Einkorn Nut-Free Pizza Crust

Shown with sausage and mushroom toppings.

I have modified my Einkorn Pizza Crust recipe to accommodate my new low-oxalate diet because of a recent calcium oxalate kidney stone. I was told to reduce my nut/nut flour intake. Who knows if maybe all the almond flour I’ve been baking with this past 14 years of low-carbing (and heavy spinach/kale use) brought on the stone to begin with?! Guess I’ll never know.

I shall call this one my nut-free pizza crust. I actually think these changes have resulted in my best pizza crust to date that also happens to be nut free! Isn’t that nice for folks who can’t eat nuts!? Almonds are very high in oxalates, so I eliminated the 1½ c. almond flour completely from the original recipe, substituted in egg white protein for the whey protein (which adds more crust structure), and also added 1 tsp. psyllium fiber for even more dough strength. My husband thought this was a much better crust than my old recipe so it’s a keeper for us. I will leave my original recipe up for people who prefer not to eat ANY flour products whatsoever, even though ancient Einkorn wheat has been shown to be much healthier for you than genetically modified modern wheat and appears to not bother celiac people very much. This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 Carb Reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. softened cream cheese

2 large eggs

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. tap water

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (or use more mozzarella)

½ c. Einkorn all-purpose white flour (I order Jovial Foods on-line)

¼ c. golden flax meal

½ scoop (29 g.) egg white protein powder (I use NOW)

1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Line pizza pan with parchment. Soften cream cheese in mixing bowl in your microwave on defrost for about 20 seconds. Stir and add in eggs, cider vinegar, cream and water. Beat and blend well. Add shredded cheeses. Measure in the dry ingredients on top and stir well with rubber spatula to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Transfer to parchment lined pan and spread with water moistened spatula to rectangular or round shape. Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 13 minutes to dry off the surface of the bread and partially cook it.  Remove and top with your favorite toppings.  Place back in oven and continue baking for about 20 minutes, but check it at 15 min. as ovens vary. Cut into 8 slices and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 slices, each contains:

167 cals, 11g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g NET CARBS, 10g protein, 284 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Pizza Crust

You can’t celebrate Italian food without thinking first of pizza!  Although romans probably ate something more akin to a sheet of focaccia bread with 1-2 toppings on it.   But that idea certainly expanded over time to make pizza one of the most beloved Italian foods of all time!  And after many attempts at creating a good crust back when I started low-carbing in 2009, I had many fails in the beginning.  Finally a couple years later, I developed a crust using CarbQuik bake mix I liked OK, but it still wasn’t pizza nirvana for me or my husband.   

Then I developed my Gluten-Free Pizza crust and it took off in popularity.  That was my staple for quite awhile.  It was sturdy enough to support toppings and still would allow you to eat it with your hands.  Best of all, it had NO WHEAT or GRAIN in it!  That got the attention of lots of people who need gluten-free in their life.  I’m not personally gluten-sensitive, so I do eat foods with a very small amount of wheat in them (and use Einkorn flour when I do).  This recipe is VERY close to my older Carbquik pizza crust recipe, but this one has an even better texture and structure!    I’m most pleased with this crust and think you’ll like it!  This dough/batter is amazingly versatile for other applications as well, so be creative with this one!  This recipe is suitable once you reach Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.   It would be suitable for Primal folks that eat occasional dairy, but pizza is clearly not suitable for any Paleo followers.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar and both cheeses.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan or pizza pan with parchment paper.  I use a pizza pan that has air circulation holes in it. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the silicone spatula into a circle that is roughly 13″ in diameter. Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Pop crust into a 350º oven and bake for about 15-17 minutes and remove.  Slide the parchment paper out from under the crust so air will begin to flow up under the bottom and it will brown nicer.  I DO NOT recommend using a silicone sheet for pizza other than reheating leftovers on.  Your crust simply won’t brown properly on silicone.  Add sauce, cheeses and toppings of your choice.  Pop back into oven and bake an additional 20 minutes or so.

Before toppings are added

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Cutting into 8 slices, each contains: (crust only)

168 calories, 12.95 g fat, 3.29 g carbs, 1.73 g fiber, 1.73 g NET CARBS, 11.3 g protein, 214 mg sodium

Einkorn Nut-Free Pizza Crust

Shown with sausage and mushroom toppings.

I have modified my Einkorn Pizza Crust recipe to accommodate my new low-oxalate diet because of a recent calcium oxalate kidney stone. I shall call this one Einkorn Nut-Free Pizza Crust. I actually think these changes have resulted in a BETTER pizza crust that also happens to be nut free! Isn’t that nice for folks who can’t eat nuts!? Almonds are very high in oxalates, so I eliminated the 1½ c. almond flour completely from the original recipe, substituted in egg white protein for the whey protein (which adds more crust structure), and also added 1 tsp. psyllium fiber for even more dough strength. My husband thought this was a much better crust than my old recipe so it’s a keeper for us. I will leave my original recipe up for people who prefer not to eat ANY flour products whatsoever, even though ancient Einkorn wheat has been shown to be much healthier for you than genetically modified modern wheat. This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. softened cream cheese

2 large eggs

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. tap water

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (or use more mozzarella)

½ c. Einkorn all-purpose white flour (I order Jovial Foods on-line)

¼ c. golden flax meal

½ scoop (29 g.) egg white protein powder (I use NOW)

1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Line pizza pan with parchment. Soften cream cheese in mixing bowl in your microwave on defrost for about 20 seconds. Stir and add in eggs, cider vinegar, cream and water. Beat and blend well. Add shredded cheeses. Measure in the dry ingredients on top and stir well with rubber spatula to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Transfer to parchment lined pan and spread with water moistened spatula to rectangular or round shape. Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 13 minutes to dry off the surface of the bread and partially cook it.  Remove and top with your favorite toppings.  Place back in oven and continue baking for about 20 minutes, but check it at 15 min. as ovens vary. Cut into 8 slices and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 slices, each contains:

167 cals, 11g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g NET CARBS, 10g protein, 284 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Pizza Crust

Finally a pizza crust I keep coming back to.  It’s tasty, sturdy enough to support toppings and still be eaten with your hands.  Best of all, it has NO WHEAT FLOUR or GRAINS in it!  I am eating little wheat these days (other than a wee bit of Einkorn flour).  This recipe is VERY close to my older Carbquik pizza crust recipe, but this one has an even better texture!    I’m most pleased with this crust and think you’ll like it!  This dough/batter is amazingly versatile for other applications!  This recipe is OK once you reach Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.   It would be suitable for Primal folks that eat occasional dairy, but it is not suitable for Paleo followers.

So many gluten-free recipes like this can be found in the popular Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks by international author Jennifer Eloff.  Get your set today at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar and both cheeses.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan or pizza pan with parchment paper.  I use a pizza pan that has air circulation holes in it. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a circle that is roughly 13½” in diameter. Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Pop crust into a 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes and remove.  Slide the parchment paper out from under the crust so air will flow to the bottom and it will brown nicely.  I DO NOT recommend cooking this crust on a silicone sheet.  It doesn’t brown properly on silicone.  Add sauce, cheeses and toppings of your choice.  Pop back into oven and bake an additional 20 minutes or so.

Before toppings are added

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Cutting into 8 slices, each contains: (crust only)

168 calories, 12.95 g fat, 3.29 g carbs, 1.73 g fiber, 1.73 g NET CARBS, 11.3 g protein, 214 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Pizza Crust

Finally a pizza crust I keep coming back to.  It’s tasty, sturdy enough to support toppings and still be eaten with your hands.  Best of all, it has NO WHEAT FLOUR or GRAINS in it!  I am eating little wheat these days (other than a wee bit of Einkorn flour).  This recipe is VERY close to my older Carbquik pizza crust recipe, but this one has an even better texture!    I’m most pleased with this crust and think you’ll like it!  This dough/batter is amazingly versatile for other applications as well!  This recipe is suitable if you have reached Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.   It would be suitable for Primal folks that eat the occasional dairy, but it is not suitable for Paleo followers.

So many gluten-free recipes like this can be found in the popular Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks by international author Jennifer Eloff.  Get your set today at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar and both cheeses.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan or pizza pan with parchment paper.  I use a pizza pan that has air circulation holes in it. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a circle that is roughly 13½” in diameter. Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Pop crust into a 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes and remove.  Slide the parchment paper out from under the crust so air will flow to the bottom and it will brown nicely.  I DO NOT recommend cooking this crust on a silicone sheet.  It doesn’t brown properly on silicone.  Add sauce, cheeses and toppings of your choice.  Pop back into oven and bake an additional 20 minutes or so.

Before toppings are added

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Cutting into 8 slices, each contains: (crust only)

168 calories, 12.95 g fat, 3.29 g carbs, 1.73 g fiber, 1.73 g NET CARBS, 11.3 g protein, 214 mg sodium

Garlic Dinner Rolls

I’m making my Garlic Dinner Rolls again to have with our Swiss Steak tonight.  They are made with my Mozzy Dough, Which in flavor and texture lies somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  It makes excellent dinner rolls!  Delicious hot with butter!  They are also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Or they will make an excellent toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile in a variety of applications.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough dough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, or a 12″ pizza crust or in this recipe, 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

Garlic Dinner Rolls

My Mozzy Dough, somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe, makes excellent dinner rolls.  Delicious hot with butter!  Also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Makes delicious toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

1 small clove garlic, minced

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, 12″ pizza crust or 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each if made/cut into 6 portions.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

 

Garlic Dinner Rolls

My Mozzy Dough, somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe, makes excellent dinner rolls.  Delicious hot with butter!  Also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Makes delicious toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

1 small clove garlic, minced

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, 12″ pizza crust or 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each if made/cut into 6 portions.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

 

Spinach Mini Pizzas

I went to make a little spinach pizza today and decided to make a couple minor tweaks (less cheese and less oil) to my versatile Mozzy Dough recipe.  Good thing!  These minor changes really improved it!  Those changes have been post to the original post now, with adjustments to the nutritional stats that reflect those changes.  I think you will be pleased with my changes next time you bake that dough.  We sure were.  Anyhow, these little lunch treats were quite tasty.  I ate 2; the hubs ate 3.  I think 1 tsp. jar low-carb Alfredo sauce on the dough before adding the cheese/spinach toppings would be a plus, but I didn’t have any in the house.  I’m going to add a dab next baking.  🙂  And there will be a next baking!  Of that I am certain!  These gems are not suitable until you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.

Our latest two LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks, Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is coming out soon as well.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order.  Or you can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leaving a review at this site

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

1 scant cup (14 Tbsp.) Parmesan cheese shreds

3 oz. frozen chopped spinach

DIRECTIONS:  Boil the spinach 1-2 minutes, drain and dry on paper towels.  Set aside for now.  Make the Mozzy Dough by that recipe’s instructions.  Divide dough into 7 equal portions (a ball about 1½” round).  Press each portion of dough evenly either into 7 slots of a muffin-top pan, a similar ebelskiver pan, or on a parchment-lined baking sheet to about 2-3″ in diameter.  Top each crust with 1 T. Parmesan shreds.  Evenly distribute the spinach on the 7 pizzas.  Finally, sprinkle 1 T. Parmesan shreds on the top.  I thought about some mozzarella at this point, but there is so much in the dough itself, none is really needed on the tops.  Pop pan into a 350º oven and baked for about 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Serve at once.

VARIATION:   Make these up even smaller, in 28 slots of mini-muffin pans for bite-size party/appetizer version.  Just distribute the toppings out over the 28 equally as possible and divide the numbers below by 4 to get the stats fsor 28 bite-size morsels.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 Spinach Mini Pizzas, each contains:

202 cals, 15.8g fat, 9.02g carbs, 5.8g fiber, 3.22g NET CARBS, 15.9g protein, 400 mg sodium

 

Mozzy Dough

Used in a pizza-like Italian Chicken Tart

I’ve begun experimenting with a dough that is somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  But the final result is a little less delicate when rolling/handling.  This dough has good elasticity and flavor and numerous possible applications.  I can see I’ll be using this dough recipe a lot.  I have made a couple minor changes since my original version, noted below in ingredients, reflected in the revised nutritional stats.

TIP: As a time saver, I’m now making up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates. Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags in a shoe box in my pantry. Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball. So easy that way. I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for the next batch. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter (slightly less than my original recipe)

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

3/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder (for rolls, only use 1/4 tsp)

Dash each onion and garlic powder (omit for dessert applications)

DIRECTIONS:  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzy cheese and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a congruous ball of dough, making sure to get it all off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Proceed to make a 12″ pizza crust (moisten hands with water to avoid sticking to fingers), pie crust, hand pies, sweet filled pastries, dinner rolls (omit onion/garlic powder for sweet applications) or whatever application you dream up.  For pizza bake at 350º until dry to touch.  Remove, slide parchment paper out from under pizza, add toppings and bake 15-18 minutes longer to desired brown level.

Formed ball once all ingredients kneaded together.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a large pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, a small 12″ pizza or 7 dinner rolls or mini pizza rounds.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this for)

 

Italian Chicken Tart

I have modified the popular Fathead Pizza Dough a bit and think it is improved with my changes.  The oat fiber I’ve added makes it taste like there’s real flour in it; the psyllium makes it a more elastic, sturdier final product; the two bake mixes always render for me a wonderful final product when mixed.  With just 1½ cups of leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator, I made a delicious dinner for the two of us tonight.  You could certainly serve this with a salad, but with the fresh spinach layer here, I felt we were getting enough greens in this meal and did not make one.  This is suitable once you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.  Keto dieters can have this if it fits their daily number limits.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8! You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

VARIATION:  For a smaller version, divide the dough into 12 balls and press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides a bit of each cup in the tin.  Distribute the toppings on all 12 portions.  Baking time probably won’t change for the smaller version.  You could even divide dough into 24 balls and press into the real mini-muffin pans.  Reduce cook time a bit for those.  Another variation would be to sub in 2-3 Italian sausage links, skinned, crumbled and pre-browned for the chicken in this recipe. 

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used whole milk variety)

2 T. unsalted butter, pre-melted

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s GF bake mix

½ c. Carbquik Bake Mix

1/8 tsp. each onion and garlic powder

1 T. oat fiber

1/2 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

1 egg, beaten

TOPPINGS:

1 c. fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

¼ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (jar) (I used Classico brand with basil)

1½ c. cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

½ tsp. each dried basil and oregano leaves

½ c. additional mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place cheese in glass bowl and set in microwave.  Melt cheese on HI for around 2 minutes.  Remove bowl from.  Drizzle melted butter over the top of cheese and stir with fork.  Add in the two bake mixes, the psyllium, oat fiber, the beaten egg, onion and garlic powder.  Stir well with fork until it forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl.  Knead once or twice with hands in the bowl and then place dough into a classic tart pan (the kind where the bottom pushes up/out).  If you don’t have one, use a large pie plate.  This crust wanted to stick to the pan a bit, despite the fact my tart pan is non-stick, so you might want to lightly oil the pan with coconut oil.  Press the dough out evenly on the bottom with your hands, pushing it up the sides a bit to form a “wall” around the edge.  Pop into 350º oven for about 12 minutes to set up the dough surface. Remove when it just beings to get tan on the edges.  Remove.  Place the spinach evenly on the bottom of the tart.  Next add the chopped chicken, oregano and basil.  Top with the additional ½ c. mozzarella cheese.  Raise oven temp to 375º and pop back into oven.  Bake until lightly browned, or about 15 minutes.   Watch it, as ovens do vary.  Cut into 6 slices and serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 slices, each contains:  (I ate 2 and the hubs ate 3)

333 calories, 25 g fat, 10.83 g carbs, 6.65 g fiber, 4.18 g NET CARBS, 27 g protein, 549 mg sodium

Ham-Spinach Alfredo Pizza

I’m taking a lot of shortcuts in the kitchen these days dealing with back issues that make it difficult to stand for long periods of time.  So today’s lunch, a quick and simple pizza, was made with a Joseph’s Flax-Oat Bran Pita bread, at 4 net carbs per piece.  They make pretty good pizza crusts but I’d not used one for a crust in a pretty long time.  I forget how good they are.  Of course, making one of my own pizza crusts would be a few less carbs, but like I said, I’m taking short cuts these days.    This pizza was quite tasty, with just a hint of basil.  Fresh basil doesn’t agree with my stomach, so I can’t use more than 1 leaf in anything, but it was quite good here.   This pizza isn’t suitable until you get to the grains level of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

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INGREDIENTS:  

1   Joseph’s Flax Meal and Oat Bran Pita bread round

1 T. cream cheese, melted

1 oz. mozzarella cheese shreds

1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c. chopped spinach leaves

1 basil leaf, chopped

½ oz. red onion, sliced as thin as possible

1 oz. cured ham (I used ½ slice of Cure 81 ham)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place pita on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment.  With the back of a spoon, smear the melted cream cheese onto the crust.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and most of the mozzarella shreds.  Evenly spread the spinach on top.  Then add the red onion and finally, the ham.  Sprinkle basil on top.   Finally sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top.  Pop into 350º oven for about 15 minutes to allow all the cheeses to melt and flavors to blend.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 1 pizza which contains:

277 calories

16.6 g fat

11.1 g carbs, 4.9 g fiber, 6.8 g  NET CARBS

23 g protein

985 mg sodium

 

 

Einkorn Pizza Crust

Today I took my Einkorn Sandwich Bun bread dough and rolled it into a pizza crust.  The flavor was great, as expected.  The texture was great.  I had to use two hands to hold it for the first couple bites of the slice but then I could hold it in one hand for the balance of the slice.  But we liked this crust enough to definitely make it again.  Tastes like real yeast pizza crust!  Smells like it cooking, too!  🙂  It browned nicely on the bottom and almost too much on the edge.  But that was my fault as I was trying my new convection oven and had it set too high on the crust pre-cook phase.  Next time I’ll use my conventional oven and it won’t brown that much.  This recipe is not suitable until you get close to goal weight and in Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance Phase.

I order my Einkorn Flour from Jovial Foods.com.  I order my NOW brand psyllium husk powder from Netrition.

NOTE:  For a lower carb crust, use my Gluten-Free Pizza Crust recipe instead

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ tsp. sugar (consumed by yeast)

¼ c. Einkorn Flour

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

3/4 c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork.  Add the boiling water and stir.  Add all the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Transfer to using a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up.   Roll the dough between two silicone sheets or 2 sheets of parchment paper.  I did this right on my pizza pan.  Remove top piece of silicone or parchment.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes to dry off the surface of the bread and partially cook it.  Remove and top with your favorite toppings.  Place back in oven and continue baking for about 20 minutes. Cut into 8 slices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 slices, each contains: (numbers are for crust only!)

156 calories

10.6 g  fat

13.13 g  carbs, 6.98 g  fiber, 6.15 g  NET CARBS

6.53 g  protein

193 mg sodium

 

 

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Pizza Crust

Finally a pizza crust I keep coming back to.  It’s tasty, sturdy enough to support toppings and still be eaten with your hands.  Best of all, it has NO WHEAT FLOUR or GRAINS in it!  I am eating little wheat these days (other than a wee bit of Einkorn flour).  This recipe is VERY close to my older Carbquik pizza crust recipe, but this one has an even better texture!    I’m most pleased with this crust and think you’ll like it!  This dough/batter is amazingliy versatile for other applications!  This recipe is OK once you reach Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.   It would be suitable for Primal folks that eat occasional dairy, but it is not suitable for Paleo followers.

So many gluten-free recipes like this can be found in the popular Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks by international author Jennifer Eloff.  Get your set today at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar and both cheeses.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan or pizza pan with parchment paper.  I use a pizza pan that has air circulation holes in it. Scrape the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a circle that is roughly 13½” in diameter. Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Pop crust into a 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes and remove.  Slide the parchment paper out from under the crust so air will flow to the bottom and it will brown nicely.  I DO NOT recommend cooking this crust on a silicone sheet.  It doesn’t brown properly on silicone.  Add sauce, cheeses and toppings of your choice.  Pop back into oven and bake an additional 20 minutes or so.

Before toppings are added

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Cutting into 8 slices, each contains: (crust only)

168 calories, 12.95 g fat, 3.29 g carbs, 1.73 g fiber, 1.73 g NET CARBS, 11.3 g protein, 214 mg sodium

Peggy’s Original Pizza Crust

This is my first pizza crust recipe and this is the one I have been willing to put my stamp of approval on.  This is the one I keep coming back to with consistent results.  My Gluten-Free crust recipe is good, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t get quite as crisp as this one.  I prefer a crisper crust.  The all-cheese crusts get crisp, but frankly are just to “salty” for my taste.  This one is just right in my opinion.  None of my other experiments with crusts have WOW’ed me quite like this one.  This tastes like pizza parlor “crisp crust” to me.   The inspirational recipe I tweaked to arrive at this one was Sherrielee’s Artisan Flatbread.

This crust is not acceptable until the grains rung of OWL, however.  Please be aware that although Carbquick is low in carbs, it still has some real wheat flour in it.  If you cannot do flour, you will want to use my Gluten-Free Pizza Crust instead.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 beaten eggs

½ c. Jennifer Eloffs Gluten-Free Bake Mix

¼ c. CarbQuick bake mix (or more of the above gluten-free mix if you need gluten-free)

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

½ c. grated mozzarella cheese

WARNING! Only click if you want your mouth to water!

2 T. Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Line a 13-16″ pizza pan (mine has holes in the bottom)  with parchment paper.  Soften cream cheese and beat in the eggs.  Add the dry ingredients and cheese in the order listed above.  Stir, beating until batter is smooth.  Evenly spread onto parchment paper with a rubber spatula, trying to keep the thickness even throughout.  Bake in preheated 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes until just done in the center to the touch, but not really browned yet.  Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and then slide parchment out from under the crust like a magic demo man jerks the table cloth out from under the set table without jostling the dishes (mine comes out just fine each time).  Now top your partially cooked crust with sauce, spices, cheese and toppings of your choice. Bake another 15 minutes or so to melt cheese and meld flavors.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 slices, each contains: (not including your toppings)

147 calories, 12.3 g  fat, 3.51 g carbs, 1.73 g  fiber, 1.78 g NET CARBS, 8.94 g  protein, 244 mg sodium