I used to love eating Italian-style food... pizza, pasta, YUM! It was definitely a top choice when I wanted to dine out. Hubby & I once even planned an 8-hour stopover in Rome (en route from Toronto to Tel Aviv) so that we could eat our way through the city.
About five years ago I cut out dairy after coming to terms with the fact that my body doesn’t tolerate it so well. And a year and a half ago I cut out gluten as an experiment and, to my surprise, felt much better without it. Less tired after meals, and more energized.
Sadly this meant that I had to part ways with Italian food.
But, my change in eating habits was not about depravity. It was about long-term lifestyle changes, eating more Whole Foods, discovering new flavors, and experimenting in the kitchen. And I didn’t actually feel like I was missing those saucy, cheesy, glutenous dishes.
Until the recent Covid-19 lockdown, when suddenly, I wanted comfort food.
It was time to get creative in the kitchen and make some pizza!
Here‘s the recipe.
Ingredients:
CRUST
1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cups tapioca flour
3/4 cups brown rice flour
1 tbsp chia
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
SAUCE
1 can diced tomatoes
Punch of salt & pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
TOPPINGS
Non-dairy cheeze or regular cheese of choice, and your favorite veggies (I love mushrooms)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 200C.
In a large bowl, mix together all the flours, chia & spices.
Make a small well in the middle and add the oil, ACV, egg and water. Start mixing everything together, starting from the middle and working your way out, until your dough is formed. You’ll probably need to ditch your mixing utensil at some point and just use your hands.
If the dough is a bit sticky, add 1-2 tsp olive oil so that you can form it into a ball.
Then transfer to a large baking sheet. You don’t need a rolling pin - just use your hands to flatten & press out the dough. You can make your pizza round or rectangular. I decided to make it rectangular and fill out the baking pan.
Place the crust in the oven for 10-12 min until slightly browned.
In the meantime, make the sauce - put all ingredients in a saucepan over low heat and let simmer for 7-10 min.
Then, add sauce, toppings & cheese (or in this case cheeze) to the prebaked crust. Place it back in the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheeze has melted.