PALEO "THAT'S NOT CHEESE" PIZZA
I know that paleo pizza is nothing new. I have seen plenty of paleo pizza's floating around...but the one thing missing for me was cheese. My mouth loves cheese, but my body does not. More than a few bites of cheese will equate to the Invasion of Normandy playing itself out in my stomach. But if it pizza doesn't have cheese on it then I just don't want it. So that left me with two options. Live the rest of my life without pizza, or come up with a recipe for a non-dairy cheese that was "mozzarella-like"...could melt...and would taste good on a paleo friendly pizza crust. And I know I am not the only paleo person out there that would like to have a slice of pizza every now and then. I tried every combination of nuts you can think of, but it was actually a vegetarian friend who suggested a cashew and pine nut combo, and that turned out to be my favorite.
So here it is, the paleo "that's not cheese" pizza. The recipe below is for a margherita pizza, but you can use any toppings you like in combination with the crust and "cheese". I will spare you my usual lecture about this being an occasional "treat"..I think everyone knows by now that I believe in eating these types of things in moderation :-).
It is important to note that the "cheese" for this recipe melts quickly. If you have picky eaters at home, you can leave the herbs out of the cheese recipe and it will still taste good in combination with the other toppings. Also, the crust is easier to work with if you form two smaller pizzas instead of one larger pizza. I have made both rectangular and circle shaped pizzas and both turned out great.
I usually use a jar of non-chunky spaghetti sauce for the pizza sauce, but if you want to make your own pizza sauce you can do the following: Combine 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce, 1 (12oz) can tomato paste, ½ tsp. sea salt, ¼ tsp. ground black pepper, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. dried thyme, ½ tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp. dried oregano in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally.
Special thanks to fellow paleo blogger Tonja for helping me modify and tweak the recipe! With her help and suggestions the recipe finally came together and passed the "picky eater test" in my house. She tested the recipe out with just cashews (no pine nuts) and said it still tasted great, and she had some other great ideas, like adding a touch of vinegar and nutritional yeast to the cheese. I didn't have any nutritional yeast to try out, but I am sure it is a great addition! Please check out her blog and say hello while you snoop around some delicious recipes and helpful reviews!
So here it is, the paleo "that's not cheese" pizza. The recipe below is for a margherita pizza, but you can use any toppings you like in combination with the crust and "cheese". I will spare you my usual lecture about this being an occasional "treat"..I think everyone knows by now that I believe in eating these types of things in moderation :-).
It is important to note that the "cheese" for this recipe melts quickly. If you have picky eaters at home, you can leave the herbs out of the cheese recipe and it will still taste good in combination with the other toppings. Also, the crust is easier to work with if you form two smaller pizzas instead of one larger pizza. I have made both rectangular and circle shaped pizzas and both turned out great.
I usually use a jar of non-chunky spaghetti sauce for the pizza sauce, but if you want to make your own pizza sauce you can do the following: Combine 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce, 1 (12oz) can tomato paste, ½ tsp. sea salt, ¼ tsp. ground black pepper, ½ tsp. onion powder, ½ tsp. dried thyme, ½ tsp. dried basil, 1 tsp. dried rosemary, 1 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp. dried oregano in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally.
Special thanks to fellow paleo blogger Tonja for helping me modify and tweak the recipe! With her help and suggestions the recipe finally came together and passed the "picky eater test" in my house. She tested the recipe out with just cashews (no pine nuts) and said it still tasted great, and she had some other great ideas, like adding a touch of vinegar and nutritional yeast to the cheese. I didn't have any nutritional yeast to try out, but I am sure it is a great addition! Please check out her blog and say hello while you snoop around some delicious recipes and helpful reviews!
 Pizza from paleocupboard.com)
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Paleo "That's Not Cheese" PizzaPrep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Inactive: 2 hours Servings: 4
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Ingredients:
FOR THE "CHEESE"
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup raw pine nuts (you can use all cashews if you do not have pine nuts)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- Dash garlic powder
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. vinegar
- 8 tsp. gelatin
- 1/4 cup extra light olive oil (plus more for greasing ramekins)
FOR THE CRUST
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (any kind)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
TOPPINGS (FOR MARGHERITA PIZZA)
- About 1 1/2 - 2 cups pizza or spaghetti sauce (or use sauce recipe in description above)
- 1 large ripe tomato, sliced
- 15 leaves of fresh basil
- Dried oregano (optional)
Equipment:
- Medium sized saucepan
- Strainer
- Food processor
- Stirring spoon
- Ramekins
- Fork
- Small mixing bowl
- Medium sized mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Cutting board or flat surface
- Large baking sheet
Directions:
TO MAKE THE CHEESE:
1. Place the nuts in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to lightly boil for about 15 minute or until the nuts are very soft. Drain the nuts and transfer them to a food processor.
2. Add the salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast (optional) to the food processor and blend well until the mixture begins to form a paste.
3. Place the almond milk, lemon juice, vinegar, gelatin and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to lightly boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Transfer the liquid to the food processor and blend until very smooth. Lightly grease the inside of two ramekins with extra light olive oil, and pour the liquid into each. Note: To oil the ramekins you can use a basting brush or place a little oil on a paper towel and wipe the inside of the cups to coat.
5. Place the ramekins in the fridge and allow to set for about 2 hours, or until firm. If you plan on leaving the "cheese" in the fridge for more than a few hours, cover the top with plastic wrap.
TO MAKE THE CRUST DOUGH:
1. Place the eggs and olive oil in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir with a fork to break apart and clumps and to combine well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes and then split the dough in half and form two round balls.
TO ASSEMBLE THE PIZZAS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position. Using a rolling pin on flat surface or cutting board, roll the two balls of dough separately between two pieces of parchment paper. Form a circular or rectangular shape, rolling the dough to about 1/4" thick.
2. Place the two crusts onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is firm. While the crust is cooking, remove the "cheese" from the fridge and cut it into thin slices. Set it aside along with your basil leaves.
3. Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Spread the sauce thinly across the pizza crust (too much sauce will make the crust soggy). Top with the sliced cheese and then the basil leaves. Add a few dashes of oregano on top (optional)
4. Return the pizza to the oven and allow to broil for just a couple minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.
Note: If you are making a pizza with meat and/or vegetable toppings, cook the meat first and do not use the broil method after adding your toppings. Instead return the pizza to the 375F oven and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.
FOR THE "CHEESE"
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup raw pine nuts (you can use all cashews if you do not have pine nuts)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
- Dash garlic powder
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. vinegar
- 8 tsp. gelatin
- 1/4 cup extra light olive oil (plus more for greasing ramekins)
FOR THE CRUST
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (any kind)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
TOPPINGS (FOR MARGHERITA PIZZA)
- About 1 1/2 - 2 cups pizza or spaghetti sauce (or use sauce recipe in description above)
- 1 large ripe tomato, sliced
- 15 leaves of fresh basil
- Dried oregano (optional)
Equipment:
- Medium sized saucepan
- Strainer
- Food processor
- Stirring spoon
- Ramekins
- Fork
- Small mixing bowl
- Medium sized mixing bowl
- Parchment paper
- Rolling pin
- Cutting board or flat surface
- Large baking sheet
Directions:
TO MAKE THE CHEESE:
1. Place the nuts in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to lightly boil for about 15 minute or until the nuts are very soft. Drain the nuts and transfer them to a food processor.
2. Add the salt, oregano, basil, black pepper, garlic powder and nutritional yeast (optional) to the food processor and blend well until the mixture begins to form a paste.
3. Place the almond milk, lemon juice, vinegar, gelatin and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow to lightly boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Transfer the liquid to the food processor and blend until very smooth. Lightly grease the inside of two ramekins with extra light olive oil, and pour the liquid into each. Note: To oil the ramekins you can use a basting brush or place a little oil on a paper towel and wipe the inside of the cups to coat.
5. Place the ramekins in the fridge and allow to set for about 2 hours, or until firm. If you plan on leaving the "cheese" in the fridge for more than a few hours, cover the top with plastic wrap.
TO MAKE THE CRUST DOUGH:
1. Place the eggs and olive oil in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl and stir with a fork to break apart and clumps and to combine well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until well combined. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes and then split the dough in half and form two round balls.
TO ASSEMBLE THE PIZZAS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F and make sure the oven rack is in the middle position. Using a rolling pin on flat surface or cutting board, roll the two balls of dough separately between two pieces of parchment paper. Form a circular or rectangular shape, rolling the dough to about 1/4" thick.
2. Place the two crusts onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake for 15 minutes or until the crust is firm. While the crust is cooking, remove the "cheese" from the fridge and cut it into thin slices. Set it aside along with your basil leaves.
3. Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Spread the sauce thinly across the pizza crust (too much sauce will make the crust soggy). Top with the sliced cheese and then the basil leaves. Add a few dashes of oregano on top (optional)
4. Return the pizza to the oven and allow to broil for just a couple minutes, or until the cheese begins to melt. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.
Note: If you are making a pizza with meat and/or vegetable toppings, cook the meat first and do not use the broil method after adding your toppings. Instead return the pizza to the 375F oven and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt.
