Grilled pizza with farm fresh vegetables

Grilling pizza adds depth to an already favorite flavor with a smoky crust that's both crispy and chewy. Pizza gets a bad rep, especially now that carbs are the devil. But thin crust pizza with healthy toppings is actually a well-balanced meal. Sure, a meat lovers supreme with extra cheese and a thick crust (or worse--stuffed) will pack on some extra pounds. But a grilled pizza with a melange of farmers market toppings and organic cheese is a healthy and delicious option. Though I opted for a traditional crust, whole wheat dough is readily available. Add some grilled chicken for extra protein.

Making pizza is fun, but often messy and time consuming. This recipe, by contrast,  is very quick. Almost too quick once you get going. Read the directions a few times so that you don't have to check back and forth. Then revel in a crowd pleasing, gorgeous recipe that you've now committed to memory.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough, your own or store-bought
• Organic mozzerella (or substitute goat cheese if you're feeling fancy!)
• Pizza sauce
• Toppings of your choice (I used marinated artichokes, sauteed shitake mushrooms, and roasted grape tomatoes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Take out all your toppings. When grilling pzza, toppings go on in the reverse order, so the cheese is the topping directly on top of the crust. It will have time to melt, but the other toppings should start warm, as the pizza will cook very quickly. For example, pop roasted tomatoes in the oven, sauce can be room temperature or, if from the fridge, warmed in a saucepan, and mushrooms and artichokes can be re-sauteed.
2. Heat the grill on high. If using charcoal, you'll want to set up the second level. If using a grill with two sides, heat one side to low. If you're using a smaller grill, don't worry about it.
3. Pour the olive oil onto a baking sheet. Using clean hands, stretch the pizza dough out so that the bottom is coated in oil and doesn't stick to the sheet. Stretching the dough to desired thinness can be tricky, but keep at it.
4. Keeping the dough as stretched out as possible, move it to the grill, oil side down on the high heat. Cook a couple minutes or until lovely brown lines appear (see below).
5. Flip the dough and, if available, move to lower heat. Brush the new top with olive oil left over from rolling the dough.
6. Layer on toppings: cheese, then vegetables, then sauce.
7. Slide the pizza back over to high heat and cook until cheese melts and the bottom is nice and brown.
8. Slice and serve with a frosty local brew.