There are very few simple pleasures left in life.
There’s either “an app for that” or something that is so technologically advanced, you feel like you’re part of some sci-fi experiment gone rogue.
Gone are the days where a bon fire and the night sky were your entertainment for the evening.
However, there are still a few untouched, simple pleasures in life.
One of those being diving into a cold pool, head first, on a 98 degree, humid summer day.
Another, is pizza.
Technology can evolve, and cooking gadgets can come and go, but at the end of the day, the best pizzas are still made the old fashioned way: with open fire in a wood burning oven.
Well, I love me some pizza. Always have, always will. And just because I am gluten free doesn’t mean I can’t scarf me some pizza pie every now and then. The only difference now, is that I have to get creative.
Enter: my Paleo Pizza Pie!
A grain and gluten free, Specific Carb Diet friendly, Paleo Pizza, with a Vegan option!
It has an amazing crust with a hidden ingredient: cauliflower! But I promise, you won’t taste it at all!
It’s smokey, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside just like a crust should be!
You see, here’s the thing about other cauliflower crusts: they all use gobs and gobs of cheese. It’s practically a big ol’ cheese crisp with a sprinkling of cauliflower to make you feel okay about eating 4 pounds of shredded cheese.
This crust has no cheese. As you know, I follow the Specific Carb Diet. It has kept my Ulcerative Colitis in remission for almost 8 years now (praise God!) – but one of the stipulations of the diet is no grains, and no dairy. (There are a few cheeses allowed, but not in the quantity needed for one of these crusts!)
But any who – I had to get creative about how to create a cauliflower crust with no cheese!
Enter my favorite kitchen dark horse: almond flour! It’s a protein packed, grain free flour alternative that makes everything ten times better.
And this crust is no exception.
Here’s what you need: (Serves 1)
Crust:
1/3 head of cauliflower, riced and wrung dry
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of garlic powder
Toppings:
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced thin
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried basil and oregano
salt and pepper
1 tomato, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
Tools:
Food Processor
Cheese cloth
Good Chef’s Knife (This is the one I use and love)
Nonstick Frying Pan
Baking sheet
Parchment Paper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put the raw cauliflower florets into the food processor, and process until it resembles rice. Then place the “rice” in either a cheese cloth (or a clean kitchen towel, or paper towels) and wring out all the excess liquid. This is a really important step! Wring out as much liquid as you can!
Combine the cauliflower “rice” with the almond flour, salt, egg whites, and garlic powder. This is your batter.
Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet.
Put your batter onto one sheet of parchment, and place the other sheet on top. “Smoosh” it out to form a thin disk, the size of a pizza.
Leave the top parchment paper on, and bake as a “parchment sandwich” for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in 1 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices for about 3 minutes, until they begin to soften.
Then, add, the zucchini slices, and let them cook for about 2 minutes. Finally, add the mushrooms and garlic and let them cook for about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat the the veggies are still slightly firm – they’ll finish in the oven.
Finally, take the par-baked crust, remove the top parchment paper, spray it with olive oil spray, and top it with your veggie mixture. Place the tomato slices on top, and bake for 15 more minutes at 350 degrees. (Optional: sprinkle with parmesan or a light dusting of mozzarella cheese if desired before placing in the oven again.)
Serve warm.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
All I can say is, who needs grains anyway?!
Seriously, this was such a treat. The crust positively blew me away. It had a delightful mixture of crunchy, crispy, and chewy textures.
And I love what the oven did to the tomatoes: they were just bursting with tomato flavor, thanks to the oven roasting.
The veggies were wonderfully caramelized and gave such a nice, depth of flavor, that complimented the kiss of delicate herbs from the oregano and basil.
A simple please in full glory.
What are some of your simple pleasures in life?
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46 responses to “Gluten Free Pizza Party!”
Excellent, mail me a slice.
Hahah I’m on it 😎
Very good.
[…] https://beautybeyondbones.com/2018/07/18/gluten-free-pizza-party/ […]
thanks tonya for the link up! 🙂 xoxo
Looks good! I don’t fill my crust with cheese either.
Thanks Linda! Oh nice – yeah I think it has better flavor! Hugs and love xox
Sounds great! I’m gluten free and we’ve been cutting carbs in my house, so I may try this recipe out.
Thanks so much Heather! Oh nice! Hope you love it! Hugs and love xox
Been trying to stay on a Keto/Paleo diet. Gluten isn’t a problem for me but carbs are. Problem is I can’t even stand the smell of cauliflower as it’s cooking. So despite not tasting like cauliflower when used as a crust, the smell lingers in my brain and I can’t get over it. So I’ve tried a few different things — parmesan cheese made doughy with an egg and a little almond flour as a crust or a hollowed out portabella mushroom as a crust. Both work for me (but my wife won’t eat the mushroom version)! No carbs. Great taste. Thanks for posting your recipes!
Thanks Tim, yeah this is a great alternative! And I think this wouldn’t be offensive to your sniffer because the beautiful smell of roasting almonds is all you’ll detect! Hugs and love xox
Brilliant … and looks delicious!
Aw thanks friend!! Hugs and love xox
Sounds fun and delicious. I might give it a shot – if it wasn’t for the whole 98-degree-humid-day-and-the-cooler’s-not-working thing 😛 ! 🙂
Thank you friend! Oh gosh! I hope the cooler gets fixed quickly!! Hugs and love xox
Yum.
Thanks! It was definitely delicious 🙂 Hugs and love xox
Hmm , Today I bought an organic tea bag , it says Gluten free 🙂 . I liked it hehe
Hahahahha yeah I’m afraid it has become a bit of a marketing ploy! 😩 Hugs and love xox
It was a good ploy than, right time hahaha
👌🏼
Slurp, my friend, you make hungry – I come to party with you with an empty stomach 🙂
Looks inviting and delicious, yam, yam 🙂
Thanks, my friend for sharing, your cooking skills are really great 🙂
All good wishes
Didi
Hahaha Thanks Didi! Yeah this was pretty scrumptious! Hope you’re having a great week! Hugs and love xox
Thanks, my friend 🙂
Hugs and love also to you
Didi
🙂 xoxo
Oh yum yum. Will try this one for sure 😜❤️💕
Thanks Misha! Hope you love it! Hugs and love xox
Looks very delicious indeed! I can only imagine how it tastes… I mean tasted 🙁 lolol God bless! Another great recipe shared! 🙂
Thanks Tammy! hahah yeah it was delicious – I especially loved the oven roasted tomatoes 🙂 Hugs and love xox
You’re welcome! And then my life was over… :'( after you stated it was delicious lolol hmm never tasted oven roast tomatoes or …did I? Lol
Hahahah 😘
<3
I look very nice, will try it
thanks so much Suzie! I hope you do! and that you love it! Hugs and love xox
Simple pleasures, tea, watermelon, muesli. Basketball – shooting hoops. Listening to music.
yes! love watermelon
Oh! Thank you for this recipe! I too wasn’t thrilled about all the cheese going into typical cauliflower crust, so the almond flour sounds just perfect. This is a gift since being gf almost three years now, I crave those yummy foods of my younger days but know how dreadful they make me feel. God bless you! 🤗
Thanks so much Vivian! yeah the almond flour gives it wonderful nutritional benefits and terrific flavor! and yay for three years!! Hugs and love xox
I love almonds and almond butter! Hugs and love back to you.🤗😄
me too! such a warm and rich flavor! xx
🤗😚
😘
I have made this Hi there, I love this Pizza recipe- I had no almond flour so used coconut flour and have also used Tapioca flour (the latter doesn’t produce as good results because it get’s a little chewy, rather than crisp).
Loving these recipes so thanks for taking the time 🙂
You have!! that’s so awesome!! yay! so glad you enjoyed it! thanks for sharing your success! Hugs and love xox
I just made this pizza! No almond flour, so I used a gluten-free flour (mix of grains and seeds). Normally, once the crust is parbaked and topped, I bake the assembled pizza on the bare oven rack. I didn’t dare do that with this thin crust. Mine came out soft rather than crisp (not even stiff!)
That being said, it was SO yummy! I used different toppings and sauced only one half, to see whether sauce ruined it. The sauced part was just as good as the other half.
Thanks for sharing your wild experiments!
Thank you so much Janice! I’m sorry it wasn’t crisp – my hypothesis is that the gluten free flour blend made it soft. It often has different potato/rice/tapioca ingredients that can make recipes more “gummy”. I would suggest the almond flour for that crispness, since it “toasts” in the oven! But I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Happy cooking! Hugs and love xox