In the mood for pizza? Try our recipe for Gourmet Chicken Pizza. Refrigerated pizza crust dough is lightly baked, spread with ranch salad dressing, sprinkled with mozzarella cheese, covered with cooked chicken, diced tomatoes and green onions, then topped with shredded cheddar cheese. It's easy to make, and a great way to use leftover chicken. Each serving contains 33 grams of fat.

        For this recipe, we:

        • Replaced the ranch dressing with a low-fat variety (2 grams per serving). We used Wish-Bone Just 2 Good.

        • Replaced both the mozzarella and cheddar with lower fat (5-6 grams per ounce) varieties. We used Kraft 2%.

        This pizza was a hit with our taste-testers. Our adapted version lacked the oily shine from the higher fat cheese, but the flavor was wonderful. With only 12 grams of fat per serving, this pizza should please the whole family.

        Recipe Rehab Tip of the Week: Ranch salad dressings tend to be very high in both fat and calories — some contain 15-17 grams of fat in a 2-tablespoon serving. Compare brands. There are excellent lower fat choices ranging from 2 to 8 fat grams per serving.

        Contact Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig of Jewish Hospital's Cholesterol Center by phone: 585-7946; fax: 585-6107; e-mail weberkd@healthall.com.
       
Gourmet Chicken Pizza
       

        1 can (10 ounce) refrigerated pizza crust dough
        1/2 cup low fat (2 grams per serving) ranch dressing, such as Wish-Bone Just 2 Good
        1 cup shredded low fat (5-6 grams per ounce) mozzarella cheese
        1 cup shredded low fat (6 grams per ounce) cheddar cheese
        1 cup seeded, chopped tomatoes
        1/4 cup chopped green onions with tops
        8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cooked, diced

        Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly spray 12-inch pizza pan or 8-by-12-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Unroll dough and press into prepared pan. Bake crust for 7 minutes or until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from oven. Spread dressing over partially baked crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, green onion, chicken and cheddar cheese. Return to oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Makes 5 servings.

Before and after
       

        Values based on one serving (1/5 of recipe)
       Gourmet Chicken Pizza...Adapted
       Calories.......543....365
       Fat.....33 g.....12 g
       Carbohydrate.....32 g .... 34 g
       Sodium........783 mg.........930 mg
       Cholesterol.....91 mg....52 mg
       Fiber....1 g ........1 g
       Calories from fat .....54%....29%

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