Cauliflower Pizza Crust with toppings (Gluten-free)

Photo provided by Masaandmeatballs.blogspot.com

         For all of us who have gone gluten-free and tried to go out with a bunch of friends have gone through the trials and tribulations of trying to figure where and what to eat. Having steaks and seafood all the time can get expensive, and having Mexican and Asian food can also get boring as your trash bins fill up with containers of Chinese to-go boxes. So then what, Pizza joint? Can't have the gluten-laden crusts.
   
  So what about making your own pizzas?
 
Hey there's an idea: Get your friends, yes even the vegan ones, together at someones house, gather up some ingredients and have fun making your own pizzas!


Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Gluten-free)

1 small or medium head of cauliflower or two cups of cauliflower rice (stems and leaves removed)
1/3 cup of goats milk cheese or chevre
1/3 mozzarella
1/3 romano or asiago cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried italian oregano
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 pinch of sea salt
Pizza topping of choice (pepperoni, sausage, chopped onions, cheese, chicken, the sky's the limit, etc)


To Make Cauliflower Rice:
To make cauliflower rice, grate cauliflower with a cheese grater or pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor until it is a grainy texture but not pureed. Boil cauliflower in a pot with a small amount of water, about 1 inch of water, for about 5 minutes until soft. Drain cauliflower into a sieve or collander lined with a tea towel in the sink. Allow to cool a few minutes before handling. Wrap up cauliflower in the tea towel into a ball and twist the top of the cloth to squeeze all the moisture out of the cauliflower.

Photo provided by theluckypennyblog.com

To make Cauliflower Crust with toppings:
In a large bowl mix together cauliflower with all the goats milk cheese, mozzarella, romano cheese, egg, dried basil, dried italian oregano, garlic salt and salt very well.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Transfer the dough into a parchment lined baking sheet and press into a crust form about 1/3 inch thick, such as a square, or rectangle, or two circles.

Photo provided by Detoxinista.com

Bake for about 40 minutes in the oven. Crust should be firm and golden brown.

Load up the crust with all your toppings and return to oven to bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Slice while hot, Serve and Enjoy!

Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole (Gluten-free)

   

Photo provided by bunsinmyoven.com

       Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole is a meal you can have at breakfast or dinner, hey have it for lunch. This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser. It's even better the next day!


Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole

2 pounds of cooked hashbrown potatoes (frozen cooked will work)
1 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 can of evaporated milk
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon of garlic salt
1 cup of chopped, cubed or shredded cooked meat of choice (Turkey, chicken, sausage, ground beef, bacon, etc.)
(optional) a few sprigs of fresh chopped parsley or green onion

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a oven safe casserole dish layer 1/2 of the potatoes, then 1/2 of the chopped onion, then 1/2 of the meat, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers with the rest of the ingredients and remember to save 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Whisk together in a bowl the evaporated milk, egg and garlic salt and pour evenly over the layers.

Cover casserole and bake for 45 minutes.

Take casserole out of oven and top with remaining cheese and put back into oven for 10 minutes.

Garnish with parsley or green onion if so desired.

Serve and Enjoy!


     This cheesy potato casserole recipe doesn't use cream of anything soup that would normally contain wheat and gluten. However, it uses evaporated milk instead. If you don't have evaporated milk on hand you may use 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/2 cup of milk.
 
    The meat in this recipe can be substituted out for cooked vegetables. Broccoli is a great substitute or even added into the layers. Cauliflower is good too but tends to be very mild in taste with all the potatoes.

    Red or green peppers or green chile is a great substitute or addition to this dish if you want to spice it up.

    Make sure the vegetables and meat are cooked before going into the dish.

     Gluten-free pasta may used instead of potatoes for a cheesy pasta casserole.

Eggplant Parmesan (Gluten-free option)

   

Photo provided by eclecticrecipes.com

       Ever dread going to an Italian restaurant to find that the only things gluten-free on the menu are salad and wine? Sure there's some establishments out there that serve meats and veggies but their side dishes usually consist of regular bread or pasta that's full of gluten. And unless the owner and grown up kids running the place are gluten sensitive it's gonna be rabbit food and booze for the rest of the meal.
       I have found one lovely place in Albuquerque, and only one anywhere so far, where the Paisanos and their adult children working in the restaurant were celiacs and had almost everything on their menu easily gluten-free optioned. One of their gluten-free choices on the menu is Eggplant Parmesan. Normally, eggplant parmesan is dipped in a batter or encrusted in bread crumbs, either of which usually contain gluten.
       This eggplant parmesan recipe makes delicious crispy battered eggplant slices topped with easy homemade marinara sauce about 2 - 3 servings.

Eggplant Parmesan (gluten-free option)

One large eggplant
1 cup Gluten-free pancake or waffle mix
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup of water
1/2 - 1 cup of vegetable oil
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 package of gluten free spaghetti or marinara sauce
4 oz. of mozzarella slices

Eggplant Parmesan Sauce
1.) Heat 1 can of stewed tomatoes and package of spaghetti or marinara sauce in a small saucepan until bubbly, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and set sauce aside.

Fried Eggplant
1.) Cut eggplant into 1/3 inch slices and place onto paper towels so that each slice is flat on the paper towels for 15-30 minutes to allow moisture to be pulled out of the eggplant.
Flip over eggplant slices and allow moisture to seep into the paper towels for another 15-30 minutes.

2.) In a medium size bowl mix together pancake or waffle mix, cornstarch, grated parmesan cheese, egg, sugar, garlic salt and about 1/2 cup of water. Mixture should be thick.
Add additional water by a tablespoon at a time and mix in between spoonfuls until consistency is like thin pancake batter while still being thicker than crepe batter. You may need to add more water to get the slightly runny consistency for this batter.

3.) Add 1/4 inch of oil to a large frying pan and heat on medium-high.

4.) Fully dip eggplant slices into batter and place into hot oil in the pan. Fry for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown and turn over. Continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes until golden brown.

5.) Take done pieces of eggplant out of the pan and place onto plates lined with paper towels to drain oil.

6.) Place cooked eggplant slices into a baking dish and top with sauce and mozzarella slices.

7.) Broil for about 1 - 2 minutes until cheese has melted and serve.

     This batter recipe can also be use to make delicious golden crispy fried onion rings, or other vegetables.
     The tomato sauce can be of choice if you don't want to make your own.
     Grated parmesan cheese can be used as a topping instead of mozzarella cheese and skip the broiling.
     Other cooked vegetables can be layered on top of the eggplant such as onions, zucchini or mushrooms.

Scrumptious Cheesecake Pie (Gluten-free option)

Photo provided by kraftrecipes.com

         This recipe has been a hit everywhere that I've served it and there's usually no leftovers. It's luscious and creamy and its gluten-free. I'm embellished a little bit with extra whipped topping but it would have been fine without it. It's up to you how to decorate the top of the pie, leave it plain or pour a fruit topping over the top, the possibilities are endless.

Cheesecake Pie with pecan graham cracker crust (Gluten-free option)

8 oz. gluten free cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp gluten free vanilla
1 regular size tub of Cool Whip
1 cup gluten free graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
2 Tbsp butter

Pie crust
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together graham cracker crumbs, pecans and butter.
Line the bottom and sides of a pie tin with mixture and bake for 10 minutes.
Take pie crust out of the oven and set aside to cool.

Pie filling
Cream together cream cheese and 1/3 cup of sugar until smooth.
Add 1 tsp of vanilla and mix until blended.
Lightly fold in Cool Whip by a couple large spoonfuls at a time until the cream cheese mixture and Cool Whip is evenly distributed and smooth. Do not stir vigorously.
Spoon filling into pie crust.
Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving or overnight.
Enjoy!

       There are many variations to this recipe. This recipe above is the good old standby that's always going to turn out good. The whole tub of whipped topping is not nessessary to make this a success, halfing the amount of whipped topping used is possible for making a smaller pie. This pie can also be made ahead of time by at least two days chilling in the refrigerator.
      And the best thing about making this recipe is that you don't have to bake the pie at all if you use an already made gluten-free pie crust. Or not use a crust at all.
    You can make trifles, pudding cups, parfaits, and more with this basic cheesecake filling recipe.
    Try serving it with fruit filling such as cherry, apple, blueberry or pumpkin!

    You can even stuff it into strawberries for a really decadent treat!

Nutella Frozen Treats: Banana Pops and Milk Pops

Photo provided by Divascancook.com

     I've been noticing in Facebook and Pinterest lately that these Nutella Frozen Treats are becoming popular this year. It seems as if the traditional fruit pop of summer has given way to a luscious creamy dream treat that is sure to make your mouth happy.

Nutella Banana Pops

6 bananas 

1 cup of Hazelnut spread

Pinch of Salt

Blend together bananas, Hazelnut Spread and Pinch of salt in a blender until well blended. Pour into Popsicle moulds and freeze. Overnight should be enough time to give these Popsicles enough time to set.

Pop them out of mould and Enjoy!

This is the low fat healthier recipe. If you're looking for something with milk try the recipe below.

Nutella Milk Pops

2 cups of milk (soy, coconut, almond, hemp, chococlate milk, mixed milk, etc)

1/2 cup of Hazelnut Spread

Pinch of salt

Blend milk, hazelnut spread and pinch of salt together in blender until well blended. Pour into Popsicle moulds and freeze. Overnight should be enough time let them set. Take pops out of mould and Enjoy!

Gluten-free Pizza Pouches

 

Photo provided by foodnetwork.com

  Pizza pouches are a great meal for mid week munchies or a football game in your living room on the big screen. These little hot and saucy pizza pouches are to be a hit at your next meeting at the dinner table or in front of the tv screen with all your fan friends cheering on your favorite sports teams.

Gluten-free Pizza Pouches

Gluten-free pizza dough mix

8 oz cooked Italian sausage crumbles

8 oz Pepperoni slices, thin to regular

8 oz of Mozzarella cheese, 1-inch chunks

5 oz Pizza or marinara sauce

A few drops of olive oil

Make pizza dough according to the directions of gluten-free pizza dough package.

After the dough has risen, cut or tear off 2-inch rounds off of pizza dough.

Flatten dough into a disk or square with a few drops of olive oil on your fingers onto a non-stick baking mat or plastic wrap until the dough is about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Be careful not to tear the dough or stretch it too thin, gluten-free pizza dough tends to be sticky and tears easily. 

Onto flattened dough put a dab of pizza or marinara sauce the size of a teaspoon in the middle. 

Next add a few sausage crumbles, about a level teaspoon full onto the sauce. 

Next place a slice or two of pepperoni on the sausage and top with a chunk of Mozzarella cheese. 

Here's the difficult part, making the pizza pouch. Theres a few ways you can do  this. A couple of ways to do this is by folding one side of dough over the filling and joining the ends by pressing them together. Or by lifting all sides around the filling and pinch the edges together into a twist at the top of the pouch. Either of these ways will be fine. Do this until all the dough and ingredients are used up.

Make a small 1/4 inch vent slit in the dough on the top of each pouch.

Bake on baking sheet for 20 minutes or until they're golden brown.

Serve with Pizza Sauce or Marinara Sauce and Enjoy!

Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies or Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies or " Nut Chunkies"

   

Photo provided by organizeyourstuffnow.com

      Peanut Butter cookies are a classic cookie for eating for an afternoon snack or maybe when you first wake up in the morning. This cookie recipe makes crisper crumblier cookies. Although some batches have come out chewy if I take them out a minute or two before I think theyre really done and let them cook the rest of the time on the counter. 

      Peanut butter cookies are usually made with some flour but I have a recipe that doesn't use flour so there's no need to find a gluten-free substitution. I like to call my peanut butter cookies "Nut Chunkies" because I like to load them up with lots of yummy bits and morsels like raisins and oatmeal and different types of chocolate chips and chunky peanut butter. One of these days I'd like to try dried cherries or dried apple.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

"Nut Chunkies"

1 cup jif creamy/smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup jif chunky peanut butter

1 1/4 brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp  McCormicks  vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 small snack box raisins (1-2 oz)

1/4 cup nestle mini morsel chocolate chips

1/4 cup guittard white chocolate chips

1/4 cup reese's peanut butter chips

1/4 cup Hershey's butterscotch chips

(optional)1/3 cup gluten free old fasioned oatmeal

(optional) 3 tbsp Nutella (optional, mix in or use as spread to make cookie sandwiches)

Mix first 6 ingredients together well, then add the rest and mix well.

1 inch balls

325 degrees for 12- 15 mins

Set for 5 mins and cool

    Experiment with making a dip in the middle of each cookie after taking them out of the oven and have cooled a minute or two and putting Nutella in the middle or cream or something like marshmallow cream or white chocolate.

      Using all different types of chocolate chips aren't necessary for this recipe to be a success. The same type of chocolate morsel or many other types can be used in the same proportions as this recipe, usually adding up to a cup.

     Raisins aren't necessary in this recipe either. They can be left out or some other dried easy chew fruit may be substituted in its place such as dried cherries or dried apple that's been cut into small bite size pieces.

   Chunky peanut butter is not necessary for this recipe to be a success either, more smooth peanut butter can but used in place of the chunky.
   Or if extra chunky cookies are in order chunky peanut butter may be used instead of smooth peanut butter.