The Great Pumpkin Pizza

No need to wait for an appearance from the Great Pumpkin for this yummy fall inspired pizza! You may have to look for it, but the pumpkin is in there!

So when you first hear it, perhaps it is not so appealing. Pumpkin on a pizza? But pumpkin is sweet, you say. But, this pizza is super good!  Only the sauce is made with pumpkin--and that by itself is really rather bland. No cinnamon, nutmeg or sugar here. This pizza is topped with sausage, onion and peppers. That is a winning combination. Build it all on a FatHead crust, and it is a-mazing. (I stuck pretty close to Tom's original recipe, but there are tons of variations out there, Feel free to use your personal favorite.)

I love the combo! Two slices have just 8 net g carbs, and they really taste remarkably like a traditional pizza crust. Because they, like all pizza, are a little high calorie, be sure to make a light salad for the side. I have to slap my hand back from reaching for a third slice. The pumpkin sauce is garlic infused and very mild. I do add just a little tomato paste for that familiar flavor.

The Great Pumpkin Pizza

Fathead Dough:

1 and 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tbsp cream cheese

3/4 cup almond meal/flour

1 egg

1/4 tsp sea salt

Combine mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Cook for one minute.  Stir, and cook for additional 30 seconds in microwave. Mix in egg, salt, and stir. Shape dough into a ball and place between two pieces of parchment. Place on a cookie sheet and press flat. Bake at 400 for 8 -10 minutes, or until the top is browning. Remove from oven and add  sauce and toppings.

Sauce:

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Toppings: 

1/2  lb pork sausage, browned

1/4 cup diced onion

1/2 cup bell pepper slices

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup mozzarella

In a small saucepan, simmer the sauce ingredients for 10 minutes. While that is cooking, brown the sausage with the onion and bell pepper. Drain.

Top the cooked crust with sauce, sausage and veggies, an additional half cup of mozzarella  and your preferred  toppings.

 Bake at 350 for  an additional 5-8 minutes.                 Serves 4: 516 calories   8 net g carb

Celebrate fall with this delicious pizza. It is great if you have half a can of leftover pumpkin puree wasting in the fridge. It will cure any pizza craving without a cheat.

I have been baking up several fall dishes this afternoon for the October Diner News. It sure would be nice if the weather would cooperate. A high in the 90s is not getting me in the spirit of the season. My kitchen is as hot as ever. Hoping the cooler temperatures arrive soon. Good thing pizza is a year round favorite for me. Now off to grade some geometry papers.  Those aren't my favorite either, but it has gotta get done. Hope your fall is blessed!

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Turkey Sausage Meatza

My family loves pizza. It is tough to choose toppings. I like onions, peppers and mushrooms. Boys don't like the onions. Hubby doesn't like the mushrooms. We all agree on pepperoni and sausage. Except maybe the daughter-in-law. She just doesn't want greasy. This one really is not, just delicious.

Sausage. That is the "crust" here. Yes, the concept of the "Meatza" has been around a while. I have no idea the genius that came up with this one. For my Man Food edition of the Diner News last April, I featured this version. I used turkey sausage as the base so it was not swimming in fat.  Great flavor, especially when combined with the pepperoni, cheese, peppers, onions, etc. Served this to my husband, so I left off the mushrooms. Such is the sacrifice a wife makes.

This sure beats any pizza cravings, and fills you up too. Add a salad and you are good to go.

 Turkey Sausage Meatza

1 lb turkey sausage

1/3 cup low sugar spaghetti sauce

1/2 chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

24 slices pepperoni

Line a pizza pan with parchment paper. Press turkey sausage into the pan, forming a crust. Bake at 400 for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and drain liquid from pan. Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and drain juices again. Top with spaghetti sauce, pepper and onion. Sprinkle cheese over all and top with pepperoni. Bake 10-15 minutes.

Serves 4: 

341 calories 

5 g carbs

Turkey does not make a lot of scary grease on the baking sheet, but it does make a fair amount of juices. I drain those off a couple of times so it browns rather than steams in its own juices. This is yummy stuff and much easier than some low carb crusts I have tried. I even like it as leftovers. It was great in my lunch the next week.

Now that the school is closed, I may not be taking my lunch any longer. I do have an opportunity to share my menu planning and recipe development skills with a Diabetes education program, so I will still be busy. I am sure you will hear more about that as we get rolling. And you might have noticed that I have more time to be sharing at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page. Be sure to visit that often for more great recipes.

              https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles,   

  A Table for Two here.  

Pizza Crust a la Peggy a la Jen

There must be a bazillion low carb pizza crusts out there. Some better than others, some easier than others. Today I just had to have pizza. I have a church leadership training session tonight, and they are catering in pizzas. Me in a small room, trapped with closed doors and an over abundance of pizza? Not a good combination. So after my big kids headed back to Arkansas today, I ran into the kitchen and whipped up this recipe from Low Carbing Among Friends Vo. 2. (Page 92)

The original version is via Peggy Hardaway at Buttoni's Low Carb Recipes. (it is the second one down) Peggy has lots of great low carb and keto recipes! Check it out. It is wonderful that she shared her talents with us. Jennifer Eloff, our team leader at Low Carbing Among Friends, made this tasty version and modified it to use her Gluten Free Bake Mix. It doesn't take long to whip up a batch of her mix if you don't have some made already. That is something we should always keep on hand. (Jennifer is an amazing baker. I have never had any of her recipes turn out anything but delicious) Her bake mix calls for oat flour. Rather than order that, I grind my own in my bullet blender since I use so little. Go visit Jennifer's blog to find all her wonderful recipes.

This pizza crust surprised me. At first, I thought I had really goofed it up because the dough seemed too wet. I carried on and followed instructions to place some plastic wrap on top of the dough to roll it to fit the pan. Jennifer suggests a small rolling pin or can of veggies, but I just used my fingers and it was much easier than I anticipated. I baked it as suggested--10 minutes on the middle rack and 10 minutes on the lower rack. It smelled great. When I went back at the timer, I was so upset. What I saw inside looked like a burned mess. I took it out immediately and checked the bottom. It seemed really brown but had not stuck as some crusts do. I tasted the edge and it did not taste burnt at all. Hmm. I went ahead and whipped up a tomato sauce and topped my pizza with cheese and pepperoni. I popped it back in just long enough to melt the cheese. My version was great. Really flavorful crust. It passed the hold-it-in-your-hand test. We will see how it does traveling later tonight. That said, I had better go pack it up. I have to be there in an hour!

My problem will be not eating the whole thing by myself. Jennifer has it listed at 10 or 12 servings. Umm, I think more like 4, and that is being good. It is under 3 carbs a slice, so I can do that!

If you want the recipe, head over to Jen's blog, or better yet, go buy our books: copy today. http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

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Game Day Crunchers

I have a son who is a huge football fan. I am a huge pizza fan. I was tempted to name this super flavorful snack "Bronco Bites" after our favorite pro team...who just happen to be headed to the Superbowl. But then knowing that some of you are Seahawk fans, I decided to stay a bit more neutral. Game Day Crunchers will do. Don't just think football party food though, these will be awesome in my lunchbox anytime.

Let me describe the taste. Think pizza. Now think of that little bit of cheese that went over the edge and formed a crispy delicious crisp. Think about those pepperoni pizzas that are filled to overflowing with pepperoni. Know how just a few pieces manage to stick up above the cheese and get a touch of browning? That wonderful crunchiness? That is what these are. I am in heaven.

They are simply pepperoni and cheese. That's it. They are the cousin to the time honored cheese crisps and pepperoni chips, both of which have saved me from many a junk food craving. The difference is that the pepperoni and cheese are in each nugget. You don't have to choose one or the other. I used the food processor to finely chop the pepperoni and cheese, then scooped them out onto parchment.You don't want to eat a lot of these, so don't make too many. Trust me, you will eat them. Even if you hide them from yourself, you will find them... and eat them.

There are three ways to bake these treats. I prefer the oven baking because I have a little bit more control. Oven baked are pictured in the cup in the photo above. They can also do well in a toaster oven on the toast cycle. These stay a little more rounded and are the ones resting on the napkins in the photo above. If you are going for crispy, try the microwave oven version. They are the crunchiest, but also the easiest to burn. Directions below:

Game Day Crunchers

24 pepperoni slices
1 cup Italian blend cheese shreds

In a food processor, add the pepperoni and cheese. Process on pulse until the pepperoni is finely chopped and mixed in well with the cheese. Drop mixture by teaspoons onto parchment. Choose your cooking method.

Oven - Place parchment on a cookie sheet and bake 5 -6 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

Toaster oven - Place the parchment on the oven pan. Scoop 6 mounds of the mixture onto the parchment. Using the toaster function, use two cycles. Remove from oven and let cool.

Microwave - Place parchment directly on the rotating plate. Add scoops of the pepperoni mixture at least one inch apart. Heat at full power 25 seconds. Check for doneness. Some may cook faster than others, so remove the browned Crunchers and cook the others for an additional 5 seconds. Ovens may vary, so try a test batch at 25 seconds and adjust your time from there. Larger batches may take a bit longer. I baked 6 at a time.

Makes about 24 Crunchers.
A serving of 3 Crunchers has <1 g carb,  60 calories,  5 g fat,  4 g protein 

I know that packaged shredded cheese has some starch to prevent the cheese shreds from sticking to each other. If you shred your own cheese, the mixture will be much stickier my test batch, so the outcome could be a little different. It may work just as well, I just haven't tried it to be sure. Let me know if you try.

Feel free to double the recipe here. Just store the extras under lock and key. If you are a pizza lover like me, self control is a definite problem with these. They are very flavorful and rich. A must bring treat if your Superbowl party features pizza. You will not feel deprived. But beware, carbivores are gonna want to devour these too.

Update: I have since made a batch with a different cheese. Using a pre-shredded Monterey Jack made the crunchers require a little more time to cook. For this version, adjust the cooking times. Mine took about 30 seconds in the microwave oven. These were very crunchy. A large batch could take longer. I suggest watching them closely and cooking until  you see them start to smoke. Turn the oven off immediately. Let them cool to check the crunch factor. If you want them a little crunchier, send them back for another 10 seconds. Ovens may vary, so feel free to play until you find the sweet spot for your microwave and your brand of pepperoni and cheese.

The oven time increased about 2 minutes, up to 8 minutes. The oven variety are not as crunchy as the microwave version. The toaster oven instructions seem to be the same. Two cycles of toasting resulted in delicious snack bites. Choose whatever works for you.

If you prefer less fat--they do release a lot of oil on the parchment--use turkey pepperoni. It is also much less salty. With the turkey pepperoni, the snackers are not as crisp, but still tasty.


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Chicken Pizzoli

This delicious lunch, via the January Diner News, will make all cravings for pizza disappear. But you won't need to fuss with making a complicated, time consuming crust. Basically, this is a ground chicken patty topped with sauce, cheese and your favorite veggies. Simple and so easy to have the chicken patties frozen and waiting for fresh toppings.

I like to grind my own chicken, so it makes sense to do a big batch of these at a time.

Chicken Pizzoli

8 oz ground chicken

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

12 slices pepperoni

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced

8 white mushrooms, sliced

On a parchment lined cookie sheet, press chicken into 2 1/4th inch thick circles. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. While that is baking, combine tomato sauce and garlic powder. Remove chicken from oven and coat with tomato sauce. Top with pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms and cheese. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Serves 2.

475 calories

36 g fat     34 g protein     6 g carbs

If you want even more flavor, you can add some herbs and garlic to the ground chicken before cooking. Or if you are doing the big batch of patties, go with less flavoring for more versatile dress ups.

Love the recipes I share on this blog? My ebook helps you plan and prep to stay healthy 24/7.   http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com

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Zucchini Pizza Poppers

You know it is early July around here when you hear firecrackers popping outside and the gardens are overflowing with zucchini. Don't save these treats for holidays though. They would be great any time of year. They are especially good now because you don't have to heat the big oven. You did buy a cake pop machine like I told you to so long ago, right? Guess you could bake them in a mini muffin tin, but they are much more fun this way. These little balls of goodness are wonderful hot, but very tasty at room temperature too. Think of them as a flavor packed cousin of the hushpuppy. A  lot like my Broccoli Bites.

I have to give a shout out to the gardeners in my life. This year I am way too busy to even try my pathetic little attempt at container gardening. About all I have going this year is a big clump of lemon balm. That is wonderful in ice water. Have you tried herbal waters? I love them. I digress. I do that lately in my too much to do brain fog. Anyway, thanks Melanie and Jim and the boys who somehow, just as busy as we are, managed to grow these enormous zucchini plants. They shared some with me. Even after making these poppers, I have 2/3's of this zucchini left to use!

I named these poppers for the Independence Day here in the States. They are not super crispy, although if they were deep fried, I bet they would be. Tomorrow my family will be feasting on delicious chicken and pork sausages made fresh at the Sprouts store. I love their flavors. I wish they had exact carb counts available. Mine doesn't--I asked. I did see the ingredients list. A little sweetener in some of the blends, but it is really low on the ingredient list, so I think we are good. We have the southwest flavor, chicken basil, sweet Italian sausage and French apple. Add to that some of Nana's Coleslaw and a fruit salad. The addition of these poppers will be fun. Maybe we will save them for the park when we go out to see the big display.

Zucchini Pizza Poppers

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded zucchini
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugarfree marinara sauce
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
1 oz diced pepperoni

In a medium bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, coconut flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in shredded zucchini, eggs and marinara sauce. Finely dice the bell pepper and pepperoni. Stir these into the batter. Spoon batter into the wells of the pop machine, rounding the tops. Close and bake 6-7 minutes. Makes 20-22 pops. If using a muffin tin, bake approximately 25 minutes at 350.  (I haven't tried the oven, so watch for browning)

Nutrition: 1/4 batch or 5 pops: 172 calories, 11 g fat, 3.7 net g carbs, 12 g protein

Speaking of the July 4th Holiday, our books in the Low Carbing Among Friends series are on sale right now. If you don't have them all, this is a great time to complete your selection.

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Oh So Easy Mini Coconut Flour Pizzas

Sometimes you just don't want complicated. Sometimes, though you simply must have pizza. You just can't deal with cauliflower, tons of cheese or prepping a bake mix.   2 Minute Coconut Flour Bread to the rescue. So maybe it doesn't rival the gluten filled, carby treats of the past. But it also doesn't mess with your way of eating! This recipe will not take home any culinary prizes, but it will feed a craving and it certainly won't keep you in the kitchen for hours on end. I added some garlic and butter flavoring to add to the pizza style flavors. Even with that, the toppings will make or break this one. I used my homemade Kale Pesto, provolone cheese and pepperoni. Very, very, very good.

In fact, this is so easy, you could manage fresh pizza anywhere you happen to have a microwave or a toaster oven. Woohoo--hotel rooms, dorm rooms, office kitchens. You get it. Remember the 2 Minute Coconut Flour Bread? This is similar, but baked in very thin small rounds rather than a mug or bowl. The result is a mini pizza crust that stands up to hand holding. Very good idea for lunch. I tried it both ways, and I prefer the toaster oven version, but the microwave version is a bit thicker. Try both ways and see which you prefer. (Unless you are a pizza snob, and then, think long and hard before attempting--this is coconut flour afterall and will never have that gluten mouthfeel) Be sure to have some parchment paper. I found that the Dollar Tree now carries this! It is pre-cut into cookie sheet size.  Very convenient. I cut one sheet in half then half again for the mini pizzas.They worked great.

microwave version

Oh So Easy Mini Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp butter flavoring
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in olive oil and butter flavoring. Sprinkle the coconut flour, baking powder and garlic powder over the top of the eggs. Whisk wet and dry ingredients together well. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then stir again.

Microwave Version:

     Place a square of parchment paper on a microwavable plate. Place about two heaping tablespoons of batter onto the paper. Use the back of the spoon to spread the batter into a very thin circle about the size of a large burger bun. Microwave on full power for about one minute and 20 seconds. Flip the hot crust over to cool and crisp. Repeat with remaining batter. It is fine to use the same parchment.
      For each mini pizza, add a slice of cheese, sauce and meat and vegetable toppings. Return to the microwave and cook until cheese is melted. The cheese placed next to the crust helps keep it from absorbing the sauce and getting soggy.

Toaster Oven Version:

      Place a square of parchment onto a toaster oven pan. Place about two heaping tablespoons of batter onto the paper. Use the back of the spoon to spread the batter into a very thin circle about the size of a large burger bun. You should be able to get two crusts per pan. Set toaster oven to the medium dark toast selection. Toast. Remove and flip crusts over.  Toast again, but remove the crust about midway through toasting cycle. Repeat with the remaining batter.
     For each mini pizza, add a slice of cheese, sauce and meat and vegetable toppings. Return to the toaster oven and toast until cheese is melted. The cheese placed next to the crust helps keep it from absorbing the sauce and getting soggy.

This recipe makes 4 mini pizza crusts, so feel free to half it if you are cooking for one. The crusts are much better eaten right away. They tend to get dry and more crumbly after an hour or more. So eat 'em up while they are fresh.

Among Friends Thursday --Jennifer's Pizza Crust

Let me tell you, this made a beautiful pizza! When I first put it together, I didn't think it was going to work. Couldn't imagine that. Jennifer is an amazing baker--and very thorough in her details. (I know that because she is also my editor)  All the doughs I have tried before were much wetter. I followed her directions even though my batch seemed crumbly. Sure enough. She once again knew what she was talking about. She said to lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough to roll it out. That worked like a charm. Probably the easiest crust ever, in fact. None of that stretchy elastic or super sticky business.

I made this with all the kids around and they kept wandering in asking what smelled so good. Mr. John's lunch. I ended up buying them pizza. I made a fire roasted pizza sauce that was incredibly tasty. Pretty sure the crust was really good too, but with the flavors I packed into that sauce, I can make no promises. At any rate, it did what it was supposed to do. Who can go wrong with 2 cups of cheese? I do love cheese. The crust was plenty cheesy, so just a sprinkle of Parmesan on the top was all we needed.

The crust is pretty too, even though I baked it on a cookie sheet instead of a pizza pan. I put mine on parchment and had no sticking problems at all. Wonderful thin crust, nothing like the cracker crusts we buy from pizzerias. Plus making it at home, we can top it with as much delicious stuff as we want. This one had pepperoni, green pepper and red onion. Oh and spinach made it soo much healthier! (grin)

Jennifer's Pizza Crust recipe is on page 64 of Low Carbing Among Friends. Go find it and make one for yourself. The nutrition box said it serves 12. Umm, no. I was awfully glad to see later down she said it is fine to eat 2-3 slices with a salad. THAT is better. 1/12 of this pizza would never be enough. It would be like eating one potato chip as the famous ad said. Even with three slices, you still come in under 5 carbs and just over 300 calories. At that rate, maybe we could justify 4 slices...Eating like this does not feel like a diet. Go read the cute anecdote with the recipe. That story says it all.

Skillet Squash Pizza

We just ate the yummiest breakfast. Although I was playing around with breakfast pizza, this would be good at any meal. I just happen to be one who loves leftovers for breakfast--especially back in the day when I could eat take out pizza.This was made from scratch, but would be very welcome leftovers at my house.

We low carbers have made every imaginable combination trying for a decent substitute. There are quite a few out there to experiment on. Cauliflower crusts a la Cleochatra are popular, although I never quite got the hang of those. I need easy. I wanted a skillet pizza, and I was not necessarily needing it to be hand held. That seems to be a big concern. Fork and plate was fine for today. I had seen in an old Somersize cookbook I picked up while out thrifting, a crust made from zucchini and cheese. Interesting, but probably too much like the cauliflower version. So, running out of time to get the hubster fed, I just headed into the kitchen to play around like I often do. Yes, lots of my playing around never makes it to the blog, just in case you wondered. I really like this result though. You cannot even figure out that there is an entire yellow squash in there! Much better than the bell pepper and sunflower seed based crust I failed at last week.

The crust is soft, but the very edges are crisped. Because it is baked in a skillet, the bottom layer crisps, giving it that nice, browned taste. The crust batter is fairly deep in the skillet. It may be that if it was spread over a cookie sheet, it would be crisp enough to forget about the fork. I may try that one. But this is just perfect for my brunch type meal, plus no parchment paper, no trying to flip a crust without getting burned, and no sticking to the pan.


Skillet Squash Pizza


2 1/2 cups grated yellow squash (1 large)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese (canned)
1/3 cup unflavored whey protein powder
1 egg
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Topping of choice


Grate the squash on the large holes of a grater. Use paper towels to squeeze out excess moisture. In a large bowl, combine squash, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, whey protein powder and the egg. On a high stovetop burner, heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet. When it begins to smoke, sprinkle salt and pepper into the base of the skillet. This helps prevent sticking. Immediately spread the crust dough into the skillet. Remove from heat. Place into a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and cover with the toppings of choice. Return the pizza to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Let the pizza cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Before toppings, this crust has approximately 212 calories and 2.5 carbs. The protein powder may vary the carb count.

What I love most about the crust is the flavor. It has a great taste all on its own. You certainly don't need to add extra cheese to the top of this pizza. It is super delicious just with some green peppers, a little onion and some pepperoni. Sausage would be great too.

It is Spring Break here, so I am looking forward to seeing more of my boys. Pearson is on his way home from college as we speak. I miss spending time with him, and it will be great to get to hug his neck any time I want. I always get a little sad when I watch him drive away to go back to school after break. After this week, life will be a whirlwind again. He heads back to prepare his senior portfolio show. He is quite a talented graphic artist, so I guess all that money I spent in the early years on finger paints, colored pencils and art supplies were not wasted. I am such a proud mom. I get to go see him graduate in May, with honors. I can't believe they grow up so quickly!

Get more great recipes at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page:               https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

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http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Love the recipes I share on this blog? My ebook helps you plan and prep to stay healthy 24/7.   http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com

Asiago Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

So it is all about personal choices. Sometime dinners we eat lobster, other days, we are happy with a can of tuna. I'll just tell ya up front that I am on the fence with this pizza crust. It just may be a tuna day. No, it is not a fish pizza, that is only my metaphor. Inspired by several recipes I found online, but true to none, this crust is easy, healthy, and a great conduit for those flavorful pizza toppings we love. On the other hand, the flavor and texture does not leave me saying "Wow!" It is still a little grainy and has that slight coconut flavor. Despite trying to mask that with herbs and garlic, it is still there--at least on the edges of the crust. The good news? Once you pile on the sauce, meats, veggies and cheese, it all tastes great. So the middle is better than the edges. My boys always refused to eat the crusts of standard pizzas anyway. They called them "pizza bones" and brought them home to feed our dogs. They may have something there.

I really like the taste and texture of my soy flour based crust better, but lots of folk, my baby son included, cannot eat soy. This is an alternative that doesn't involve massive amounts of cheese, or require laborious steps in prepping veggie bases for a crust. It bakes up in less than 20 minutes, making it an easy 30 minute dinner prep. That speed figures in for most of us. I did not have to deal with trying to spread out sticky dough, and didn't have any trouble flipping the crusts. Can you tell I have had some "trials" making low carb crusts before? Yep,  I have torn a few in the flip, had several stick to the pan, burned edges while the centers were goo, and had some that required a wrestling match to get them spread to the edges of the pan. Sorry if this list of difficulties sounds a bit like an infomercial. You know the ones that always make you feel the old way of doing whatever their product does is pure drudgery, but the new gadget makes it fun--and probably helps you lose weight too? Sad, but true. So, while this might not have the best flavor, it is easy. Easy is good. Have I sold it yet?

Asiago Coconut Flour Pizza Crust
4 eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp salt

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt and oil. Stir in the coconut flour, making sure to blend in all the lumps until smooth. Stir in the cheese, herbs and salt. Let the mixture thicken while you prepare the cookie sheet.
    Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the pan. Secure it to the pan with a shot of an oil based pan spray. Pour about half of the batter onto one side of the sheet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into the desired shape, a circle or space efficient rectangle. Repeat with the remaining batter.
    Bake the crusts for 12 minutes. Use that baking time to chop vegetables and prepare toppings. Remove the partially baked crusts and use a large spatula to flip them over on the parchment. Return them to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the crusts and add the toppings of choice. Place the loaded pizzas back into the oven until the toppings melt, about 5 minutes.

There ya go, simple. The pizzas ended up very similar to those made with lavash bread, which is really convenient, but these are gluten free. I had anticipated guests for tonight's pizza buffet. Unexpectedly, I had only myself and the kiddo. That turned out to be kinda nice anyway. But no, we did not share the "bones" with the dogs. Although it may not have been a 5 star recipe, we ate it all up.

Portabella Pizza

Pizza love. I can't get past it. Using portabella mushroom caps instead of crust makes them easy peasy. Not that these are my idea--I am just a fan. I have some mushroom haters living at my house, so they didn't get one of these beauties. Too bad for them.

Clean mushroom caps and remove stem if there is one. Some people also remove the gills. I didn't. Some people prebake them a  bit, some don't. If you do, spritz or brush with a little olive oil and bake gill side down for 5 minutes. This may release some unwanted moisture. Next add toppings of choice. I did not pre-bake and still loved it. YMMV. The average cap has about 3 net carbs, so I would guess my pizzas have about 5 net carbs each.

Just a few little hints, since these practically make themselves. Of course, you can customize them with any toppings you want.

Hint 1:  If you like softer onions and peppers, saute them separately in a skillet before filling the cap.
Hint 2: Save time by using pre-cooked toppings like my Minute Beef or Minute Sausage. If you froze the packages flat, it is easy to break off just enough meat crumbles to top a mushroom or two.
Hint 3: Since these are best eaten with a fork, not the fingers, use the mini pepperonis to avoid the inevitable top slide when you try to cut a large pepperoni. You may wish to forgo the preservatives in pepperoni, but that is not one of the foods I am willing to give up for life!
Hint 4: Use a toaster oven to save energy. Small food, small oven. Can't do that with the standard pizza!
Hint 4 1/2: If you do use the toaster oven, be sure to place mushrooms on a pan with a rim. They can release a little moisture and make a mess in the bottom of the oven.

We are still trying to avoid the heat here, so dinner is AGAIN in the crockpot. It is usually a skillet meal, but not today. Yesterday it was 113 here. My air cannot keep up and it is over 90 in my house even with the unit running all the time. I am so cranky when I sweat. And lazy too.

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Pizza Supreme Casserole

My youngest son doesn't do pizza anymore--one of his favorites. I have been trying to incorporate more pizza like foods into our meal plan so he doesn't feel too deprived on his Specific Carbohydrate diet. Alternate crusts are fine, but sometimes they are a bother. There is always the pizza in a bowl. That is yummy, but he can't have pepperoni either, so tonight's dish featured ground beef.

It was pretty good. The recipe I based it on called for sliced onions and peppers. Somehow the peppers and onions in mine disappeared--at least in the photo. My oldest isn't that crazy about supreme pizzas, so I admit that I used my Ninja to chop those up more finely than I would by hand. I think next time, chunkier would be better, but this was tasty.

If you want to make one too, here's a plan--more of a method than a recipe.

Pizza Supreme Casserole

2 lbs. ground beef
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 diced onion
1 bell pepper
1 can diced black olives
5-6 sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic
1 pound shredded cheese

Brown hamburger and drain well. Saute the onion, pepper, garlic and mushrooms in the beef fat until slightly tender. Place half of the beef in a casserole dish. Top with half of the vegetables and olives. Spoon half the tomatoes over. Shred cheese over this, then repeat layers. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

In my opinion, pepperoni would be even better with this, so throw some in if you want to. For my carby biggest boy, I spooned the casserole over some garlic toast. We low carbers had a side salad.

Nothing fancy, but good anyway. I think it might serve easier with an egg base to hold it all together, but I thought I would give this recipe conversion a try. I had hoped this would make a Multiply Meal, but we ate way too many second helpings tonight. Instead of getting two or three dinners out of my efforts, looks like this one will just be another lunch. Oh well, that sometimes happens when you feed a bigger family!

Chicken Pizza on a Nutty Crust

Do you miss biting into a thin crispy pizza? My college kids got pizza today, but that crust is against the low carb rules for us! It didn't take too long to put together this nut crust, which is thin and crunchy. All home made and yummy.

I used one of my ground chicken patties for the meat topping, spiced up with a bit of Italian seasoning--heavy on basil and garlic. It is also topped with thinly sliced tomatoes. No sauce to make it too soft. Another sprinkle of herbs and a generous helping of shredded cheese. This one happens to be sharp cheddar. So much flavor!


Nutty Pizza Crust
2 c. nut flour (almond, hazelnut or a blend of any mixed nuts)
2 eggs
2 t. coconut oil or olive oil
1 t. salt

Melt the oil, let cool slightly.  Beat the eggs, add in the coconut oil and salt. (You don’t want it to be boiling hot or it will curdle the eggs; if you don’t melt it, it’s hard to mix in evenly.)  Then stir in the nut flour; mix thoroughly.
Form it into a ball, and then pat it out on a greased pan or cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for about twenty minutes until browned.  Then add the toppings – sauce, vegetables, and cheese.  Bake another 10 – 15 minutes until it looks ready.

I will be working on some autumn recipes this week. Hopefully, I will have enough success to share. You certainly don't want the recipe for one of the recipes I worked on last week. They don't always turn out as winners!

Barbecue Mini Pizzas with Cilantro

I have been so busy. These are actually Friday night's dinner that I am just now posting. I used the Nancy Elle's cheese crust recipe with cheese and eggs. I added a bit of coconut flour too. For some reason, these really stuck to my muffin top pan this time. It must be getting old, as more things are sticking these days. The crusts were a little torn, but they tasted heavenly. I do love the combo of barbecue sauce, cheese and cilantro. With those flavors going on, the chicken is rather an afterthought! I also added red onion and garlic. Such good stuff.

When time is running short, and the freezer is somehow lacking my normal supply of chicken cubes, I use a can of chicken in a pinch. My Sam's club sells cans of breast meat, very low calorie and all natural. It is easy to chunk up for use in salads or in this case, as a pizza topping. Super quick. Not as tasty as home made, but great convenience in a pinch. It makes gourmet pizza night a hit.

Mini Eggplant Pizzas

Those of you who get the newsletter know September's issue is all about PIZZA! These are the little pizzas we had for lunch today. The base is a sliced eggplant. I tried baking these in the oven, but they seemed to stay too squishy. Going for a bit more crisp, I then grilled them on my cast iron griddle. They may look a bit burned, but they didn't taste that way. I sprinkled ground oregano and chopped garlic on each eggplant slice.

We ate ours topped with fresh veggies and some homemade chicken sausage I had on hand. I skipped the tomato sauce and let the fresh tomatoes fill that spot. I added some of the veggies on top raw--onions and bell peppers, and those stayed crispy. I also cooked some veggies on the griddle for more of a grilled taste. I knew I wasn't going to turn on the broiler to cook the top of the mini pizzas, and this was a great compromise. The flavor was excellent, and the melted farmer's cheese held everything together nicely. You still need a plate and fork, but if you miss the pizza flavors and want some extra nutrition, this will do it. Teenager approved--even with eggplant. Who would have guessed? Only bad point: the eggplant does shrink a bit, so I think he is still hungry. Perhaps a berry smoothie for dessert will do.