Healthy Pizza – James Beuerlein, DC Student

the recipe book

Pizza is the bane of many who have tried to make the switch to healthy eating, but it does not have to be. In fact, my wife and I make scrumptious pizza weekly and we are able to do it guilt-free in about 30 minutes. How is this possible? Let’s jump into the recipe:

The Crust:

Buy Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust at Harry’s or Publix and follow the instructions on the package exactly. It will require 2 eggs, 2 tbsp olive oil, and one package of pizza crust mix. Bake once for 10 minutes before topping. I recommend oiling the pan with grapeseed oil, which will not go rancid when cooked.

The Toppings:

Here is where you get to be creative, I’ll list some of our go-to toppings, but pick what you like, pile it on, and make it fantastic!

Spinach

Mushrooms

Olives (black, green or both)

Onion

Red Pepper

Minced Garlic

Tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes

Avocado

Black Beans

Fresh Basil

Cheese – This is the ringer. The trick is to use Mozzarella Almond Cheese! This can also be found at Harry’s and Publix. Absolutely dairy-free! For those who are more adventurous in the area of cheese, we often throw in some goat cheese or feta.

Sauce – Look for an organic, natural pizza sauce in your local grocery. The key ingredients to watch out for are wheat flour and sugar of any kind. Beyond that, go with whichever brand you like best for taste.

Following the instructions on the package, you will bake the crust alone, then top the pizza, then bake again for about 10 minutes – all at 425 F.

The nutrient content of this pizza will vary widely depending upon the toppings you choose. The list I’ve included here has a great variety of antioxidants (red pepper, onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil), vitamins and minerals (spinach, basil, tomatoes), healthy fats (olives, avocado, almonds), fiber and protein (black beans, almonds and pizza crust). This much is certain: this is one indulgence you will not feel guilty about!

Recipe makes two pizzas.

Atlanta Confidential – Anthony DeMaria, DC Student

A food expert’s guide to eating well in Atlanta

How often have you been sitting back and relaxing on nights when you should have been doing some studying, flipping through the channels to see if there is anything good on, and found yourself surfing right into your favorite food show? That happens to me quite often! I have grown quite fond of my regular food programming: Anthony Bourdain, Top Chef, Iron Chef America, Master Chef, and the list goes on. I love all of these shows, but the problem is that you only get to see the food, you don’t get to taste it! I used to really enjoy watching food shows until I discovered that there’s more to the life of a food enthusiasts than the local Olive Garden or Applebee’s.  There exist many really good restaurants in the Atlanta area. There are a handful of Top Chefs who have restaurants within a 15-minute drive of campus. Not to mention all the hidden food places that get my mouth watering while I’m daydreaming in class.  I would really like to help everyone at Life experience a little more of the good life and expose them to some of the amazing opportunities that exist in the Atlanta food scene.

The biggest myth of all is that going out to eat on a regular basis is an expensive endeavor. Let me clue you in on a little secret – its not! (All of you shopping-savvy readers out there know exactly what I am talking about.) There are a plethora of websites out there that have amazing deals on good places to eat! Some examples include groupon.com, halfoffdepot.com, livingsocial.com and scoutmob.com. These are all excellent examples of how to find great food at reasonable prices! If you have never used these websites, you’re missing a fabulous opportunity to experience fun things while in school.

For all of you food fans out there, Tom Colicchio, the executive producer and head judge of the Top Chef series, has a restaurant in Buckhead called Craft and Craftbar. If you want to experience food right around the corner that you would normally only be able to watch on TV, I highly recommend checking it out. I especially recommend checking out their brunch.  Brunches are one of the best-kept secrets of nice restaurants. The menu items become really affordable and you can come away with a good deal and an amazing meal. Some of my personal favorites on Craftbar’s brunch menu include their eggs Benedict with applewood smoked bacon (an amazing blend of salty and savory on your palette), the brioche French toast with bourbon cream (pretty much to die for,and, yes, you can actually taste the bourbon), and the bibb salad on grilled romaine with a touch of peaches and blue cheese. Craftbar also has a great deal on half priced menu items during Happy Hour. Your mouth will thank you (and you can thank me) after you leave Craft.

If a nice brunch doesn’t ring your bell, then I know what just might – PIZZA!  Antico’s Pizza, located on the fringe of the Georgia Tech campus right past IKEA, is quite possibly the best pizza in Atlanta. If you are looking to experience a slice of mind-blowing pizza, look no further. If you think I’m joking, I am not! The first time I tried Antico’s was on a Saturday night. Needless to say, I was back by Wednesday because it was all I could think about! Antico’s has their ingredients shipped fresh from Naples, Italy every week. If you think better ingredients make better pizza, then the buck stops at

Antico’s. I recently took an Italian chiropractor who lives in New Jersey there. For those of you who know Dr. Galgano, every chiropractic story he tells involves pizza. After his experience there, he told me that he believes Antico’s is one of the top five pizza places in the country! Moral of the story: If you want an amazing pizza experience, you just have to go to Antico’s!

I hope you are motivated to check out some of the places I am talking about and learn more about good food in this wonderful city.  If at the end of your time here you haven’t gone to some of the amazing eateries of Atlanta, then you have truly missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience!