Recipe: Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Obviously on a gluten-free diet, you may think that pizza is one of the first things to go. But if pizza's a household favorite, don't despair! Although it may be known as the ultimate take-out food, it's actually not that hard to make pizza at home, and this version eliminates the gluten, so you can still enjoy all of your favorite toppings, on a gluten-free crust.

Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

Pizza crust dough. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1 Tbsp quick-rising yeast
1 cup milk, warmed
2 tsp sugar or honey
2/3 cup white bean flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp canola oil
rice flour or corn flour for dusting
gluten-free toppings as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 inch pizza pan.
2. In bowl, combine yeast and sugar or honey, then add warm milk, stir gently, and let sit for 5 minutes.
3. In another bowl, put the white bean flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, salt, and Italian seasoning, then mix with a whisk or fork.
4. Pour in the milk/yeast to the dry ingredients, add the oil, then with an electric mixer on medium-low speed, mix until well blended. The dough will be slightly sticky and soft.
5. Remove dough to the pizza pan and sprinkle on top well with the rice flour or corn flour. Then, using your hands, gently spread the dough out to form a pizza crust shape, sprinkling with more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers. 
6. Bake pizza crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and top with any gluten-free sauce and toppings you like, then put back in oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until toppings are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove and allow to cool slightly, then slice and serve.

Recipe: Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

These tasty streusel-like bars are a great dessert or a yummy snack. Fresh-ground almond flour gives a lovely nutty flavor to these bars, which include the healthy benefits of both nuts and fresh blueberries, as well as cinnamon. These make a tasty on-the-run snack, and the kids will like them too!

Sweet Blueberry Almond Bars

Ingredients:

Almonds (Photo credit: Shelby PDX)

1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted and ground fine
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp confectioners sugar, divided
1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (organic if possible)
1/4 tsp pure almond extract
1 lb fresh blueberries
1 orange, zested

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper; or butter the pan, dust with flour, and shake out excess.
• Toast almonds on baking sheet in 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking often, until golden brown; then put in blender or food processor and grind until fine.
• Put flour, ground almonds, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
• In mixing bowl put 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar and butter, and mix with beater until light and fluffy.
• Add almond extract and continue beating until just blended.
• Slowly add flour mixture, mixing with beater on medium until crumbly texture develops. 
• Remove 1 cup of crumbly dough from bowl and set aside.
• Press remaining dough into a crust just on the bottom of the baking pan.
• In a bowl, toss together the blueberries, orange zest, and remaining 1 Tbsp sugar; arrange evenly over the dough in pan.
• Take 1 cup of crumbly dough that was set aside and sprinkle over blueberries evenly.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• Cut into squares when cool.