zero-waste trick :: salad bar pizza

We're into homemade pizza around here. It's a meal that always conjures just a little bit more excitement than usual. I was looking to add a little variety in the pizza department + decided to make a barbecue (sauce) pizza (as opposed to one defined as "barbecue", because it was cooked on the grill...which is also delicious!). 

I try to avoid buying things in glass jars as much as possible, but a jar of barbecue sauce could sauce up a bunch of pizzas...so I bought a bottle. (We can recycle glass in special receptacles located in parking lots placed around our city, but recycling still takes energy + water.)

For toppings, I thought green onions, cabbage + carrots would be good. As a quick solution, I decided to purchase these ingredients from the salad bar. These ingredients don't weigh much (so aren't super expensive), and I can buy just enough of each for our pizza. Last week's barbecue pizza had tofu on it. Though we usually eat vegetarian at home, this week's pizza has chicken on it. Both were found at the salad bar + added to the same container brought from home.

When suppertime rolls around, we make a pizza crust...spread some barbecue sauce on it...spread the salad bar ingredients (minus the tofu/chicken)...top with grated cheese...and bake. Five minutes before it's done, I add the tofu/chicken mixed with a little more barbecue sauce (in order to avoid drying them out)...and bake five more minutes.

The salad bar is a great source of unpackaged ingredients like tofu, mozzarella balls, olives + lots more. I save the more expensive purchases for rare treats. Salad bar pizza toppings make for a simple, quick + tasty meal.  :)

Love,
​Jane