been craving pizza?

Just because I can't eat gluten anymore, does not mean I need to give up pizza. For those of you out there who might be missing that amazingly delicious cheesy first bite of hot pizza, all is not lost. First of all, for those living in New York, there are many yummy delicious places that make gluten free pizza (Those of you who are not in the city- don't be afraid to ask, more places have gf dough these days!). A few of my favorites are from Keste and Slice, however many more are popping up all over the place.

That being said, I also really like making my own pizza. At a delicious local pizza place, Viva, which is across the street from my apartment coincidentally enough, you can not only buy gf pizza, but gf dough as well. They have three different options: chickpea flour dough, cornmeal dough, and brown rice dough. My favorite is the corn meal, which is a bit corny (in a good way), but also tastes similar to regular dough. (In future posts, look out for me being a bit more adventurous and making my own from scratch, but this is pretty yummy for now). Brands that make GF products, such as Bob's Red Mill, also have flour mixes that you can make at home if your local pizza place isn't slinging gf dough these days.

Recently, I've had two double pizza dates with very close friends of mine and my boyfriend. On the first, with one of my old roommates from NYU and her wonderful boyfriend, we made pizza with dough from Viva. On the second, with one of my oldest camp friends (who thank goodness lives in the city now) and her boyfriend, who I love, we got a bit more creative and made a cauliflower crust for our pizza. Both were delicious in their own special, yummy way. I love making pizza with friends- its a great way for everyone to be a little creative, and have fun, while ending up with a delicious outcome. Not a big shocker, but I love lots of herbs and veggies on my pizza. I definitely encourage you to get creative with your pizza, like I did here. Find some good friends, and crank up the oven--it's pizza time.


Summer Squash and Ricotta Salata Pizza & Tomato, Mozzarella, and Herb Pizza


1 large ball of dough, halved (1/2 for this recipe and 1/2 for the recipe below)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 yellow summer squash, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 yellow pepper, cut into strips
A good sprinkle of rosemary and thyme
1/4 cup ricotta salata cheese
1/4 cup of any good shredded cheese (we used a blend here- asiago, romano, parm, or mozzarella would work!)

pre-oven

ready to eat!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
On a cookie sheet that you've sprayed with cooking spray, or other flat baking pan, roll out your dough until it is a 1/4 inch thick
Top dough with tomato sauce spreading around so it forms a thin, even layer on the dough
Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce
Place squash on top of the dough, and then place the yellow pepper
Sprinkle the rosemary and thyme on top of the veggies
 Put the pizza into the oven for about 10 minutes, depending on how dark you like your crust
Remove from the oven, slice and serve
enjoy!


1 large ball of dough, halved (1/2 for this recipe and 1/2 for the recipe above)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
One large ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch thin rounds
two large tomatoes (heirloom or beefsteak work nicely, but whatever you have that is fresh will work here!
1/3 a cup of mushrooms, sliced
Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Oregano (fresh or dried) to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

delicious.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
On a cookie sheet that you've sprayed with cooking spray, or other flat baking pan, roll out your dough until it is a 1/4 inch thick
Top dough with tomato sauce spreading around so it forms a thin, even layer on the dough
Sprinkle any fresh herbs and garlic that you like onto the pizza
Lay down your thinly sliced mozzarella
Next, add any veggies that you like. Here, we used fresh tomatoes, sliced, and mushrooms
Top the entire pizza with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
Put the pizza into the oven for about 10 minutes, depending on how dark you like your crust
Remove from the oven, slice and serve
enjoy!

Oh, and we made kale salad too

Veggie Lovin' Cauliflower Crust Pizza

1 large head of cauliflower, chopped
2 cups of cheese (we used a yummy Trader Joe's shredded cheese blend)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
A few sprinkles of basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary (fresh or dried)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 zucchini, sliced into rounds
1 cup of mini heirloom or grape tomatoes, halved
1 large roasted red pepper, chopped

ricing!

crust, pre-bake

crust, after baking

veg attack

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
On your stove, bring one large pot of salted water to boil
Toss in the cauliflower and let it cook until soft (test with a fork, about 8 minutes)
Drain all water from the cauliflower and put into a bowl to cool
Using a food processor or immersion blender, finely chop the cauliflower until a fine consistency ("rice like") is achieved
Mix the egg, cheese, salt, pepper, and spices into the cauliflower
On a well sprayed cooking sheet, spread the cauliflower mixture (it might look like mashed potatoes at this point) out in a thin layer
Bake the crust for about 25 minutes or until it starts to brown
Pull it out and top with sauce, veggies, and cheese
Put the pizza back into the oven and broil for about 5 minutes until the cheese starts to brown
enjoy!

the finished project

To note, this pizza definitely did not keep its pizza consistency so well, but that aside, it was delicious. I would definitely make it again, but perhaps tweak the crust so that it held together better.  I found a ton of recipes online, with lots of great pictures of real pizza-like crust, but we didn't quite get there.