Gluten Free is a new friend of mine (permanent? I haven’t decided yet…). Allison has been GF(ish) for several years now, and I’ve always been curious about the reports of people who have ditched the “glue” like substance. This past summer, I developed a patch of skin that was “eczema” like. On our sister trip to Palm Springs, while sipping spiked lemonades in the pool, Allison suggested I try a GF diet to see what impact it would have. I thought about it, and then never got around to it. More recently, at a get together with some college friends, my girlfriend suggested I try GF to target some of the stomach issues I was having. Her sister had tried it out, after reporting similar symptoms to mine, and she had success. So, I decided to give it a whirl two weeks ago. The result? The patch of skin is now healed, I have loads more energy, and I am way less moody and emotional (swear, just ask TJ :)).
Rewind to this past weekend. When the rain started to fall (okay, pour), TJ and I decided it was time for our favorite date night in (and on the couch): Wine and Homemade Pizza. Given this new GF experimentation, my tried and true Trader Joe’s pre-made whole wheat crust was a no-go. I perused the aisles of Whole Foods (I could seriously spend hours there… is that weird??) and found a Glutino Pizza Crust Mix and decided “What the heck?” Other than being über sticky, I devoured it just as happily as the regular old whole wheat pizza crust. It was so tasty, I decided to include the GF Veggie Pizza recipe below 🙂 If you try, I sure hope you enjoy… oh, and if you’re not GF, just use a different crust and enjoy too!
Ingredients:
1 Package of Glutino Pizza Crust Mix
1/3 cup of pizza sauce
1/3 cup of Daiya Dairy Free Cheese (I’ve tried a few, and this is the best so far…)
4 Artichoke hearts, sliced in fourths
7 Asparagus Stalks, halved and blanched
1/4 cup of diced red onion
1/2 Medium red bell peppers diced
1/3 cup of sliced black olives
Olive Oil (for the crust)
Balsamic Glaze
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat over to 425°. Spray pizza pan.
2. While the oven is heating, fix the dough according to the directions on the package
3. Chop all ingredients. Blanche Asparagus.
4. Spread the dough onto the pan. I recommend placing the dough on some wax paper that has been dusted with GF flour. Then turn it over on top of the pan and spread the dough out over the wax paper. That way it won’t stick to your hands.
5. Place dough in the oven (without ingredients) for 15 minutes.
6. Place sauce, cheese, and other ingredients on the pizza. Up the oven temperature to 450° and immediately place the pizza back in the oven for 10 minutes.
7. Be sure to watch your pizza closely, as oven temperatures vary.
