PIZZA - anyone?

And the Power of Selenium

For convenience sake, we purchased this dough from a local establishment - Jack's Wood-Fired Pizza. Jack uses an organic blend of wheat & pumpernickel flour from our local mills. For $1.00, we can make a 12" pizza, serving at least 2 adults. 

Pat the dough down & then use a rolling pin if you like to smooth out the consistency. 

We enjoy a variety of bell peppers - I would have purchased green too, but I couldn't find one at the market that looked great. Remember, it's all of those individual ingredients that create the end product that you are looking for. 

We used Baby Bella mushrooms, Muir Glen's Organic Portabello Mushroom pasta sauce & Santa Barbara Olive Co. California large pitted ripe olives (no chemical preservatives). 

If you have the time -  yes, make your own tomato/pasta sauce. There's nothing quite like the aroma of fresh tomatoes & Italian herbs simmering on your stove for half of a day! (Personal memory from my childhood - one of my best friends was Italian & oh, how her grandma could cook!)

Mushrooms are rich & plentiful in fiber & a good source for your B Vitamins including Vitamin B-5, commonly known as Pantothenic Acid. Pantothenic Acid, I was told by a pharmacist, doctor & others, acts like cortisone, helping to relieve joint pain associated from repetitive motion. Mushrooms are also a source of potassium, copper & selenium. 

*A special note on Selenium - Selenium is an important trace mineral that added to protein in our bodies helps to produce antioxidant enzymes.  

Eating a diet plentiful in vegetables and grains will provide an ample supply of this nutrient. However, if the soil is depleted of this trace mineral, then the food that is produced there will also be lacking. 

Most breads are usually supplemented with selenium, so most folks need not be concerned about meeting this daily requirement. 

In my case though, I had omitted bread from my diet. After a month's time, I began to have a very tinny/metal taste in my mouth. 

I met with a physician and told him my symptoms - he could find nothing wrong. 

This tinny taste in my mouth persisted, so my second thought was that I had perhaps lost part of a filling, so I met with my dentist - he found my teeth to be in good shape. 

My third avenue was to speak to a pharmacist. He led me to a nutritional book, which spoke of this symptom. 

I purchased some over-the-counter selenium from the health-food store, used as directed, & in no time, this tinny taste disappeared. And, by the way, I returned to eating bread!

Within this last year, I received a phone call from the receptionist at my dentist office - she had remembered my story. Evidently another patient had complained about the same symptom, so I was able to share with her the 'secret' of selenium!

I started slicing up cucumbers for the salad.

Topped unbaked crust with sauce. 

Ok - personally, next time, I will choose to pre-bake my crust - I just think it's tastier that way. 

Basil, bell-peppers & olives added (Eden had some green bell-peppers). 

Shredded Follow Your Heart Mozzarella (soy) cheese - yes it melts. :)

Pine nuts & slivers of onion

How about quartered hearts of artichokes? 

Slices of zucchini & topped with more shredded cheese. Bake in hot oven - 450 to 500 for less than 10 minutes. 

I tried baking on this stone & on a pizza pan that has hundreds of holes in it. Everyone actually preferred the pizza which was baked on the pizza pan. The holes allow for more aeration allowing for a crispier crust. 

Add a tossed salad with soaked sun-dried tomatoes & you've got dinner!