I’m such a Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of food. I really, really have a deep desire to eat healthy, but evil Hyde keeps dragging me kicking and screaming to the calorie laden dark side.

Thankfully, there are some pretty fantastic foods on the market these days that help keep mean ole’ Mr. Hyde at bay. One of these foods is Golden Girl Granola.

“The O’Kelly Family attended their first farmers’ market in Carlisle on Saturday morning July 21st, 2007, inspired by the idea of selling Catherine’s hand-sewn bags. They brought along homemade mini doughnuts they had fried that morning. By the end of the four-hour market they realized they would need a product with a longer shelf-life if they wanted to continue to sell at the market. Jacquie thought they might try to make granola. The next week they arrived at the market with six varieties of homemade granola in Ziploc bags, decorated with images of a little blonde girl, designed to be a cross between Jacquie and her childhood idol Pippi Longstocking, that they called “The Golden Girl.”” …and so it began.

Today, Golden Girl Granola enjoys introducing their granola to customers through in-store sampling demonstrations, and by donating their time and granola to charitable events, such as NStar’s Walk for Boston Children’s Hospital. This summer they plan to bring the Golden Girl to life, in doll form!

I want to thank Golden Girl Granola for providing their Home Sweet Honey Granola for this recipe and aiding in my fight to remain a healthy Jekyll!

Sausage, Pineapple & Ricotta Pizza with Honey Granola Crust

• Pizza Dough – store bought or homemade
  • Homemade dough ingredients: 
    • 3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling. Bread flour will give you a much crisper crust. If you can’t find bread flour, you can substitute it with all-purpose flour which will give you a chewier crust.
    • 1 cup Golden Girl Home Sweet Honey Granola
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 envelope instant dry yeast
    • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
    • 1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
• 1/2 cups Granola Girl Home Sweet Honey Granola
• 2 cups Ricotta – store bought or homemade (homemade ricotta recipe click here)
  • **You can substitute Whipped Greek Yogurt for Ricotta for extra protein if deisred **
• 1 cup Mozzarella, grated or fresh sliced
• 4 cups fresh Kale
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks – juice reserved
• 2-3 links chicken sausage or turkey pepperoni
• 1/4 cup good white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp. Sriracha
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare Your Dough: Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball. If the dough is sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add 1 cup granola. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth, firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it double in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes. This dough can easily be frozen for later use.

* If you are using store bought dough, knead in 1 cup granola into the dough and proceed as follows. *

Toppings:

Place Kale in a large mixing bowl. Dress with oil, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, salt, pepper, honey & Sriracha. Massage with your hands for about 5-7 minutes until Kale is wilted.

Roll out dough. Spread 2/3rds Ricotta over the dough. Sprinkle additional granola. Top with Mozzarella, remaining Ricotta dropped in spoonfuls, Kale, pineapple chunks and sausage. Bake at 450 for about 15-20 minutes or until dough is baked through. Drizzle with additional honey and white balsamic, and sprinkle with additional granola for a nice crunch if desired.

This is a GREAT, fun project for the entire family on a Saturday or purchasing pre-made dough is perfect when you’re in a crunch for time. If you want to add even more fun, put these pizzas on the grill!

Life’s too short to eat ugly food y’all!