Mexican Pizza

 

Smokey spiced meat and black beans covered in sweet red onions and melted cheddar cheese. To top it off, a homemade salsa and slices of creamy avocado.

So cilantro was on sale and I, not being one to pass up a bargain, decided that I needed to purchase unreasonable amounts of the herb. The result: I ended up having Mexican food four out of seven days last week. Am I sick of it yet? NOPE! I did my standard chicken enchiladas, but decided to get creative come Friday with some fusion food! Pizza meet burrito. So, so good.

Now, this is not one of my lightest meals. There is bread, cheese and ground beef involved here, but I don’t feel guilty in the least. Why? Because its actually pretty good for you. Beside the fresh tomato salsa you pile on every slice, which gives you some vitamin A and C, the avocado has health omega 3’s to boost heart health and brain function. Adding herbs like cilantro helps pull toxic heavy metals out of your body and the lime juice helps the liver flush out toxins. Plus, there is fiber from the beans and the protein I use is lean ground beef. Ground turkey is another great alternative or you could do shredded chicken.

If you are really looking to cut down on calories and carbs, simply replace the standard crust with my cauliflower crust recipe. Since we are piling on the toppings this time, I’d recommend cutting out or back on the tomato sauce to keep the crust slightly more firm.

Mexican Pizza
Serves 4.

Ingredients:

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2 pizza crusts (or two of my cauliflower crusts, for recipe click here)
 

300 grams (2/3 lb.) lean ground beef/turkey (optional)

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

2-3 Tbsp. canned jalapeños, finely diced  

Salt and pepper (to taste)

15 oz. can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 red onion, thinly sliced

8 oz. canned corn

2 cups grated cheese

1 avocado


Pizza sauce:

¾ cup tomato sauce

1/2 tsp. cumin

11/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cocoa

Salsa:

2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced

Juice 1 lime

Handful cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

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1.     Preheat oven to temperature recommended on the pizza crust package OR follow my cauliflower crust recipe (here).

2.     In a nonstick pan on medium heat, cook the beef until it browns and render its fat. Drain off any excess or soak it up with a paper towel then stir in crushed garlic, cumin, chili powder, jalapeños and salt and pepper. Set aside.

3.     In a small pot on medium heat, add tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, cocoa and pinch of salt and bring to boil then simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes to meld the flavors.

4.     Spread desired amount of sauce over the pizza crusts then top with meat, beans and corn. Cover topping with cheese then sprinkle the red onions, which will still give off moisture over the top. Season pizza with salt and pepper. Bake according to crust directions or until cheese is bubbling and edges of crust being to brown.

5.     Serve with salsa, slices of avocado and tabasco!