My kids really love pizza but my waste-line hates it. We discovered zucchini pizza last Summer. It was an instant hit in our household. The kids prefer it to regular pizza, in part because they feel they get to eat more of it. We are also very lucky to have a charcuterie a few blocks from our home where we get aged salami made in-house from locally sourced, organic ingredients. This is not an original recipe except in the variations I use to keep it fresh, fun and healthy.

Zucchini Pizza

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INGREDIENTS

4 medium sized Zucchinis, cut into thirds length-wise

Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce

Olive Oil 

Mozzarella Cheese 

Salami

Salt

Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees 2. Brush both sides of your zucchini slices with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 5-7 minutes on each side. (Until they are softened). 3. Remove zucchini from the oven and add a small amount of the sauce  along the length. Place a bit of cheese on top with salami slices  overlapping and more cheese on top of that. 4. Put slices back into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is as melty or crunchy as you like.   VARIATIONS 

Low fat: Turkey Salami, with plain tomato sauce, crushed garlic, basil and oregano 

Caprese: Fresh chopped basil with tomatoe slices (instead of sauce) and mozzarella 

Pesto: Pesto topped with olives, mushrooms and salami

Mexican: Start with a layer of refried beans and colby jack cheese - top with lettuce, salsa and plain greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) 

BBQ Chicken: BBQ sauce, chicken, cheddar cheese

Veggie: tomatoe-basil sauce, steamed summer squash, carrots, olives, red onions and bell peppers with mozzarella cheese

Boats: Cut the zucchini in half length-wise for a thicker base. You can even scoop out some of the center and load it up with more toppings.

Rounds: Make your pizzas into appetizers when you entertain. Cut your zucchini into cucumber-like slices and top with mushrooms, olives, salami or pineapples.