Morel Mushroom Parmesan Pizza

This recipe I'm sharing with you today is quite possibly the best gluten free recipe on this blog to date. I mean, it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! My husband and I created this together, based off a suggestion from the morel mushroom guy at our local farmer's market a few weeks back. After talking with the guy, who not surprisingly was doting on the wonderful, one-of-a-kind flavor of the morel mushrooms he was selling, we decided to buy a few (and I mean a few, as in no more than 4 ounces, which still ended up costing us $11!). He promised we would not regret it (and for $11 mushrooms, he'd better not be lying). His serving suggestion was to toast some parmesan topped french bread in the oven for a few minutes and top them with sauteed morel mushrooms. It sounded simply enough, and yes, delicious. The only problem is that we don't eat french bread in our house, or any bread that contains gluten for that matter. So it got me thinking... what about a morel mushroom topped parmesan pizza? I knew I had a few Udi's pizza crusts in my freezer that I could pull out...

So that's exactly what we did that night for dinner. And spent the entire dinner oohing and ahhing over this darn good pizza. My husband (who does not abstain from gluten completely) said it was the absolute best pizza he's ever eaten, gluten free or otherwise. And I agreed. In fact, it was so good that we made the same pizza a few nights later, trying it with portabellas instead (since we were out of those $11 morels the same day we bought them). The result of the second time around? Almost as good, the morel version was just slightly better in our opinion, but both versions delish.

So my recommendation is that if morels are in season in your area, and you can afford it, go for the gusto. If not, try some portabellas. Either way, you'll be floating up to heaven on a dreamy pizza cloud for the few minutes it will take you to scarf down this delectable pizza.

And please, let me know your thoughts if you try this recipe. (And you should try this recipe!)


Morel Mushroom Parmesan Pizza (AKA the best pizza known to man)

1 Udi's gluten free pizza crust
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
3/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces (approx. 1 1/2 cups whole) morel mushrooms or 2 portabella mushrooms
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top and add garlic. Spread both evenly over crust with the back of a spoon. Spread parmesan in a even layer over oil and garlic. Bake for 7-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan. Slice mushrooms and add to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 5-7 minutes, until mushrooms are soft.

When crust is done, pull out of oven and spread sauteed mushrooms over crust in an even layer. Slice and enjoy.

Serves 2.

Sausage and Pesto Pizza Pies

This is such a fun, fun, fun recipe. My inspiration is from Kelly The Spunky Coconut's Spinach and Artichoke Pies. I tweaked her original recipe to fit with my own pantry staples and have made it several times, each time changing up the filling to whatever I happen to have on hand and whatever sounds good at the moment (ever the spontaneous cook). This filling happens to be my favorite, a classic paring of sausage and pesto, with a hint of sweet tomato.

I'm telling you though: no matter what you decide on as a filling (try my way first, then once you get the hang of it, experiment a bit), this dough will absolutely transform your gluten free life. I honestly never thought a pizza pie/calzone/pizza pocket/whatever you want to call it, was possible sans gluten. Kelly showed me that, not only is it possible, it is easy and absolutely delicious. I am overjoyed that such a traditionally glutenous meal is now part of my family's mealtime repertoire.

Please note that the chicken sausage I use here is fully cooked (either Amy's or Trader Joe's), which makes the filling come together in very short order. With two young children, I need all the shortcuts I can get. Also note that I always use chicken sausage without a pork casing, because pork is unclean (see Leviticus 11:7), not to mention just plain unhealthy (please read Holy Cow for some amazingly alarming news about swine).

Another great thing about this recipe is that it is kid-friendly. My son tells me at the dinner table the night we ate these, "Huh? Very tasty mommy." (As if he was surprised? That's a four year old, I guess.) Even my baby loved it, and ate half of one all by himself. For leftovers, I packaged each individual pizza pie in a piece of aluminum foil so that it was ready to go in our lunch the next day.

But the best part of this recipe is that it is just fun (haven't I said that already?). Do try!

Sausage and Pesto Pizza Pies

Filling:

1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 chicken sausage links (such as Amy's or Trader Joe's), about 4 ounces
1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons pesto
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Pizza pie dough:

2 eggs

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/3 cup almond flour

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon garlic powder

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet with coconut oil.

To make the filling, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Chop onion and chicken sausages into bite size pieces and add to hot pan. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute for 5 or so minutes, until onions are translucent. Stir in pesto, turn heat down to low, and simmer until dough is ready.

To make pizza pie dough, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Melt coconut oil and add to eggs, along with apple cider vinegar. Whisk again to combine. In a separate large bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir with a large spoon until a soft dough ball forms. Divide the dough into 4-5 equal size balls.

Lay out a piece of parchment paper on the counter. Take one dough ball and place on one side of parchment paper. Fold the other side of parchment paper a top of the dough ball. Press down the dough ball with your hand, until it forms a small, even circle. Using a rolling pin, continue to roll out dough until it reaches a 6 inch size circle. Carefully peel off the top piece of parchment paper.

Using a spoon, section the filling into equal size portions, depending on how many dough balls you made. Scoop one portion of the filling onto one half of the dough ball and top with 1/4 cup mozzarella, making sure to leave a 1/4 inch border. Take the parchment paper from the bottom and use it to lift the dough not covered with filling over the top of the filling so it is completely covered, forming the pie. Gently press the edges of the pie together with your fingers.

With the parchment paper underneath, pick up the pie and carefully invert it onto the prepared baking sheet. Peel off parchment paper.

Repeat with remaining dough balls, filling, and mozzarella.

Once all pies are on the baking sheet, bake for 20-22 minutes, until pies are golden brown. Let rest on baking sheet for 10-15 minutes to allow the pie crust to solidify a bit.

Gluten Free Pizza Crust Version 2.0

It's Friday night everybody, time to get the pizza on! I've been experimenting with gluten free pizza crusts for about a year, and this is by far my favorite. It has even gotten rave reviews from both my three year old and husband (who had no idea it was gluten free). It may seem like it is a little tricky, with a semi-long list of ingredients and steps involved, but don't be afraid. It really isn't difficult and any time spent making it will be well worth it.

A great thing to do is to double the recipe, and when you get to the step of rolling out the dough, split it in half. Use one half for your pizza that day and freeze the other half in a plastic bag (make sure to suck all the air out of the bag before you freeze; I do this with a straw). When you want another pizza, simply remove the frozen crust and let de-thaw on a plate on your counter for a few hours (or in your refrigerator for a day or so). This way you can have fabulous gluten free pizza at home in no time!


Gluten Free Pizza Crust Version 2.0

Dry:
1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup sweet brown rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
pinch salt

Wet:
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 egg
1 tablespoon plain yogurt or soft cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon agave

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place pizza stone in oven.

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, add water and yeast. Stir and let stand for a few minutes until the yeast gets bubbly. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients to the water/yeast mixture. Stir to combine. Next add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until a dough starts to form. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times. Grease the bowl with olive oil and add the dough back in, coating entirely with the oil. Rest a towel over the dough in the bowl and let stand 30-45 minutes.

Remove the pizza stone from the oven and sprinkle with GF flour. On a silicone mat or parchment paper, place the dough ball. Lightly flour a rolling pin with GF flour. Roll the dough out to a 14-16 inch circle. Invert the rolled out dough onto the pizza stone and gently remove the silicone mat or parchment paper. Poke several holes in the crust with a fork to prevent the crust from bubbling up.

Bake crust for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Top pizza with pizza sauce, toppings and cheese of choice, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Gluten Free Pizza with Greens and Sausage

It feels good to post a recipe again! I've been taking a hiatus from blogging as of late, and just enjoying my time with my boys and the beautiful October weather we have been having here in Minneapolis. For anyone who lives in Minnesota, most agree that October is the favorite month out of the whole year. It's just blissfully beautiful with every turn of the leaves. The air is dry, the sun (usually) shines, the temps are crisp but not cold, and the apples and pumpkins abound. (Oops, sorry honey, I forgot to mention football!!! Silly me! What would the world be like without the amazing Oklahoma Sooners to route for on Saturday afternoons!)

I noted a while ago that I would be posting my gluten free pizza crust version, and it's just taken this long to get it perfected. I use a combination of GF flours: millet, quinoa, and sweet brown rice. I like the depth of flavor I get from a crust using this combo, but feel free to swap other GF flours of choice here, say a long-grain brown rice, white rice, sorghum, etc. I'm not so positive a nut flour would give the same result, but that is my next experimentation, so stay tuned.

I also need to add that this crust can be a bit crumbly. The xanthan gum sure helps to hold it together, but if that stuff creeps you out, like it does Kim of Affairs of Living (check out her hilarious post about her pumpkin seed teff bread here), then feel free to leave it out. I make it both ways. If you leave it out, just be warned that you will have to be a bit more careful when it comes to rolling the crust out.

And this pizza recipe wouldn't be complete with some greens. I have to talk about it, because it is such a central part of this pizza (I mean just look at the gorgeous color it adds for heaven's sake). I am a lover of all dark leafy greens and eat it just about every day. And I am thrilled to learn that I am kindred to Alicia Silverstone in this regard. I just checked out her book The Kind Diet from the library last week and learned that she eats greens at nearly every meal... oh, that's my aspiration, Alicia! Now there is a lot that I don't agree with in Alicia's food philosophy (I am, for the record, not a vegan by any stretch of the imagination, nor do I ever aspire to be one), however, she makes some really good points that we do agree on, the most important: eat lots of veggies.

So with this pizza recipe, you can have your pizza and eat (your veggies) too.


Gluten Free Pizza with Greens and Sausage

Crust
1/3 cup millet flour
1/3 cup quinoa flour
1/3 cup sweet brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

Toppings
3 tablespoons pesto
2 tablspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 bunches collards or other greens
1/2 yellow onion
1-2 precooked chicken sausages (I use Amy's), any flavor
1/3 cup crumbled feta

For the crust:

If you are starting with whole grains as opposed to the flours, use 1/4- 1/3 cups of each grain and process into a flour using a flour mill or Vitamix dry blade (if using Vitamix like I did, let the grains process for about 1 minute to ensure the right consistency).

Put warm water in a small bowl. Add the yeast and allow to set for about 5 minutes (the yeast will get foamy when ready to use).

Add flours to a mixing bowl. Add yeast/water mixture and remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and form into a ball (add more water as necessary if dough is too crumbly). Drizzle olive oil at the bottom of the mixing bowl and add dough ball, swirling the dough ball around in the oil to coat.

Let the dough rest about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 and, if using a pizza stone, place it in the oven at this time. Chop or chiffande collards or greens into tiny strips. Chop onion and slice sausages into bite size pieces.

Back to the crust... after dough has rested, lightly flour a silicone mat (or parchment paper) and rolling pin with gluten free flour. Place dough in the middle of the mat. Roll dough out to a 10 inch circle (or if you prefer, a similar size rectangle).

Pull the pizza stone out of the oven and lightly sprinkle gluten free flour on top to prevent the crust from sticking to it. (If using a baking sheet, also sprinkle with flour for same purpose). Take the dough and carefully flip it over onto the pizza stone or baking sheet. Peel off the silicone mat or parchment paper. Take a fork and poke a few holes in the crust to let the air escape and prevent it from bubbling.

The crust is done... whew!!! (It's really easy once you get the hang of it, trust me!)

Add the pesto and olive oil to the crust and spread evenly across top of crust. Add collards, onion, sausage and top with feta.

Bake for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing with pizza cutter.

Enjoy with your favorite movie and snuggle partner (thanks, hubby, for sharing the pizza-movie-night  tradition with me!)

Grilled Margherita Pizza

**Update: this post was published before my lab tests confirmed my gluten sensitivity, so if you are strictly gluten free like me, stay tuned for my gluten free crust recipe.**

This post is so timely, just perfect for your Friday night. In our home, Friday nights are legendary "pizza and movie nights". It all started when my husband and I received a pizza stone as a wedding gift over seven years ago. We pulled it out of the box and thought, Hmmm, what an odd wedding gift. But decided to give our best shot out of making our own pizza. Our first few pizzas were a disaster (my husband insisted that we use one entire pound of cheese per pizza!) We kept trying though, every week, thinking that maybe this week the pizza would come out just right. Well, I'm glad we kept at it, because in just a few short months, we had perfected the art of making pizza at home.

Of course, we have come a long way from our early days of making pizza at home. Back when we were first married, we were pinching pennies every chance we could get to pay off some debt, so we ate as cheaply as we could, which means that we didn't eat very healthy (in fact, I didn't really even know anything about health back then). We would buy Betty Crocker crust mixes for $0.33, add some water, and start rolling the dough. (Little did I  know of what the ingredients were in those Betty Crocker crusts.) I wouldn't even think about doing that now! Now I make everything from scratch. Partly because I just like to be in the kitchen, partly because it does save money, but mostly because of the health benefits (I get to control what I put into my crust).

This crust recipe does contain gluten, but the grains used are sprouted, making it more digestible. I make it for my husband and son (my baby is not onto solids yet), but I make a separate, gluten free crust for myself as I have learned that my body doesn't tolerate gluten. (Stay tuned to a later post for my gluten free crust version.) Of course, you can always skip the "sprouting of the grains" step, but it really is not hard once you get the hang of it. Or, if you think it is just too much work to make your own crust, any good quality, pre-made crust from your local grocery or health food store will do.

I also recommend using the freshest toppings available. The toppings in this recipe (except for the mozzarella) all come from my garden. It makes such a difference in taste!

Another note: this pizza is slightly different than our normal Friday night pizzas in that it is grilled instead of baked in the oven (remember, I can't use my oven right now because these summer temps are too hot for my old house with no central air). Therefore it does not call for using a pizza stone, but rather a cookie sheet. Since the cookie sheet goes right onto the grill, I recommend using one that you don't mind turning a little charred (but hey, I think this gives it character!).

Grilled Margherita Pizza

Crust

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups sprouted spelt flour*

1 1/2 cups sprouted kamut flour*

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Toppings

1/2 cup pizza sauce (we also make this from scratch using tomato paste, olive oil, garlic powder and water, but canned good quality, organic pizza sauce will do)
6 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup basil, chiffanade
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling over top

Mix yeast and water in a small bowl and let rest for five minutes. Meanwhile, mix flours, salt, and oil in medium size bowl. Add water/yeast and stir to combine. Knead dough for a few minutes to get all ingredients incorporated and into a nice ball. Place dough ball in an oiled bowl. Cover with a cloth towel and let rest 45 minutes.

After resting time, take dough and divide in half, as the recipe makes two thin crust pizzas. If not using both right away, freeze one crust in a ziplock bag in the freezer for up to four months.

Preheat grill. Take the dough you are using and roll out on a floured surface to the desired size (I make mine in a rectangle shape just slightly smaller than a large cookie sheet). Carefully transfer dough to an oiled cookie sheet. Poke holes on the crust using a fork to let air escape. Leave the crust on the cookie sheet and grill for 5-7 minutes, until the crust turns golden brown.

Pull the crust off the grill and cover with pizza sauce. Add tomatoes in single layer, then basil, then cheese. Drizzle oil over the top and place on grill for an additional 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Remove from grill, transfer pizza to a cutting board, and slice into desired size/shape. (We cut ours into little squares.)

Savor the flavors in the great outdoors!

*To sprout the flours, start with 1 1/2 cups each of whole spelt and kamut grain kernels. Soak them overnight in enough water to cover and place a light kitchen towel over the top of bowl. Drain in the morning. Put the grain back into the bowl with no water, cover the bowl with the towel, and let rest on the counter for 1-2 days, rinsing the grain 2-3 times per day in water, until tiny "tails" appear on the grain. Then place the grain on Teflex sheets in the dehydrator and dry for about 8-12 hours. Take the dried, sprouted grain and grind into flour using a Vitamix dry blade or flour mill. Or you can skip all of this and just buy flour that is already sprouted!