I am always struggling to keep my weight in check, and I am still “sweating” to lose the last few pounds. One of my concerns when I started to eat vegan was that I would naturally eat more carbs and, in my case, that would definitely mean putting up more weight. In the past, I used to follow a high protein diet and carbs were always my enemy. Well, I indeed gain weight in the first two months as a vegan, but I was enjoying so much my vegan meals and recipes that I decided it was all right.
Nowadays I feel great eating vegan and I’m not gaining weight anymore. I have a lot of energy. I’m running every second day and do a frequent home workout routine (HIIT and strength training). My eating “rules” are very simple: first, I prioritize eating lots of veggies in my meals; second, I always add in moderation legumes, seeds, grains and fruits in my diet; and third, I always avoid processed food.
And because I am so happy with my new lifestyle, I want to share one of my favorite recipes of pizza crust. It includes shredded zucchini to make the pizza a little less caloric, yet tasty and filling. I topped my pizza crust with lots of veggies and it was a perfect dinner meal.
- 200 ml warm water
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour (you can use white flour)
- 1 envelope of active dry yeast (7 grams)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 cup (250 ml) of shredded zucchini
- Pour the water into a bowl and stir in the yeast, sugar, oil and salt. Mix and leave it for about 3 min until the yeast has dissolved. Add the shredded zucchini and start combining the flour. Knead the dough until smooth. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Cover with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise for about 20 min.
- Preheat the oven on 250 ℃. Turn the dough into a baking sheet and roll out into a pizza shape. Bake it for 10 min on 200 ℃ (I highly recommend to partially bake it before adding the toping). Remove the dough from the oven and top it (I used tomato sauce, grilled broccoli, red onions, brown mushroom and cherry tomatoes). Bake it for more 10-15 min on 200 ℃ till it turns golden brown.
- Serve it with nutritional yeast for a cheesy taste.
- Yields 1 tick pizza crust (26cm) or 1 thin pizza crust (30 cm)
