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Friday, October 24, 2014

Sausage Pepper & Onion Pizza - Low Carb

This evening hubby was had a conference he was attending until late in the evening, so it was just me for dinner. I went to Sprouts on my way home from work and picked up some fresh hot Italian chicken sausage (they make it fresh in-house without any MSG, nitrites or nitrates), red bell peppers, onions and fresh basil so I could make myself a pizza for dinner. When I got home, I removed the sausage from its casing and browned it along with some diced onion and red bell peppers. While they were browning, I quickly mixed together the dough for the pizza crust. I made my no-flax version of pizza crust, and the little tweak I did made it the best ever. Tonight, I mixed about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese into my dough and it turned out awesome (I've included that addition to the recipe as optional, but unless you are opposed to adding it, its worth adding). The mozzarella cheese browned and crisped in the crust and I loved the texture. I topped my pizza with fresh sliced basil after pulling it out of the oven. This pizza was definitely one you could pick up and eat with your hands...no fork required at all and my pizza had heavy toppings piled on! I snapped a few photos and included the recipe below. Enjoy!


Fresh out of the oven




Low Carb Herbed Pizza (No Flax)
Makes One 10" - 12" round pizza (approximately 2 servings)

Ingredients: 

Dry Ingredients
1/3 cup almond flour
1/4 cup ground chia seed 
2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, optional

Wet Ingredients
1 large 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, provolone, etc.
Vegetables of choice: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. 
Meats of choice: sausage, ground beef topping, etc.
Other: artichokes, olives, pepperoni, etc.

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, nonstick pizza pan or cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper or non-stick foil. Use a lightly oiled rubber spatula to press the dough out to desired shape and thickness (I typically make mine 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).  Remove cooked crust from oven.


Spread crust with a thin layer of sauce, cheese and desired toppings. High moisture fresh vegetables and raw meat toppings should be pre-cooked to prevent soggy crust. Place pizza back into oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted.  If desired, run pizza 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, place ball of pizza dough centered between 2 sheets of lightly oiled parchment paper on prepared pizza pan or baking sheet.  Using your hands or the flat edge of an object (a large container or small rolling pin) press the dough smooth by swiping it in 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. If you don't have parchment paper, pressing the dough out with a lightly oiled rubber spatula works nicely, too.

           

20 comments:

  1. Hi, this looks really yummy. How many servings is this? Is it for one person for one meal or two servings?

    Olga

    PS- I'm curious why you want to avoid the flax? Does it interfere with the consistency or texture?

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  2. Can't wait to try this crust! I've been having an issue with my oven--can't go over 350 degrees so haven't been using it much. It's now fixed and now that the weather is cooling down I can make pizza again! WooHoo! I can't wait. Thanks GG. :D

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  3. Hi Peg,

    So glad you got your oven fixed...after all its baking season! I hope you enjoy the pizza...I actually had a slice (cold) for breakfast this morning! :-)

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  4. Hi Olga,

    I have never eaten the entire pizza in one serving. The most I've had is half of it and that's when I'm really hungry (like if I've skipped lunch, etc.). Frequently it lasts 1 dinner and 2 lunches for me. I would consider it 2 "normal servings". Hope that helps. :-)

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  5. Hi Olga...I forgot to answer your 2nd question about avoiding flax. I, personally, don't avoid flax. As a matter of fact, my basic pizza crust uses flax. I have received numerous requests from folks that either do not like flax OR who can't have it for a variety of health (thyroid/hormone issues, etc.) so I created an alternative version which I like too. It's really a matter of personal preference. Let me know if you can't find my regular crust and I'll send you a link. :-)

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  6. Hi Gourmet Girl, greetings from overseas (Netherlands). Been an avid reader/reproducer of your recipes for some time now, and this latest pizza-dough version with mozarella is simply fantastic: crispy, tasty, easy/fast to make... and your eggplant-lasagna is to die for. Lost about 30 pounds in about 5 months with hardly any effort at all, so many, many thanks. Remember you posting a link in one of your recipes for a carb-counter site, but can't seem to find it. Would you mind reposting it ? Thanks from a very grateful Dutch fan - Bobby

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  7. Hi Bobby,

    Thanks so much! I'm so glad you are enjoying my recipes and congratulations on your weight loss. It's amazing to lose weight while eating so well, isn't it. The recipe calculator I like to use is this one: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

    There are others like fatsecret.com and myfitnesspal.com and several others. Thanks so much for the kind comments and again, congratulations on your weight loss! :-)

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  8. Hi and thanks for the great work!

    What pizza sauce do you use? Also, can you make the crust ahead of time and freeze it? If so, would you bake it before freezing? I am new to making my own pizza. Got my USA Pan (love them) and now I am getting the ingredients together. Thank you and Happy Fall!

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  9. Do you have nutrition facts somewhere on the site?

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  10. Hi Jeni,

    The nutrition calculator I like to use is this one: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

    There are others such as "fatsecret.com" and "myfitnesspal" and "sparkpeople.com" as well. Hope that helps! :-)

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  11. Hi Ken,

    Thanks. I use a variety of pizza sauces such as DelGrosso, Rao's, Mezzetta and I just picked up another that looked good (but haven't tried yet)...Muir Glen Organic Canned Pizza Sauce. There are a number of good ones without added sugar. DeLallo makes a good one too, but I believe it has some added sugar. I occasionally use oven roasted tomatoes packed in oil instead of sauce. Hope that helps.

    The USA Pans are great, aren't they! I know the first time I made a pizza on a USA pan instead of my usual pan...I almost lost it (the pizza) because it was SO nonstick and slick. I love their pans and am acquiring quite a collection of them. :-)

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  12. Thanks! I do love their pans, all thanks to you and the cinnamon raisin bread recipe. That's when I bought my first one. I guess I am just not paying attention, as I did not know that pizza sauce is the same thing as pasta sauce. I have been using the DelGrosso's sauce you recommended with the spiralized pasta and had no idea that was for pizza as well. It is, right? Laffing!

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  13. I guess they are not the same thing. Just looked it up on the website for the sauces. Yikes.

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  14. Hi Ken,

    You are right, the pizza sauce is different from the pasta sauce, although I'm sure you could use pasta sauce in place of the pizza sauce if you wanted to! :-)

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  15. I made this last night with sauce,pepperoni and mozzerella and romano when my guys ordered pizza. It took no time at all, and it was delicious...very satisfying! I cut it into 6 pieces, had two last night, and a cold piece for a late bkfst this morning. I will def make this again, Maybe with flax next time, or a combo of flax/chia.
    Also, I think this crust would be great as a flatbread for an open or closed sandwich.
    Thanks!!

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  16. Hi GGC,

    Tonight, I got around to testing the pizza. After each recipe of yours turned out to be a hit, hubby agreed. He was suspiscious at first. But I had promised him that if he does not like it, we would go to BJ's and he could get some of their "real" pizza. Suffice to say, we did not go to BJ's. I doubled your recipe for the two of us, having breakfast in mind (I loved cold pizza in my old carb days for breakfast), but we polished it off. He even snatched the piece I had set aside for tomorrow morning and said it was excellent.
    Keep up the great work! I am looking forward to trying out more of your awesome recipes :)

    Sabine

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  17. Hi Sabine,

    That's GREAT!!! I'm so happy that both you and your hubby enjoyed it! Sometimes it's the idea that it's different that makes some reluctant to try it. But you removed that concern when you told him he could get the other pizza if he didn't like it. You are so smart! Thanks for the kind comments, too. :-)

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  18. All I could think as I scrolled down the pictures was:

    WHERE'S THE PRINT BUTTON?? FIND THE PRINT BUTTON!!!

    Found it. :))

    Thank you!
    Monica :))

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  19. Hi Monica...

    Too funny! Glad you found that pesky little button! :-)

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  20. what is the carb count for the crust?
    thanks, Nini2033a@yahoo.com

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