A Gluten Free Miracle!

I just discovered something that is going to change our lives.  Or, at least our lives as they pertain to pizza.  And that's a pretty significant portion.  

This isn't going to look amazing.  In fact, it looks like a wet sponge.

Let me explain.  Frozen gluten free pizza crusts suck.  Not only are they basically just slightly thick tortillas, they cost like $9 for pure disappointment.  Plus, most of them are all of about 6 inches across.  What, gluten free people don't get to gorge themselves on large pizzas?  Sure, there are some exceptions- I don't want hate comments from anyone for implying that your favorite crust isn't so hot.  But of the ones I've tried (few, since most have eggs), I haven't been impressed.  I mean, this is 2010 and pretty much everyone and their mom wants to eat gluten free.  So what's the hold up on the GF pizza crust technology, folks?!  

I like making and freezing my own GF crusts, but I can only make and freeze 2 at a time since i only have 2 baking sheets to freeze them on.  Then I have to figure out how to seal the frozen crust in an airtight package for the freezer.  I've done foil, plastic wrap, super large baggies, etc.  My sort of oval, sort of square crusts never fit too well.

So this is where I'm coming from.  And now I've found a way to make my own frozen GF crusts at a rate of about 3-4 in 5 minutes.  This is pizza revolution.  

Here's my seriously simple solution to these issues.  After making a double batch of dough (recipe below), I just put the dough in an oiled large baggie and squish it around until it's flat and extends fully to all sides of the bag.  If you've worked with GF dough before, then you know that spreading it can be a nightmare on dough street.  Your hands stay clean with this method!  Then I seal and freeze the bags stacked on a flat surface.  To use the crust, I can peel the baggie back (for reusing the bag again) or just cut it off.*

*I realize that wasting a plastic bag might feel really wrong (It usually does to me).  But I use recycled plastic bags and figure that if I bought a crust it'd be in plastic and a non-recyclable box, too.  So it's still a little better than store-bought.

Crazy Easy GF Pizza Crust
The recipe I use is an adaptation of Mary Frances' recipe on Gluten Free Cooking School.  My adaptations are just because of what ingredients I typically keep on hand rather than anything wrong with her original recipe.  I'll give it to you with my changes because that's how I tested it. I encourage you to make double batches always.

1 Tbsp. instant yeast
1/2 c. brown rice flour
3/4 cup millet flour
1 cup tapioca starch
2 tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. oregano
1 1/3 c. almond milk (water works in a pinch)

2 tsp. olive oil (Plus 2 Tbsp. for baggie)
2 tsp. cider vinegar

Dough instructions:
Mix together all dry ingredients (everything except milk, olive oil and vinegar) in your mixer with a paddle attachment.  Or use your arm with the whisk attachment.  Mix together the liquids in a big jar and then add the liquids to the dry ingredients.  Mix for about a minute or until everything is evenly distributed and a sticky, soft dough has formed.  

Freezing instructions:

Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to each large sized baggie.  Squish around until oil coats the inside.  Divide the dough between the bags and pat out until dough fully extends to the edges of the bag and is evenly distributed.  Stack the baggies on a baking sheet and freeze overnight.  Then retrieve your baking sheet and store the dough in your freezer until you decide to have a pizza party.

Cooking instructions:

Preheat oven to 400F.  Cut off the plastic bag and place frozen dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Parbake for 8 minutes before topping and baking another 15 minutes or so (this time is dependent on your toppings).  Then you know what to do.

The Gluten-Free Pizza Vibe

Mike and I don't exactly think alike, but sometimes we're on the exact same wavelength.  Thursday night was a great example.  I read Gluten Free Girl's blog post about her gluten free boule and immediately started mixing up the dough.  As it was rising in the oven, Mike called from work to ask if there was any way I could start a gluten free pizza crust so that he could make pizza when he got home.  I got to say, "It's already in the oven, honey!"

It turns out that the dough is tasty as a crusty boule OR a pizza crust.  Here's the play-by-play:

I used a bit of waxed paper to flatten the dough out on a parchment covered baking sheet.  This dough was much easier to work with than my usual pizza dough.  It's dotted with sun-dried tomatoes and dried rosemary from my garden.

Then I added Muir Glen pizza sauce (my favorite pre-made variety) and big handfuls of spinach.

Next came thinly sliced portobello mushroom, thinly sliced sweet onion and peppadew peppers

Last, a bit of Vegan Gourmet cheese.  Cheddar, because that's what was in the fridge.

The finished pizza!  The cheese definitely didn't melt this time, probably because it just didn't need to cook very long.  I probably could have broiled it, but I didn't want to delay the pizza-eating.  The crust and the peppadew peppers really made this something special.  Mike recommended more herbs next time and I agree- I couldn't taste all that rosemary in the dough!

Here's the other half of the dough, made into a little free-form loaf.  I topped it with my favorite hibiscus salt because purple salt is always pretty.  Mike was so excited to have GF bread to eat the next day!

piZZa!!!

All of you Twin Cities vegan need to head over to ZPizza right now. Well, maybe not RIGHT now because they're already closed for the night. But soon.

Or you can do like we did tonight and have awesome friends who come over bearing 2 extra large pizzas with mushrooms, green and red bell peppers, zucchini, red onions, fresh tomatoes and vegan sausage smothered in Daiya vegan cheese.
Hell yeah. This is the life.

Worth Waiting For

Some things are just worth waiting for. Like pizza.

I haven't been giving the local challenge 100% of my efforts lately. Heck, I've only been to work about 3 days in the last week and a half. First, I went to my grandma's funeral and then I promptly came down with a nasty cold! Sadly, I couldn't taste or smell anything so I pretty much just ate spicy rasam soups and drank ginger brews until yesterday. Not very local.

So tonight as I was leaving work I happened to pass some coworkers enjoying some pizzas from Pizza Luce and was overtaken with a massive pizza craving. I nearly pressed the speed dial button for Luce on my cell until the guilt set in...I should really make a local-ingredient pizza.

I mean, can a gal really justify ordering pizza when she has 14 lbs. of heirloom tomatoes on the kitchen counter and an unlimited quantity of basil from the garden? And to top it all off, Vegan Gourmet cheeze is on sale this month at the co-op. There was just no excuse tonight.

So now, after whipping up some cornmeal crusts from locally grown flour and cornmeal, making a batch of pesto from garden basil, roasting some locally grown eggplant and garlic and slicing some super fat Aunt Ginny's Purple heirloom tomatoes... I'm eating dinner at 8:45 pm.

Seriously, though. It's worth it.

An Early Celebration

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas/Solstice with Mike's family in our usual tradition: 

With Pizza!

Every year we make way too much pizza topped with all the toppings that we usually try not to splurge on (artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, 3 kinds of olives, etc.).  We had 8 people at our gathering and we made 5 pizzas...You do the math.

How do we keep things vegan in an omni kitchen?  Mike's mom had the super smart idea to label her big wooden cutting board with a vegan side and a meat side!  See the fuzzy picture below:

That's veggie side up with 2 kinds of olives and veggie pepperoni.  Mike and I shared a gluten free pizza this year  (Last year I accidentally left the GF free crust at home on accident).  Usually the crust is perfect, but I must have done something different this time because it stuck to the pan like crazy.  Luckily, with all these toppings, it tasted just fine- Even if it was the ugliest pizza!

Trouble cat was being super duper cute yesterday (begging for some of grandma's gluten free sugar cookies, maybe?).  This is her peeking out of the big pickling crock.  

Pizza Night!

So that beautiful gluten-free bread I baked this weekend is no longer. We enjoyed about 3 slices before we left the house and the dog stole it off the counter and ate the entire thing. All that is left are the bits of foil that wrapped the loaf- and those are scattered all over the house.

So instead of baking another loaf tonight, I baked pizzas (using Mary Frances' recipe, of course). They had onion, red pepper, green pepper, black olives, rainbow chard, and fresh herbs...and Teese cheese.

I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point I stopped thinking about what would be good on a pizza when choosing toppings and started thinking, "How many vegetables can I cram onto this pizza?" I decided against green beans on this one tonight. Before
After
Trouble has started sleeping in the dog's kennel. I don't think this is a smart move!

Two recipes to try

It's taking a bit of time to get used to my partner not eating wheat or gluten- most of his favorite foods (and my favorite things to cook for him) have wheat. So I haven't baked any biscuits or made pasta lately. And he has been craving pizza like a fiend.

We used a boxed mix for a pizza crust one time and it turned out really good, but it was pretty darn expensive. So when I saw the Gluten Free Cooking School's Pizza recipe, I knew it was worth a try.

I must say, it was amazing. We made a double recipe and the whole family devoured the two large pizzas. The recipe was really quick because there was no need to knead or let the dough rise. So now we don't have to plan ahead to make pizza!


This one had red peppers, black olives, artichoke hearts, and a cheeze sauce made with cashews, tofu, and squash.

Today I wanted to ward off the cold that everyone in the family has gotten, so I decided to try Vaishali's Screaming Hot Garlic and Lemon Rasam. While I took some liberties with the recipe, the basic ingredients and spices are the same. This soup was light, spicy, and definitely killed any cold germs with the chilies, lemon, and garlic. This is way more delicious than western medicine.

Kitties, Doggie, and Pizza

There's nothing better than snuggling with a couple of kitties and a dog when you're tired, have a cold, and have cramps. Here are all of my animals snuggled up together. As you can see, Hannah Dog likes to protect the kitties from the camera. My favorite pic is the one in the top left where Trouble Kitten has climbed on top of Billie Cat.
A few nights ago I miraculously pulled together dinner in about 30 minutes (I never do that). It was a really creamy polenta topped with an olive-broccoli-tomato sauce and baked cheesy tofu.
Mike made a great pizza last night. The peppers were spicy! He even made homemade cheese. Go Mike!

Stuffed Crust Pizza!!!

There are just too many commercials on TV about stuffed crust pizza. I don't think I've ever had stuffed crust pizza with real cheese, but I imagine it being one of the most indulgently amazing things ever. I mean, there's already cheese on top! Why do you need it in the crust? You don't. But it's so damn good and over the top that you can't resist it.

So here's my version, which is probably less indulgent but still amazing.
First, I made a basic pizza dough with some garlic and Italian herb mix thrown in. Then I made up a batch of Cashew Ricotta (Veganomicon) that the family loved so much. I piped the ricotta all around the edge of the dough and folded the crust over, sealing with a dab of water. Then I pressed the edges together really well, reshaping the crust to be a bit bigger and working the dough so that the seal wouldn't break.

I topped it with tomato sauce, onions, black olives, artichoke hearts, veggie pepperoni, and a cheeze sauce similar to the New Farm Cookbook's recipe for cheeze sauce (only less Earth Balance and oil!) Here's what it looked like before baking:

And after baking, in bad lighting:
Here's an inside shot:
And another:
I think this was a really tasty pizza, but since the ricotta is a dry "cheeze", it didn't have that gooeyness that I associate with a stuffed crust pizza. I might consider mixing the ricotta with tomato sauce just to make it more gooey before stuffing. Or maybe grating in some Follow Your Heart Mozzarella?
Anyhow, the kids thought it was awesome and it's something I'll definitely keep working on.

Food for 8-Year-Olds

The boys turn 8 years old tomorrow and I wanted to make the ultimate kid dinner for their little party tonight. So after being inspired by iloveyoubobbybrowns's post on the PPK, I decided on Macaroni 'n Cheese Pizza. I used the New Farm Mac & Cheese recipe on top of a 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white flour & pesto crust. I debated about whether or not to put tomato sauce under the mac n cheese, and decided on a thin layer. I thought it turned out great- but it was so rich and so filling that I was about to explode after eating 3 small squares of it. There were some serious carbs in this dinner. The boys really enjoyed it, but I think I was more excited about it than they were.

Everyone in our house gets their choice of birthday cake flavor each year. This year the boys chose chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting (I didn't even have to suggest this combo to them...but I would have). Wow. It was incredible! I used Dreena Burton's chocolate cake recipe with a bit of extra cocoa powder and 2 layers instead of 3. Then I used Isa and Terry's Peanut Buttercream from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and a ganache topping.
I've never had a piece of cake in front of me and not been able to finish it. But tonight, after that pizza (and licking lots of beaters and snacking on frosting), I couldn't finish my last two bites. I was in a sugar coma for hours.
Here's what I made the kids for their birthday present. It's a "Spy Belt". It has a magnifying glass, mini pen and notebook, mini flashlight, measuring tape, fingerprinting kit (black eyeshadow for powder, a mini make-up brush, and tape), and a mini digital camera. They totally loved them!
Here's what we're bringing to share with their class tomorrow- Indoors S'mores! It's just graham cracker halves spread with chocolate ganache and Ricemellow creme and sandwiched together. Yum!

Pasta, Pizza, and Carmel-PB Apple Bars

Last night I really wanted something with mushrooms. I didn't really care what it was, it just needed to have lots of mushrooms. That's usually how I decide what to eat: I crave something intensely and then build a meal around it. (What's really weird is when I crave something I've never eaten before- and, no, I'm NOT pregnant).

I was going to make mushroom wild rice soup, but Mike prefers not to eat soup unless it's my seitan and dumplings, so I decided to make a mushroom pasta dish instead- An instant winner in Mike's eyes. I cooked some fusilli pasta (white pasta, even!). Then I sauteed portobello and button mushrooms with thyme and sage and set them aside. I made the sauce with a flour and Earth Balance roux and added almond milk, tamari, sage, thyme, salt/pepper, a bit of nutritional yeast, and a big blob of plain soy yogurt.


The sauce thickened up nicely and looked a lot like a stroganoff. Mixed with the pasta it was a perfect 11pm dinner!

Today is Sunday, so that's my day to really pull off a great dinner. We eat dinner together as a family several times a week, but Sunday I try to make something really special to look forward to. Unfortunately, I felt like crap all day and didn't think I'd have any energy to cook. But I got a great idea to use up last year's bumper crop of pesto (before we harvest this year's basil). I made two big batches of pizza dough and added 3 ice cube sized things of pesto to eat batch. The crust looked kinda green which might be a turn-off to some people, but it smelled and tasted great! It would be really nice for foccacia bread, too. The toppings were local red onions, martini olives, green peppers from the garden, homemade tempeh sausage, and an awesome quick "cheese" sauce modeled after the late great Spokes Pizza in Minneapolis.


This close up makes me want to go to the fridge right now and eat the leftovers! But I'll be happier if I wait and eat them for breakfast.After all the talk on the PPK about Isa's PB Caramel Apple Bars, I really wanted to try them. And when Mike walked in the door with 3 bags of free Granny Smiths, I knew this was my chance.

WOW! Even just the Caramel PB Sauce is enough to make this amazing, not to mention the crust, apples, and crumble topping.

Next time I'm going to try the topping and sauce on top of a thick apple pie, though. The toppings are a bit rich for such a thin bar... But maybe I'm just a wuss.