So there's this famous pizza place here in Austin that I've been known to frequent lately because of their quirky and awesomely amazing off-the-wall flavor combinations. One of my favorite pizzas there is called the Brazos, which is actually the name of a town and a river here in Texas.

The Brazos pizza is a fantastically contrived crossbreed of Italian and Spanish. It's got the Italian meats and cheeses along with the peppers and heat of what we all know and love here as Tex-Mex.

My only problem with this local pizza place is the cost. Oh. My. Goodness. You want how much for a pizza? Yikes! That's the price of luxury and gourmet though. The good news is that you can have gourmet at home for a faction of that, and have complete and utter control over what's going into your pizza-pie.

I mean, hello! Look at all those glorious toppings. Plus, I can tell you that this quick, easy, homemade crust is ten times better than what you'll get at any pizza joint. Why? Well, if nothing else - there's the simple fact that this goes straight from your oven to your table and isn't schlepped around in between places. It's hot. It's fresh. And so so so easy to do!

This is definitely fun for the whole family and is something that my little girl enjoys doing with me in the kitchen. Of course, I did have to make her - her own quatro formaggio pizza along side this one here, but she had fun helping to make the dough and top her own pizza with what she wanted.

So you see, homemade pizza can be just as easy, healthy, and gourmet as what you'll get at any ritzy high-end pizza place.

As you can see, I even served mine with a nice chopped Italian salad for a healthy, nutrient and vegetable packed meal that left me full and satisfied without the guilt on my gut or my wallet!

It's all about those New Year resolutions, right?

Skinny Broccoli Cheese Soup
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 5 • Size: 2 Slices • Calories: 333.2 • Fat: 15.5 g • Carb: 28.2 g • Fiber: 2.9 g • Protein: 18.6 g • Sugar: 1.7 g • Sodium: 1129 mg

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough:
1/2 C. + 1/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
1/2 C. Whole Wheat White Flour
1 Pkg. (2 1/4 Tsp.) Fleischmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast
3/4 Tsp. Sugar
3/4 Tsp. Sweetener (Stevia, Truvia, Etc.)
3/4 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Seasoning Blend (I used a homemade Italian.)
2/3 C. Steaming Hot Water
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pizza:
2 Oz. Canadian Bacon, Chopped
1/4 C. Red Onion, Chopped
1/4 C. Green & Red Bell Pepper, Chopped
1/3 C. Pizza Sauce
1 C. Reduced Fat Italian Shredded Cheese Blend
17 Slices Turkey Pepperoni
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Feta Cheese Crumbles
15 Pickled Jalapeno Slices
Pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and lightly coat a pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Combine 1/2 c. of the all-purpose flour, wheat flour, yeast, sugar, sweetener, salt, and seasoning into a large bowl together until well blended.

Pour in the hot water and oil and mix together until well blended; about one minute.

Add in another 1/4 c. of all-purpose flour gradually until the dough starts to form into a ball.

Additional flour may be added if needed to handle, but you do want the dough will be soft and sticky.

Spoon the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead on the floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic; about four minutes.

Roll the dough out to form your crust.

Carefully transfer the crust to the prepared pizza pan.

I don't really make a 'crust' on mine since it sorta does it on it's own.

Place the canadian bacon, onions, and peppers into a skillet and cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes or until the vegetables are softening and the meat is cooked through.

Top your prepared crust with sauce, italian cheese, pepperoni slices, the meat and pepper mix, feta, jalapeño slices and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crust are brown and crisp.

I actually like to take mine off the pan to set directly on the oven rack for the last couple of minutes because I like a very crisp crust!

Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Cut evenly into 10 slices and serve right away.

I served mine with a side of chopped italian salad.