Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese

By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Wonderful Pistachios and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Did you know that February is American Heart Month? This is a federally designated event meant to remind all Americans that heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death worldwide, with more than 17.9 million deaths each year. That’s a staggering number of fatalities! The good news is that we can all make lifestyle changes that may lessen our risk of heart disease. Regular exercise is vital for keeping our hearts strong but simple dietary changes are important too. For example, scientific evidence suggests. but does not prove, that eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts, such as pistachios, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Pistachios are particularly appealing because they are one of the highest protein and fiber snack nuts that are part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. That’s why they’re known as The Fit Nut ™.  To celebrate pistachios, and to honor American Heart Month, I created this Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese.

One of the things I love about making pizza is all the creative possibilities for toppings. After all, you can put pretty much anything on top of a pizza, but, even though there are an endless number of options your best bet is to stick with just a few high-quality ingredients that have complementary flavor profiles. Following this guideline, I chose goat cheese and peaches as the other two base toppings for this pistachio pizza. The creamy, tangy goat cheese pairs well with the soft, sweet peach slices, but the star of this pizza is the pistachios. They lend so much incredible flavor to each and every bite, and, bonus – they are one of the lowest calorie and lowest fat snack nuts. That why they’re known as The Skinny Nut ™.  If you are a pistachio fan you will love Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese!

When planning menus or developing recipes I always try to incorporate a variety colors. Certain colors stimulate the appetite and, in general, nice contrasting colors make for a more visually appealing dish. Pistachios are awesome for color, and in fact, they are known as The Colorful Nut™ that help you snack colorfully: pistachios’ green and redpurple hues come from antioxidants. The white goat cheese provides a nice canvas for the bright peaches which look beautiful next to the pistachios. You’ll have a pretty good idea just how fantastic this Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese tastes before you even take your first bite!

The recipe for Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese calls for homemade pizza dough but you can substitute store-bough pizza dough as a shortcut. I like to make my own pizza dough because store-bough pizza dough usually contains sugar and other food additives. This pizza would be fantastic made with fresh peaches during peach season, but canned peaches work great too. A simple arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette would be the perfect accompaniment to this unique and delicious pizza. Be sure to click The Recipe Redux logo below to see other recipes using Wonderful Pictachios.

Pistachio Pizza with Peaches and Goat Cheese

 

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Author: QUEEN OF MY KITCHEN

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough, about 14-16 ounces in weight (recipe in notes)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup (6 ounces) peach slices (Canned peaches are fine, just chose a variety without any added sugar and drain them of all liquid.)
• ½ cup (4 ounces) goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup (2 ounces) Wonderful No Shell Pistachios, roasted and salted
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a pizza stone by placing it on the bottom rack of a 550 degrees oven for at least 20 minutes.
2. Dust a pizza paddle with flour and place the pizza dough in the center. Turn the dough over a few times so the entire ball of dough is dusted with flour. Roll/stretch the dough out into a 13-inch circle.
3. Put half of the peach slices, goat cheese, and olive oil in a small bowl, and, using the tines of a fork mash all the ingredients together. (It’s ok if there are small chunks of peaches, just make sure everything is well combined.)
4. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the pizza dough and transfer it to the oven/stone by gently shaking it off the pizza paddle. Bake for 3 minutes.
5. While the pizza bakes, slice the remaining peaches horizontally into thin, ½ inch pieces.
6. Remove pizza from the oven and sprinkle on the peaches, Wonderful No Shell Pistachios, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until the crust is golden brown around the edges.

Notes

PIZZA DOUGH
3/4 cup warm water (not hot)
1 teaspoon active-dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra
1½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the yeast. Let it stand for about 5 minutes, while the yeast proofs.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. (The dough will be shaggy.)
Attach the dough hook to your stand mixer and turn the mixer on to knead the dough until it’s smooth and soft. (If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle in some more flour, a little bit at a time.)
Brush the dough with olive oil and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 – 1 ½ hours.
If you’re not making pizza right after the dough has risen, store it in a plastic bag the refrigerator.

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