BGR! Eats: Gluten Free Pizza

Moving to Atlanta has afforded me the opportunity to be closer to my hometown where most of my family still resides. Yesterday, on a whim, the pups and I decided to hop up to Tennessee for a surprise visit to my peeps' house. I LOVE visiting my parent's house. I always joke that the "spirit of sleep and rest" resides at their house because I become instantly rejuvenated and everything just seems BETTER when I'm there. And yesterday was no different. I thought I was surprising my mom with a visit, when she in fact, surprised me with one of the best gifts a mom can give. A homecooked meal. (And maybe, just maybe, that's really why I wanted to visit. Shhhh.) She completely rocked my world with Gluten Free Pizza and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies which she whipped up from William Davis' "Wheat Belly Cookbook". I know, what's the whole "wheat belly" craze about? I'll get to that next week, but for now, I couldn't wait to share the pizza recipe with you. I'll share the cookie one in a separate post. One thing at a time!

 Pizza Crust I

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups ground almonds

1/4 cup garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour

1/4 cup group flaxseeds

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup water

[caption id="attachment_9044" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mix all ingredients thoroughly.[/caption]

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

- In a food processor, pulse the mozzarella until it becomes granular in size.

- In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella, almonds, garbanzo bean flour, flaxseeds, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir in the eggs, oil, and water and mix thoroughly.

- Spread a large sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet. Place the dough on the parchment paper and lay a second parchment paper on top of the dough. Flatten with a rolling pin into a 14" round.

- Carefully remove the top layer of parchment paper. Use a spoon or your hands to form a crust edge.

- Bake for 20 minutes

[caption id="attachment_9045" align="alignleft" width="300"] Top it ON![/caption]

Keys to success:

- If you don't have one already, invest in a food processor. My mom has a Nutri Bullet. Trust, it will make life easy and simple.

- Make sure the crust isn't too thick. This was her second time actually making this. She explained that the first time, she made the crust WAY too thick. Think of a think crust pizza here!

- Get crazy with toppings! The crust is the "hard" part. Once you bake the crust, take it out, and add your favorite pizza sauce (gluten free of course) and your favorite toppings. Mom used yellow onions, mushrooms, onions, spinach and grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese. Stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and YUMMO, you have your very own Gluten Free Pizza.

- Don't get intimidated. When she started mixing, blending, chopping and processing. I thought, "There is NO way I can do this!!" But once she walked me through the steps, I actually think my non-cooking self COULD do it.

- My mom has started making all of the various types of flour (hence, why you should invest in a food processor). But you can purchase many of these at your local grocery chain. The Bob's Red Mill brand sells many of these flours.

[caption id="attachment_9046" align="alignleft" width="300"] DIG IN![/caption]

- Don't get excited and overindulge. It is VERY filling, so don't let your eyes get bigger than your stomach. Remember, this makes about 12 servings and the crust is about 185 calories per serving, so eat accordingly.

Also in Black Girls RUN!