Lunch: Spicy Lamb Pizza With Parsley–Red Onion Salad

Recipe by Andy Baraghani Our homage to lahmacun, the Middle Eastern flatbread.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Lemon

Health benefits of Spicy Lamb Pizza With Parsley–Red Onion Salad

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, and other antioxidants. They can potentially support the immune system and have other health benefits. Lemons also have a low glycemic index, so they should not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar when consumed in natural form.

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1/4 cup tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
12 ounces ground lamb
All-purpose flour (for dusting)
8 ounces prepared pizza dough, cut in half, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup parsley leaves with tender stems
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Crushed red pepper flakes (for serving)

Instructions

Place a baking sheet on a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 500 °F. Mix garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Mix in lamb.
Working with 1 piece of dough and keeping remaining piece covered, gently stretch dough into a 10x8" oval and transfer to a lightly floured parchment-lined baking sheet. (If dough springs back, cover and let rest 10 minutes, then stretch again, resting as needed.) Crumble half of the lamb mixture over dough and brush edges with 1 Tbsp. oil. Slide onto preheated baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, 6 –8 minutes. Transfer pizza to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough, lamb mixture, and 1 Tbsp. oil. Drizzle pizzas with more oil.
Toss onion, parsley, and lemon juice in a bowl; season with salt. Scatter over pizzas; sprinkle with red pepper flakes.