Almond Cauliflower Pizza Crust (SCD / grain free)

After not being able to handle the cravings anymore I decided to experiment with various grain-free pizza crusts. The first, which I will post this week, uses a cauliflower base. I’ve added a bit of almond meal and parmesan cheese to the mix to try and make the crust slightly more firm and hold better. If you have a pizza stone handy I would highly recommend using one. Not only does a pizza stone add flavour to the crust, but it also ensures the crust is cooked, top to bottom (make sure it is well oiled). If you happened to just buy one, or are thinking of getting one, make sure to season it before use!

How to season a pizza stone 

1) Preheat oven to 450C

2)Rub a generous amount of olive oil into the stone along with some oregano and basil

3) Cook the stone until the oil has absorbed

4) Re-oil stone and bake again until absorbed

5) Prior to use, place stone into cold oven and turn on to 350C and slowly heat the stone up.

6)Once heated remove from oven and roll out dough

**TIPS**

• Never use soap on stone, simple wash with water once stone has cooled completely
• Always ensure stone is heated before baking and cooled completely before cleaning
• With grain free doughs you may wish to cook on top of parchment paper to avoid crust from sticking (This happens a lot as it is not a traditional glutenous dough

SCD Pizza Sauce Recipe

While many can stomach store-bought pizza sauce, they do contain preservatives and sugar which are generally not tolerated well with those starting with IBD, Crohns or UC. Here is quick recipe you can use to make a stock of sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes (peeled, cored and cut into 1/2″ chunks)
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 celery stock, chopped finely
• 1 medium white onion, chopped finely
• 2 tbsp basil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Cook juice and tomatoes over medium heat in a pot until it becomes thick
2. While tomatoes cook, sauté celery, onion, basil and garlic
3. Add celery/onion mix to tomato sauce when they become soft
4. Continue to cook until it reaches desired thickness
5. Freeze excess sauce away for later use

 

-ENJOY!!!

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PDF———————>Almond Cauliflower Pizza Crust<————————–PDF

Crispy slow cooked duck

If you are anything like me you like to try new dishes all the time. This past holiday season I decided to forgo the traditional turkey dinner and try my hand at Duck. Unlike turkey, duck is all dark meat with crispy skin (if done right!). Not only is this a HUGE crowd pleaser but you also don’t get that tired feeling you sometimes get from turkey, due to the inherent tryptophan present in turkey meat. The other great thing about duck is the FAT! Duck Fat retails for about $10 USD for 7oz!  Once collected the fat is good for a few weeks in the fridge or as long as you need it if kept in the freezer. Additionally, any left over duck can be used for next day appetizers!! Enjoy and share this recipe if you like it!

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PDF ————-> GastroChef’s Slow Cooked Crispy Duck <——————PDF

Coconut Flour Bread (SCD Legal / Gluten/ Grain Free)

This holiday season I was challenged with finding many alternatives to classic recipes my family used to make. One of the biggest challenges was stuffing… before we can even discuss a good alternative to that timeless classic we need to start with the basics. Bread. Whether you are following a gluten-free or grain free lifestyle or simply are SCD nut, a good basic bread is hard to do. Today I present to you a basic and simple bread recipe you can tailor to any dish you want to make. If you have any suggestions on alternatives or ways to modify this loaf, feel free to comment. I hope you enjoy this!

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PDF——————————–>Coconut Flour Bread <—————————PDF

Butternut Squash Latkes

Where there is a will, there is a grain free alternative. If you are like me, you miss the delicious taste and crunch of potatoes! Especially good ole’ fashion latkes! Well not to fear with a few slight adjustments you can have a great updated version. The hardest part about this recipe is in fact just cutting the squash. I personally hate cutting squash but once you slice this in half you have the option of shredding it (for this recipe), cutting it down into french fry like shapes and even chunks. If you are making fries refer back to my earlier recipe Butternut spiced chips.

Also if you are new to cutting squash! Take my advice, poor some wine, it always helps my cooking! Enjoy!

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PDF—————————-> Butternut Squash Latkes <————————–PDF