Keto crust recipe for a REAL pizza!

I wanted pizza - desperately. Despite continuing to bake a lot for other people (!) since July I have been following the Keto way of eating. It's a LCHF lifestyle (low carb/high fat) which to many seems counter-intuitive, but for me it's been transformative. My blood sugar levels have improved dramatically, and I've lost an impressive bunch of pounds. I eat delicious food, and seriously have very few cravings, though I thought pizza was out of my life forever. But it's not! I've found a wonderful recipe for a Keto pizza crust which uses shredded mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, an egg, and some almond flour. That's it. (see link at bottom of post for a number of sources). I had toyed with the idea of making my own cauliflower crust but it is WAY too work intensive, and the manufactured versions have all kinds of carbs from different types flours. Manufactured cauliflower crusts are a great resource for the gluten-free market but not for those of us living on a minimum of carbohydrates.

Last night I made my first Keto crust and I was floored - it is an amazing substitute for a yeasted pizza dough. The mozzarella cheese provides the same elasticity as a yeasted crust. The real key is to par-bake the crust for about 10 minutes so it has the structure to support the sauce and toppings which will bake for an additional 10 minutes. I cut it into 4 slices and two were plenty. I gave the other two to my neighbor Suzanne and she loved it!

Here's the recipe:

Keto Pizza Crust Recipe
(pre-heat oven to 425F)
makes enough for one approx. 10-inch round (or similar-sized rectangle) pizza. Can be doubled for a larger pizza.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. full-fat cream cheese (1/4 of a standard 8 oz. block)
3/4 cup almond flour (can be found in bulk bins at grocery stores and health food stores)
1 egg

Sauce:
Low carb pizza sauce: I used Rao's which is 3 carbs per 1/4 cup, some have more but still, for a whole pizza it's negligible. Rao's is comparatively expensive but tastes great. At $4.99, you still get 4 pizzas out of a jar, which is pretty reasonable.

Toppings of your choice including:
1.5 cups of more mozzarella cheese
A sprinkling of grated parmesan
A little dried oregano if you have it
Then, whatever you want!


Prepare pan:
Line baking pan with parchment paper. Spray lightly with oil

In large microwave-safe bowl, melt shredded mozzarella cheese with cream cheese for one minute.
Stir.
Microwave for 30 seconds more. Remove from microwave.

Vigorously stir in almond flour and egg until a soft dough forms. Mix as well as you can. It will be a "spotty" dough with areas of cream cheese and almond flour. Just do the best you can. It comes out fine.

Dump out onto parchment paper on baking pan.

THIS is the interesting part. Your hands have to be WET to spread this properly and so it won't stick to your hand. I used a small bowl on the side and immersed my palm in the water, and then patted the dough into shape, dipping my hand into the water often. Don't let it get too thin but spread it to the size you want. It's pliable and you can work with it. I made a rectangle about 8x11 but you could get a good 10-inch circle too.

Once your dough shape is formed to your satisfaction, place pan on center rack of preheated 425F oven and set timer for 10 minutes. You want some light browning to happen.

Remove crust from oven and spread 1/4 c. pizza sauce. It doesn't seem like much but it's plenty for a small pizza. I then sprinkled grated Parmesan and a few flakes of dried oregano.

Toppings go on top of that - first, the shredded mozzarella cheese. I used pepperoni (see photo) but plan to make the next one with thinly sliced mushrooms, green pepper and Vidalia onion. (Can't wait!).

Bake pizza for 10 minutes more at 425F.

Remove from oven. Let it sit a minute or two. Cut.

1/4 pizza crust is 4.5 grams carbs, 4.5 grams protein per myfitnesspal.com app

Inspiration source:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=fathead+pizza+dough&atb=v120-3&ia=recipes

Cape Cod Chocolate Chip Cookies!

CAPE COD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I wish I could say this recipe evolved from a wonderful experience enjoying these cookies on a vacation on the Cape, but no. This is a recipe I made up in my head and then executed last week for my regular Weekend Platters that I deliver to friends in the area. Happily, it was a success first time out! This is a chocolate chip cookie recipe with the additions – to make it Cape Coddy - of dried cranberries and crushed Cape Cod Potato Chips.

They were a HUGE hit for all who tried them, especially my BF Russ who is a die-hard oatmeal raisin cookie fan (you'd never know his fondness for cookies by looking at him - he's 6'4" and no body fat!). He loved these so much he ate 8 of the remaining large cookies over 3 days this past weekend. He took the last one “to go” when we said good-bye on Sunday 'til the next time. It’s a good thing he did or I would have devoured it the minute he drove away!

Last Weekend's Platter: these cookies, banana bread muffins, blondie bars, and blueberry scones! 

CAPE COD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Line baking sheets with parchment paper

Have a ¼ cup measure or ice cream scoop ready for portioning out cookies

Ingredients:

(makes about 24, 4-inch cookies) 

12 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, a bar and a half

4 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening (I know, but it is a small amount and provides a necessary light quality)

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I use vanilla bean paste, pricey but worth it)

2 large eggs

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup semi-sweet or darker chocolate chip morsels

¾ cup dried cranberries (I used a 6 oz. pouch)

1 cup coarsely crushed Cape Cod Potato Chips (regular flavor) – I put chips in a quart-sized zip bag and hit it a few times with a rolling pin to about ½ inch sized pieces so they don’t get lost in the dough.

Directions:

In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and shortening for a minute or two.

Add both sugars and mix very well until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and mix well.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture until well mixed.

Stir in chocolate chips, dried cranberries, and crushed potato chips.

Using a levered ice cream scoop or ¼ cup measure, portion out dough on parchment-lined cookie sheets or baking pans. Leave a couple of inches between cookies, and squash each portion down a bit with a couple of fingers to flatten them out so they bake evenly. I get 8 cookies per standard cookie sheet.  You can reuse the parchment paper for the next batch.

Note: I keep two racks in the center of the oven, one just a few inches above the other. I bake two pans at a time and rotate them with about 3 minutes to go. This may seem a little OCD. If you don’t want to do that, just bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven.

Set timer for 10 minutes and check. What you want to see is a browning beginning around the edges and the middle still looks pale but not wet (see photo above). I always have to add a minute or two but it depends on your oven.

Cool pans on rack for a few minutes and then move cookies to racks to cool completely.  They can then be stored in an air-tight container or zip bags.

CREAM OF TOMATO AND CHEDDAR SOUP

Yes, it's been forever since I've posted here, and today I am inspired to share a recipe I just made up about an hour ago. It's the simplest thing made with easy ingredients you might already have on hand. This recipe for Cream of Tomato and Cheddar Soup is something I was thinking about before it came together. I was driving home from Russ's house in Central New York this Sunday morning, about a 3.5 hour drive, made even longer by the winter weather and icy driving conditions we're NOT enjoying on April 15th!  For our breakfast, Russ made feta omelets served with Monk's Bread rye toast, and driving home I didn't feel hungry enough to stop for lunch. I broke up the ride with a visit with my grandchildren (who you've met before on this blog).

A lot of time has passed since my regular posting, and if you've followed this blog in the past, you might be surprised to find that Henry is about to be 10 years old! Peter is 7, and baby girl Willow is now 2. They are the joys of my life. We had a good time visiting today for about an hour or so, and then it was time for me to get going.

Henry, Peter, and Willow on a recent walk near Grandma's House, with bubbles!

I left my daughter's house around 2 pm, feeling hungry and wanting something really delicious but also nutritious. I pushed away the inclination to stop at Pizza Jerks in Glens Falls for their veggie barbecue pizza (so good!) and headed on home to make something from scratch.

In my cupboards I found a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, and an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. My wheels started spinning and I decided this cold and gloomy day called for cream of tomato soup, and this recipe came to life.

(NOTE: lately I've been using vegan and vegetarian recipes, and have found that my preference/decision is to have occasional dairy/eggs. I'm not labeling myself as any type of food consumer, unless I can call it "Jeannie-ism." Must have flexibility in my life!)

CREAM OF TOMATO AND CHEDDAR SOUP

Ingredients in order of use:

• Two tablespoons olive oil
• One sweet onion, diced (I used Vidalia)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I buy pre-minced garlic in a jar)
• 8 oz. tomato sauce
• 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes, including liquid
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups vegetable stock (I used frozen stock that I made a few weeks ago) 
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• two "splashes" white wine (about 1/4 cup total)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with enough cold water to make a thin slurry
• two tablespoons grated parmesan or pamesan/romano cheese
• 2 ounces cheddar cheese, diced in a 1/4 inch dice, or pre-shredded
• More cheddar cheese for garnish

In deep saucepan or pot over medium heat, sautee onion in olive oil for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and sautee for two minutes more.

In blender or Magic Bullet, pour in the 8 oz. of tomato sauce and add sauteed onion and garlic. Blend completely and return to pot, setting heat to medium.

Blend diced tomatoes in liquid and add to pot.

Add vegetable stock.

Add salt and pepper.

Stir in heavy cream, milk, and white wine.

Bring to a low boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add cornstarch slurry and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Stir in cheeses and turn heat to lowest setting.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with strips of cheddar cheese.

This tasted so good to me, I had to write it down and save it for future reference, and thus this sudden blog post. It came together in less than half an hour, so if you are in the mood for a warm, creamy, substantial tomato soup, give this a try. One idea that might take it over the top - grilled cheese croutons! Make a well-toasted grilled cheese sandwich, cut into small squares, and toss on top of bowls of this yummy soup! Or, pour over cooked tortellini. So good!