Do your little ones get their five a day? There a number of reasons why eating five serves of vegetables a day is an important part of a child’s diet including improved nutrition, a happy digestive system, improved learning and concentration and overall general wellbeing.
This is because vegetables are packed full of nutrition from vitamin C to help their immune system, fibre to keep their digestion smooth and settled, iron to support their concentration and antioxidants which protect against the day-to-day exposure from modern life.
The hardest part about vegetables is they can be tricky to get your little ones to love. But not with this recipe. These rainbow ribbon pizzas are not only appealing to the children but they have five different vegetables contained within each one.
And there is one surefire way to ensure the kids will love and that is to get them involved in the process. Have them roll out the dough or get them topping each one creatively with the rainbow ribbons and cheese (the oven is very hot for this recipe so best to keep the handling of the pizzas to the adults).
Children enjoy their food more if they have taken part in the preparation process meaning they are more likely to enjoy their veggie loaded meal if they can see their own creation at the end of it.
Feel free to swap the vegetables around depending on seasonality and preference but since they’re called ‘rainbow ribbon pizzas’, make sure you get a variety of different coloured vegetables to stay true to the recipes name. More colours means more nutrition!
Download the recipe
vegetarian
Makes 4 small pizzas
Ingredients
Spelt dough
- 1 cup warm water (not hot*)
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2½ cups spelt flour
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Super green pesto
- 1 cup torn kale (no stems) or baby spinach leaves
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, stalks removed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Juice of one lemon
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Toppings
- 1 small chunk of butternut pumpkin or a small sweet potato, peeled
- 1 medium beetroot, peeled
- 1 zucchini or asparagus spears, washed
- 200g baby bocconcini balls, torn into pieces
- Extra basil and pumpkin seeds, to top
How to make
- In your stand mixer with the dough paddle attached, add the warm water to the mixing bowl then sprinkle the sugar and yeast on top. Leave the yeast to activate for around 10 minutes or until the a bubbly foam has formed on the surface of the water
- Once your yeast is activated, turn your mixer onto a slow speed and add half the flour, the oil and salt.
Allow to mix for around 10 seconds and then add the remaining flour. Once a dough is forming, increase the speed of your mixer to a medium pace and allow it to knead your dough for 5 minutes.
Once the dough is smooth and tacky (it shouldn’t be sticky), remove it from the mixer and shape it into a ball on a floured surface then transfer it to an oiled glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover with a tea towel and allow it to rise at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size
- To prepare your pesto, place the kale and basil into your blender or processor and blitz three to four times to break down the leaves.
Add the remainder of the pesto ingredients and process on a medium-high speed until it resembles your desired consistency.
Taste and adjust as needed then set the pesto aside
- Make your ribbons by running a peeler down the length of the vegetables to create long strips that can be curled on top of the pizzas. You will need to go around the beetroot to get long, curling strips.
Now your toppings are ready
- Once the dough is ready, remove it from the bowl and divide it into four even-sized balls.
Set up two pieces of baking paper (two pizzas per piece) then, on a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin, round pizza shape and place each one onto the baking paper sheets.
Brush the edges with olive oil and then spread the pesto over the top of each one. Lay the vegetable ribbons over the pesto, curling them around as you go and then dot each pizza with the torn baby bocconcini balls
- To cook the pizzas, place the pieces of baking paper with the pizzas on top straight onto the wire racks in your oven* and let them cook for 12-15 minutes, until the edges of the ribbons are slightly charring, the cheese has melted and the pizza dough is golden and crunchy.
Top with fresh basil leaves, pepitas and an extra drizzle of olive oil before serving
If your oven is small or you cannot fit all four pizzas on one wire rack, cook them in two batches
Download the recipe
Roberta of Naturo Medico is a Naturopathic Practitioner who specialises in preventative care and women’s health. From her Melbourne-based clinic, Roberta sees women of all ages wanting to meet their own health goals and assists them on their path with personalised treatments specific to their needs.
Alongside practice, Roberta shares healthful and nutrient-rich recipes with her readers who inspire her to continue educating on what health and wellbeing means and how it can be achieved.
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@naturomedico on Instagram for more healthy eating inspiration