Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

We love pizza! Ok, so it is more than love...obsession might be the correct word.  We need to have it on the menu once a week at least! My husband worked in a college cafeteria to help pay for his masters work and even got to go to "pizza school" for a day.  We do not take homemade pizza lightly, or any pizza for that matter.  Our favorite is probably Lou Malnati's.  We do like just about any variety though!

On our quest to eat healthier, we have been trying to find meals with a low glycemic index.  Traditional flour is pretty much the opposite of what we were going for, but elimination of pizza was not an option.  We needed a yummy crust option....so the trials began. Fava bean flour, garbanzo bean flour and almond flour resulted in really dry crunchy crusts.  The taste wasn't terrible, but it wasn't something we looked forward to eating.  We really liked the cauliflower crust, but it was too time consuming and costly  to make regularly.  When I found this one and tweaked it a bit, I knew it was the answer to our dilemma!

We make the crust ahead and freeze them so they are just like pre-cooked pizza crust:)  It is a great way to use up extra ingredients as pizza toppings!

There are some things that you have to know before working with coconut flour.
   1. It absorbs between 2 & 3 times the amount of water compared to traditional all purpose flour.
   2. It is not very sticky since it has no gluten.
   3. It is a bit sweet. (Since it is just coconut)
   4. It is healthy! (Low glycemic, high in fiber, good fats and protein)


Coconut Flour Pizza Crust--Preheat your oven to 400 and get ready for some delicious pizza!

This picture is of a crust I pulled from my freezer, so it is a bit wrinkly on the edges and flattens during baking.

Make sure your toppings get close to the edge!!!  Yummy all the way to the edge!

What you will need:

4 eggs
1/4 C. Greek yogurt
1/4 C. Coconut flour
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Salt
3 oz cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
*Silpat or parchment (I really like my Pampered Chef baking mat!!!)
    --Do not cut your pizza on your Silpat:)

 

 

Just melty....I like mine a little toasty, but my hubby likes it melty!

Directions: (I will add more pictures once I make it again)

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whip the eggs and yogurt together until completely smooth. 
2. Add in the coconut flour and mix until completely incorporated (it will take a minute longer than regular flour to absorb the liquid)
3. Add in the garlic, seasonings and salt.  Mix again until completely incorporated.  This mixture will be similar to typical pancake batter. 
4. Add in the cheeses and mix again and let rest for about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the mixture onto a greased silpat or parchment sheet as thin as you possibly can **The recipe should make 2-9 inch pizzas.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just turning brown.  
7. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then remove from silpat.  (You can put it back on to cook the toppings, but it will be much easier to remove once it is topped and cooked if you take it off for a bit.)
8. Top with whatever you enjoy on pizza (or whatever leftovers you have in your fridge) and then bake again for 10-15 minutes or until the toppings are cooked the way you like them!

What do you like on your pizza???

2014-A year of CHANGES!

A year ago, I made a commitment to myself to get healthier.  I was induced with my second son because I  suddenly had blood pressure issues.  While the issues didn't last long, they scared me enough to get myself serious about living a healthier life.  I set a measurable goal of losing 100 lbs by the time he turned ONE!

Well, this awesome kiddo is turning 1 this weekend, and I am proud to say I lost 83 lbs! Yes, I know I didn't reach my goal!  Something even better happened...I made lifestyle changes that are not just short term "diet" options but a way that my family and I can eat and live for good!  We really enjoy food and just eating bland and boring food doesn't work for us.  Even if we manage that for a bit, we will rebound in a terrible way.  I have been taking the things we like to eat and improving the recipes and we have also been trying some things we never thought we would. 

We have learned that moderation is what works for us.  We aren't cutting anything out completely and we are trying to have treats truly as treats. We are drinking lots of water and trying to get away from too many processed foods.  We have also learned to glean recipes from some "fad" diets, without falling into some of the pitfalls that can come from exclusivity.

I am going to be sharing some of the recipes and ideas that have helped me on this journey.  I have become more creative with my cooking to make it healthy and still tasty.  Some of my experiments have failed terribly, but others have been grand!  I will share the more positive outcomes!

The picture below shows the difference between Thanksgiving 2010 and Thanksgiving 2014.  And, yes, I totally enjoyed my Thanksgiving FEAST!

Mini Pizzas

During the summers when I was growing up, my mom would be home with us because she was and is a teacher---we were so fortunate!  We had so much fun in the summers! My favorite thing that we would do in the summers was to go "pool hopping" as my mom taught swimming to families in their own pools and my sister and I got to tag along.  We would literally be in our swimsuits from the time we got up to the time we went to bed.  Often we would get in the car to go from one pool to the next with a soaking wet towel to keep us warm---and we thought it was grand!  We would eat some quick snacks so we could get in the pool when we arrived at the next home!  At the end of the day we would get home and be ready to eat everything in sight and really didn't want to wait long! My mom had the best answer for this--Mini Pizzas!  They were quick, easy, and so very delicious!  We would try to talk her into this option as often as possible!  Now that I am a mom, this is an easy go-to when I am short on time and it is a great option when I have leftovers from homemade pizza!  They can be different each time and can be individualized for picky eaters:)

What you'll need for 12 mini pizzas:
1 Large cookie sheet
1 package of English muffins or bagels--Halved (There are lots of options just with flavors of this ingredient!)
1 large can of Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce (No pizza sauce? You can add tomato paste to Marinara!)
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella (Or more if you really like cheesy pizza!)
*diced onions
*diced peppers
*pepperoni
*mushrooms
*chicken
*crumbled sausage
*crumbled bacon
*and the list goes on---whatever you like on your pizza:)

*Indicates optional items

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lay each half of the muffins or bagels open faced on a cookie sheet. Top with sauce, then cheese and toppings. Place in oven to bake for **10-25 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.  You can broil them for a minute at the end if you like toasty cheese too! Let cool for 2-3 minutes and serve!

**The cooking time will depend on the amount of toppings and whether you used muffins or bagels.  I would check every 5 minutes or so:)

Parmesan Crusted Flounder (GF Possiblities)

Some of my favorite fish was eaten while camping at Stony Lake, MN.  Several families would go up in the summers, the dads fished a lot, the moms cooked a lot and the kids ate A LOT!!  Depending on who was seasoning the fish, it would always taste a bit different, but always delicious!  Everyone was always too busy cooking to talk about what they put in the fish, but I loved watching and sometimes helping them make it!  My husband and I have decided to incorporate more fish into our meals, which shouldn't be too hard since our 2 year old asks for it almost every day for lunch.  I need variety, and without some creativity, fish can become boring! While this fish was nowhere near the same as those fried delicious pieces of blue gill, I got to thinking about those fun memories from the lake as well as all of the creative work all of the parents and came up with this recipe today!  We all loved it and will be having it again soon since it was so easy and delicious!

Parmesan Crusted Flounder

What you'll need:
9x13 Baking Dish or cookie sheet
*Basting Brush
1 Lb. Flounder (Or preferred fish)--Fresh or thawed
1/4 Cup of mayonnaise

1 tsp. garlic powder
*1 tsp. Italian Seasonings

*1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Bread Crumbs
*1/4 Cup crushed french friend onions

*-Indicates optional Items

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray the baking dish with Olive Oil.  Place fish into the baking dish.   Combine mayonnaise with spices. With the basting brush, generously coat the top of the fish with spiced mayonnaise.  In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and french fried onions.  Once combined, generously sprinkle on top of the mayonnaise coated flounder.  Lightly press the coating onto the fish.  Place in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish is flaky and top is golden brown.

Notes:
Gluten Free:  To make this Gluten Free, simply substitute well crushed corn tortilla chips or cornmeal for the breadcrumbs!

Healthy Mexican Lasagna (GF and Vegetarian Possibilities)

My sister came to visit this past weekend and we had a wonderful time.  We don't get to see one another very often because we live about 5 hours apart and are both very busy.  When we do get together, we have lots of fun laughing, having serious sister talks and just enjoying time together!  Of course, since I love to cook, I asked her what she wanted to eat while visiting.  Her response was "Something healthy and spicy".   As I began looking through what we had in the pantry and also some recipes, I decided on a Mexican Lasagna.  My sister and I both love spicy things and pretty much anything that has black beans, corn and salsa in it!   I have seen a few different recipes for this, but this is what we ended up with.

Healthy Mexican Lasagna with Tortillas

What you will need:
10 inch Spring Form Pan (A round baking dish of any type will work)
4 9" Tortillas (More needed if they are smaller)

Sauce:
1 Medium Onion-Diced
1 Bell Pepper-Diced
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles
3 Tbsp. Salsa
Dash of cayenne pepper--More if you like spicy!
2 Cups Shredded Chicken (Optional/Can be substituted with ground meat as well)

Filling:
2 Cans Corn (Drained)
2 Cans Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
2 Cups plus 1/3 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (Many kinds of cheese would work)

Recipe Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, saute the diced onions and peppers with the garlic and olive oil.  This will take about 10 minutes. Then add the 3 cans of diced tomatoes and green chiles, 3 Tbsp. of Salsa, cayenne pepper and chicken.  Let simmer for about 10 minutes.  Once cooked, scoop 1/3 cup of the sauce into a separate bowl for the top of the lasagna--we will call this the reserve.

While the sauce is cooking, drain and rinse the corn and black beans and mix together in a bowl.  Add 2 cups of shredded cheese and mix together.

Place your spring form pan on a cookie sheet and scoop 1/2 C of the filling into the bottom of the pan. Place a tortilla layer, then scoop 1/3 of the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with 1/3 of the sauce.  Place the second tortilla layer, then scoop 1/2 of the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with 1/2 of the remaining sauce.  Place the third tortilla layer, then scoop the remaining filling onto the tortilla and cover that with the remaining sauce.  Finally place the fourth tortilla layer, cover that with the sauce reserve and the 1/3 cup of shredded cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.

To serve, cut like a pizza into 8 or 10 pieces, then remove the spring form side ring and you will be able to see all of the beautiful layers you made!

Notes:
Prep Ahead:  This recipe could easily be prepared the day ahead and kept in the refrigerator or made  to be frozen for later enjoyment!  Just remember to cover tightly!
Easy Gluten Free:  To make this recipe gluten free, you can use corn tortillas!  Everything else is already gluten free!
Easy Vegetarian:  This recipe has a lot of protein with the black beans in it, so to make it vegetarian, you can simply omit the meat!

***This recipe adapted from http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2012/01/mexican-lasagne.html