Avocado, Asiago and Prosciutto Pizza Give this easy but very special pizza (Makes 6 servings) This is not your ordinary pizza, althoughit’s almost as easy as getting a delivery. Start at the bottom with whole wheat or thin premade pizza crust, or use flat bread. Finish it off with slices of Hass Avocado from Chile. 1 (10-ounce) thin or whole a try instead of going with the same old, sameold. It could easily become your favorite for impromptu or planned entertaining. The difference starts at the base, with flat bread or a thin whole wheat crust instead of the usual dough. You'll find flat bread wheat pizza crust or seasoned flat bread crust now in most supermarkets, usually in the specialty baking section. Build on the base with thin slices of prosciutto (Italian ham), crumbles of aromatic Asiago cheese and a sprinkling of fresh basil. Bake just 10 minutes, then crown with green and gold slices of Chilean Hass Avo- cados. It’s ready in just about the time it takes to get a delivery and much more impressive. You can enjoy rich Chilean Hass Avocados August through February. Because Chile’s seasons are the opposite of ours, their avocado season complements the Cal- ifornia crop. This year’s Chilean harvest is a bumperone, so you'll see plenty of Chilean Hass Avocados in your favorite supermarket. In addition to flavor and versatility, Hass Avocados are nutri- ent dense, providing nearly 20 vitamins and minerals with only 50 calories per 1-ounce serving. The fat in avocados is mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (the “good” fats). Current dietary guidelines recommend Dress up a pizza with pro- sciutto, Asiago cheese and slices of avocado. that you “keep total fat intake between 20 to 35 percent of calories, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids.” A serving of avocado provides 4.5 grams of fat, with 3 gramsof that as monounsaturated fat. According to Registered Dietitian Cynthia Sass, co-authorof “Flat Belly Diet,” MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids), as shownin a variety of studies, can be helpful with cholesterol levels and help to moderate inflammation, belly fat (one of the most dangerous types of fat in the body) and body weight, as well as increasing brain and lung function. For more nutrition information and recipes, visit www. chileanavocados.org. 1% to 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto 3 ounces Asiago cheese, crumbled 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley 2 Chilean Hass Avocados Red pepperflakes, optional Preheat oven to 425. Place flatbread or pizza crust on baking sheet. Arrange prosciutto slices evenly over crust. Sprinkle with Asiago and basil. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse avocados. Cut in half. Spoon out pit. Remove peel. Cut into slices and arrange over top of pizza. Sprinkle with red pepperflakes, if desired. Nutritional Information per serving: calories 293, fat 15g, monounsaturated fat 6g, protein 13g, carbohydrates 29g, cholesterol 18.5mg, sodium 500mg,fiber 2.5.
