Buffalo chicken and artichoke pizza with kiwi berry salad

Who doesn't like pizza? I know it's been my biggest weakness on this whole food diet. So, I set out to create a pizza that wouldn't break the calorie bank and only used wholesome ingredients. Mission accomplished! And it wasn't even difficult.

Let's take a gander at why this pizza is a whole lot better than picking up the phone and ordering an extra large helping of shame with pepperoni for delivery:

Artichoke hearts are a versatile and mild-tasting thistle buds that are also very good for you. They're an excellent source of Vitamin C, Riboflavin (B2), Folate (B9) and several minerals including Manganese. They're also packed with fiber, of course.

If you're unable to find fresh artichokes, or simply like the ease of having them prepared for you, do what I did and get frozen. Despite what crazy tree huggers might have you believe, frozen veggies are no less nutritious than fresh, and are often far more convenient. As far as defrosting them in the microwave goes...well, I'll leave that up to you. I personally let mine thaw on the counter and pat off the excess moisture with a towel before cooking.

Kiwis, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and red currants all share similar strengths in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Vitamin E as well as several minerals. Blueberries in particular are touted as a superfood by nutritionists because of their high antioxidant content. Oh, and fiber. Duh.

Still saving my whole wheat vs. white flour rant for another post. But trust me for now, whole wheat is the better option by a wide margin.

Let's get cooking, shall we? This recipe will make two flatbread pizzas and two servings of berry salad:

2 whole wheat flatbreads (mine also had some flax in it, it's pretty fantastic stuff)

1/2 cup of organic tomato puree

1 chicken breast

2 Tbsp. of unsalted (sweet) butter

3 Tbsp. of cayenne pepper sauce (hot sauce, Tobasco, whatever you've got. Tone this back a bit if you're wimpy to spice)

4.5 oz. of artichoke hearts (8 pieces of heart, approx.)

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic

3/4 cup part-skin mozzarella cheese

2 Tbsp. parmigiano reggiano cheese

1 kiwi fruit

One palmful each of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and red currants

1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro

To taste salt, pepper, and additional herbs for the fruit salad (I grow basil and had some leftover sage, so that found its way in there too)

Let's get the berry salad ready so it can chill in the fridge. Skin and chop that kiwi, put it in a bowl. Add the berries (all of them). Chop that cilantro and whatever other herbs you'd like to toss in there and then stir it. Cover it with something and set it in the refridgerator to chill.

Next, sear that chicken. Season it liberally on both sides and get it down in a hot skillet for 5 minutes a side, longer if it's a larger breast. Don't overcook it...remember you can always put it back in the pan if it's still pink, but you can never go back once it's dry and overdone. After the chicken cooks, cut it into cubes.

Melt your butter in a bowl in the nuke box and add 2 Tbsp. of the hot sauce, stir to combine. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Set it aside.

To make that sauce, mix the tomato puree with your remaining 1 Tbsp. of hot sauce, add your olive oil, grate in the garlic into it, season as desired and stir well. No need to cook it, the oven will warm it for you. Set it aside.

Grate your mozzarella and parmigiano and toss your artichoke hearts with a little oil and seasoning. Now we're ready to build!

My baking sheet fit two flatbreads perfectly, I wish a similar coincidence for you. Place two flatbreads on a baking sheet, spread the sauce out evenly over both, sprinkle them with the buffalo chicken, apply the cheese and finally, place an artichoke heart piece on each future slice. If I were to make this pizza again, I think I would break up the "petals" of the artichoke and scatter them over the entire pizza.

Put that in a 375° oven for 10 minutes, chop it into four slices per pie, serve it up on a plate with your fruit salad and voila! You've got a fantastic alternative to a delivery fiasco.

Ever had a frittata? Come back and find out how mine turns out.