10Feb

Paleo Survival Recipe—Pizza Peppers

Posted by: Elissa Garr Categories: Blog posts Daily Posts Dairy Free Dairy Free Recipes Gluten Free Gluten free kids Gluten Free Recipes Grain Free Recipes Low glycemic Paleo Paleo Recipes Recipes
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Guest writer, Elissa, shares her favorite Paleo pizza creation with us. Thanks Elissa – we can’t wait to try this one! 

When beginning with Paleo I was overwhelmed.  What was I to do with all the new information I have learned with the new cooking staples in my pantry?  These things I had not experience with, could I even call them staples?  I knew I had a task laid before me if I were to survive this much needed lifestyle transformation.

I will be the first to admit, I don’t follow rules and directions well.  Unlike my mother who strict follows every recipe down to the last granule, I cool and bake with my gut.  Recipes are simply for time, temp, and ingredient suggestions that you can take or leave.  When I am creating something delicious there is a thing that happen inside of me, something magical turns on and more often than not the thing that results is a culinary delight.

PIZZA……who doesn’t love PIZZA?!  A favorite American treat loved by many from the time they could ingest until the time they can do so no longer.  Pizza…..one of the very first things I knew I was going to have to get down right, there was no way I could or wanted to go without it.

When it came to creating the delicious I knew I was going to have to dissect the recipe full of wheat and dairy to determine what exactly is was that made pizza so desirable.

Crust:  Even as a child, I never had much use for the stuff.  It was just like a plate for the gooey goodness.  Who eats the plate?

Cheese:  Oh cheese how I loved thee, but cheese in all of its gooey glory was in NO WAY worth the grumbling in my tummy (insert vision of Winnie the Pooh).

Things of Importance:  Meat, vegetables, and the amazing sauce with its desirable seasoning.

What was a girl to do?  I had absolutely no desire to Paleoize (to make a food dish that is in no way Paleo include Paleo ingredients; these are often high in natural sugars, nuts, and starches), resembled a crust. I try to steer clear of Paleoizing anything, to me, often takes away the deliciousness and nutritious things Paleo offers.  There had to be a simple way, some sort a vessel.

As I stared blankly into my fridge searching for an answer, there is stood in its green glory!  A green pepper!  Of course it made sense, so simple, a green pepper with bowl potential.  Not a new theory, stuffed peppers have been around for decades!  All of the AMAZING pizza toppings stuffed inside of a common topping itself.  No wheat or dairy and nothing was Paleoized in the creation.  Simple ingredients, combined.

 

paleopizzas

 

cheesy note:  Cheese.  For me it was nearly impossible to give up completely.  But I simply refused to allow non-food, man-made chemicals to enter my clean body.  I went on a hunt for a treat in hopes of what I found didn’t cause any digestive distress.  On my hunt I found raw cheddar cheese.  Cheese with no unnatural ingredients made out of raw, unpasteurized milk.  I gave it a whirl and to my surprise there was NO digestive issues!  Now from time to time when I stray the non-dairy path I indulge in raw cheeses from cows, sheep, or goats.

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3Jul

Paleo, gluten free pizza crust

Posted by: Jennifer Mansfield Categories: Almond flour recipes Blog posts Daily Posts Dairy Free Dairy Free Recipes Gluten Free Gluten free kids Gluten Free Recipes Grain Free Grain Free Recipes Paleo Paleo Recipes Recipes
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Pizza nights are back!

Danielle of Against All Grain has done it again!

This time she has come up with a grain free pizza crust that claims to be delicious, and to hold up against its gluten and grain-full competitors, unlike some of the other grain free crusts we’ve tried which don’t allow you to pick up and indulge in a little slice of pizza heaven. 

She tops her with some of the delicious and healthy meats from US Wellness Meats, though we left the toppings up to you on this one, so go ahead and indulge in your favorites. Some of ours include goat cheese, spinach, garlic and tomatoes.  Another fave is sauce, ham and pineapple.  And yet another is the meat lovers favorite with proscioutto, sausage, ground beef and jalapeno. 

Truth be told, top it with whatever fresh and delish toppings you want and simply enjoy the ability of savoring pizza again on a grain free diet! 

 

Print
Paleo, Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Paleo, Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Ingredients

    INGREDIENTS - CRUST
  • 3/4 cup whole raw cashews (or 1 cup cashew flour)
  • 3 tablespoons almond flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoon almond milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil
    • INGREDIENTS - PIZZA
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 3/4 cup US Wellness Meats Raw Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 USWM Salami, casing removed and thinly sliced
  • 1 USWM Italian Sausage, casing removed and pre-cooked
  • 2 pieces USWM sugar-free bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup black olives, pitted and sliced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a food processor, pulse the cashews until a fine flour has formed.
  3. Add in the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and garlic granules, then process the mixture for 1 minute.
  4. Add the eggs, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and water and process for another minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse a few more times until you have a very smooth dough.
  5. Add the parsley and basil, and pulse two more times to roughly chop and incorporate the herbs.
  6. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes to let the coconut flour absorb some of the liquid.
  7. Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with a little almond flour, then turn the dough out onto the counter. Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of the ball of dough, then place another piece of parchment on top.
  8. Use your hands to flatten the ball into a disc, then lightly roll out the dough into a circle that is 1/4 inch thick.
  9. Remove the top piece of parchment and carefully slide the other piece with the crust onto a pizza pan.
  10. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, or until it has puffed up and is golden brown around the edges.
  11. Top with sauce and your favorite toppings and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
  12. Enjoy!
http://inspiredeats.net/paleo-gluten-free-pizza-crust/

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21Jun

Gluten Free Pizza Dough

Posted by: Jennifer Mansfield Categories: Blog posts Daily Posts Gluten Free Gluten Free Recipes What's Trending
3 Comments

NYC pizza – a little slice of heaven.  A part of my past? Perhaps, but pizza doesn’t have to be!

If you’re lucky enough to live in some of the more progressive cities where you can walk into a Pizza restuarant and ask for a gluten free pie, then you can rpobably pick up a frozen GF pie in your local supermarket too, but for those of you who aren’t as lucky (and who miss the tasty pleasure of pizza) you can always whip up your own dough at home. While I can’t personally eat pizza dough due to following a grain free diet, I have had several people tell me this recipe is a keeper! 

 

I’ve also posted an alternate grain free pizza dough recipe which we love, but it doesn’t have the consistency of a traditional pizza pie and you can’t pick it up. I did list some yummy topping ideas though, so you can head over to this post if you’d like some inspiration for a delish hawaiian style pizza. 

Enjoy! 

 

Print
Gluten Free Pizza Dough

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 8 slices

Gluten Free Pizza Dough

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon yeast (active, dry)
  • 2 Teaspoon sugar
  • 2⁄3 Cup brown rice flour
  • 1⁄2 Cup tapioca flour
  • 2 Teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 3⁄4 Cup rice milk (warm, or warm water)
  • 1⁄2 Teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoon oil
  • 2 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

  1. Dissolve the yeast and 1tsp sugar into the warm rice milk or water. Leave to sit for 5 minutes.
  2. In a food processor, blend yeast and milk mixture with the flours, xanthan gum, oregano, salt, 1T oil, vinegar and 1 tsp sugar.
  3. Pulse until a ball of very soft dough forms (add more milk 1T at a time if necessary, to make the dough combine).
  4. Line a pizza stone/tray with a sheet of baking paper. Shape the dough into a pizza base shape by pressing down with your hands, using extra rice flour to prevent sticking. Try to make the base as smooth as possible.
  5. Place on the bottom rack of a cold oven and turn the oven to 400F/200C.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven, brush with olive oil.
  8. Top with your desired toppings.
  9. Return to to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Gluten Free/Casein Free Diet (GF/CF), Vegan, Vegetarian

http://inspiredeats.net/gluten-free-pizza-dough/

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14May

Domino’s goes gluten free

Posted by: Jennifer Mansfield Categories: Blog posts Daily Posts Gluten Free
Comments Off on Domino’s goes gluten free

Last week I read an article on USA Today that Domino’s has announced they are offering Gluten free pizza in some locations, and I thought that was a pretty big deal. Definitely a step in the right direction for those of us who miss our pizza, right? Perhaps….

The company’s new gluten-free crust is made from rice flour, potato starch, rice starch and olive oil.  Domino’s worked with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness to bring their standards to the company’s employees and kitchens.

“Offering Domino’s Gluten Free Crust is a big step for us, and we wanted to make sure we were doing it right,” Domino’s CEO J. Patrick Doyle said in a statement.“The prevalence of gluten sensitivity has become a real issue with significant impact on consumer choice, and we want to be a part of the solution,” he said.

Although the crust is gluten-free, the company only recommends that those with a mild gluten allergy enjoy the pizza.  It doesn’t recommend the crust for those with Celiac disease because it can’t fully guarantee the product hasn’t come in contact with gluten. This is an important point that made me take notice as most people I know aren’t just a little sensitive to gluten.  In fact, there is little known as to whether someone with Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity can tolerate small amounts of gluten. I’ve heard some people claim to be able to, however, I know personally I can’t handle any cross contamination, though I lived a lifetime of the damaging effects (wasn’t diagnosed until I was in my mid 30’s) so perhaps my son (who hasn’t eaten gluten since he was 4) would be ok with a little cross contamination here and there. Or perhaps not. I don’t really know. But it’s certainly something I was surprised to see the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness endorse.  Anyway, just beware that you may not fare so well due to cross contamination issues and be careful before you over indulge. 

The pizza costs $12, about $3 more than a regular pie.  One slice of a 10-inch pepperoni pie has 170 calories, 3.5 grams of saturated fat and 410 milligrams of sodium.

 

National Gluten-free options:

According to USA Today, there are several other national chains now offering gluten-free options (to be honest, there are many  more, which we will start showcasing soon), but these are the ones which they pointed out: 

•Casual dining. P.F. Chang’s, an industry standout with 25 gluten-free dishes, just added seven more to its menu, including Gluten-Free Caramel Mango Chicken and Gluten-Free Asian Tomato Cucumber Salad. It also uses gluten-free soy sauce , which is the key to making these dishes taste as good as conventional dishes, says Dan Drummond, brand director.

•Chips. At Frito-Lay, the most common request on its consumer affairs line is for gluten-free offerings, spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez says. Frito-Lay has recently begun labeling packaging on more than a dozen chips that are gluten-free with a special “GF” (gluten-free) icon or statement on the back of the bag.

•Subs. Subway has been testing gluten-free products, including bread and brownies, at some stores in four key markets since early 2011, says Tony Pace, chief marketing officer for the Subway brand. Those markets: Dallas/Fort Worth; Portland, Ore.; Tacoma, Wash.; and Duluth, Minn.

•Beer. Also Monday, Anheusher-Busch will roll out Michelob Ultra Light Cider, which is gluten-free. In 2006, it launched Redbridge, the first nationally available gluten-free beer.

 

So what does this mean?

Well, it’s a sign that things are moving in the right direction for us! We just need to be careful to note the reality of the impact gluten has on our compromised bodies, and how important it is to manage our health. I urge you not to get too excited about the abundance of gluten-free products available to us now; beware of how you’re feeling and take note if you have an adverse response. It took me a little while to realize that cross contamination is sometimes an issue for me; my symptoms are typically gas, bloating, fatigue and headaches. Other responses you may be having are related to cross- reactive issues which I’ve outlined a bit here. 

Because there isn’t a lot of research done on how gluten sensitivity and other food allergies and sensitivities affect us, we are often left to work through this on our own. So if you’re like me, you talk to anyone who is in a similar situation and see how it affects him or her. I hope one day to have a member base here where we can run polls and compile enough data to make a difference and help others like us. So for now, I post articles and my opinions, and I hope they help 🙂 

So please – share your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. too! The more we learn about how we each successfully manage our food allergies and sensitivities, the better lives we lead. 

In good health, 

Jen

 

 

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