Life Time Fitness - Leadville Race Series

...such as prepared pizza sauce, frozen artichoke hearts, and pre-cooked chicken. Look for whole grain pizza dough at a grocery store near you, or prepare your own dough using one of the many easy recipes you can find online. This recipe makes one 12- to 14-inch pizza.

You will need:

• prepared pizza dough
• Jarred pizza or tomato sauce
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 C baby spinach
• 1 C frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or jarred artichokes, drained and rinsed
• Red wine vinegar
• 1 fully cooked chicken breast, shredded (look for chicken labeled as being raised without antibiotics or hormones)
• 4- to 6-oz shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment and supplies:

• pizza stone or inverted baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Preheat your oven at its highest temperature, usually about 500 to 550 degrees. If you have a pizza stone, allow it to preheat in the oven as you prep your pizza -- the hot surface produces a better crust texture. (If you don't have a stone, no worries: just use an inverted baking sheet, but don't put it in the oven to preheat.)

Swirl about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the artichokes, a generous sprinkle of kosher salt and a few grinds black pepper, and raise the heat to medium high. Let the artichokes sauté until golden brown, about five minutes, stirring them just once or twice. Add 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar to the pan, then quickly add the spinach, stirring frequently until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare a piece of parchment paper that is about 15 to 18 inches in diameter (the shape doesn't have to be perfect). Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil onto the parchment, then use your hands or a pastry brush to spread it on the parchment. Place the ball of pizza dough onto the parchment, and use the palms of your hands and the tips of your fingers to gently stretch it into a rough oval shape (don't bother trying to get it perfectly round – you're going for a rustic appearance). If the dough stops stretching and starts to shrink back, let it rest for about 5 minutes, then try again (sometimes the gluten strands get overworked).

Top dough with pizza sauce, shredded chicken, spinach, artichokes and fontina. Carefully transfer pizza – parchment paper and all – to the hot pizza stone or to the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crust is golden and cheese is melted.