Kid Approved Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Crust

   We love pizza!  Around here we eat pizza at least once a week and I have been searching for a great tasting, crispy, solid (you can pick it up), easy to make and as healthy as possible pizza crust recipe for a long time now.  In the past year I have tried so many recipes from the web and none of them have received my full families seal of approval.  There is always one of us is usually disappointed with the result.  Until now.  I am going to double this recipe next time so I can freeze some crusts for a quick meal.

   People will tell you that baking is a science.  People will tell you that you have to follow recipes exactly of the food won't turn out.  But I'll let you in on a little secret, it's not true.  I have been tweaking recipes to conform to my diet as it has evolved over the years.  Playing with recipes is how great foods are created, so don't be afraid to play with your food!

Kid Approved Homemade Gluten Free Pizza Crust

Makes 4 - 10 inch round crusts.

In a large bowl whisk together to blend

1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup each ground flax seed, arrowroot flour, sweet rice flour and white rice flour
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar

In a small bowl mix together and let sit for 5 minutes

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons of hot (potato) water (see below)

Add gelatin water to flour mixture.  Add the egg, olive oil and enough water to make the pizza dough into a pancake like consistency. 

1 egg
2 Tablespoons first cold pressed olive oil
1 cup + warm water or potato water (the leftover water used when boiling potatoes)

Cover with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour.  Preheat your oven to 400 F with cast iron pans inside.  After dough has risen to about double the flour will have absorbed a lot of the water.  Add more water until the dough is once again like a pancake batter.

When the oven is hot, take the pans out and grease with olive oil or bacon grease so the crusts won't stick.  Pour batter onto hot pans into desired size and bake 6-7 minutes until firm, cool on a wire rack while you are getting your toppings ready, or for a more crispy crust flip and bake another 6-7 minutes on the other side.

Heat the oven to 425 F and top you pizza with your favorite toppings and bake for about 10 minutes until your pizza is cooked to your liking.

Adam's pizza before 2nd baking.

The finished product.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins - Gluten Free

These muffins are delicious I made a batch on Monday and by Tuesday they were all gone!  I have been eating a very low added sugar diet for a while now, in my baking I prefer to sweeten with  honey or maple syrup instead of table sugar.  Because banana's are so high is natural sugars already I found these muffins to be a bit sweet (for me) first time I made them so when I made them again yesterday I left out the honey and added an extra half cup of banana and they turned out great.

And yes I know the chocolate has sugar in it so I only put in a small amount because I love chocolate!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins - Gluten Free

Preheat oven and cast iron pans to 375 F.  In a medium sized bowl mix together dry ingredients.

1 cup almond flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1/4 cup ground flax meal

1/2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

In a large bowl mix wet ingredients.

1 cup melted butter

4 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup honey (or substitute an extra 1/2 cup mashed bananas)

2 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mixing well.

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Stir in the chocolate chips.  Half fill hot pans with batter and bake at 375 F about 10 minutes for small muffins and 12-15 minutes for the mini cakes.  Let cool 5 minutes and remove from the pan. Cool on a rack.

Delicious Homemade Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries and Garlic Herbed Potato Fries

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Preheat clean cast iron pans in oven as well.

Scrub potatoes until clean.  Cut potatoes into 2.5 cm/0.5 inch cubes and slice sweet potatoes into wedges about 2.5 cm/ 0.5 inches at the widest part.  Soak in cold water for a few minutes.  Note:  I have read the longer you soak the fries the crispier they will be.  I however usually don't plan that far ahead.  Soak up to 24 hours.

Drain excess water on a clean tea towel.

Parmesan Sweet Potato Fries

Toss potatoes in half butter and half olive oil with a pinch or two of sea salt.

Spread fries on a preheated cast iron pan.  Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

Finely grate some parmesan cheese.

Turn fries and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.  Bake another 10 minutes until golden and cheese is crispy.

Garlic Herbed Potato Fries 

Toss potatoes in half melted butter and half olive oil, a few cloves of garlic, 1 Tablespoon dried oregano, a pinch or two of salt and some pepper.  These are all to taste.

Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, toss, bake 10 minutes, toss, bake another 5 minutes until golden.

Coconut Curry, Butter Chicken and Creamy Eggplant Curry Recipes

On Fridays Blog Talk Show we talked about our favourite recipes and both Lily and I said that Indian was our number one favourite food so I will share my favourite recipes with you

Coconut Curry

This curry is fabulous!  It's great tasting, great for you and when made with another dish like butter chicken you end up with at least a second meal for a family of four.  You can use whatever vegetables you want in it, whatever you have on hand.  Prepping is super important when making Indian dishes so before you start cooking measure out all your spices into a small bowl, blend the tomatoes and chop up all the veggies.

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 cup mustard seeds

5 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

3 teaspoons garam masala

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons powdered turmeric

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 796ml/28oz can diced tomatoes, pureed

1 400ml/14.5oz can coconut milk

1 large sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced

2 large carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

1 bunch of asparagus or 1 head of broccoli

Warm the coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and cook until seeds pop (2-3 minutes).  Add onions and saute 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add garlic, ginger, jalapeno pepper, spices and salt and saute another 2 minutes.

Add tomatoes and coconut milk, adding water to the can to get all the milk out.  Mix well.  Add vegetables (if using asparagus wait until the other vegetables are almost done before adding) and simmer over low with the saucepan lid cracked for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

Creamy Eggplant Curry

Poke a few holes into an eggplant and bake in a 350F oven for 1 hour.

3 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds

3 small onions

In a small saucepan over medium heat fry mustard seeds for 1 minute lower heat to low and add onions and caramelize the onions while the eggplant is cooking stirring occasionally until golden.  

1/2 teaspoon each fenugreek and salt

1/4 teaspoon each tumeric and corriander

1/8 teaspoon each cumin, ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

Add spices to onions and cook for a minute stirring.  Blend onions, tomatoes and eggplant in blender until smooth.  Pour into a ovenproof dish and bake at 425F for 20 minutes.

And last but not least my favourite butter chicken recipe.

Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhni

I found this butter chicken recipe here.  The first time I made this I thought it was very complicated but so delicious I have made it many time since.  Each time I make this recipe it gets easier and easier.  Below are my notes to make this recipe easier.

Rub for Chicken

500g boneless chicken

50g/1.8oz garlic and ginger paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

65ml/2.2oz natural yogurt

1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masla

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1) Wash and dry the chicken.

2) Season chicken with premixed sauce.

3) Marinate in the fridge no less than 4 hours preferably overnight.

4) Broil for 10-15 minutes.

5) Cool slightly/cut chicken/cover and refrigerate.

Sauce

40ml/1.5oz olive oil
4 sticks cinnamon
5 green cardamon pods
5 cloves
2 1/2 large bay leaves
6 green chilies
15g/0.5oz ginger root
750g/27oz tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
75g/2.6oz raw cashew nuts

1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground dried fenugreek
50g/1.8oz butter
60ml/2oz single cream

1) Peel and grate ginger.
2) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.
3) Add cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, bay leaves.  Stir for 2 minutes.
4) Add ginger and cook for 1 minute.
5) Add chilies and tomatoes and STIR for 2 minutes.
6) Add 100ml water, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
7) Remove from heat and take out any whole spices and blend until smooth straining out any lumps, adding a bit of water to get everything out the blender.
8) Bring back to a boil.
9) Meanwhile blend cashews (I blend all the cashews contrary to the video as I prefer my butter chicken not to have whole nuts on top), adding a bit of water to make a paste.
10) When the sauce is boiling add tomatoes paste and cashew paste.
11) Add chili powder and honey and stir for 3 minutes.
12) Add butter and stir until melted.
13) Add salt, "a generous sprinkle"
14) Add ground fenugreek and simmer for 20 minutes.
15) Fry chicken in butter for 3 minutes on high heat and add to sauce.
16) Add cream, stir simmering for 3 minutes.

Enjoy!

I will post pictures the next time I make these!

Fall Colds

What a crappy week this has been.  I had a cold going into last weeks race and the day after the race the cold turned into a full blown sinus infection.  I haven't felt so horrible in a very long time, in fact I felt so bad I almost went to the Dr's which is something I never do.  I don't see the Dr unless I've broken something or I think I'm dying!


Needless to say I haven't felt like riding at all since the race, which works out okay because Adam has totally cleaned my borrowed single speed and I am forbidden to get it dirty again.  My 14" Kona Lisa 120 is all cleaned up too and listed for sale if any one's interested in a full squish bike.  

The chilly wet weather has turned me into a baker again.  

Banana Berry Bombs

Mix together dry ingredients.

1 cup oats

1 ¼ cups flour

½ cups sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

In a separate bowl mix together.

1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana

1 egg

½ cup butter

Mix the dry and wet ingredients together then add in blueberries.

½ -1 cup blueberries

For muffins bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  These ones I cooked on my flat cast iron pan like muffin tops at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Rich Sweet Rolls or Bread

4 cups flour

2 ¼ tsp yeast

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 Tbsp butter

1 egg

½ cup warm water

½ cup milk

Knead all ingredients together adding a bit extra water and milk if necessary until a stretchy soft ball forms, about 5 minutes.  Let rise, covered with a tea towel, in an oiled bowl for 1 hour or until doubled in size.  Punch down.  Divide dough in half.  Shape one half into a loaf shape and place in a buttered loaf pan.  Divide the other half into ¼ cup balls and place in a shallow buttered pan.  Cover both with a tea towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.  Bake at 400 degrees.  Buns for 15-20 minutes, bread for 20-25 minutes until they are golden brown.

These buns I made in my small cast iron muffin pans.

Whole Wheat Bagels

6 cups flour

2 ½ tsp. yeast

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 ½ + cups warm water

Add all the flour into the bowl of a mixer with a kneading attachment.  Mix in yeast, sugar and salt.  Add water slowly with mixer on until a soft ball forms.  The ball should be wet but not stick to your finger when touched.  Add extra water if needed or a bit of extra flour if the dough is too wet.  Knead for 5 minutes.

Let rise 1 hour or until the dough in doubled in size then cut into 16 equal sized pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope and join the ends to form a circle squeezing well.  Boil lightly salted water in a pot and drop the dough circles into the boiling water for 30 seconds each side.  Then bake in an oven at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

For whole wheat just substitute whole wheat flour for some or all of the flour.