Prep:

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with a very small amount of PAM (1 second spray). Put the two tortillas on the baking sheet; bake for 5-8 minutes, until just crisp, not burnt. While baking, mix the Mirepoix veggies with half of the pizza sauce (about 2 tbs). Mix in the chili powder and hot pepper flakes.
2.) Remove the tortillas from oven (but leave the oven on); flip with a spatula. Spread veggie mixture onto one of the tortillas. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese onto veggies. Sandwich second tortilla on top; spread remaining sauce on top-most tortilla, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with pico de gallo. Place pizza back onto baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and edges are crisp.
3.) Let cool for 3 minutes...cut into quarters and enjoy!

To make it a meal:
-Microwave a serving of canned black beans; I love Trader Joe's re-fried black beans.
-Try a small green salad with your favorite salsa and 1-2 crushed tortilla chips instead of traditional salad dressing.