Mini tomato & olive pizzas - quick & easy recipe

We never get tired of eating pizza and I'm always looking for new pizza-style recipes. This is one that I developed a couple of years ago and I'd like to share it with you because it's so quick and easy to make.

In fact, it's so simple that I've shown my granddaughter how to make these, now that she's old enough to show an interest in cooking.

There's no need to cook the topping first so it's perfect for beginner cooks or kids - I have a feeling that even my other half would be able to manage this - under my supervision, of course.

It uses the simplest of ingredients - ones that I normally have ready in the fridge. These individual pies take about 12 to 15 minutes in the oven during which time you can pour yourself a glass of wine and relax if you're me or play a game if you're seven years old :)

Assembling the dish is quite good fun too, whatever your age, because rolling out the dough and shaping it is a little like playing with modeling clay. But the really important thing is that these are very tasty indeed and far healthier than the versions you'd get from your local pizzeria.

Makes twelve

• 1 tube ready-to-bake breadsticks
• 1 large tomato
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• 2 - 3 oz. hard cheese
• 2 oz. blue cheese
• 1 oz. Parmesan
• Black pepper & fresh basil leaves

OVEN

Turn on the oven as it will need to be preheated. The temperature for the dough I use is 375°. but do check the packet of the brand you use.

PREPARE THE DOUGH

Kids love doing this, as do big kids like me. The dough is divided into twelve individual sticks so have fun rolling these into long 'sausages' with your hands on a floured board. Imagine that you're making snakes with play-do.

SHAPE

Shape the dough into doughnut-like circles. If your child remarks that these look like a popular item from a joke shop (or indeed the real thing), try to keep a straight face. Place these on a cookie sheet or baking tray - there's no need to grease or flour it.

TOMATO & OLIVES

This needs a sharp knife so this is the job of the parent, grandparent or other adult. Cut the tomato into think slices. Because you have twelve bases, you'll need twelve slices. Slice the olives too and chop some of the basil leaves - keep a few in reserve to garnish the final dish.

ASSEMBLE

The kids can now take over again. Place a tomato slice on each dough base. The sprinkle with black pepper and top with olive slices and a little basil.

BAKE

Put these into the oven for about ten minutes. The basil and pepper flavor will mingle with the juices from the tomato.

CHEESE

Grate the cheeses and mix them together.

FINALIZE

Remove the mini pizzas from the oven and top with the grated cheese. Of course, the baking tray or cookie sheet is hot so the kids are spectators at this stage!

FINAL BAKING

Put the cookie sheet back into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted to the degree you prefer. We like it just nicely melted but before it starts to brown. This takes about two or three minutes but leave it a little longer if you prefer the cheese to be more golden.

When I ran the health food store back in England, I was often asked by mothers about their children and vegetarian diets. Children as young as six and seven - in fact I even remember one or two younger kids - were deciding that they didn't want to eat meat.

Naturally, moms who weren't vegetarian themselves were concerned about their kids' nutrition. This was almost thirty years ago and there was little advice available for parents. Not so now. Here's a great selection.