Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

adapted from sandyskitchenadventures.com

This recipe is amazing – it’s a new favorite of mine! My co-worker Cheryl Hoefler also gave it a try and liked it – judging from the picture, her pizza looks mouth-watering! I first heard about cauliflower-crust pizza about two years ago, and it didn’t appeal to me then, but I gave it a try a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t taste like cauliflower and the texture is great. Is it a New York-style crust? No, but if you’d like a healthier, low-carb, low-fat option, it’s a winner! By the way, I doubled the recipe and made four pizza crusts, one round and three rectangular.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 C. grated raw cauliflower (about 1/2 a head of cauliflower)
1/4 C. egg whites, from two eggs, beaten slightly
1/2 C. reduced-fat shredded cheese
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. basil
Toppings:
1/4-1/2 C. reduced fat Mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. Italian diced tomatoes, canned
or use pizza sauce, if desired
Add other favorite toppings

Directions:
Measure out 1/2 C. diced tomatoes and puree in blender or chopper, just pulse for a few seconds. Set aside. Your favorite pizza sauce could be used in place of the diced tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine grated cauliflower, egg whites, cheese, garlic powder and basil until mixed thoroughly. Spoon mixture on prepared pan to make two rectangular pizza crusts, or make two round pizza crusts, one at a time.
Make the pizzas on the small side so they bake through, about 5x8 inches for rectangular shapes and 9” for the round pizzas.
Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture (or your hands) to make the shape, about a 1/4-inch thick or less – the thinner the crust, the less chance it will be soggy.
Bake for 25 minutes then carefully flip the pizza crust – use a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the parchment first. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are really brown and crisp. Even if they are a little burnt around the edges, it won’t taste burnt. Allow crusts to cool.
Add tomato sauce and cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Pizza crusts can be made ahead of time, without toppings, cooled and stored in the freezer in gallon-sized Zip-Lock bags. Then bake as you would a normal store-bought pizza: top with sauce and toppings, then bake for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees or until cheese is melted.
The recipe can be doubled for 4-5 pizza crusts, then store extras in the freezer for later!
Angel’s Tip: The original recipe calls for reduced-fat three cheese Mexican blend – this was not available at the store I was shopping at but I found a similar taco blend gave a nice flavor to the crust. Cheryl used a mixture of Mozzarella, Swiss and cheddar for her crust, so be creative with what you have! ... If you get busy and let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours, you’ll notice liquid in the bottom of the mixing bowl. If this happens, drain as much liquid as possible and make the crusts.

Winnie's Sweet Slaw

This yummy recipe comes from my co-worker at the Blue Mountain Eagle Winnie Browning. It’s easy to put together and has a nice zing and crunch to it. I’m definitely adding this one to my list!

Ingredients:
medium head of cabbage, chopped
6 oz. almonds
3-4 green onions, sliced
2 granny smith apples, diced
10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
5 oz. dried cranberries
1 C. poppy seed dressing, such as Kraft
      
Mix all together. Enjoy!
Serves about 10.

Coffee Cake, gluten free

I'm including some gluten-free recipes contributed by Sandy Bupp of John Day, also known as The Gluten-Free Lady. She has a way with adapting recipes for the gluten-free diet. Although I don't have gluten issues, I know there are many people who do and I'd like to provide some recipes at this blog for them.
I'd love to know how these recipes turn out for you if you try them. Thanks!

Ingredients:
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour blend of choice
1/2 cup sorghum flour
2 tsp. xanthan gum*
1/2 tsp. salt*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 C. coconut yogurt or soy yogurt (flavored yogurt works well)
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 Tbsp. baby pear puree
1/2 C. peeled, chopped ripe Bartlett, Bosc or red pears or diced canned pears, drained

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan.
Combine sugar, flour blend, sorghum flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine yogurt, vegetable oil and pear puree in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in chopped fruit.
Spoon half the batter into prepared pan, smoothing to the edges to cover the bottom. Cover with half the Crumble Topping. Spoon remaining batter over Crumble Topping and smooth to pan edges. Sprinkle remaining Crumble Topping over top.
Place pan in preheated oven and bake 50 to 55 minutes until cake tester comes out clean and center springs back when gently touched.
Cool 10 minutes in the pan. Remove the rim of the pan and cool cake completely on a wire rack.
*TIP: If your all-purpose flour blend already contains xanthan gum and salt, reduce the gum to 1/2 teaspoon and omit the salt.

Crumble Topping Ingredients (makes 1 1/4 cups):
This topping can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
1/2 C. rice flour
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter or dairy free buttery spread, room temperature

Directions:
Combine rice flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Add butter and use fingertips or a fork to combine just until mixture is crumbly.

Each serving contains 372 calories, 14g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 12mg cholesterol, 457mg sodium, 63g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 2g protein.

Nestle Toll-House-style Chocolate Chip Cookies, Gluten-Free

Here's another recipe from Sandy Bupp of John Day - Nestle Toll House Cookies for the gluten-free diet. As a person with celiac disease, Sandy makes the best of it by adapting her cooking and baking to fit her restricted diet.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 C. all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. gluten-free vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 C. (12-oz. pkg) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 C. chopped nuts
1 C. raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes 5 dozen.

Tip: 

Sandy says that some gluten-free flours don't have as much elasticity to them - there are many brands to choose from. If your cookies go flat, try adding a little more all-purpose gluten-free flour to them. If more rise is needed, a 1/2 to 1 tsp. of baking powder could be sifted into the flour, along with the baking soda, before mixing into the butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Some brands of gluten-free flour have added baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum to help improve baking results.

Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

Here's a recipe from Sandy Bupp of John Day, also known as The Gluten-Free Lady. She's a wonderful contributor to Angel's Kitchen! I haven't tried this recipe yet, but hear they are reminiscent of pumpkin cake rolls, which I love!

Ingredients:
1/3 C. oil
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. sorghum flour
1 whole egg
1/2 C. canned pumpkin
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:
1/3 C. shortening
3/4 C. powdered sugar
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
In a medium-size bowl, combine oil and sugar. Beat well. Add the sorghum flour and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl at least once during mixing. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Continue beating until the dough comes together; it will be soft and airy.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared pan. Press to 1/4-inch thickness with moist fingertips. bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies just begin to brown at the edges. Let cool on wire racks. For the filling, blend all the ingredients until light and fluffy. Press a tablespoon of filling between two cookies with bottom sides facing, and press together to form a sandwich. Repeat. Makes 11 servings.

Chicken Marsala

This recipe comes from the Gluten-Free Lady, also known as Sandy Bupp of John Day - thank you Sandy! She adapted a recipe found on the Food Network for gluten-free cooking - she’s good at that! Sandy teaches gluten-free cooking every second Wednesday at the John Day Elks Lodge. She’s a wonderful cook, and a great resource for anyone who has gluten intolerance or celiac disease. This recipe can changed easily for a person without gluten issues. I don't have a picture of this recipe yet, but will try making this soon and post a photo.

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Gluten-free flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, stemmed and halved (crimini and porcini if you can)
1/2 C. sweet Marsala*
1/2 C. gluten-free chicken stock
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 C. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them; pound with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Put some GF flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.
Heat the oil over medium-high flame in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.
Lower the heat to medium and add the mushrooms and saute until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Stir in the butter and return the chicken to the pan; simmer gently for 1 minute to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.
Serves 4.

*Tip: Out of Marsala? Try substituting with sweet sherry or if you cannot use alcohol use apple juice

Hearty Chicken Pot Pie (gluten-free)

Sandy Bupp of John Day shared this Betty Crocker meal at a recent “Gluten-Free Lady” meeting. It’s hearty chicken pot pie with a gluten-free twist. Here Sandy uses Bisquick Gluten-Free mix and she’s careful to choose other items that also have no gluten. The hearty pot-pie dinner is ready in about 45 minutes and is packed with vegetables and herbs. Yum!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag (12 oz) Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables
1 1/2 C. cut-up cooked chicken
1 3/4 C.Progresso® chicken broth
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 C. milk
3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Topping:

3/4 C. Bisquick® Gluten Free mix
1/2 C. milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Heat oven to 350ºF. In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in vegetables, chicken, chicken broth, salt and thyme; heat to boiling. In small bowl, mix 3/4 cup milk and the cornstarch with wire whisk until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Heat just to boiling. Pour into ungreased 2-quart casserole.
In small bowl, stir all topping ingredients except parsley with fork until blended. Drop topping mixture by small spoonfuls over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with parsley.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of topping comes out clean.
Makes 6 servings

Sandy’s Tip: Always read labels to make sure each recipe ingredient is gluten free. Products and ingredient sources can change.

Gluten-free Pizza Treat

(Click on "Gluten-Free Pizza Treat" title for full article)
Sandy Bupp's gluten-free support group is still going strong after starting up a few months ago. Her class was treated to three different pizzas and a variety of breadsticks on March 25. Anyone interested may want to note: she brings a sampling of delicious food to each of the monthly meetings!

Sandy's showing that a gluten-free diet doesn't have to be boring or too difficult.

She's helping the community as a great resource to people with celiac disease and those with other wheat sensitivities.

The next support meeting is set for April 22 in the Johnnie Titus room of the Grant County Health Department.

The following recipe is one Sandy said she found in "The Gluten-Free Kitchen" by Robyn Ryberg.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

1 packet yeast (2 Tbsp.)

3/4 C. milk, room temperature

1/2 C. potato starch

3/4 C. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. xanthum gum (available at health-food stores)

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 C. shortening

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, combine yeast and milk. Stir to dissolve yeast. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients and shortening. Mix well. To dry ingredients, slowly add milk/yeast mixture. Mix well. Dough will look wet, thick and pasty, but is quite workable if you spray your hands with nonstick spray or keep them damp with water. This is a soft dough.

Roll or pat out dough onto a lightly greased baking tin or pizza pan. For a thick crust, pat out dough to 1/4" thickness. For a thin crust, pat out dough to 1/8" thickness. A 12" circle will produce a "hand-tossed" thickness - not too thick, not too thin.

Top as desired. Bake 15-25 minutes, until crust is lightly browned. Use a spatula to lift up the pizza to check for light browning on the bottom of the crust the first time you make it.

Calories, 202; protein, 2g; Fat, 9g; fiber, 4g; cholesterol, 2mg; sodium, 337mg; carbohydrates, 28g.

Going Gluten-Free

I had an interesting conversation with John Day resident Sandy Bupp the other day. She is teaching a Gluten-Free Workshop at 6:30 p.m. Thursday Jan. 28, 2010, at the Blue Mountain Hospital conference room.

She'll cover the basics of wheat allergies and celiac disease and hopes to form a support group after the initial meeting.

Nine years ago Sandy was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Proteins found in wheat, rye and barley become toxic to a person with celiac disease and can cause damage to the intestine. The damage can eventually lead to a decreased absorption of nutrients and cause problems such as iron deficiency, anemia, decreased bone density unintentional weight loss folate and vitamin B12 deficiency.

The disease can strike people of any age.

Sandy said that in her early fifties she had a gagging cough and felt a narrowing in her throat at times.

A doctor performed an exam to see if there was an obstruction and to rule out cancer. The biopsy taken also tested for celiac disease which came back positive.

She said those with CD may also have stomach cramps, diarrhea or constipation. They also may “feel lousy and achy with flu-like symptoms,” she said. “You don’t feel like yourself.”

People with wheat allergies may experience watery eyes, hives, flushed cheeks and/or a swollen throat, she said.

She recalls getting the diagnosis:

“I didn’t feel like it was the end of the world. I said, ‘give me a cookbook and I’ll figure it out.’”

Since that time she’s discovered that the proteins she has to avoid are found in a wide variety of food and non-food products, including: some cheese colorings - not Tillamook she says - pork and beans, sauces, flavorings, even medicines, vitamins and lipsticks may have gluten in them.

Sandy says she’s eager to share the information she’s learned with others to enable them to find gluten-free or wheat-free products locally and at other stores, and to share recipes that she and her family and friends have come to enjoy over the years.

“It can be very inconvenient, but it’s doable,” she said.

For more information about the support group call Sandy at 541-575-0332.

Sandy shared the following recipes that she and her family enjoy. I tried one of the dinner rolls at her home - delicious! If you have a recipe to share or a comment to make I'd love to hear from you!


Dinner Rolls (Gluten-free)

These rolls are fashioned after traditional white dinner rolls. Because they are baked in a muffin tin, they look a lot like popovers. They are mild, very light and will probably surprise you because they are so good. Let them cool a minute or two after taking them from the oven.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp. shortening
3 Tbsp. honey
2 eggs
1 packet yeast (about 1 Tbsp.)
1 C. sour cream
½ C. potato starch
1 C. cornstarch
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. xanthan
¾ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine all ingredients. Mix well to remove all lumps. The dough will be quite wet. Wet hands to handle dough. Take about ¼ C. of dough and shape into a ball. Drop into greased baking tin. Repeat until all dough is used. Bake 18-20 minutes, until brown and toothpick inserted in the middle tests clean.

Calories 222

From “The Gluten-Free Kitchen” by Roben Ryberg



Raspberry Chocolate Pancakes

These pancakes are no ordinary pancakes, they are a feast fit for a King!

Ingredients:

1/2 C. rice flour
1/2 C. corn flour
1/2 C. tapioca flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg beaten
3/4 C. milk
1 Tbsp. oil
1 C. raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 C. chocolate chips

Directions:
Thoroughly mix rice flour, corn flour, tapioca flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl mix egg with milk and oil. Pour this wet mix into flour mixture and beat only until blended.

Add the raspberries and chocolate chips to the mix and combine. Use 2 tablespoons of batter for each pancake.
Spoon onto lightly greased griddle, flipping only once. Goes great with maple syrup.

Contributed by Angie Halten
Found at http://www.glutenfreeclub.com



Peanut-Butter Cookies

Here is an easy, tasty peanut butter cookie recipe. I personally like to toss in a few semisweet chocolate chips when I make these cookies, but they’re quite tasty with no chips.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. shortening
1/3 C. peanut butter
¼ C. sugar
½ C. brown sugar
¼ C. oil
1 egg
¾ C. potato starch
1 C. cornstarch
1 tsp. xanthan gum
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. water

(There is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well.

Shape a slightly rounded teaspoonful of dough into a small ball. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Press tops of each cookie with tines of a fork to create traditional grid pattern.

Bake approximately 9 minutes, until tops of cookies are no longer shiny and bottoms are lightly browned. Calories 76

This recipe is from “The Gluten-Free Kitchen” by Roben Ryberg


English Muffins (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. shortening
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ C. water
1 packet yeast (about 1 Tbsp.)
½ C. milk
3/4 C. potato starch
1 1/4 C. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. oil
½ tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp. vinegar

For tops and bottoms:
2 Tbsp. cornmeal (optional, but very helpful)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine shortening and sugar. Mix well. To sugar mixture, add water and yeast. Stir well to dissolve yeast. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well to remove all lumps.

Preheat griddle or large frying pan to low/medium heat. Grease muffin rings* and pan. Place rings on pan. Sprinkle a bit of cornmeal where the base of the ring meets the pan. Pour about 1/3 C. better into each ring. Sprinnkle a bit of cornmeal on top of each muffin. When lightly browned, only a few minutes, turn muffin over. Once browned on both sides, lift ring to see that sides of muffin are cooked. If not, allow to cook a few minutes more. Remove muffin from pan and allow to cool completely.

If you like nooks and crannies, it is good to pull muffins apart with two forks back to back. Otherwise, just store in refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Makes 6-8 muffins. Serves 6.

* If you cannot find muffin rings, cut the top and bottom off a pineapple or water chestnut can.

Calories 274
Protein 1 g
Fat 9 g
Fiber 2 g
Sodium 387 mg
Cholesterol 2 mg
Carbohydrate 47 g