Ever considered this question? A blueprint includes measurements and exact angles and such which must be followed or the building you working on won’t be safe. A template is something to get you going, but you can scale it differently to have a different size or change the flavors. So, which is it…is a recipe blueprint or a template?
As I’ve said before, baking requires the exact measurement of ingredients as there’s actually a chemical process going on in that bread or cake. If you don’t have the measurements exactly right, you could fail. But with most other recipes, you have some leeway.
I started with being very exact and following the recipes to the T. But no more! I’m always substituting other ingredients or looking for a better or faster way to get that recipe cooked. Here’s a recent example.
Zucchini Pizza Crust
I made this wonderful Zucchini Pizza Crust from unboundwellness.com a couple of times before I messed with it. But even initially, I looked at that line that says the zucchini should be skinned and thought, “WHY?” If I can eat it, and it takes time to take it off, why not just leave it on?
Of course, if it had done something to the recipe, and the crust wouldn’t work with the skin left on, I would’ve done that. But guess what? No change! In fact, I think it’s pretty this way with a little green showing through.
And as in most cases, there are actually healthy reasons to eat the zucchini skin, too. Did you know it promotes skin health? (Check out other benefits here)
I’ve also tried the crust with and without the nutritional yeast. I like it with, but it works equally well both ways. And I’ve found that cooking 13 to 15 minutes is plenty to get it to set before adding sauce and whatever toppings you like. My favorite sauce is Classico Tomato Basil since it’s Whole30 compliant.
And I commonly end up with 1.5 cups of zucchini rather than just the one. You can’t use exactly half of an egg to make that crust a little bigger, but I have used either an egg white or an egg yolk and both worked.
Healthier pizza toppings
Yes, veggies are my “go to” for any healthy pizza (learn how to roast veggies here). I roast ‘em ahead of time so pizza prep is quicker. But this time I used my homemade Italian turkey sausage. A quarter pound works just fine for one of these crusts (or even for a 1.5 crust).
On our visit to Emmy Squared (check out that post here), I discovered a cheese that’s better for me…dairy-free Violife! It doesn’t always look like it’s fully melted, but the texture is so creamy, and it makes pizza handleable for my tummy.
Blueprint or template? You decide!
Of course, you can use that recipe exactly like it is…just like a blueprint. But you can also have a little fun with it. I challenge you to be creative and play around with your recipes. You might find cooking is more fun this way OR you may discover ways to save time. Either way, YOU win!
Think you’d like to try your hand at making Italian sausage? Check out that post here! (The link to the recipe is in the title of the 2nd sausage flavor!)
