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.
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.
