Corn Tortilla Veggie Pizza

When I think of healthy dinners, pizza isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind. It's  absolutely delicious covered in gooey, yummy cheese topped with pepperoni or prosciutto and of course, once I start eating pizza, I can't put it down. Naturally, when making pizza at home, you have full control over the ingredients and can make healthier pizza pies!  I decided to do just that!

Rather than making or purchasing a gluten free crust, I used corn tortillas as my crust. Not only are they great for personal pizzas, but tend to be lower in calories than most crusts of the same size. I stuck to veggies and portion control on the cheese for these pizzas and they turned out delicious! I couldn't put my fork down.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 corn tortilla
3 to 4 tbsp of your favorite marinara sauce (I am obsessed with New Jersey Gravy brand!)
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup of spinach
1/2 cup of sliced red and yellow peppers

Directions: 
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2) In a saute pan over medium high heat, heat olive oil then saute mushrooms, peppers and spinach until tender.
3) Meanwhile, on a lined baking sheet, spread tomato sauce on top of your corn tortilla. Once veggies are cooked through, spread evenly on top of sauce then sprinkle mozzarella.
4) Bake in oven for 6 to 8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
*Double recipe to make two pizzas. 

Restaurant Review: Pie by the Pound

New York City is famous for it's pizza. While I can't walk into any pizzeria on the street and pick up a slice, thankfully there are some great gluten free options. The very first gluten free pizza I had was two years ago at Pie by the Pound. It was perfect! The restaurant highly promotes their gluten free goods. Pizza, grilled cheese, cookies, brownies, ciders and beer; all gluten free. They also serve regular pizza by the pound - hence their name.

I was so excited to have pizza that I ordered my fave tried and true pie - cheese and pepperoni. After a short wait I was diving into the crunchiest, cheesiest pizza I've had in a long time! The crust is delicious. It reminds me of a Cheez-It. The texture is super crisp like a Cheez-It and has a bit of a cheese flavor to it. Topped with a little sauce, cheese and pepperoni - it was perfect!!

While sitting at the table, the owner over heard me talking about the pizza and he asked if I had ever been to his restaurant before.  When I replied "no" he insisted that I try a gluten free beer and second pie on the house!! I was so excited! He suggested I try their "Fresh Cubed" pie. It was topped with fresh mozzarella,  tomato sauce, cubed tomato, garlic, oregano, basil, arugula and olive oil. It was BEYOND delicious!!!

I've been back to Pie several times since my first visit and have never been disappointed. In fact, I am signed up for their loyalty club that gives me discounts on my check anytime I am there! :)
The pic above was from a time I ordered sausage, onion and arugula! Yum.

Also, they have board games all over the place to play... can someone say Jenga!!?

Restaurant Review: Don Antonio's by Starita

Warning: This review might become the most honest post I've ever written. I first went to Don Antonio's by Starita with a friend after work for dinner and drinks. She had researched her neighborhood and knew this had plenty of gluten free options for me. It sounded like the perfect place or both of us.

In addition to our cocktails we started with burrata mozzarella.  I was offered gluten free bread to go along with it. The bread was awful. Like, so bad you'd rather chomp on tree bark over this stuff. It was so dense and flavorless. I hated it and didn't take another bite. I still cringe thinking about it. Yuck.

When the burrata came my mind was blown (in a really great way!) It was the largest ball of mozzarella I have ever seen! And when we cut that baby open, tons of gooey mozzarella goodness came poring out. I was in cheese heaven! (What other kind of heaven is there anyway?) They paired it with wonderful prosciutto, balsamic glaze, olive oil and two small tomatoes. It was very delicious.

Next, we placed our order off of their gluten free pizza portion of the menu. I asked a few questions to ensure proper food handling as well. We settled on the Margherita with Salami Gluten Free Pizza. While ordering, the women next to us over heard and when they placed their order they decided to try the gluten free pie as well (not for allergy issues.)

Our pie came out first and looked amazing. You would have no idea it was gluten free. The crust was thin, bubbly and tasted perfect. My friend and I literally kept talking about it... Until the pizza came to the table next to us. And looked like a cracker!!!!!!!! I was poisoned!! I immediately freaked out. I definitely frightened the people next to me by interrogating them to ensure they too ordered g-free. I called my server and the owner over. Boy was that fun. They too were scared. The owner literally stood in the corner listening not saying a word while the server (who was most likely straight off the boat from Italy) tried to talk to me in broken English. He swore we received a gluten free pie. I literally had argue and show him that our pizza looked entirely different than the one next to us. End result: he went to ask the chef. Downfall for the server: the kitchen was three feet from our table and we could see the entire conversation play out. The two chefs, server and owner looked like they were huddling before going to war. Whispering, peering over their shoulders, looking at our tables - the whole nine.

My friend and I saw the entire thing unfold. We both assumed they'd come over and lie but to my surprise (and not a happy surprise) they admitted their mistake and apologized. Great. Satisfaction of being right didn't really make me excited on this one. Within about thirty seconds the owner walked over to also apologize, comped our entire bill and provided me with a $50 to return another time so they could get it right.

I was skeptical but also impressed. The most I expected was to receive a comp for the pizza, not the entire bill. I thanked the owner, left a tip (we really didn't know the protocol for something like this) and left. I grabbed the first cab I could find and hightailed it home. It didn't make much difference because I started feeling sick along the way. Lovely. The following two days were even more painful.

I waited a few months before returning. On my second visit we ate the bar. We ordered drinks and burrata. Yet again, they served me the same crappy gluten free bread. When ordering our gluten free pizza we were very clear that I had an allergy and even pointed to the gluten free section of the menu.

The pie came out and looked exactly the same as the table next to us on our previous trip. Great news! The crust was super thin and crispy and to our surprise tasted pretty good. We opted for the regular Margherita - covered in tomato sauce, homemade mozzarella pecorino romano, basil and olive oil. It tasted amazing!

I have to say, I was hesitant to return after my previous experience but let's be honest, this is New York City. If someone gives you $50 to eat at their restaurants that doesn't look like a dump, you take it! I'm glad I did. I was pretty angry after my first visit to Don Antonio's. After my second visit I know I will return. I know most people with Celiac would have completely boycotted any restaurant that made them sick - sure, my judgement could have failed me but thankfully it didn't. The burrata is so amazing, how could I have to pass that up. ;)

Gluten Free Pizza Night!

Brad and I had such a relaxing weekend. Saturday, we lounged around the house watching TV and debating what yummy meal we wanted to make on Sunday, while a roasted chicken was cooking in the oven. The chicken smelled delicious and we couldn't wait to reuse it for another dish. After debating, we settled on PIZZA!! I've had a pack of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Dough mix. It was about time I used it.

We popped over to the grocery store to pick up some toppings and couldn't wait to get to cooking. We decided to head out during the day Sunday to watch some football so before we left I prepped the dough.

Recipe:
1 16 oz package of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pizza Crust Mix (3 1/4 cups)
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 eggs
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 yeast packet (enclosed in mix)

Directions: 

1) Preheat oven to 425°F.

2) In a large bowl, combine water and yeast. Let stand a few minutes. Add eggs and oil to mixture and blend briefly. Add GF Pizza Crust Mix and blend about a minute on medium speed, until combined.

3) Leave dough in bowl, split in half, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise 20 minutes.

4) Place dough on greased pizza pans. Using wet hands, spread out dough to cover the full pizza pan. Bake without topping for 7-9 minutes.

5) Remove from oven, cover with favorite sauce and toppings. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

The dough kit makes two 12-inch or one- 16-inch pizza crusts. Dough can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and store in plastic bag. When ready to bake, take dough out of refrigerator and allow to rest 30 minutes. Spread dough onto greased pizza pan and bake as directed.

I prepped the dough and tossed it in the fridge while we went out for the games. When we came back...it was pizza time!! While our chicken was roasting on Saturday, I tossed in a head of garlic for roasting. For my pie, I spread a thin layer of olive oil on the crust then smeared the roasted garlic, followed by loads of mozzarella, chicken a little more garlic and a balsamic glaze. It was absolutely amazing!! I loved every last bite. 

My roasted garlic chicken pizza

Brad opted for a more manly route and started with a thin schemer of tomato sauce, followed by mozzarella, chicken, cut up chorizo, red onion and a few dollops of BBQ sauce on top. I have to say, as much as I'm not a fan of BBQ pizza, I did enjoy a bite of his. 

Brad's chicken chorizo BBQ pizza.

We were both very pleased with the taste of the crust as well! If you hadn't told us it was gluten free, we wouldn't have known. It was just as great as any other home made dough. We both give Bob's Red Mill's dough an A+!!! We will definitely be buying it again. It's so much fun to play in the kitchen together, especially when the end results is pure deliciousness!

Trader Joe's Blessing: Shredded Brussels Sprouts!

I've been on a Trader Joe's kick lately. I don't know how people can hate that place (yes, haters exist. Trust me.) Not only do they have delicious options but it's cheap too. I can get a massive bag of fruit, veggies and snacks for less than $20. Amazing!

Two of my favorite products lately are the gluten free coconut chips and shredded Brussels sprouts (not to be eaten together, of course). The coconut chips are a great snack when I'm on the run. I usually toss them into the TJ's raw cashew, almond and dried cranberry mix. So delicious.

Brussels spouts, on the other hand, are best enjoyed after a little sauteing.  I love sauteing half the bag of sprouts with a third of a bag of chopped kale and half a chopped onion. Once they're softened, I add a dash of lemon juice and season with salt, pepper and a little Parmesan and voila, an amazing side dish! I've gotten into such a habit of making these I tried two main-dish options that I love equally: kale and Brussels pizza and kale and Brussels with shrimp. They're both super delicious and easy to prepare

Kale, Brussels Sprouts and Onion pizza:
First, cook the kale, sprouts and onions as directed above, sans Parmesan. Take your favorite prepared gluten free pizza crust and spread a tablespoon of olive oil to cover. Next, sprinkle some freshly shaved Parmesan to your liking. Personally, I love a thick layer of cheese. Lastly, spread kale-Brussels mix evenly over the top and season with salt and pepper. Bake until crust is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Kale and Brussels Sprouts with Shrimp:
Prepare kale and Brussels as directed above. In a separate sauté pan, heat a tablespoon of butter over medium heat and toss in 8 to 10 shrimp. Cook for about two minutes on each side, until pink. Season with salt and pepper then toss over kale and Brussels.

Two amazing dishes sharing the same easy to prep ingredients. Yum!

Homemade Pizza Night!

Who doesn't love pizza? Especially, grabbing a slice after a long night of dancing with friends...yea, that doesn't happen anymore but it certainly does during movie night at home! :) I should have known my trusty friends at Udy's would have the perfect frozen crust! Thankfully, I got my hands on a two-pack so tonight, we set out to make the perfect pie.

My favorite pizza to make is a white pie with garlic and oil as a base but tonight I wanted to mix it up. I had some left over Yolonda Pesto from last week so I slathered that on below a thick layer of shredded mozz, a few diced onions, diced red pepper, cherry tomatoes and pepperoni!

It was deeee-licious! The perfect blend of salty and sweet. And the crust was great! If I didn't know I was eating a gluten free crust, I would have just assumed it was any ordinary thing crust, which is a HUGE compliment for those of you that don't know how hard that is to come by in the gluten free world. I'll definitely be buying Udy's crusts again.

A New Twist on Pizza Pie

Now I know this isn't the most beautiful looking pizza you've ever seen but once you take one bite, that thought will go right out the window. My first bite of Vodka pizza was at Prince Umberto's in Franklin Square, Long Island.Friends of mine ranted and raved about this pizza so I finally made a trip to the island to get a taste. I have been hooked ever since!

There is nothing better than biting down into a creamy white pie covered in and vodka sauce...not toppings; just cheese and vodka sauce. My version is not quite the same as Prince Umberto's, but it's great, none the less.

Recipe:
Your favorite pizza dough
2-3 tbsp of olive oil
4 oz mozzarella cheese
1.5 cups vodka sauce

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2) Roll out dough and drizzle olive oil then sprinkle cheese
3) Place pizza in oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted
4) Remove from oven and top with vodka sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes.
5) Let cool and enjoy!

Grocery Bag - Night 5: Pizza Remix!

For the final night of the Grocery Bag series, I recycled the second half of last nights pizza dough to create a an entirely different type of pizza. And let's be honest, it's Friday so I'm feeling a little lazy. ;)


This post is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion. Obviously, if you have pizza dough and cheese at home, you can whip up any kind of pizza with a few other ingredients. Last weekend I made omelets with prosciutto, tomato, and asparagus and had some prosciutto left over so I decided to make that the main attraction on my second pie.

I started by rolling out the pizza dough as described in yesterday's recipe. I spread a very thin layer of truffle oil on the dough then topped with minced garlic and thin slices of shallot. I popped this into an oven preheated at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. I then placed a few thin slices of prosciutto on top and baked for another 3 minutes. Next, I topped the pie with a THICK layer of gruyere and put it back in the oven to melt. My final touch on the pizza was a small drizzle of truffle oil on top to add perfect flavor to every bite.

This pizza was one of the best I ever had and SO easy to make! I thought I would only eat a few pieces ... then 30 minutes later I looked down to find an empty plate. Oops! :)

Grocery Bag - Night 4: Spring Vegetable Pizza

The final night of the Grocery Bag Series was Spring Vegetable Pizza. Yum!! What could be better than homemade pizza covered in great spring veggies. It's the best of both worlds: a crunchy gooey cheesy crust topped with sweet nutritious vegetables. Delish!

I'm going to get right into the recipe on this. Tomorrow, I'll show you a round-two pizza that I made with the extra pizza dough.


Recipe:
1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, drained well, reserving marinade, hearts quartered if whole
1 large bunch asparagus (1 pound), trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces, and halved lengthwise if thick
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen and divided in half (I saved 2nd half for a second night of pie)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
7 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (3 cups)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, combine artichoke hearts, asparagus, and tomatoes. On a large piece of parchment paper, brush 1 dough half with artichoke-heart marinade and roll out to a 14-inch-long oval.
2) Transfer dough on parchment to a rimmed baking sheet and top with half the vegetables, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush border with marinade and season pizza with salt and pepper. Repeat to make second pizza - if making two.
3) Bake pizzas 10 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Sprinkle pizzas with cheese and bake until crust is deep golden and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Fresh Pizza Pie

I usually don't like to get super creative on Sunday nights because in my opinion, Sunday's are lazy days so when it's time to cook dinner...I apply the same rules. The first thing that came to my mind for dinner was PIZZA! PIZZA!

All I had to do was pick up pre-made pizza dough and some spicy peperoni. The rest of my ingredients were in my fridge.


Recipe:
1/2 a ball of fresh mozzarella
3 tbsp basil pesto
1/2 cup pasta sauce (I used Classico's Caramelized Onion and Garlic sauce...so yummy!)
1 Roma tomato
5 to 6 pieces of spicy peperoni
salt and pepper to taste.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Spread pasta sauce all over crust. Slice fresh mozz and lay to cover most of the crust. Place into oven for 8 minutes.
3) While pizza begins to cook, cut peperoni slices in half, then slice tomato into thin slices.
4) After time elapses, remove pizza from oven and drop dollups of basil pesto in various places on the pizza. Then scatter tomato slices then peperoni to cover. Lastly, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
5) Place back in oven for 5 minutes. Let cool then enjoy!

The perfect meal for any lazy day.

Double Trouble

I've made it my goal to cook every night this week. That's right, every single night! I know that I've said it before, but this time I mean it! It's already Wednesday and I cooked Saturday, Sunday, Monday AND Tuesday! I think that's a pretty good streak already. Aside from the fun of doing this, making a plan to cook every night really helps my budget. I took some time Sunday to look through my SHAPE Low Fat & Easy Recipe Book. I found so many recipes that looked amazing so I had to go back through the book and re-tab recipes to make this week.

$100 dollars and 8 meals later, I was back home from the grocery store, ready to cook! I stared with Sunday's asparagus soup and continued tonight with a double menu. I'm a huge fan of pizza and could eat it all the time, but my boyfriend is not. But he LOVES broccoli raab, and I can't stand it. So to make dinner for the both of us, I did twice the work. Turkey, sausage and onion pizza for me and chicken, broccoli raab and roasted tomato pasta for him. I have to admit, cooking two different meals was a bit challenging but as soon as I put together the pizza and set it aside, I could focus on the pasta dish until it was time to bake the pie.

Both recipes turned out great! The pizza was extremely savory and from what I heard, the broccoli raab pasta had the perfect punch of subtle bitter flavors.

Turkey, Sausage and Onion Pizza

Recipe:
2 links of 85% fat free Italian turkey sausage
1 10 oz Boboli Thin Pizza Crust
1 cup garlic and herb pasta sauce
1/2 tomato, sliced in to thin rounds
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place sausage links in a shallow bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. (This will precook links and render some additional fat.)
2) Place Boboli crust on a pizza pan or baking sheet and spread sauce evenly over crust. Arrange tomato rounds and onion slices on top of sauce. Remove sausages from microwave and lice into 1/4 inch thick rounds, then place over tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella, garlic powder, oregano then black pepper.
3) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Chicken, Broccoli Raab and Roasted Romato Pasta

Recipe:
1 28oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained
10 oz pasta (preferably small noodles)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with flat side of knife
1 pound broccoli raab, washed well, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) To roast tomatoes, preheat over to 350 degrees. Place tomatoes on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast 90 minutes, turning after 45 minutes, until very soft and slightly blackened. Once cooled, chop and set aside. (I thought this was absolutely crazy. Who has 90 minutes on a week night to roast tomatoes. I took a short cut and put them in the broiler until a few of them started to blacken, about 15 minutes.)
2) Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of liquid.
3) Cut chicken into small pieces and grill until thoroughly cooked.
4) In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed garlic and cook until slightly golden, 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli raab to skilled; raise heat to high. Cook, tossing constantly, until greens are just wilted, 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken, cooked pasta, reserved cooking liquid, red wine vinegar and pepper. Toss well.

Things got a little crazy while trying to chop, measure, mix, boil and bake two full meals, but it was a lot of fun. I don't know what it is, but I get a thrill out of multi-tasking in the kitchen and LOVE tasting the final result at the end of it all. ;)

Pizza! Pizza!

Don't you hate when you see a certain type of food on a TV show then you immediately get a non-stop craving for that one thing? It's the worst! Well my friends, most of my Sunday was spent watching the Food Network and The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pizza sucked me in! I literally have been thinking about pizza ever since. Usually, I am a simple topping kind of girl - either plain cheese or cheese and peperoni. But this episode completely changed my taste buds! The types of pizza they were talking about were incredible.

Did you know there is a pizza place in Brooklyn that serves a white pizza, covered in arugula salad and fresh parm? YUM! Or, that Duff Goldman from Ace of Cakes has Chicago style pizza flown to him in Maryland? How crazy is that? After thinking about this off and on all day on Monday, I decided I had to feed the craving! I asked my food loving co-worker Anne what her favorite pizza is and decided I NEEDED that same pie!

Shrimp Scampi Pizza!

Recipe:

10-16 oz store bought pizza dough

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 tbsp garlic, minced (appx 9 cloves)

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup chicken stock (I accidentally bought broth! Oops! I think my scampi was

suppose to be a bit thicker than it turned out.)

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 cubes (1 oz) butter

dash of salt and pepper

2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves (I left this off my dish.)

1) Preheat oven to 550 degrees.

2) Stretch pizza dough to make 16 inch pizza, or remove pre-shapped dough from package. Top with mozzarella and bake on a pizza pan for 5 minutes. Crust will only be partially cooked. (I coated my dough with a little bit of evoo and garlic before adding cheese for an extra kick.)

3) In medium skillet over high heat, heat oil until very hot, remove from heat and toss in shrimp and garlic, and sauce.

4) Return to high heat and add wine, stock and lemon juice. Bring to simmer. Add butter and heat until melted, then remove from heat. Season mixture with salt and pepper. (Shrimp will finish cooking on the pizza.)

5) Spread mixture over crust and finish baking until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, let cool a few minutes before cutting.

If you are doubting this pie, I promise you... it's delicious! The shrimp tastes great with the cheese and isn't over powering. If you not a huge fan of shrimp, just pick a few pieces off! ;)

Recipe courtesy of Food Network