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Simple Gluten-Free Pizza Crust, Yeast-Free

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Serves 2 to 4
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 to 25 minutes

Crust:

2 eggs or egg substitute
2 tablespoons unrefined oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1¼ cups tapioca flour (starch), plus some extra for kneading the dough
¼ cup almond meal or other gluten-free flour (OR you can just use more tapioca flour)
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Optional: 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
Olive oil for brushing

Preheat the oven to 400º. Whisk together egg, oil, and honey or agave syrup in small bowl. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine the ingredients as well as possible with spoon or fork – it will be quite sticky. Put about 1/8 cup of tapioca flour on a clean surface. Pull everything out of the bowl and make a dough ball. Knead the dough on the tapioca-dusted surface until it stops sticking to your hands (3 to 5 minutes). Roll the dough out into a circle; you can either use a rolling pin or your hands to press it out until it is the thinness you desire. I like to make two smaller rounds for two different pizzas! Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. Brush the round with a bit of olive oil, prick it in a couple of places with a fork, and place it in a 400º F oven for 15 minutes or until slightly golden on the top. Remove from the oven and add the sauce or pesto and toppings of your choosing. Place back into the hot oven and bake another 5 to 10 minutes until it’s all nice and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.

Simple Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free Calzone Crust

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Preparation time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 to 25 minutes
Serves 2 to 4 (makes 2 full-meal calzones)

Crust:
2 eggs or egg substitute
2 tablespoons unrefined oil
1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
1¼ cups tapioca flour (starch) plus some extra for kneading dough
¼ cup almond meal or other gluten-free flour
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons dried oregano or Italian seasoning
Olive oil for brushing

Filling:
1 cup any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats
½ cup marinara or pesto sauce
½ cup your choice of cheese, or non-dairy “cheese”

Preheat oven to 375º. Whisk together egg, oil, and honey or agave syrup in a small bowl. Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Combine as well as possible with a spoon or a fork – it will be quite sticky. Put about 1/8 cup of tapioca flour on a clean surface. Pull everything out of the bowl and make a dough ball. Knead the dough on the tapioca-dusted surface until it stops sticking to your hands (3 to 5 minutes). For smaller calzones, separate the dough into 4 balls; for larger ones, make 2 balls. Roll dough out into a circle; you can either use a rolling pin or your hands to press it out until it is about 1/8-inch thick.

ADDING FILLING:
Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. In the center of the lower third of the circle add the following:
-For smaller circles, use ¼ cup of any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats, ⅛ cup marinara or pesto, ⅛ cup of goat cheese, Italian cheeses, ricotta cheese, or dairy free “cheese” options.
-For larger circles double the above amounts.

Once the filling has been placed, fold the dough over towards the front tip so that it comes just over the top of the filling. Bring the exposed portion of the bottom piece up and fold over the top piece, using your fingers to press down, creating a seal. Brush with a bit of olive oil, prick the top in a couple of places with a fork, and place in a 375º F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

GF Calzone Crust, continued

Other options:

1. Pizza Crust: This dough makes a great pizza crust. Just roll it out nice and thin, crimp edges, prick several places with a fork, and bake in a 400º F oven on a pizza stone or baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes, until slightly browned. Remove, add toppings, and bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes until bubbly.

2. Crackers: Flatten the dough to the thickness of a tortilla. Place on a baking sheet and brush with oil or butter. Cut into bite sized pieces and bake 20 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp. Let cool and store in an airtight container. Get creative with seasonings!

3. Soup Bowl: You can press this dough into ¼-inch thick layer over ovenproof bowls. Bake at 400º F for 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from bowl and pour in soup of your choice! Idea adapted from “Gluten Free for Dummies,” by Danna Korn.

Gluten-Free Yeasted Calzone

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I love calzones, and I spent quite a bit of time, and wasted a lot of flour, trying to create a gluten-free version that would stay together and taste good. The xanthan gum is a must, and this mixture of flours creates a nice flavor.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 20 to 25 minutes

Crust:
1½ cups warm water (110º F to 115º F)
2 tablespoons sugar, honey, or agave syrup
1 packet dry, active yeast (2¼ teaspoons)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups Tif’s GF baking mix, consisting of 2 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups tapioca, 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
Extra olive oil and gluten-free flour for kneading

Filling:
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 or 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoons crushed red chili flakes
2 tablespoons dried parsley and/or Italian seasoning
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Italian cheese
1 cup GF marinara sauce (I like Amy’s brand)

Pour the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and package of yeast. Stir the mixture slowly until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Let it sit to allow the mixture to “mature” for about ten minutes or so. The mixture will begin to react; clouding and forming a foamy “head” on the surface of the mixture. Add the salt and the olive oil and stir again to combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup of Gluten-free flour mix and whisk in until dissolved. Mix in the second cup of flour and xanthan gum. Add the third cup of flour and combine. By now the dough mixture should be fairly thick. Add the last cup of flour and, with your hands, begin to combine and knead the dough. Remove the dough ball to a tabletop to knead it. You may need to add a dusting of flour from time to time to reduce the stickiness of the dough. Knead dough for about 5 to 8 minutes. You may need to add olive oil during this process.
You’ll know you’ve done well when the ball no longer sticks to your hands. It will become a smoothly-textured ball.

ADDING FILLING:
Transfer this circle to a baking sheet. In the center of the lower third of the circle add the following:
-For smaller circles, use ¼ cup of any combination of fresh veggies, cooked beans, or cooked meats, ⅛ cup marinara or pesto, ⅛ cup of goat cheese, Italian cheeses, ricotta cheese, or dairy free “cheese” options.
-For larger circles double the above amounts.

Once the filling has been placed, fold the dough over towards the front tip so that it comes just over the top of the filling. Bring the exposed portion of the bottom piece up and fold over the top piece, using your fingers to press down, creating a seal. Brush with a bit of olive oil, prick the top in a couple of places with a fork, and place in a 375º F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool 5 minutes and serve.

Bake at 400º F for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool and eat!

Gluten Free Lasagna

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Yields one 9- by 13-inch dish
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

1 10-ounce box of Tinkyada Pasta Joy lasagna noodles
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
¾ to 1 pound GF Italian turkey sausage
2 cups packed, de-stemmed, and chopped kale
1½ cups chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes, optional
¾ cup chopped fresh basil
24½ -ounce jar of organic pasta sauce
12 ounces ricotta cheese
12 ounces shredded Italian blend cheese (make sure its GF)
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

Put the noodles into the boiling water for 14 minutes (2 minutes less than recommended cooking time on the box). Strain, rinse with cool water, and lay the noodles out on a towel to dry. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet; add the garlic and onion and stir. After cooking for a couple of minutes, add the sausage (emptied out of its casing). Use a spoon to break the sausage into small pieces and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add kale, mushrooms, salt, and chili flakes, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the basil and turn off the heat. Put a couple of tablespoons of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and spread it out (prevents noodles from sticking).

1. Lay down one layer of noodles on top of the sauce, and then spoon out half of the meat and veggie mixture over the noodles and spread it evenly.
2. Use your hands or a spoon to put dollops of ricotta over the top. Use half the container. It will not cover everything…that is fine.
3. Spoon half the jar of tomato sauce and spread it out over the surface.
4. Sprinkle 3 to 4 ounces of shredded Italian cheese blend over the top of this (about ¾ cup).

Repeat steps 1 through 4 again. Then put one more layer of noodles on the top and cover with remaining shredded cheese. Sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning, cover with foil, put on a baking sheet and place in preheated 375º F oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the cheese gets crispy on the edges. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.