Then I went online to research the correct harvesting of pattypan. Whoops. Turns out if you let them get large, supposedly they get rather woody and coarse. I was disheartened but couldn’t believe they could really be that bad. People let zucchini get big, after all. Besides, looking at them gave me an idea. They were such nice, round shapes, and I was reminded of my old traditional eggplant parmesan recipe. They would be the perfect size for a personal pizza un-crust. So, I dipped them in a spiced oil and vinegar marinade and put them on the grill to soften them and add flavor. Then I topped them with a really good pizza sauce and cheese. For my dairy-free Mother, I made a few with Daiya cheese instead. The cheese melted and got all bubbly and delicious, and when I got a bite, I didn’t miss a grain crust at all! They were delicious, and the “hard” rind added structure and texture to the crust but the soft squash interior was still soft and delicious. I did notice that the larger they got, the larger their seeds were, and the center of the round was a bit softer than the rest. It could still hold up to a pizza topping, though, and was easy to eat with a fork, although I wouldn’t try to eat it with my hands just because it is a bit messier than a regular pizza.

I’ve been experimenting with my other giant pattypan and have found that they taste just as good as the littler ones. I like a sturdier squash anyway, and one of my biggest complaints over (bad) zucchini or yellow squash recipes is when they get mushy. It is hard to make these giant pattypan mushy, and they take on flavor and are just delicious sauteed in oil. I did prefer to peel them for sauteed applications as otherwise the rind is hard to eat. It reminds me of kabocha squash, actually.

So, if like me you have monster pattypan growing out of control in your garden- take heart! You can still enjoy them, in a fun way generally only possible when you have a home garden or belong to a garden co-op. You could also try mini pattypan pizzas with farmer market or supermarket babies. In that case, you would probably have to simply slice them in half and take care not to overcook them. They should be just as delicious either way!

Other Pattypan Recipes:
Fried Pattypan Squash Recipe
Pattypan Squash Recipe
Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe
Herbed Pattypan Squash Medley Recipe
Simple Pattypan Squash Recipe
Vegan Stuffed Pattypan Squash Recipe

Other innovative recipes using squash as a “crust”:
Butternut Squash Crust Quiche Recipe

Shared with Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Seasonal Sunday

Pattypan Crust-less Pizza Recipe Main Course  Vegetables  American

Ingredients Mutant, overgrown pattypan squash (5 or more inches diameter) Marinade: Olive oil dash of white balsamic vinegar (brown is fine but will discolor your “pizza” crust) your favorite multi-herb blend seasoning (italian or other) salt (if not included in above herb blend) Topping: High Quality Pizza Sauce such as Muir Glen Organic Grated mozzarella OR Daiya equivalent for dairy-free, vegan Fresh basil for garnish Directions Slice your monster Pattypan beasts into 1/2 inch thick slices appropriate for mini-pizzas. Whisk oil, vinegar, spices and salt together in a pie tin or other medium-sized dish with sides. Keep in mind that pattypan are like eggplant. They are greedy little sponges for oil. Make more than you think you need. Dip both sides pattypan slices in seasoned oil and reserve on a large plate. Heat your grill or grill pan to a high searing temperature. Lightly shake off any excess oil from your pattypan slices and place them on your grill. Sear and then lower temperature to medium. Let slices soften, and then turn to sear and cook the other side. You want your pattypan tender but not mushy. You have two options for the pizza preparation if you are using a grill. You can either place your topping on top of your seared pattypan crust in the grill, close the lid and allow the heat to melt the cheese, or you can reserve your slices and heat the topping in the broiler of your oven. The latter option will result in more browning, so I found I preferred to use the broiler. For broiler option, place pattypan slices on a baking sheet and place under broiler on high. Remove when cheese is melted and has browned. You can use Daiya cheese as a dairy-free alternative, but it will not brown in the same way so just remove when melted.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1564 Added:  July 26, 2011 Last Modified:  July 26, 2011

It never would have occurred to me to check out Tony and Alba’s for Gluten-free Pizza if it hadn’t been for the recommendation of a pizza-enthusiast friend of mine who wrote a lovely post on her favorite pizza joints in the Bay area. It is a great article, and you should check it out. This afternoon as the DH and Baby Yum and I were on our way to Santana Row, we passed Tony and Alba’s in a strip mall on our left. I had never given it a second thought before, but thanks to my friend, I knew they had a gluten-free pizza available. So, after we browsed the mall and let Baby Yum run wild in the children’s play area, we went out for pizza together. Yay!

They use the French Meadow gluten-free pizza which comes in its own baking tin. Don’t freak out when you walk in the door and the gluten-free pizza isn’t listed on their menu. I have to admit, I like it when a company offering gluten-free food plasters notices all over the restaurant. However, when you say gluten-free pizza to the staff, they are completely aware of what you are talking about and it is printed in nice, clear letters on your receipt. And, when they bring you your pizza, the waiters announce “Here is your gluten-free pizza.” These things make me feel better. I get a little twitchy in a pizza joint, and I was reassured by their gestures. I didn’t order the pizza any special way and it was nice and crispy, so perhaps they’ve made it standard to pre-bake the pizza a little before adding toppings.

What did we order? Well, we started with a MARGHERITA, and were glad that we did. The nice, thin crust had a lovely amount of tomato sauce (or very well baked tomatoes?) and cheese, and then was sprinkled with julienned basil. Now, it isn’t quite like how I do a margherita, which is without tomato sauce, whole slice tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and tons of basil, but isn’t the reason you go out to have things a little differently than you would make them at home?

An unexpected bonus was that Baby Yum was delighted by the thin crust and ate almost a whole piece single-handedly, with a little help from her mama. Prior to this, she’s always been a little unsure about layers of flavor on her food. I think getting her used to quesadillas and the recent ravioli fest have gone a long way to warming her up to pizza. Whatever, the reason, she liked it!

After we all devoured our margherita pizza, we decided to order a vegetarian. The vegetarian has Mushroom, Zucchini, Tomato, Black Olive, Artichoke, Garlic, Bells, and Onion. All the toppings seem to be put on raw, and there are a lot of them. There is especially a lot of garlic. I won’t be having trouble keeping vampires at bay after a slice of that pizza, that is for sure! I am fairly picky about my pizza toppings and like a lesser volume. I also like to grill veggies before putting them on pizzas, so I was a little overwhelmed. The DH also grumbled about the veggies he didn’t like (zucchini etc) and Baby Yum wouldn’t eat it, but I think her petite toddler tummy was full. Next time I’d design my own pizza with fewer toppings, and/or try the Bianca (No Sauce, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Provolone, Feta, Sun-dried Tomato, and without the usual garlic). I hear that it is possible to order gluten-free pasta and polenta at Tony and Alba’s too, so that might be fun another time.

I think meat lovers and fans of cozy, family-style restaurants will be very happy with the gluten-free pizza and other offerings at Tony and Alba’s. There are many options for vegetarians, but their house special is very non-veg, and gets rave reviews. The price is also fantastic, with a typical pizza costing around $12 for a medium-size pizza. For our family of two and a nibble-prone toddler, one pizza would be a light meal, and more than (two) is a nice meal with maybe some leftover slices to take home. If you’ve been missing feeling “normal”- this place is for you. We were surrounded by families and pizza fans at this cozy neighborhood pizza joint, with a television playing lightly in the background as we watched the rain outside. It felt pretty good. The owners seem really sensitive to gluten-free issues. They began preparing gluten-free pizza because a very good family friend’s daughter had Celiac and the owner’s wife wanted her to be able to come to their restaurant. Also, their daughter was dating a guy with a wheat allergy. When they researched it, they saw the need for a down-home family style option for gluten-free folks, and so a menu was born! Both the gluten-free pizza and pasta is made in a dedicated area, with a separate cutter and pan, spoons, etc.), and the pasta is made in a dedicated gluten-free pasta. They purposefully bought rotelli-spiral gluten-free pasta so it would never get confused for the gluten pasta. Gluten-free polenta and beer are also available. To my knowledge, they don’t have a dairy-free or soy-free cheese, so if you have sensitivities you might call ahead and see about the pizza crust ingredients as well as topping options.

They do prepare a lot of gluten-containing foods, and the kitchen is open to the seating area so you might want to eat outside if it is a nice day. Overall, I was pleased with my experience at Tony and Alba’s. I am delighted that there are so many gluten-free pizza options for us in the Bay Area and I can’t wait to try them all!

Coming soon: a very positive review of BJ’s Brewhouse, their gluten-free menu and amazingly crisp pizza.

If you have been following my blog for a while you know that I love a good, gluten-free vegetarian pizza. Over the years I’ve made quite a few recipes for toppings, both with and without dairy. Having to go dairy-free while I breast feed my daughter has added new incentive to come up with more tasty ways to make a good, casein-free pizza topping. I like to use rich ingredients as substitutes for rich ingredients like cheese, and olives are a classic rich ingredient that makes you forget all about dairy. I was inspired by a Trader Joe’s bruschetta topping to saute sweet red onions, mushrooms and olives for a suitably decadent dairy-free pizza topping on a recent weekday night. I used some as the filling for a chebe calzone, and it was delicious but a trifle salty due to the higher density of the filling. However, there were no unfortunate exploding calzone incidents like I’d had with cheese, so I’d pronounce the experiment a success.

Have you had a tasty olive topped pizza today? What are your favorite dairy-free pizza toppings? Share in the comments.

Dairy free Vegetarian olive pizza topping recipe Main Course  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 2 tsp. olive oil 3/4 of a large onion, minced 2 cups crimini mushrooms, cleaned and chopped freshly ground black pepper 2 tbsp. olives (kalamata and/or black olives) 1/8 cup Sundried tomato dairy-free olive topping (Trader Joe’s bruschetta topping) or homemade dairy-free sundried tomato pesto 1/4 large bunch of chard, thick spines removed with leaf cut into thin strips italian seasoning 2 tbsp. or more marinara sauce (enough to add moisture) pine nuts for garnish Directions Heat olive oil in nonstick or cast iron pan on medium and add minced onion. Sautee until it starts to turn translucent and add chopped mushrooms. Season with pepper. As mushrooms soften, add olives and olive/ sundried tomato topping. Season to taste. Add your chard and saute for a few more minutes. Add marinara sauce as needed. Use as topping on pizza, adding pine nuts as garnish andbakingforat least 10 minutes. Can also top pasta or be used as calzone filling.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Completely original creation. please do not replicate without my permission. Recipe ID:  1447 Added:  August 27, 2009 Last Modified:  September 9, 2009

Dairy-free, Nut-free Vegan Sundried Tomato Pesto Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 8 or more high quality sundried tomatoes (fresh packed) 4 slow roasted tomatoes 1-2 slow roasted garlic cloves 1/8 cup high quality olive oil freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Directions Soak your sundried tomatoes in hot water for 30 minute or so and then drain. Combine all ingredients in your food processor. Blend and taste. Adjust seasonings, add more olive oil if desired. Notes The great thing about this recipe is that you can use it for pasta too! Here the pesto is pictured with some Glutino corn pasta with grilled veggies and a touch of marinara. Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  The contents of my brain. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1228 Added:  May 10, 2008 Last Modified:  May 16, 2008

Tuesday: Vegetarian
Lentil Roast
Mashed potatoes and vegan gravy

Wednesday: Indian
Smoked Eggplant in Creamy Sauce (healthy cuisine of India p. 91)
Rajma- Red Kidney Bean Veg Chili
Basmati Rice

Thursday: Japanese
Fried Tofu balls (Japanese Veg Cooking p. 246)
Japanese rice
Spinach with sesame sauce

Friday: Mexican
Herbed Zucchini Salad (A Taste of Mexico p. 67)
Refried Bean Tostadas (116)

I’m hosting the gluten-free menu swap this week- with a theme of PIZZA! Pizza is great because you can have as many variations as there are diets or preferences. Gluten-free Cheese pizza, vegan pizza, raw foods pizza, dessert pizza- they are all delicious forms of pizza. Really, with pizza, the only limit is your own imagination! I look forward to seeing what delicious and unique forms of pizza you all come up with. Check on future Gluten Free menu Swaps over with Cheryl at GF Goodness. You can find more great menus with Org Junkie.

Angela shared recent dishes including dairy-free, gluten-free chocolate silk pie and info on the 2009 Gluten-Free Culinary Summit in Denver or New York, respectively. She is looking forward to making my dairy-free walnut pesto recipe. (Yay!)

Wendy at Celiacs in the House found some of the new Betty Crocker Gluten Free cookie mix at her local Kroger on Friday night and were pronounced a good bargain and very tasty! Wendy is making a California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken pizza on a Jules Gluten Free crust. Sounds lovely!

Cheryl of GF Goodness is making a socca garbanzo bean flour pizza that sounds WONDERFUL. I forgot all about the yumminess of socca and am glad she reminded me. She is going to do the roundup for my virtual Baby Shower soon, so make sure to get your link to her if you are a participant.

Celiac Family’s Menu features grilled and slow-cooked techniques for her protein dishes. No leftovers will go to waste at this house, but instead be used in a “make-your-own-buffet” meal and homemade enchiladas. Looks like Chebe Pizza Crust mix will be coming out of the pantry this week.

Fresh Ginger has a delicious and varied international menu planned with dishes from Ethiopia and Korea as well as pizza (or their more glamorous cousin, calzones). She’s looking forward to the start of her CSA subscription next week, but in the meantime, she’ll be enjoying fresh grilled asparagus. yum!

Here are some of my favorite pizzas that I’ve made at the Book of Yum:
Gluten-Free Grilled Marguerita Pizza Recipe

Allergy-free Gluten-Free Pizza Recipe

Zucchini Crust Pizza Recipe

Japanese Mayo Corn Pizza and Thai Veg Peanut Sauce Pizza

South American Socca Recipe

Chickpea Flatbread Pizza with apple, onion and feta recipe

This week the DH and I went on a short camping trip in our gypsy van. I like to keep Chebe mixes stocked in the van because it makes it extremely easy to toss together gluten-free bread rolls or pizza with very little effort. Lately, pregnancy-induced heartburn has made tomato NOT my friend, so I brought some premade basil pesto from home (Costco brand) along with onions and yellow peppers, thinking that I might throw together a quick pizza for dinner. I was inspired by some fresh mozzarella at the store on our way out to the campground, and an entirely new pizza was born. The DH raved and raved about the pizza. I think the secret is to slice the onion extremely thinly, and let it sweeten and caramelize before you add the other ingredients. We gobbled up the first pizza that night, and it was just perfect. I made a second one (pictured) that was slightly overbaked, so the crust wasn’t as perfect as the first one, but it was still divine. If you don’t have chebe on hand, you can make any of your favorite gluten-free pizza dough and it will be just as tasty! Enjoy!

*note: You can use dairy free or dairy basil pesto. I tend to make it dairy free at home to reduce calories, but for this recipe I happened to use prepared dairy pesto. Either one is equally good, though.

Tomato free Basil Pesto Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella Recipe Main Course  Alternative Grains  Dairy  Italian

Ingredients 1 uncooked GF pizza crust (Chebe is yummy, or I like Carol Fenster’s recipe below) 1/8 cup basil pesto (pre-made or homemade) 1/2 small onion, cut in half and into thin slices 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into matchstick sized pieces or diced 1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced Directions Bake pizza crust in 350 oven for 10 minutes and then baste with basil pesto. Sprinkle liberally with thinly sliced onion. Put back in oven for another ten minutes. Then add your bell pepper pieces and return to oven for another five minutes. Add your sliced fresh mozzarella, and bake until cheese begins to bubble on top.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, please do not replicate without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1424 Added:  June 6, 2009 Last Modified:  June 6, 2009

Adapted Carol Fenster’s Pizza Crust Recipe Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 1 tablespoon dry yeast 2/3 cup brown rice flour 1/2 cup tapioca flour 2 teaspoons xanthan gum 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning OR “pasta seasoning” mix like Trader Joe’s 2/3 cup warm non-dairy milk (110) (rice etc.) 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 teaspoon cider vinegar Directions Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put a pizza stone on the bottom rack, leaving the main rack free. Combine dry ingredients in your mixer, including yeast. Then add the liquid ingredients slowly and beat the ingredients for two minutes. If the dough bounces around the mixer, it’s too dry, so add extra liquid a little at a time until it will mix smoothly. Prepare a pizza pan by greasing it either with nonstick baking spray (NO FLOUR VARIETY) or grease the pizza pan with a little olive oil. Next, take your mixed dough and either split it for two mini pizzas or use it for one large pizza. throw your dough on the pizza pan (rectangular pan for two, round for one) and take a freezer-quality ziploc bag. Either spray with nonstick baking spray OR grease with a little olive oil. Put your hand inside the bag and use it to spread the dough out into a pizza shape, giving the dough a little rim around the edge to hold the toppings. Bake for ten minutes and then remove from the oven. I like to baste the crust in oil from sundried tomato pesto. Cover the pizza with your desired toppings and then move the pizza stone to the middle rack and put your covered pizza on the pizza stone and bake it for at least ten minutes or until the pizza is done. Notes THIS PHOTO SHOWS THE HALF-BAKED DOUGH BEFORE THE second-baking on the pizza stone. After baking the second time, especially after pesto basting, the dough turns golden brown. The pizza stone really makes the dough nice and crispy so I highly, highly recommend one!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Based on Carol Fenster’s Pizza Recipe at Savory Palate. Please do not replicate this recipe anywhere without BOTH Of our permission. Recipe ID:  1230 Added:  May 15, 2008 Last Modified:  June 7, 2009

Walnut Dairy Free Pesto Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 1/2 cup walnuts 2 cups fresh basil leaves sprinkle salt 1/8 cup roasted fresh onions 1/4 cup olive oil Directions Combine ingredients in blender or food processor, drizzling in olive oil as you blend it. Taste and season with more salt or other spices if desired. Enjoy! Notes I used this pesto on a gluten-free pizza crust topped with roasted sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted red pepper, roasted onion, and even half roasted chard. Yum yum yum!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1334 Added:  December 15, 2008 Last Modified:  December 18, 2008

Then I decided to follow the Japanese model and make a creative dairy-free topping using some popular ingredients usually only seen in Japan- sweet corn and mayonnaise. I guess I should have put potatoes on it as well- but I didn’t think of it, so I’ll leave that for next time. This time I used a base NOT usually seen in Japanese restaurants- a dairy-free, pine nut based basil pesto. Corn added interest and mayonnaise added the rich, creamy dimension usually added by cheese. I wasn’t sure how the DH would like mayonnaise on pizza, but happily, he seemed to really enjoy it. To my surprise, I really liked it too.

Peanut sauce is one of my favorite things, and I really loved it on pizza with grilled veggies and tofu, but the Japanese-inspired mayo pizza was yummy too. I can safely say that we’ll make both again… and I can’t wait! If you have a peanut allergy but can tolerate almonds, try substituting almond butter for the peanut butter and using your favorite oil to saute the tofu. It should be delicious!

I did not use a strictly vegan crust because I wanted to use a mild onion-garlic chebe base and the Chebe crust turns out best with eggs. I basted the Crust with paprika seasoned chili oil for the Thai-inspired pizza, and basil infused oil for the Japanese-inspired pizza. However, you could easily use a Gluten-Free vegan crust like this one and it would be wonderful. The thai style topping is already naturally vegan, but if you want to try a vegan Japanese-mayo topping, just use a vegan GF mayonnaise like Miso Mayo or Vegannaise.

For fun, check out these
Japanese Pizza Topping Flyers (non-veg)
Japanese Pizza Web Page

And only in japan would you get to see your pizza toppings dancing and talking as cute little animated figures before you crunch them up on your pizza:

Enjoy!

Dairy Free Pesto Mayo Japanese-style Pizza topping Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  American  Japanese

Ingredients 1 GF Pizza Crust Recipe, baked for 5-10 minutes (5 for thin crust, 10 for thick crust) 1 GF, dairy free homemade basil pesto recipe: 1 cup fresh basil leaves, destemmed, and packed tightly 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 1 tsp. rice wine or cider vinegar 1 tbsp. cup nutritional yeast flakes (optional) 1 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. water or more salt and pepper 1/2 of a small can corn dairy-free mayonnaise (your favorite- I used Smart Balance but recipe is easily vegan if you use GF vegan mayo like miso mayo or veganaise) Directions Preheat oven to 425. Combine ingredients for your basil pesto in a small food processor bowl or blender. Top GF Pizza Crust with basil pesto. Sprinkle with drained corn and dollop with small dabs of mayonnaise to taste. Bake GF pizza for crust’s suggested time or until mayonnaise is browned and golden. (10-20 minutes) Enjoy! Notes Small dabs of mayonnaise are probably better for this recipe, unless you really like mayonnaise…

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, inspired by pizzas seen in Japan. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1374 Added:  March 10, 2009 Last Modified:  March 10, 2009

Vegan Thai Peanut Tofu no-chicken Pizza Topping Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Tofu  Thai

Ingredients 1 recipe GF Pizza Crust Peanut Sauce: 1/2 cup natural peanut butter 1 tbsp or more fresh grated ginger 1 tsp. brown sugar 3 tbsp lemon juice 1tbsp. gf low sodium wheat-free tamari 1/2 cup to 1 cup water salt to taste smoked paprika (optional) 7 ounces tofu, pressed in towels for 30 minutes peanut oil salt 1/3 bunch broccoli, cleaned, florets cut in long spears sprinkle of sesame oil smoked paprika salt sprinkling of brown sugar several large leaves of chard a few drops of sesame oil salt Directions Combine peanut sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor, and reserve. Slice tofu into thin strips and saute in oil, salting lightly. When golden brown on both sides, remove from pan and slice tofu strip in half horizontally. Reserve. Sprinkle broccoli with sesame oil and rub so evenly distributed through florets. Season with smoked paprika, salt, and brown sugar. Grill (or roast in oven on high heat) until you have lovely grill marks on both sides. Reserve. Preheat oven to 425. Rinse and dry chard leaves, dribble a few drops of sesame oil and evenly distribute. Sprinkle a tiny amount of salt on them and place on a large cookie sheet. Roast chard leaves until done to your taste (can be dry and leaf-like or moist- depends on how you prefer!) Watch the oven carefully. When chard is done, remove and reserve. Heat peanut sauce on stove until it thickens lightly. Prepare pizza by spreading a layer of peanut sauce and topping with thinly sliced grilled broccoli, roasted chard, and fried tofu strips. Bake on 425 for 10-20 minutes, depending on your pizza crust and how crunchy you like the crust. Sauce should thicken more on the pizza. Enjoy!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, peanut sauce modified from Peanut Butter Planet recipe (for soba), compilation my own. Please do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1373 Added:  March 9, 2009 Last Modified:  March 10, 2009

One big challenge to the dairy-free, soy-free lifestyle is that of a cheesy pizza. Sure, you can make a tomato sauce and just skip the cheese, but it doesn’t have that rich mouth feel or decadence. I’ve played with a variety of solutions to this problem. There are a number of lactose free or dairy free cheeses on the market, including almond, rice, and soy cheeses that are also gluten-free. However, finding a commercial w”cheese” that is truly 100% dairy-free as well as soy-free can be another story. Besides, if you’ve ever tried these cheese “substitutes” you know that they taste almost nothing like real cheese, and often don’t seem to add anything good to a recipe besides the idea of cheese. Luckily vegan cookbooks such as The Uncheese Cookbook have more creative alternatives using a variety of “real” foods as the base for their un-cheese recipes. Some of these recipes use soy (frequently) or gluten (less frequently), but there are many options that do work for a gluten,dairy, and soy-free diet.

However, interestingly one of the most successful soy and dairy-free cheese substitutes I found was not in a vegan cookbook, exactly, but on a related raw foods cookbook. Raw foodists might find it sacrilege, but I used it in a baked lasagna to wonderful effect. This recipe for soy and dairy-free lasagna has been one of the most popular recipes at the Book of Yum because it answers a real need in the food-sensitive community for TASTY cheese substitutes. This recipe came to mind when Mother was visiting us this week. She can eat gluten, but is allergic to soy and dairy, so she doesn’t often have the chance to have “cheesy” dishes. She is also allergic to garlic and avoids tomatoes due to RA. When I decided to make a dairy-free pizza, I thought immediately that I should try using the yummy pine nut sauce on it as the “cheese” base. I was also inspired by the season to roast sweet potato cubes and mushrooms for toppings. I decided to simplify the pine nut recipe a bit and found it was just as good, if not better than the original. It was a big hit with my allergy-sensitive Mom, and the DH and I enjoyed it as well. The combination of pine nut sauce, fresh basil, and roasted vegetables was absolutely addicting. Because I had extra pizza crusts I decided to also make a dairy-free walnut pesto and top it with roasted vegetables as well. Yum! And nobody missed the cheese (or soy) at all.

Looking for a gluten-free pizza crust recipe?
Here’s a fun thin-crust recipe- it doesn’t rise much but makes enough for 6 pizzas that you can enjoy over a week’s time.
And, here’s my personal favorite crust- Carol Fenster’s classic gluten-free Pizza recipe with allergen-free pizza topping recipes

Dairy-Free Soy-Free Pine Nut Cheesy Pizza Main Course  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 1 gluten-free pizza crust Pine Nut “Cheese” (new version) 1/2 cup pine nuts 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. brown rice vinegar 1/4 tsp or less salt 1/8 cup water or more 1 sweet potato, peeled, cubed handful fresh basil leaves, julienned 4 baby portabella mushrooms (between crimini and portabella) 1 red pepper for roasting olive oil salt, pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Soak 1/2 cup pine nuts in enough water to cover for an hour. Then drain, rinse, and blend in food processor with dash of salt, vinegar and water until you have a creamy consistency. Put in small container and reserve, refrigerating. Prepare toppings: Toss sweet potato cubes with dash of olive oil, salt and pepper if you like. Place on baking sheet. Remove stems from mushrooms and rub with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Place whole red pepper on baking sheet or on oven rack along with rest of your veggies. Roast for 15 minutes and check your mushrooms. If they seem done, remove mushrooms from oven, dribbling juices over them and letting rest. If not, check mushrooms again in another 5 minutes. After they have rested, you can slice them. Roast sweet potatoes until they are fork tender but not mushy. Roast red pepper (turning occasionally) until sides are all slightly charred. When you take red pepper out of oven, place in freezer safe ziploc bag, seal, and let steam for 10 minutes on counter before removing. Rub off skin with paper or cloth towel, cut in half and de-seed. Slice and/or cut into bite sized pieces and reserve. To assemble your pizza, top with even coating of your pine nut “cheese”. If you have some, you could rub the crust first with a bit of blended sundried tomato and olive oil to give the crust a more attractive golden color that will stand out from the pine nut “cheese”. (I didn’t do that this time, Mom is also sensitive to tomatoes). Sprinkle with julienned basil, roasted sweet potato, mushroom slices and red pepper pieces. Bake following pizza crust instructions. The thin-crust pizza recipe I used requires a short bake time (12 min or less) and so is ideal. For a long baking recipe, you might bake the crust halfway before topping the pizza. Notes My dairy-free, soy-free Mom loved this pizza, and loved the pine nut sauce.

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain. Pine nut recipe inspired by (but different from) raw foods recipe. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1335 Added:  December 18, 2008 Last Modified:  December 21, 2008

Walnut Dairy Free Pesto Recipe Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients 1/2 cup walnuts 2 cups fresh basil leaves sprinkle salt 1/8 cup roasted fresh onions 1/4 cup olive oil Directions Combine ingredients in blender or food processor, drizzling in olive oil as you blend it. Taste and season with more salt or other spices if desired. Enjoy! Notes I used this pesto on a gluten-free pizza crust topped with roasted sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, roasted red pepper, roasted onion, and even half roasted chard. Yum yum yum!

Rating:  9 Original Source:  Contents of my brain, do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Recipe ID:  1334 Added:  December 15, 2008 Last Modified:  December 18, 2008

The suggested GF Flour blend for the pizza recipe was undoubtedly quite nice, but it relied on oat flour, which I personally haven’t had the nerve to try yet. There were also comments that the corn flour had a strong flavor when the dough sat overnight, and corn flour isn’t one of my favorites anyway, so I decided to branch out. I didn’t go very far for inspiration, though, as I turned to my old standby, Carol Fenster’s amazing pizza crust. Proportions were a little awkward though, and I wanted to add something with a little extra nutritional (and protein-centered) punch, so I added some garfava flour to the recipe and adjusted it for convenience. Perhaps due to the large amount of xanthan gum in the recipe, it did require more liquid than called for in the gluten original. Next time I might reduce the amount of xanthan gum and see what happens. However, once I added sufficient water and let the mixers release the lovely protein in the dough, I found the dough to be beautifully workable. I shaped it on my cutting board on nonstick cooking oil sprayed wax paper and sliced it into pieces, then wrapping each one in saran wrap before storing them in a gallon ziploc bag for later.

Just how much later would it be used? Well… we didn’t have any other plans for dinner, so I decided to use one generous portion for pizza that night. I know, I know, bad. But I had it from very good authority that the overnight chill didn’t make much of a difference in gluten-free crusts, and I thought I would give it a try in the interest of scientific curiosity. The next question was what kind of topping to make. I knew I wanted to make a vegan topping, and for some reason it occured to me to make a pizza with a white sauce. I’d never seen such a thing, but surely they existed, right?

An internet search revealed a variety of recipes for a white sauce garlic sauce that one could use on pizza. I had proof others had tried this. At first I was enticed by the idea of making it a white sauce with wine and garlic. Unfortunately when I tried it, something about the soy milk and the wine… um… clashed. Horribly. I ended up throwing the whole thing out and starting again. This time I avoided the wine but kept the classic white sauce, although it was more of a tan than white shade. Hey, what with the cajun style browning of the roux, the brown in the garlic, and the creamy tones of the soy milk, I think it was inevitable. Regardless, it tasted great. It tasted even better when I topped it with caramelized onions, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and (some) spinach. Mmmm. Did I mention that the DH loved it? It might not be a traditional Roman style Bianca pizza topped with olive oil, salt and, occasionally, rosemary leaves… but I can always try that next time.

That night I baked the pizza with minimal refrigeration and without prebaking the crust. I felt a little uneasy about putting a white sauce on raw dough, but the dough was flexible and lovely when it came out the oven. I did wonder if it tasted “cooked” enough with a flour sauce topping it, so I decided to bake two more small crusts and try a prebaked crust with the same topping the next day. (Yes, I let them sit out for two hours before baking.) I baked one for 4 or 5 minutes, and another for eight minutes or so. I let them cool and put them in a ziploc bag to store.

The next day I made hot pizza for lunch. However, instead of JUST serving the garlic white sauce topping, I decided to top one of the pizas with pine nut “ricotta” in a vegan take on the lovely Marguerita pizza. I’ve had a huge crush on this pizza style since I tried a non-vegan version with grilled Chebe. I found this pine nut ricotta from a raw recipe long ago, and found wonderful use for it in a baked pine-nut lasagna. It’s an especially nice recipe for those who must avoid soy as well as dairy (and gluten). Anyway, I thought this decadent, creamy sauce might be just the thing for complimenting tomato, fresh basil, and luxurious olive oil.

The sauce was perfect, and it really gave me the feeling of enjoying a lovely Marguerita (vegan) pizza. The DH also gave a thumbs up to the combination, and in typical Libra Boy fashion, couldn’t pick a favorite between the two toppings. However, I could tell a huge difference in the CRUST that was prebaked versus the unbaked crust. Unfortunately after sitting out overnight, the baked crust became tough and my poor little pizza stone didn’t do much but make it harder and crunchier.

To test it, I made a fresh pizza with the same two toppings and found again that it was pliable and lovely without toughness or excessive crunchiness. (Crunch is good, breaking teeth, not so good. Good thing my teeth are nice and strong.) And yes, we’ve been dining on nothing but pizza for the past two days straight, with a little allowed deviance for breakfast. Fabulously, despite all these experiments, we’ve still got two balls of dough in the refrigerator just waiting to be used in happy pizza-making-activity. Note to self: pizza dough made in advance is a very handy thing to have around.

I’ve had so much fun with this latest Daring Baker adventure, and hope that you enjoyed reading about my experiments. I think this adaption of Daring Baker dough does work very nicely for a thin crust pizza, but if you prefer a thicker and lighter crust, Carol Fenster’s recipe specifically for gluten-free bakers is still my favorite. You may not be able to shape the dough in the same way, but it works really well. I also hear very good things about her latest pizza recipe using her new Sorghum blend. Her new pizza recipe is found in 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes and was recently shared by the Celiac Chicks (with Carol’s permission). However, if you would enjoy the satisfaction of shaping dough and having pizza dough on hand for use whenever you want it, you should definitely try this recipe, and come up with your own version of it ’cause it is yummy, and daring too. Who would have thought that a regular recipe based on gluten and yeast could be adapted so easily to be gluten-free?

Enjoy my other allergen-free pizza toppings and crust recipe

Check out my other completed Daring Baker Challenges:
GF Vegan Pizza
GF Eclairs
GF Danish
GF DF Cheesecake Pops
GF Vegan Party Cake

Gluten Free Daring Baker Pizza Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  Italian

Ingredients 2 cups brown rice flour (superfine preferred) 2 cups tapioca starch 1/2 cup garfava bean flour 2 tbsp. + 2 tsp xanthan gum 1 3/4 Tsp Salt 4 tbsp. yeast 1 tbsp. Trader Joe’s Pasta Seasoning 1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil 2 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C) 1 Tb sugar 4 tsp. apple cider vinegar cornmeal for dusting Nonstick cooking oil spray Directions Combine dry ingredients in a heavy duty Kitchenaid Mixer with the paddle or whisk, NOT bread hook, and add your wet ingredients slowly with mixer stirring slowly. You may wish to add more water to lighten dough, but don’t let it get too wet or you won’t be able to make balls of dough. Turn the beater in your kitchenaid up to high and let it beat the dough for five to seven minutes. it should get more elastic with time. If not, add more water and/or let it mix for longer. Put a large cutting board on a counter, and cover it with wax paper. Spray the paper with nonstick cooking spray. Throw your dough onto the paper and work it into a nice, beautiful ball of dough. Spray a metal or plastic dough scraper with nonstick cooking spray and then use it to cut the dough into FOUR equal pieces for large pizzas, OR six equal pieces for small to medium pieces. You can sprinkle a little flour over each individual piece of dough and either spray your hand with nonstick cooking spray or cover it with a piece of cling wrap and pick up the dough, gently rounding each piece into a ball. Then wrap each one in a piece of cling wrap and place them in a large ziploc bag or tupperware to store in the refrigerator. *Event NOTE: “You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.” You can leave them in overnight or longer. Or, many of us found that for the GF pizza it was fine to use the dough that very day. Two hours before you want to bake the dough, put your large cutting board on the counter and cover it with a piece of aluminum foil (or wax paper). Spray it with nonstick cooking spray and dust with cornmeal. Toss the ball of dough onto the foil and cover it with the cling wrap that it was stored in. Gently press or roll out into the desired pizza shape using a mini rolling pin. If you like (and especially if you’ve made a small pizza) you can then move the foil and pizza to a safe location (using the cutting board to transport). Carefully slide the pizza covered foil onto the counter off of the cutting board. Cover the pizza crust lightly with wax or parchment paper. Then you can return the cutting board and repeat the process with another ball of dough. Allow your pizza crust to rest for 2 hours. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (550° F. etc.) Event NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan. After the dough has rested for two hours, lightly top it with toppings of your choice. Put back in the oven and bake until toppings are done, rotating as needed. It will probably take 5-10 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the crust. *Tips for moving the pizza once topped. Simply slide a pizza peel under the aluminum foil and pizza and carefully move it to the hot pizza stone. If the pizza peel isn’t big enough or you are worried about the dough breaking, you can use a larger flat thing like a cookie sheet to transport the dough and then slide the aluminum foil-pizza off onto the pizza stone. Event note: If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly. When the pizza is done, put it on a cutting board, let it rest a few minutes, and then slice and serve. Notes I like this recipe but wonder if this large volume manufacture works well with gluten-free flours. I may also adjust xanthan gum if i try it again, using less. Also I want to experiment with the baking process. I’d give the topping a 9/10 but the crust is more like a 6/10 at this point, although it does handle very well. Prebaking the dough results in a very tough dough the next day, so it is not recommended.

Rating:  7 Original Source:  Adapted from Daring Baker Challenge, inspired by Carol Fenster’s pizza crust with mods. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission. Thanks! Recipe ID:  1311 Added:  October 28, 2008 Last Modified:  October 29, 2008

Gluten Free Vegan Marguerita Pizza Topping Recipe Bread  Vegan  Sauces & Condiments  Vegetables  American

Ingredients 1 gluten-free pizza crust (small, medium, or large) 1 roma tomato, thinly sliced and salted (for small pizza, for med-large you will need more), seeds removed Handful of fresh basil leaves, julienned cold-pressed olive oil Flaked kosher salt “Ricotta” 1/2 cup raw pignoli (pine) nuts, soaked in water for at least 1 hour 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast scant 1/4 teaspoon sea salt freshly grated Italian seasoning (McCormick) 1/8 cup water +more as needed Directions Combine soaked pine nuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and seasonings in blender with a small amount of water (1/8 to 1/4 cup, depending on desired texture. You can always add more water later, so be careful not to add too much early on!) Blend until you have a smooth and creamy sauce and then carefully use spatula to scrape into a small bowl. Layer your gf pizza crust with Pine nut ricotta, tomato slices, and julienned basil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake according to pizza crust directions.

Rating:  8 Original Source:  My own creation, with pine nut ricotta based on raw cookbook recipe Recipe ID:  1313 Added:  October 29, 2008 Last Modified:  October 29, 2008

Gluten Free Vegan White Bianca Pizza Recipe Bread  Alternative Grains  Vegetables  Italian

Ingredients One gluten-free pizza crust (medium or large) Vegan White Sauce Topping: 2 tbsp. earth balance margarine or other vegan margarine 3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed 2 tbsp. brown rice flour 1 cup original soy milk or other non-dairy milk Caramelized red onions: 1 red onion, sliced olive oil salt pepper Marinated artichokes, rinsed in hot water and dried (to remove most of the oil) Kalamata olives, chopped Pine Nuts Directions For my vegan topping, I made a white garlic sauce and caramelized red onions. How to make caramelized onions: Heat cast iron or dutch oven pan to medium-low heat with a small drizzle of olive oil. (Amount of oil according to your taste and dietary wishes.) Add your onion rings to the pan and let cook down. You can move them to distribute them more evenly on the pan and to turn them over a few times, but in general it is best to leave them alone. Cook slowly for 20-25 minutes or until they are soft and yummy, trying not to char them. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Quantity enough for two medium pizzas) How to make vegan white garlic sauce: Heat nonstick pan or dutch oven pan to medium and melt your margarine in the pan. When it has melted but before it starts to brown, add your pressed garlic and let it start to turn light brown. Throw in your flour and thoroughly combine. Let the roux brown for a few minutes and then slowly start adding your milk, whisking it in as you add. Stop a few times to let the sauce thicken before adding more milk. Continue whisking to ensure a nice, smooth sauce. When sauce has reached desired thickness, remove from the burner and reserve. (Quantity enough for ONE medium-large pizza) When ready to assemble pizza, start by spreading the white garlic sauce evenly on the surface of your pizza. Top with spinach (optional), caramelized red onions, chopped pieces of artichoke heart, and pine nuts. Bake for recommended time above, remove from oven, let cool slightly and then serve. Yummy!

Rating:  8 Original Source:  Completely the contents of my imagination. Do not replicate anywhere without my permission or I may have to let the angry kitties hear about it. Recipe ID:  1314 Added:  October 29, 2008 Last Modified:  October 29, 2008