Saturday, May 17, 2014

Homemade Gluten Free Pizza


Today we’re talkin’ Pizza! One of my all-time favorite foods, and I’m guessing one of yours too. Back in my heyday, I was even called a “pizza snob!” My friends would come to me and ask where the best pizza places were in town, and I had all the answers.

That was all well and good until I was diagnosed and had to go GF! Then everything changed. Since then, it has been my mission to find a delicious local GF pizza. One that even non-GF people would want to eat. My quest for finding even a relatively good GF pizza has been rather disappointing, to say the least, over the past 3 years. 
 
During my first demoralizing month of having to go GF (now five years ago),  I heard that Pizzeria UNO had a GF pizza. At that time, they were one of the few that offered GF anything, so imagine my excitement. Maybe my pizza days weren’t over after all! (Insert the “wrong answer” buzzer here!) Well, when my “pizza” came, I remember nearly coming to tears with disappointment. The crust was just about inedible. I could barely pick it up without it falling apart. What a letdown. But that didn’t stop me from trying others and continuing my mission to find the best!

Three years later, I can say that there are only two places that I would recommend. One is in this area, and the other one is on the state line of Nevada/California. In our area, there is Harvest and Hearth, located on Rte. 67 in Saratoga Springs. See my review of Harvest and Hearth athttp://glutenfreedomny.blogspot.com/p/harvest-hearth.html. The other is Straw Hat Pizza, located in Harvey’s Hotel on the Nevada/California state line. 

Straw Hat Pizza is my favorite  so far. Put it this way, it was so good that I ate one whole pizza all by myself in one sitting. Then I went back the next day, and did it again! It’s really too bad this place is so far away from home. It’s a little too far to travel on a Friday night to get a pizza, and I’m guessing they probably won’t deliver. But I did some calling and eventually spoke with Straw Hat’s manager, and found out that they order their crust from Venice Bakery in California. You can check out all of their GF products online athttp://www.venicebakery.com/info/Our-Products.html. I ordered their crusts online and had them shipped from California. They were still good, but not as good as getting it from Straw Hat Pizza itself, so I haven’t ordered them again. I figure I’ll just have to go back out there sometime and order another one. If you’re in the area, give them a try! 

After lots of searching, coming up with only a few pizza shop choices that were noteworthy, I moved onto trying to make my own crusts, using recipes from other GF experts I found online. 

I must say this pizza recipe that I'm sharing with you today really comes out great. You can make the crust however you like, thicker or thin depending how far you spread the dough. This crust really browns up nicely, and has great texture and taste. The crust doesn’t have the “chew” that a normal wheat flour crust would have, but it’s still really good. My husband, who is not GF, was really impressed with this pizza overall. Every time I make it for myself, he always asks for a bite. He gives it the thumbs up!

PIZZA DOUGH
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
½ tsp. salt
1 packet Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Yeast (1/4 ounce)
2 egg whites, room temperature
2 tbs. olive oil
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup liquid creamer (soy or dairy), warmed , divided use
additional olive oil, optional

Directions:
Whisk together dry ingredients except yeast; set aside. In a the bowl of a stand mixer (preferred) or large mixing bowl, combine egg whites, olive oil, cider vinegar and 1/3 cup creamer (or water + milk powder alternative).
Turn to low setting and slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg white mixture. Gradually add in remaining creamer to get a firm but very sticky dough that can still be spread. Pour in the yeast and beat on high for an additional 3 minutes.  

Oil your hands liberally and spread!
Spoon the dough into the middle of a prepared pan (like a pizza crisper tray covered with aluminum foil, sprayed with non-stick cooking oil) and liberally oil your hands with olive oil to spread the dough gently into a 12-inch circle. Raise the outer edges so the sauce won’t spill out.

Cover with oiled waxed paper and let the crust rise 10-20 minutes in a warm spot like a warming drawer or oven preheated to 200º F and turned off.
Preheat the oven to 375° F (static). After the crust has risen, poke several holes in it with a fork to prevent large air bubbles forming, then bake for approximately 15 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on your pan, but the crust should have risen nicely by this time, and just begun to slightly brown.
Lightly brush olive oil onto the crust edges. Spread with sauce and toppings (or if making foccacia, sprinkle fresh rosemary, sea salt or other toppings) and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. If you add vegetable toppings, I find they taste best if you sauté them in olive oil before adding to the crust.


Note: You may par-bake the crust, freeze and bake for later use. If doing so, stop baking after the first 15 minute bake cycle, cool, then wrap in foil. Place crust in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for later use. Remove from freezer when ready to use, and thaw at least slightly. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spread desired sauce and toppings and bake for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling or the focaccia is lightly browned.

Yield: One 12-inch pizza.

This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian.
This recipe was adapted from Jules Shepard.

Easy 4 Bean Party Salad


This bean salad is so delicious and easy to make, and is always a crowd pleaser at any party I bring it to. It is a great salad to bring because it covers most food and dietary restrictions by being gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. Anyone can enjoy this simple bean salad, and you can feel good about brining it too since it has some veggies and is packed with protein! You can try experimenting with different beans that you like, and also with some different add-ins such as fresh peas, corn, or green beans. Just use what you have on hand, it's sure to be a winner!


4 Bean Party Salad
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz. can Cannellini Beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 7 oz. jar Roasted Red Pepper, drained and chopped

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tablespoons Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tablespoons light Agave Nectar
1/3 cup Light Olive Oil

Directions:
Rinse and drain beans thoroughly and place in a large mixing bowl. Chop green onions and roasted red peppers, place in mixing bowl with beans. Stir together. In a separate small mixing bowl combine all of the dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over bean mixture and stir to combine well. Can be served immediately, or it can be chilled for a few hours before serving.

Serves 16-20.
This recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Say Cheeeeeese!

Product Name: Van's "Say Cheese!" Gluten Free Crackers
Manufacturer: Van's Natural Foods
Overall Rating: 5
Taste: 5
Texture: 5
Shelf Life: 5
Cost: 5 | $2.99
Company Website: http://www.vansfoods.com/our-products-crackers#


Review: If I were to think back to my "normal" days prior to being gluten-free, my favorite snack of choice would be any kind of cheesy cracker I could get my hands on. Every afternoon you could find me at my desk noshing on some Cheez-its, Goldfish Crackers, etc. To me these little cheesy tasty delights were the perfect snack. Crunchy, a little salty, and bursting with cheese flavor...now who wouldn't love that? And then, I had to go gluten-free....da, da dummmmm! My cheesy cracker days were now over! How sad, right? Well, not anymore! 

Every once in a while I take a breeze down the gluten-free aisle at my neighborhood grocery store to see if there is anything new and exciting on the shelves, and to my surprise I found these tasty little buggers! Van's created a cheesy cracker just for me! Why thank you Van's, my prayers have been answered! 

Without even hesitating these cheese crackers were in the cart. Price did not matter. What was in them didn't matter....well, at least at that very moment it didn't. I paid for them at the checkout and I didn't even make it to the car before that box was open and I was popping them in my mouth. And, boy were these good! You know that one good friend of yours that you rarely see, but when you get together it is like no time has passed? Well, this was just that! It was like I never was away from those cheesy crackers I had been missing for the past 5 years. I was in cheesy cracker heaven.
Then, after they passed the taste test with outstanding marks, I actually read the box to see what was in them. I wanted to see if I was just putting garbage in my mouth, or if they had any nutritional merit whatsoever. And, again to my surprise, these were actually made of good quality ingredients that I could eat AND feel good about it. 

I am very conscious (well, most of the time) about what I eat. I respect my body and try to treat it with a clean and healthy diet. I eat very few packaged foods. So, when I saw that these crackers were made of only good ingredients, I was even more happy than before. These are made with whole grains, no GMOs, and packed with protein. See for yourself!
Since my first purchase only in February, I have purchased 4 more boxes. Now, do I stick to the suggested serving of 30 crackers as stated on the box? Generally yes, but sometimes I just have to go back for "a few more." If you were a fan of the cheesy crackers like me, I urge you to try these. You won't regret it. I promise. 

Van's has another flavor at my local grocery store called "Lot's of Everything." I've tried them, and they are good, but in my opinion just not as good as their cheesy version. They are just in a class all by themselves.

Enjoy your cheesy bites of goodness and please let me know what you think of them too!