Recipe

Paleo Pizzas {Pizza #1}

~ Girlmom ~ 1 Comment

What do you get a man that doesn’t need anything? That is what I always struggle with when it comes to buying Shane {or my dad for that matter } a gift. So for Father’s day I told Shane I would make him anything he wanted for dinner, he decided on Paleo pizza. I made two, one with a cauliflower crust and one with an eggplant crust, both with the same toppings. I thought it would be easier to decide which crust was better if the toppings were the same.

So, were they good? Yes, the cauliflower crust has a really good flavor but it is delicate and can’t hold a lot of toppings. You have to make sure you squeeze all of the water out of the cauliflower or it will take forever to cook. The edges get crispy and you can taste the cheese, yum. We didn’t have any leftovers but I don’t think this crust will hold up well over time.

The eggplant crust is easier to make and like the cauliflower you need to make sure to squeeze all of the water out, I had Shane help, man hands are better at this. This crust is sturdier and crispier than the other and overall resembled more of a “real” pizza crust. The eggplant crust is  the better of the two with toppings but alone it had a slightly bitter taste.

So if I had to choose, I would use the eggplant crust with a pizza that has a lot of strong tasting toppings and the cauliflower crust for a more mellow pizza like the Margherita or plain cheese.

These are the toppings I used.

No sauce just some garlic and olive oil.

Mozzarella + Parmesan + Goat cheese

Prosciutto, caramelized onions, fresh arugula and fresh basil { I added some chopped tomatoes on pizza #2 }

Cauliflower Crust  I used this recipe and it was spot on.

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1 small to medium sized head of cauliflower – should yield 2 to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush it even more between your fingers)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crust it even more between you fingers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg
optional 1 tablespoon almond meal

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil.

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Don’t get one the size of your head unless you are planning on making 2 pizzas. Cut off the florets, you don’t need much stem. Just stick with the florets. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. See above photo. You should end up with 2 to 3 cups cauliflower “snow”. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and ring the heck out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess.

Dumped ringed out cauliflower into a bowl. Now add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush up the leaves even more between your fingers before adding), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt), and a dash of red pepper if you want. I also added 1 tablespoon almond meal because my cauliflower yielded closer to 2 cups of cauli snow, this is optional and I would not add the almond meal if you have closer to 3 cups of cauli snow. Now add your egg and mix away. Hands tend to work best.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don’t make it too thick or thin either.
Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 8 – 11 minutes, until it starts to turn golden brown. Remove from oven.
Add your toppings and then slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and slightly golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes then cut and serve.
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Easy Homemade Play-dough

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In all honestly it’s been years since I have made play dough, I always seemed to have an abundance of store bought tucked away. But my classroom was in dire need of some and instead of buying it I thought I would make some because it is so easy . Chances are you have all the ingredients in your pantry but if for some reason you don’t have cream of tartar at home or if you have never heard of it, it is a baking item and you can find it next to the spices. It is not tartar sauce, don’t be that person.

Recipe

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar (find it in the spice section)
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a pan, then add the water, mix well.IMG_20130611_145107

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 – 5 minutes {took me closer to 3 minutes} The dough will become difficult to stir and form a big clump.  Remove from stove and knead by hand for 5 minutes.

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Add the food coloring during the kneading process, enough to reach your desired shade. Keep Play dough  stored in a covered plastic container or plastic  bag.

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The Pad Thai That Wasn’t Pad Thai

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My husband wanted to try this dish after he saw it on this site.  I was fearful, not for his cooking…ok well kind of for his cooking but also for all the different components that went into this dish. I was nervous for him, his cooking skills don’t get much practice and I wasn’t sure he would know where anything was in our kitchen. Oh and the fact that it’s made with spaghetti squash instead of noodles…oh boy! 

It took some hunting around to find the coconut aminos, Ok not really hunting around, we found it at the second store we hit. I have never heard of it or tasted it and I was wary of the stuff. We found some at Whole Foods and I was shocked when it tasted like soy sauce. It’s hard to replicate Thai or Chinese without certain staples, soy sauce being one of them. That was when I thought there might be hope for this dish.

He prepped everything ahead of time so it was all ready to throw together when the time came. Oh wait, I made the egg, I did something.

Let’s get one thing straight, this isn’t pad thai and it didn’t taste like pad thai. It’s a lot  like the story of Little red riding hood, she knew that the wolf dressed up in her grandmas clothing wasn’t her grandma for all the telling signs, however she kept getting closer and closer asking questions until she was almost eaten. That is what this dish is, a squash dressed up as a noodle dish. You know what it isn’t but you are intrigued enough to try it out..and then you find out the truth, maybe something you knew all along.

Turns out after all his hard work in the kitchen he didn’t  even like it, but I did. I was impressed! Both with him pulling this dish off and with how good it was. He said ” I won’t be making this again.” So there ya have it. Moral of this recipe is…..I have no idea, but it is yummy so have someone else make it. It must taste better that way!

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Ingredients
1 batch Sunshine sauce
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons coconut aminos
2 teaspoons plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup snap peas, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
6-8 ounces grilled chicken thighs, diced

Crack the eggs into a small bowl, and use a fork to scramble them with the coconut aminos. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons coconut oil  to the skillet, and when it’s melted, pour in the eggs and let them spread like a pancake. Reduce the heat to medium and cover with a lid, letting the eggs cook until they’re set and beginning to brown on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and lightly brown the other side. Remove the eggs from the pan and cut into strips with a sharp knife.

Using the same pan, increase heat to medium-high and add 1 teaspoon coconut oil to the pan. Sauté the onion and snap peas, stirring with a wooden spoon, until they’re crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the spaghetti squash, chicken, and cooked egg to the pan and, stirring with a wooden spoon, cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Add the Sunshine Sauce to the pan and stir-fry until everything is well-blended and hot. Divide among two plates, sprinkle with garnishes, and dig in.

*Recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

~ Girlmom ~ 3 Comments

Well it’s that time of year again….

football

 

Sundays are spent in front of the T.V. and  it looks like Seattle is going to make it worth our wild this year.

So in honor of our winning season I made some football food. Wings and pizza, can’t go wrong with either of those choices.

I made about 20 wings. Started off seasoning them with garlic salt, cumin, cayenne and ground black pepper.

I baked them at 400 degrees for 50 minutes, then I hit them with the broiler for a few extra minutes to crispy up the skin.

I melted 1 Tbs. butter and 1/2 cup Franks extra hot sauce in a sauce pan over low heat until warmed through. Then you toss the wings with the sauce and voila! Baked chicken wings.

Easy breezy, and tasty too!

Pizza, up next!