Another pizza fail- deconstructed zucchini pizza

I have been staying on track with my cardio lately and feeling great.  

* Saturday:  3 very hilly miles in Chester with the dog (note:  when finding a new route on a hot day, avoid any street name with the word "hill" in it). 

* Sunday:  Rode all three horses-  One hour each, tacking up, bathing, grooming, it's a workout... trust me. 

* Monday:  2 hours of trail riding-  took the horses to a state forest to enjoy the beautiful weather.  Realized I need to start lifting weights to be able to hold back the beast. 

* Tuesday:  3.12 miles in 3:12  Not our worst run, my legs felt super heavy but atleast the weather has cooled down a little bit. 

After trail riding yesterday, I was hungry and in the mood for pizza.  A long time ago, I decided if I am going to eat pizza... it is going to be the real thing.  Bready crust, cheesy top, and delicious toppings.  Some things are just worth the full calorie version - and this is one of those things.  

But what do you do when you have a hankering for pizza, no pizza dough, and no gas in the car? 

 Improvise.  

I have had my fair share of pizza fails... from raw dough falling through the oven grate  to the "trying-to-be-healthy-cauliflower-crust"  that is a gigantic mess that you cannot get off of the cookie sheet.  There was no way I was failing at the cauliflower crust again,  and baking pizza dough is outside of my skill level, (have I mentioned my baking skills are....bad?) so I decided to try a zucchini crust after seeing  Gina (Fitnessista) do it on her blog.  Zucchini and marinara are a match made in heaven- how hard could this be? 

(Gina's "pizza" - looks amazing.... mine looked nothing like this) 

I deviated a little and found a recipe that baked the zucchini crust in the oven instead of in a pan (I was using the pan for something else and have yet to go buy a few more since the move).  First mistake?  I didn't follow Gina's recipe and pan fry the crust.  Second mistake?  I didn't have have parchment paper so much like my cauliflower crust, I could not get the crust off the pan in one peice.  

(This is what your zucchini should look like before you drain out all of the moisture with a cheese cloth... another item I did not have).

At this point, I was frustrated and hangry.  I decided to make a "deconstructed pizza" if you will.  I scraped my zucchini crust fail onto a plate (it resembled a hash at this point) and threw my toppings on top of the mess (ground pork, peppers, onions, tomatoes).  Next came some sauce (crushed tomato and basil from the can), and sprinkled some mozzarella and parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.  

Crustless pizza with a fork..... It wasn't pretty but let me tell you- it tasted pretty damn good (and low carb)!  

 I was super proud I was able to salvage my dinner and made something fun and new. Groceries are quite expensive, especially when you are trying to eat healthy.  This was going to become edible no matter what it took, I am just glad it tasted as good as it did. 

Next time I want a pizza I am going to find a place that delivers, or try Gina's recipe and pan fry the zucchini into a sort of zucchini fritter.  

Have you ever tried a zucchini or cauliflower crust?