Pizza Night! Sausage, Mushroom and Arugula Pizza

I know I haven't written anything in over a month! We went out our belated honeymoon for two weeks in February and we had family staying with us for the past two weeks. I'm finally starting to get back to my regular cooking schedule.

When I was growing up we always had pizza on Friday nights and it was a fun tradition. Pizza is one of the things I miss most being gluten free/grain free. I've finally discovered how to make the best grain free thin crust after trying a lot of different recipes. My friend Patrick created this crust recipe and it is amazing!

Sausage, Mushroom and Arugula Pizza on Grain Free Thin Crust

Crust:
One cup of almond flour
2 Tbs of melted butter (salted)
1 Tbs of unmelted butter (salted)
2 eggs
dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder

Toppings:
1/2 pound of grass fed, organic chorizo sausage (or italian sausage would work well)
6-7  mushrooms of your choice, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
Handful of arugula
Olive oil for drizzling
Blend of cheese-I used Asiago, Romano and Gruyere
1 small can of organic tomato paste
Italian seasoning blend
Sea salt
garlic powder

To make the crust, combine almond flour, melted butter and eggs in a bowl. Stir until combined. Add a dash of garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Scoop the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and place another sheet of parchment paper on top. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out between the parchment paper until it is very thin. Carefully peel the top layer of parchment off the crust. Place the pizza crust (on the bottom layer of parchment) onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

When the crust comes out of the oven, rub the remaining tablespoon of butter over the crust and sprinkle with garlic powder.

In a medium pan combine the sausage, onion, mushrooms and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent and the sausage is cooked through. I added a tiny bit of butter to the pan but the sausage should have a lot of moisture so you don't need a lot. Turn the heat to low and add the red bell pepper and saute for a few minutes.

In a small bowl combine the tomato paste with a few teaspoons of Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt and garlic powder. Add more seasoning if needed.  (Note: regular pizza sauce will not work with the almond flour crust. It will make it very soggy)

Spread the tomato paste over the almond flour crust. Add the sausage mixture to the pizza spreading it out evenly. Cover with your cheese blend.

Put in the oven for another 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. When the pizza comes out of oven top with a few handfuls of arugula and a drizzle of olive oil.

Eat and enjoy!

Vegan Artichoke Pesto

This makes a very creamy, dairy free sauce that is great over baked spaghetti squash or brown rice noodles.

Ingredients:
1 cup of basil
1/4 cup of raw cashews
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup of raw spinach leaves
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup of artichoke hearts (jarred)
1/2 cup of coconut milk (add more or less to make your sauce thick/thin)
1 splash of olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Combine basil, cashews, garlic, spinach, lemon juice, artichokes and olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend until the sauce is combined but still has a little texture. Transfer into a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer for several minutes to incorporate all of the flavors. Enjoy!

Easy Grilled Zucchini Boats

I studied in Vienna, Austria for a summer during college. My German teacher Karen had our class to her house for a BBQ one night and she made these yummy zucchini boats on the grill. They are so easy to make and so good! I make them in the oven in the winter and on the grill in the summer.

Ingredients:

2 zucchinis
2 oz of goat cheese or feta cheese
olive oil
sea salt and pepper
tin foil

Cut each zucchini in half and scrape out the seeds to create a little hollow. Lay each zucchini half on a square of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and fill with 1/2 of the cheese. Wrap up the zucchini in the foil and create a little pouch. Place the zucchini pouches on the grill or under the broiler for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Not Your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

We all grew up with the traditional goopy green bean casserole. My mom never made green bean casserole for holidays but I remember an abundance of it at church potlucks. This Thanksgiving my sister was visiting from Michigan and we decided to make a nice Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to recreate the tasty flavors of green bean casserole without the canned green beans, cream soup base and the unhealthy trans-fat laden "onions." This recipe is fresh and tastes very decadent. (It can be adapted for vegans if you use coconut oil and non-diary milk.)

Ingredients:
3 shallots
1/2-1 pound fresh green beans
1 cup of mushrooms (I used shitake and cremini)
2 Tbs of butter or coconut oil
3-4 Tbs of cream or a creamy non-diary milk such as coconut milk
sea salt and pepper to taste

Wash your beans and snap the ends off of each one. Cut the shallots and mushrooms into thin slices. Add 1 Tbs butter or coconut oil to a large sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter or oil are melted and the pan is warm add the shallots and saute for a few minutes until translucent. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with the rest of the butter or oil. You may have to add a little bit more oil if the mushrooms absorb all of the moisture. Saute until the mushrooms are soft and tender. Add the green beans and cream to the pan and continue to saute until the beans are cooked. The beans should be bright green and still a little crispy. Your sauce will thicken slightly as well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.