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

Waiting for Nemo and Planning A Cozy Weekend

Schools were closed in this area of upstate New York today, in anticipation of a winter storm named Nemo.  It's almost 6:40 pm, and Nemo has, so far,  only whispered that he's planning to show up. From weather reports on television, he may not hit with full force until very late tonight, and 8-14 inches of snow are predicted for Middle Grove.  I'm grateful I was able to get to and from work without having to deal with him while I was on the road.

When I arrived home, I visited Katie, Bill, and the boys in their part of the house.  They were sitting down to a dinner of Shepherd's Pie (beautiful!), and I was so happy to hear Katie say she made a dinner for me, too (such a sweet daughter I have!).  She had steamed french-style green beans as well as a generous serving of shrimp. This was especially kind since it seems my days of indulging in such great meals as Shepherd's Pie are over, as I have been recently diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, type 2.  Fortunately, it has been discovered early enough that I can avoid medications and injections, as long as I do what I'm instructed. There have been many medical appointments, and I feel very "high maintenance" right now, something not my usual style. But, I have decided to let the experts direct this course of my life, to use their experience to show me how to live from this moment on.  Much will change, beginning with the foods I buy at the market, the meals I prepare for myself, and even my relationships around baking.  It was necessary to end a long and cherished business relationship with a family I baked for, for years. I am sad about that, but to bake that much, that often is not in the best interest of my health.  I will continue to bake cakes for friends and family, but will not be baking the same standard goodies as often (but will now and then, and donate to friends at work!). Instead, I will be concentrating on made-over and delicious offerings of favorite foods that will become new standards in my recipe box.

For now, I'm limited to mostly vegetables and protein, just for the first few weeks. Very low carb living for the immediate future. It's been going well so far, though it's just been a few days. I will very slowly, very gradually bring whole grains and fruits back in to the fold, but not yet.  It will be so nice to crave an orange instead of a cookie! My nutritionist said that it only takes three days to break the carb addiction, and believe me, I am SO addicted to carbs that I could use a 28-day residential detox program! I was joking with my good friend Liz that I would love to be "committed" to a month-long stint at Canyon Ranch in Arizona, where all healthy meals and planned activities would be scheduled and followed in grateful bliss!  Who wouldn't want a month of such self-indulgence?

Well, this isn't Arizona and the therapeutic warmth of real sunshine seems months away, so I will comfort myself this weekend with fuzzy socks, a warm robe, and maybe even pajamas all day! Tomorrow morning I'm putting a big pot of ratatouille on to cook long and slow, and will so appreciate the warmth and goodness of such a satisfying dish. I'll take photos and post the recipe as I go along. I have always loved ratatouille.  This time I'm making it with zucchini, yellow squash, onions, and peppers -- green, red, and yellow.  To that, I'll add tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms, and let it simmer all day. Each serving will come to life with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Wherever you are this weekend, get cozy, relax, and enjoy some time for yourself.  And please do follow along on this new healthy journey of mine. I'm so inspired, and I hope that the foods and recipes I post along the way will be inspiring to others, as well.

Take care!