Easy Deep Dish Pizza - Low Carb, Grain Free, Gluten Free

This evening I created ANOTHER pizza crust (as if I don't have enough versions already). I wondered if I could make one that combined my Cheese Head Pizza Crust with my Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Crust. Well, it turned out DELICIOUS! It created a thick and lighter more "bready" crust like traditional deep dish pizza yet still formed a nice crispy edged crust. This crust recipe was very good and I will definitely be making it again. With it being a thick crust pizza, I could only eat one piece. I used my 10-inch Calphalon Unison non-stick pan (oven safe) and it yielded 6 nice sized pieces. A cast iron skillet would also work nicely for this crust. The process for making the crust is almost identical to my Cheese Head Pizza Crust but has additional ingredients to create the "breadiness" more along the lines of my Chicago Style Crust (it adds a little ground golden flaxseed which I reduced significantly for this crust, baking powder, baking soda and a little buttermilk so the acidity can react with the baking powder and soda to create a bit of rise). If you don't have buttermilk, simply add about 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon lemon juice or white vinegar to 1/4 cup milk, half-n-half or cream (or almond milk) and let it sit for a few minutes. It works just as well to add some acidity to help with the rise. I topped my pizza with sauce, Sargento's shredded Mozzarella & Provolone blend cheese and sliced red bell peppers and Vidalia onions. It was absolutely delicious!  Check out the photos and recipe below. You will be amazed that this pizza was made without regular flour. Enjoy!

Deep Dish Pizza - Low Carb, Grain Free, Gluten Free, LCHF, Keto - AWESOME!

How deep is your love...for DEEP DISH Pizza?  I really need to know...

Deep Dish Pizza Crust - Low Carb

Ingredients:

For the Crust

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

3 ounces "brick-style" cream cheese

3/4 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup golden ground flaxseed

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or dried basil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons olive oil 

For the Toppings, Etc.

3/4 to 1 cup pizza sauce, or to taste

1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Olive oil for greasing pan

Toppings, as desired (pepperoni, cooked sausage, peppers, onions, cooked mushrooms, etc.) 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a medium sized bowl, place mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Heat cheese in microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir and heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds or until a hot melty mass of cheese is formed.

While cheese is melting in microwave, combine next 9 dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk to help break up any lumps. In a separate small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, and olive oil.  When cheese is melted, add flour mixture to bowl of hot melted cheese. Working quickly, fold and stir mixture together with a rubber spatula until a ball of dough is formed. Add egg, buttermilk and olive oil mixture, folding with a rubber spatula until combined and a sticky dough has formed (make sure the cheese mixture is hot before adding flour and egg mixture).   

Generously grease a 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet or oven proof skillet with olive oil. Using a rubber spatula sprayed lightly with oil, place the dough in the center of the baking pan and begin working your way pressing the dough out toward the edges, about 3/4 to 1-inch thick spreading the dough up the sides of the pan about 1-inch high.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and add sauce, mozzarella, and desired toppings. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees F. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. If additional browning is desired, run under broiler for a few minutes until bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven and let sit about 5 to 10 minutes for cheese to set. Cut into wedges and serve. If using a nonstick ovenproof skillet, adjust baking time as necessary (it will heat more quickly than cast iron), then slide finished pizza onto a cutting board before slicing so you don't damage your pan.

           

Easy Poached Wild Copper River Salmon

Tonight we enjoyed poached Wild Alaskan Copper River Salmon for dinner (these are what I had frozen last year). I placed sliced Vidalia Onions and lemon slices in the bottom of a large nonstick skillet, then placed my beautiful “mostly thawed” fillets on top. I seasoned them with sea salt and a bit of dried dill (I didn't have any fresh), then poured 1 cup of white wine over top (you can use half wine, half water or just water if preferred). I covered the pan and placed it on the stovetop over medium-high heat until it began to simmer and then cooked/poached them covered over medium heat for about 7 minutes or until opaque and it flaked easily when pressed with a fork. I served it topped with a pat of butter melting on top. Note that you will never see this brilliant color in any farmed salmon. My motto is eat wild salmon or eat no salmon at all (#justsayNOtofarmedsalmon)! 

I can't wait for this season's fresh salmon to reach our markets here in Atlanta. I called all over the place multiple times last weekend and this past week. I will begin my search for it yet again this weekend! I think that Costco, The Fresh Market, and Whole Foods probably recognize my voice at this point and I'm sure there's a major eye roll that occurs when they hear it. No worries...I just roll my eyes back and sweetly ask if they've received their shipment of wild Alaskan Copper River Salmon yet! Check out my skillet of salmon before I placed it on the stove to cook! Enjoy!

        

White Pizza Topped w/ Spicy Chicken, Spinach, Roasted Tomatoes & Crispy Vidalia Onion Rings

This evening I made the best pizza ever using my Cheese Head Pizza Crust. After baking the crust, I topped it with Paesana's White NY Style Pizza Sauce, sautéed diced boneless chicken breast (seasoned with salt, black pepper and a bit of cayenne), wilted baby spinach, roasted halved grape tomatoes and thinly sliced Vidalia onion tossed in olive oil, spread out on a baking sheet and roasted until caramelized and crispy. The combination was amazing. Even hubby said he thought it was the best pizza he ever ate in his life. The combination of flavors was delicious. Roasting the tomatoes intensified their flavor, roasting the Vidalia onions intensified their sweetness and the spiced chicken breast and spinach along with the white cheese sauce gave it a chicken alfredo like flavor. I snapped a number of photos and included the recipe for the crust below. I roasted the tomatoes and the onions at 400-425 degrees after tossing them with olive oil and cooking them (stirring a couple times) until they were the consistency I wanted. I used my large USA Pizza Pan for tonight's pizza, but a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper works fine as well. Enjoy!

CHEESE HEAD PIZZA 

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded mozzarella (whole milk or part skim)

3 ounces brick style cream cheese

1 cup blanched almond flour

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (powdery style)

1/8 teaspoon salt, optional

Dash garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

1 large egg

1 tablespoon olive oil (to press out dough with hands or rubber spatula)

Desired toppings (pizza sauce, pepperoni, cooked peppers, onions, mushrooms, additional cheese, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper.

Place mozzarella and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Heat cheese in microwave on high for 45 seconds; stir and heat an additional 30 to 45 seconds or until a hot melty mass of cheese is formed.

While cheese is melting in microwave, stir almond flour, Parmesan, salt, garlic powder and Italian seasoning together in a small bowl. Add flour mixture and egg to bowl of hot melted cheese. Working quickly, fold and stir mixture together with a rubber spatula until a ball of dough is formed (make sure cheese mixture is hot before adding flour and egg).   

Place ball of dough in center of parchment lined baking sheet. Press dough out with oiled hands or pour the 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of dough to help press and smooth dough out using the rubber spatula into the desired shape (round, oval or rectangular) until about ¼-inch thick. Prick holes all over crust surface with a fork to prevent crust from bubbling up. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden (be careful not to overbake so it doesn't burn when returning to oven to bake with toppings). Remove crust and top with pizza sauce, additional cheese, and any desired toppings. Reduce oven temp to 400 degrees F and bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and heated through. 

          

Roasting Pan Mediterranean Chicken - Easy Low Carb

This evening I made a quick and simple meal. It was another unseasonably cool day here today, not to mention a day filled with monsoon-like rain. We actually still have our heat on at the end of April believe it or not. I may have run the air conditioner for 2 days when we had a few warm days in a row a month or more ago. So, it was a good day to have the oven running for dinner. I picked up a package of boneless skinless chicken thighs and trimmed them and cut them into nice big chunks. I also picked up a Vidalia onion. I already had fresh broccoli and red bell peppers in the fridge so I used what I had on hand to add to my roasting pan dinner. It turned out so delicious and everything cooks together and the flavors meld and juices mingle as the meat and veggies roast together. I served it in shallow bowls and topped it with crumbled feta cheese. The flavor of roasted chicken, herbs, olive oil, sweet onions and sweet bell peppers topped with tangy salty feta cheese was a perfect meld of flavors. I snapped a couple photos below and included my easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Easy Roasting Pan Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients:

2 to 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into large chunks
1 pound fresh broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 medium sweet onion (preferably Vidalia), sliced into thin rings
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 to 1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, optional 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl, drizzle broccoli with 1 tablespoon olive oil and spread in a single layer in bottom of nonstick roasting pan. In the same bowl, toss red pepper rings with another 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Scatter red bell pepper rings over top of broccoli in roasting pan. Using the same bowl, toss sliced onion rings with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt; set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss chicken chunks with remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt, pepper and dried basil. Scatter chicken chunks evenly around the broccoli and red pepper rings in roasting pan. Top with sliced onions and roast for 30 to 35 minutes until chicken is cooked and vegetables are done. Serve in shallow bowls topped with crumbled feta cheese, if desired.

     

Chicken & Cauliflower Veggie Stir-Fry

Last night I didn't really have a plan for dinner so I sort of pulled something together based on what was in my fridge that needed to be used. I had a couple packages of Perdue boneless chicken breasts, a bag of Cauliflower Pearls (essentially small diced fresh cauliflower), a small head of fresh broccoli, a bag of carrots, a few green spring onions, and a few very ripe Campari tomatoes sitting on the counter. That became the basis of our meal. I pulled out both of my woks and had them going at the same time to hasten meal prep time.

I diced 2 boneless chicken breasts and sliced 3 green spring onions and tossed them into my nonstick wok after heating a bit of olive oil in it over medium-high heat. While that was cooking, I cut the broccoli up into florets (about 1-1/2 cups). I diced one medium carrot and then diced 3 small Campari tomatoes. I kept stirring the chicken as it was cooking, and then set it aside when done. In my regular wok, I placed the broccoli and diced carrot along with about 1/4 cup of water, covered it and steamed the veggies over medium-high heat for a few minutes.

I moved the veggies over to a plate and wiped the wok dry and then added a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to it and placed it over medium-high heat. I poured the entire 2-lb bag of Taylor Farms Cauliflower Pearls into the wok, seasoned with salt and covered to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring it a few times. I uncovered the wok and turned the heat up to high while stir-frying the cooked cauliflower pearls to let them dry out a bit. I added the chicken, broccoli and carrots to the cauliflower and tossed in the diced tomato, then seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste. Before serving I added crumbled feta cheese because everything is "betta with feta", right? It just added a nice salty little kick. I topped our meal with a few roasted salted almonds to add a bit of crunch. Even though it seems like a mish-mosh of ingredients...and it was, it was really good! We have plenty left for another meal as well. It was an interesting way to combine a lot of veggies and chicken into a meal that was tasty by using what I had on hand. I snapped a few photos below. Enjoy!

       

Make Your Leftovers Pop - Mexican Style Chicken Meatloaf

This evening I was excited to enjoy our leftover Mexican Style Chicken Meatloaf that I made last night. I sent a huge portion home with my son last night for him to enjoy this evening and I had some for my lunch today and hubby and I had it again this evening for dinner. I sliced it while cold and put a few pieces in an oven proof skillet along with some of the pan juices I saved when I cooked it last night. I began heating it on the stove top to heat the bottom of the meatloaf slices while I grated some of my favorite 3-Alarm Colby Jack Cheese that I get at Sam's Club (made by Great Midwest). It's identical to the Boar's Head version I used to get except this one comes in a wheel that you can slice, cube or grate. I topped the meatloaf slices with the grated spicy cheese and then popped the skillet into the oven for about 10 minutes to heat the meatloaf through and melt the cheese. I already had the oven going to roast some cut up baby red skinned potatoes tossed in olive oil to go with hubby's meal. While things were going in the oven, I tossed some halved fresh brussels sprouts into a large skillet with a little bit of water and then covered them and steamed in the skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. When they began to soften a bit and got bright green, I uncovered the skillet and tossed them around until all water was evaporated, then I added some Kerrygold butter and crumbled 2 leftover strips of bacon I had in the fridge left from Sunday's breakfast and seasoned them with freshly ground black pepper.

I plated the meatloaf and added a big dollop of guacamole, a spoonful of sour cream, some freshly diced tomatoes and added a side of sprouts for my plate (hubby doesn't care for guacamole). I topped hubby's meatloaf with diced tomatoes, added a side of oven roasted potatoes and sprouts. For many of you whose family members aren't interested in low carb eating, you can easily and fairly effortlessly add a side of roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes so you don't feel like you are cooking separate meals for everyone each night. Sometimes that's the hardest part when everyone doesn't eat the same way...you end up feeling like you are running a restaurant. I snapped a few photos below. It's fun to jazz up leftovers and revitalize them. Enjoy!

Mine

Hubby's