Pizza

Potato Pizza Crust. Vegan. Gluten Free.

October 3, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Pizza, Sauces, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 13 Comments

Potato Pizza Crust. Vegan. Gluten Free.

THIS recipe! I’ve finally cracked the gluten free/vegan pizza crust code & this recipe is it! No more quinoa or cauliflower crusts that are just… okay. Seriously… this crust is EVERYTHING! Doughy not cracker crispy like most gf crusts. It holds up to toppings. Browns up beautifully as seen in my pictures. The secret? Potatoes!

Nutrient dense…

Potatoes are packed with vital nutrients like potassium, Vitamins C & B6, iron and calcium. The starchiness acts like gluten in the dough making the cooked consistency on par with it’s gluten counterpart but without any allergy issues. Plus this recipe takes no time to make and is super easy. Freezes perfectly for future use. Okay go & enjoy pizza again!

This recipe is so easy to make & honestly takes no time to get it prepared. I’m so excited to share this with you all. I’ve made it countless times already and we cannot get enough. It also freezes perfectly if you have leftovers. This recipe make 2 medium sized pizzas – think 2 people or 3 personal sized.
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— Knead to Cook

Buckwheat Groat and Almond Pizza Crust. Vegan. GF.

January 14, 2016 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Italian-inspired, Nuts, Pizza, Running/Races, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free, Your Life Edit Foundations 3 Comments

Buckwheat Groat and Almond Pizza Crust. Vegan. GF.

Oh pizza I love you so however gluten free pizza… you leave me quite despondent. Gluten free items, although better than years ago, are still typically lackluster. Since my daughter gave up gluten and dairy 3 years ago, I gave up gluten as well. Admittedly, her cystic acne cleared up and I’ve never felt better. Gluten is an inflammatory in the body and how it manifests can vary from acne to severe stomach issues and everything in between.

I’ve tried every type of pizza crust out there. Quinoa. Potato. Gluten free pizza crusts. Is it too much to ask for a crispy crust that can hold up to toppings if I so desire? Well I’ve been working on this crust for about a month or two and finally got all of the details down pat. I even managed to get the crust paper thin per my daughter’s request. I hope you give this recipe a try. I made 4 good sized personal pizzas out of this recipe or 1 large and two smaller personal for reference. Another great use for this crust — roll it as thin as you can, top with some Himalayan sea salt. Slice into bite-sized squares and bake. ANDDDDDDD ~~~~~This crust makes a great crispy gluten free cracker for dips, hummus or just plain snacking.
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— Knead to Cook

Quinoa Pizza Crust. Vegan. Gluten Free.

June 1, 2015 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fitness., Gluten Free, Grilling, Pizza, Running/Races, Snacks, Vegan, Vegan proteins, Wheat Free 2 Comments

Quinoa Pizza Crust. Vegan. Gluten Free.

Happy Monday & June! I love new months… why? Well a fresh new slate. New goals. New experiences. And summer! Okay so onto food – a few months ago I received Deliciously Ella by Ella Woodward’s vegan cookbook. I haven’t had a chance to try out any recipes until last Friday. With my oldest being gluten and dairy free – I knew we had to try this crust out for our traditional Friday pizza night. Although many think that quinoa crust is a new thing – it’s been floating around the internet for several years. It had crossed my radar on Pinterest in 2012 but got lost in the shuffle of life. I’m so happy I tried Ella’s. It was quite good paired up with my kale pesto and topped with our vegan favorite cheese. It is crazy easy to prepare but preparation is necessary the night before. I hope you give this one a try.

Thinking this would also working nicely making a dessert pizza – adjusting the seasonings you add. Think cinnamon and some vanilla extract. Top with nut butter and some vegan chocolate chips for a dessert pizza. Maybe something you see in the future.

This crust works well once par cooked on the outdoor grill for a few minutes to crisp it up.
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— Knead to Cook

Vegan Kale and Basil Pesto.

March 21, 2014 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Appetizers, Brunch, Condiments, Dips, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Gluten Free, Grilling, Grilling/Rubs/Sauces, No bake/cooking required!, Party Foods, Pizza, Pork, Sauces, Seafood, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 2 Comments

On a vegan roll this week with the recipes. Again, I think many people shy away or turn their nose up to trying vegan recipes – trust me, don’t! All of these recipes I’m sharing I “test run” on my family and my kids and father are all staunch carnivores. It is nice to mix up your menu choices. Add more veggies and sub out the meat once in awhile, remember Meatless Mondays? Okay so my kids LOVE LOVE love, pesto. I haven’t made it all winter – well because it reminds me of spring and summer. It’s light and fresh and normally has ingredients that come from our garden. Well now that the snow has melted (Amen!) and spring has SPRUNG (finally) I wanted to whip up a different pesto that was nutritionally set up as a powerhouse, who doesn’t want their kids to eat more green veggies right?, and was totally vegan (because you can try a vegan recipe without dying I promise).

This pesto is so packed with vitamins and minerals – your body will be humming along nicely and when you eat lots of color (remember science and photosynthesis?) – that comes from the sun, that energy and glow will happen to you. Insert the wahhh wahhh wahhhh from Charlie Brown but I’m serious. Since becoming a vegetarian – consuming more and more vegetables has changed my skin texture and it now has a glow plus I have a ton of energy. Meat doesn’t do that for you, sorry.

Back to the recipe at hand… this recipe can be made solely with basil or a combination of basil, kale and spinach – whatever you like. Totally flexible and totally tasty. Also refrigerates or freezes beautifully. Plus how easy is this dinner… process it in your food processor or Vitamix and keep it in the fridge till you boil your pasta. Ummmm hello easy weeknight dinner. Also spreads great on crackers, acts as a dip for veggies or a spread on your sandwich, top your favorite protein, in soup… the ideas are endless.

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— Knead to Cook

Grilled Naan with Chobani. {pizza crust}

May 31, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Breads, Grilling, Indian-inspired., Pasta, Pizza, Yogurt 1 Comment

I wanted to try my hand at making homemade Naan. My husband’s college roommate was Indian and he had several recipes from him that I wanted to transform and use in different ways. I whipped this recipe up and tried it out on the gas grill outside and it turned out perfectly! Tonight we are going to use it for our pizza base. Made with all purpose and whole wheat flour. I added Greek yogurt for extra protein and it yielded a lovely dough. I hope you give this one a try. Perfect for parties and summer grilling.

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— Knead to Cook

Chimichurri.

May 21, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Beef, Chicken, Egg dishes, Evolution Power Yoga 40 Days, Fish, Grilling, Grilling/Rubs/Sauces, Pasta, Pizza, Pork, Vegetarian, Vitamix 4 Comments

Chimichurri is a South American version of pesto that is served atop or along side meat and veggies. I’m planning on grilling up a ton of fresh veggies from the farmer’s market and I thought this would be perfection for a vegetarian dish. I will, however, grill up some chicken for my favorite carnivores to eat with it too. I will use fresh herbs from my garden and you can control the heat with the jalapeño according to your taste and preference. This is also perfect over tortellini pasta or on some crusty toasted bread. Yum! Can’t wait for dinner.

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— Knead to Cook

Cauliflower Herb Pizza Crust. Gluten-Free. Vegetarian. Grain-Free.

April 17, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Cheese, Gluten Free, Pizza, Vegetarian, Vitamix, Wheat Free 59 Comments

After numerous attempts, I’m thrilled that today I finally got it! Any recipe takes time to develop… this one was no exception! If you follow my simple steps, I promise you will have success too! This is grain-free, vegetarian and gluten-free. Packed with flavor and you control the toppings you want on top. I baked these up earlier in the day (even the day prior) and use them when I need them.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower (I used organic), washed and cut into smaller florets (remove the stems)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup of part skim mozzarella cheese (grated)
1/4 cup of grated asiago cheese (measure it grated, light and fluffy not packed down)
1 egg
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees with your pizza stone on the lowest rack setting.

1. Make sure you’re starting with washed cauliflower that has been dried as much as possible.

2. Take your florets (with most of the stems removed) and place in your food processor or Vitamix. Pulse about 8-10 times until it looks like fluffy snow (see pic). I worked in batches so not to overcrowd.

3. Add the cauliflower “snow” to a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Cook in your microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Remove carefully and let it rest, covered for 1 minute. Remove the plastic wrap and dump the cauliflower into the center of a clean dishtowel. Let this cool for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Once cool, place a large bowl underneath and twist up the towel (see pic) and ring it out. When I say ring, I mean it! Keep ringing until you literally get no water out of the cauliflower anymore. See the pic of how much water I got from one medium sized head of cauliflower (over 1 cup)! Insane! You need to do this to make the crust perfect… trust me.

5. Open the towel to reveal what looks like sugar cookie dough (best description). See pic. Add this to a mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl and add the remaining seasonings/ingredients. Adjust here what you love or omit what you don’t. Mix well in your stand mixer or with your hands. The dough is very easy to work with and will be a bit sticky but not bad.

6. I made two 8 inch crusts. Take a large enough piece of parchment paper and spray it with a non stick oil (I used Smart Balance). Then split your “dough” in half and form it into an 8 inch round or whatever size you desire. I used a rubber spatula to press the dough down and tighten up the edges. It worked perfectly! (see pic) You want to make sure that the dough is less than 1/2 an inch thick and even throughout. I started at the center and worked my way out. I then made sure the edges had no cracks and were pretty tight.

7. With a pizza peel, slide your parchment paper with dough onto your pizza stone in the preheated oven. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden. This will depend upon your oven. I like it more golden brown so that’s my recommendation. Then remove gently and let the crust cool.

8. I pre-made these for tonight. When you are ready to cook, make sure your oven has been pre-heated for at least one hour at 450 degrees with the stone inside. Top your crust with whatever you like and bake until cheese is melted or about 4 minutes.

Enjoy!

— Knead to Cook

Turkey Sausage & Pepper Calzone. Customizable.

January 9, 2013 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Appetizers, Breads, Pizza 2 Comments

I used King Arthur’s Italian Style flour (but you can buy pizza dough at the grocery store). I used their recipe on the back of their product to make the dough. You can use other pizza dough recipes (I have several on my blog that you can search).

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. You can bake on pizza stone or a Silpat lined baking sheet (which is what I used). From there, you will divide the dough into two balls. Roll them out about 14×14 inches and about 1/4 inch thick. Place your filling (I used turkey sausage and peppers/onions that was already cooked and cooled) in the center of the dough. Make slices into the dough as pictured above. Then starting at the bottom you are going to overlap the dough resembling a braid (although it isn’t a braid). Maybe I should say criss-crossing. Using two spatulas’ I gently lifted and placed on my baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and heated through. I baked it for about 35 minutes but every oven is different. You want a nice light brown crust and heated ingredients. I made one with mozzarella and one without (my youngest isn’t a fan). I have marinara sauce for dipping. Easy and can prepare ahead of time and reheat. Also would be awesome for your Super Bowl party. Fill it with whatever fun ingredients you love. Pepperoni, sausage, beef, cheeses etc.

— Knead to Cook

King Arthur’s 00 Italian Pizza Crust.

August 30, 2012 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Mexican, Pizza 2 Comments

Today my friends at King Arthur’s sent me a big box filled with gorgeous flours to try. It was perfect… my daughter has been begging me to make my Mexican pizza and I thought I would try a taco pizza instead. I dove right in and this crust is beyond fabulous.

King Arthur’s describes this fabulous flour as the following:

why we love it

American flour is all about its gluten: it’s ready for action, headed for the highest rise. This version of Italian 00 flour, on the other hand, mirrors the warm, laid-back climate of its native land. Its protein is not only lower, but much more mellow. Make pizza or flatbread with this flour; you’ve never worked with such friendly dough! It’s incredibly extensible, practically flowing under your hands as you pat it into shape. And the resulting bread or crust? Light as air, tender, snapping crisp or soft as a cloud.

So here is the old 00 pizza recipe that I had on hand. Tried and true… oh so good too. We have NO leftovers remaining. Positive sign that it was enjoyed by my family.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 quarter teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 + 1/8 teaspoon of granulated sugar
1 cup of warm water (110 degrees is perfect)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of a better quality olive oil
3 cups of King Arthur’s 00 flour

Directions:
In your measuring cup combine the yeast, sugar and warm water. Let sit on the counter for 10 minutes until frothy. If it fails to get frothy, throw out and start over with fresh yeast. If the yeast isn’t active, it won’t froth up for you.

Once 10 minutes is over, add the mixture to your stand mixer bowl, dough hook attached, and add the salt and olive oil. Blend for 30 seconds. Then in 1 cup portions, add the flour. Blend well after each cup added. Once everything is in the mixing bowl, turn the speed up to medium and blend. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water. Too wet, add a tiny bit of flour. Keep kneading for about 7-8 minutes. The dough should form a large ball onto the dough hook and clean the sides of your bowl. Remove and add the dough to a clean and oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and set in a warm, draft-free location (I usually place it in my microwave). Let rise for 1 hour. Preheat your oven at this point at 475 degrees with your pizza stone. To achieve a nice crusty pizza dough, let it preheat for one hour.

After one hour, remove, divide into 2 (for large pizzas) or 4 (for smaller, personalized size) balls. Flour your surface well and roll out the dough to the desired shape. Prick with a fork all over to avoid bubbles from forming. Place on your pizza stone and pre-cook for 5-7 minutes or just until lightly golden. Remove, top with your favorite sauce or pesto (I used that here) and other toppings and cheese. Return to the oven or outside grill (again 475 degrees) until cheese melts. Remove and slice. Enjoy!

For my taco pizza, I used my pesto recipe for the sauce (find the recipe here) https://kneadtocook.com/?p=889. Then I added organic lean beef that was cooked throughout, sliced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, jalapeños and whatever else you enjoy on a taco pizza. Once cooked, top with cilantro leaves.

— Knead to Cook

Fig & prosciutto flatbread with a balsamic reduction drizzle.

August 20, 2012 by Knead to Cook Filed Under: Pizza Leave a Comment

I was thrilled the other day when I stumbled upon some fresh figs at my local market. I instantly thought of this recipe. An oldie but goodie. Even children love the combination of the salty (prosciutto) & the sweet (figs) over whole wheat flatbread topped with a tangy balsamic reduction. This recipe takes a bit to prepare but it is so worth the effort.

Flat bread:

Ingredients:
1 c whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur’s)
1.5 c all purpose unbleached flour (King Arthur)
2 and 1/4 tsp of yeast
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cornmeal, for sprinkling

Directions:

Mix the sugar into the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour into your mixer bowl. Then add flours, salt and olive oil. Combine. Knead the dough (with your mixer attach the dough hook) for 8 minutes. Then place the dough in a bowl that has been sprayed with a nonstick olive oil spray. Let rise for one hour.

Punch down. Then divide the dough in half. Turn out onto a flour surface and roll until you achieve the desired thickness. This crust is great rolled out really thin. I then prick the dough with a fork all over the surface. Brush olive oil on top. Bake for about 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden.

Please note: I preheated my oven at 425 degrees for one hour with my pizza stone. I pre-bake the crust for 5-7 minutes. I

Toppings:

10 figs, washed/quartered
1/4 pound of thinly sliced prosciutto
Asiago cheese, shredded
1/3 cup of fine quality balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Over low/medium flame, heat your balsamic and brown sugar combination until it reduces by half. Whisk consistently until thickened. Turn the burner down to low to keep warm.
After pre-baking your crust, top with torn slices of the prosciutto, figs and then the cheese (to adhere everything). Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Then drizzle the reduction over top and serve.

— Knead to Cook