Cooking With Cheese

basil pizza, olive oil, food processor

by Zacharia, Joy E, Johnson, Julie, Carrera, Elizabeth

Preparing great-tasting dishes is easy when they're complemented with this favorite ingredient.

Who doesn't love cheese? The problem (or so you might think) is that it isn't healthy, right? Wrong. It boasts generous amounts of calcium, protein, and riboflavin.

Let these delicious recipes inspire you to incorporate cheese into your healthy eating plan. JOY E. ZACHARIA, R.D.

FRESH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL PIZZA

MAKES 1 PIZZA

PREP: 30 MIN., RISE: 20 MIN., BAKE: 10 MIN.

If you don't have time to prepare fresh dough, some supermarkets sell uncooked pizza dough on request from the bakery department. Bake pizza on a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet that withstands high baking temperatures. (High heat makes the crust crispy.) For a lighter meal, enjoy half a pizza with a tossed salad drizzled with fresh lemon juice and olive oil.

1 (4-ounce) portion Pizza Dough

½ teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon sliced fresh basil

4 thin slices (2 ounces) fresh mozzarella

1 (1-ounce) slice country ham or smoked ham, cut into thin strips

¼ teaspoon pepper

PREHEAT oven to 450°. Shape Pizza Dough ball into a 6- to 8-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. (Dough doesn't need to be perfectly round.) Place dough on a piece of parchment paper. Fold up edges of dough, forming a 1-inch border. Brush oil evenly over dough using a pastry brush. (If you don't have a pastry brush, drizzle oil evenly over dough.)

COVER pizza dough circle loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 15 to 20 minutes.

HEAT pizza stone or heavy baking sheet 10 to 12 minutes in oven.

REMOVE and discard plastic wrap from dough. Layer tomato and next 3 ingredients evenly. Sprinkle with pepper. Carefully transfer dough on parchment paper to pizza stone.

BAKE at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden.

Pizza Dough:

MAKES 6 INDIVIDUAL DOUGH ROUNDS

PREP: 15 MIN.; STAND: 7 MIN.; RISE: 1 HR., 30 MIN.

Dough may be frozen up to 1 month. To freeze, wrap each portion in plastic wrap, and place in zip-top plastic freezer bags. Thaw in refrigerator overnight, or let stand at room temperature 4 hours.

1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 (¼-ounce) envelope active dry yeast

3 to 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetable cooking spray

STIR together I cup warm water and sugar in a 2-cup measuring cup. Sprinkle with yeast, and let stand 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture is bubbly; stir until blended.

PLACE 3 cups flour and salt in food processor bowl. With motor running, add yeast mixture and olive oil; process mixture until dough forms. (If dough is too sticky, add more flour, 2 tablespoons at a time.) Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; lightly coat dough with cooking spray. Cover with a clean cloth, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

PUNCH dough down. Turn dough in bowl, and coat with cooking spray; cover with cloth, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Cut dough into 6 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3-inch ball. JULIE JOHNSON

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA

Calories per pizza 508 (38% calories from fat); Fat 21.4g (Sat 10.2g. Mono 5.4g, Poly 1.2g); Protein 23.4g; Carb 52.8g; Fiber 2.9g; Chol 60mg; Iron 4mg; Sodium 1063mg; Calcium 346mg

CRAB-AND-GOAT CHEESE POBLANOS WITH MANGO SALSA

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 30 MIN., BROIL: 10 MIN., STAND: 10 MIN., BAKE: 30 MIN.

Rinse canned crabmeat to freshen the taste; drain well before combining with other ingredients. Goat cheese adds tangy flavor to this spicy-sweet dish.

8 poblano chile peppers

2 egg whites

1 (8-ounce) block part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ to ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1 (6-ounce) can lump crabmeat, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen kernel corn, thawed

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Vegetable cooking spray

Mango Salsa

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

BROIL chile peppers on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet 5 inches from heat 5 minutes on each side or until peppers look blistered.

PLACE peppers in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel peppers. Carefully cut peppers open lengthwise on one side, keeping stems intact; discard seeds. Set peppers aside.

PROCESS egg whites in a food processor until foamy. Add mozzarella cheese and next 5 ingredients, processing until blended.

PLACE cheese mixture in a large bowl. Stir in crabmeat and next 3 ingredients.

SPOON crabmeat mixture evenly into peppers, pinching cut edges together to seal. Arrange stuffed peppers, seam side down, in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

BAKE, covered, at 375° for 25 to 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Top with Mango Salsa, and garnish, if desired.

Calories (including ¼ cup salsa) 229 (39% calories from fat); Fat 9.89 (Sat 5.4g, Mono 2.3g, Poly 1.2g); Protein 17.5g; Carb 20.6g; Fiber 5g; Chol 36mg; Iron 2.7mg; Sodium 277mg; Calc 264mg

Mango Salsa:

MAKES ABOUT 1 ½ CUPS

PREP: 15 MIN.

Purchase jarred mango, found in the produce section of the supermarket, if you can't find ripe mangoes.

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1/3 cup diced red onion

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

STIR together all ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to serve.