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Saturday, September 7, 2013

Saturday Night Pizza Fever...

Today was a busy day here -- we got up early and ran our dog, Spike, to the vet for a check-up and then went for our morning walk afterwards. It was a bright, sunny and gorgeous day here today. We've had about 6 straight days of sunshine in a row...yahooooo! We ran errands all over the place this afternoon, including our weekly Costco run. I picked up some beautiful wild Pacific halibut there. This evening, both hubby and I were in the mood for PIZZA!!!  I made my delicious Almond-Flax-Parmesan Herb Pizza Crust and topped it with Rao's pizza sauce, diced fresh mozzarella, Italian chicken sausage, sliced mushrooms, onions, red, yellow and orange sliced mini-peppers and a sprinkle of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano. I scattered some torn fresh basil on top after pulling it out of the oven. It turned out awesome. I enjoyed my pizza with a big glass of fresh lemonade (that I make by the glass and lightly sweeten with a few drops of stevia). I'm looking forward to my Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies for dessert later this evening alongside a cup of coffee. I'll be announcing the winner of my Swerve Giveaway sometime tomorrow (it closed at midnight EDT last night), so stay tuned. I snapped a few photos of my pizza as well as the recipe for my pizza crust below. Enjoy!





Almond-Flax-Parmesan Herb Pizza Crust
Makes 1 10-inch round pizza (approximately 2 servings)


INGREDIENTS:


Dry Ingredients
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax is milder in taste than brown)
2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Dash cayenne pepper, optional
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste (decrease salt if using saltier cheeses and toppings)
Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
4 - 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Wet Ingredients
1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)
1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)
1 to 2 tablespoons water (start with 1 tablespoon of water and add the second, if necessary)

Toppings (Optional)  

Pizza sauce, pesto sauce, etc.
Cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced or diced fresh mozzarella, etc.
**Pre-cooked vegetables of choice: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. 
**Pre-cooked meat of choice: sausage, ground beef topping, etc.
Other: artichokes, olives, pepperoni, etc.

**Tip: Fresh vegetable and meat toppings should be pre-cooked and drained to prevent crust from becoming soggy


DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients and mix well. Let the dough sit for approximately 5 minutes to thicken. 

Spread dough on a lightly oiled large pizza pan or cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper (you can also use Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with olive oil).  Using a lightly oiled rubber spatula, press the dough out to desired shape and thickness (I usually make it about 1/4" thick -- *see note below).  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (check crust after 15 minutes and remove from oven when it looks and feels done).  Spread with a thin layer of sauce, cheese and desired toppings (fresh vegetable and meat toppings should be pre-cooked to prevent soggy crust); place back into the oven to bake an additional 5-10 minutes to melt cheese.  If desired, run under the broiler for a few minutes to lightly brown the toppings and make the cheese bubbly (be careful not to burn it).

*Note:  For a crust that is flat, smooth and even in thickness, lightly spray a 2nd sheet of parchment paper with olive oil spray and place it on top (oiled side down) of the ball of pizza dough that is centered in the middle of your prepared pizza pan or baking sheet.  Using either your hands or the flat edge of an object (I use a big container of black pepper) press the dough smooth by swiping it the direction you want the pizza crust to go.  When it is the desired thickness and shape, carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper...and "Voila"...perfectly flat, smooth, thin pizza crust! If you don't have parchment paper, pressing the dough out with a lightly oiled rubber spatula works just fine, too.


    

6 comments:

  1. Hi GG, I thought you would sit a day out and rest !
    You know I never made your pizza but tonight is the night(Is that not a song?)
    I went shopping in your Amazon store and found exactly what I was looking for, the book :" The miracle of Magnesium ". I am taking 800 mg and still have about 6 cramps a night, so bad that I am in tears, holding my breath, I am cramping every where, thighs ,legs, feet, toes , front of ankle etc.
    I had some cramping before this new diet from taking statins, but now it has become so bad that I am afraid to go to bed.
    I am cutting back on my cheese consumption and I am ordering MgBright *MonoMagnesiumm Malate
    it has a 5 star review for high absorption and gentleness .
    People rave about it.
    Scary, that 80% of Americans are deficient in this mineral.
    So I bought 2 books to give to my daughters.( I read one first)
    Our doctors just are not educated in nutrition , a darn shame.
    So you must have had the same problem?

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  2. Hi Barbara! In the past, I have had problems with severe leg cramps -- that would occasionally leave me limping for a couple days they were so bad. I also had irregular heart/skipped beats that were very disturbing. I take a prescription potassium supplement because mine is chronically very low (due to depletion from a diuretic I take for BP). I started researching and found that not only does magnesium help many with leg cramps, but when one's potassium is low/deficient, that frequently magnesium is as well. So, I started taking magnesium on my own -- and poof, I haven't had leg cramps or irregular heart beats in a very long time. I take magnesium every single day. I wondered why my doctor never checked my magnesium knowing that my potassium was always so low, even with potent supplementation. Sometimes we need to take our health into our own hands and I'm glad to have found that for myself! :-)

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  3. Whoo Hoo, just checked my email... what a treat... thank you & Swerve so much.
    My husband & I have been WF for 30 days today, what a great way to celebrate!
    Also our anniversary is Sept 10, I think I'll make those delicious cookies you blogged
    about this week for our anniversary dessert... Thanks GOURMET GIRL ! !

    Deanna Stevens

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  4. Hi Deanna! Congratulations -- I just responded to your email -- once you send me your mailing address, I will forward it on to Swerve so they can send your grill and Swerve to you. Congratulations on all your milestones (30-days WF & your wedding anniversary this week). I wish I had your luck! I hope you enjoy Swerve as much as I do! :-)

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  5. GG, I think that ignorance is bliss. lol. Ever since I had more time to research and learn about this and that(becoming addicted to research) I am so full of worries and Angst, because I know too much about our agriculture, medicine(it's application), dirty politics etc. If I did not have children and grand children I would worry less !
    How can one's physician not know about the importance of magnesium?
    I have to find a new one, because she is angry that I went off statins. I am a poor patient, thanks to the internet, lol.

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  6. Hi Barbara! I, too, sometimes think ignorance can be bliss...but it can also be dangerous, too. So much of what we are exposed to is out of our control, unfortunately...but I'd rather be informed so I can make the best choices possible. No matter what choices we make today...tomorrow we are bound to be told they are/were wrong. I try not to obsess about everything...I pick and choose my obsessions -- after all, our mental health is just as important as our physical health! But...we are mothers (and you a grandmother, too). We worry about our children from the moment they are conceived...until we take our last breath on this earth...it's not in our control, but in our nature. I do wonder what will happen to the generations that follow us. I don't blame you for refusing statins. My mother had lots of pain from taking them and stopped on her own, too. I wonder how many people suffer from the effects of statins and so many other prescription drugs. We know to fear the safety of illegal drugs and for so many years just assumed that somehow if they came with a prescription that they were "safer" -- that hasn't turned out to be true though, unfortunately. Think about how much in the dark we were about this kind of stuff "before the internet"! I hope you are able to find a doctor that will listen to your and respect your choices - surely in California that should be easier to do than in many other parts of the country. Hope you are doing well! :-)

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