Thursday, May 21, 2009

Paleo Pizza


So I tried my hand at the infamous Paleo Pizza. There are a couple of things you need to realize before making this pizza

1. It's not going to taste like Chicago Style Pizza
2. Even though it smells like Chicago Style Pizza, it's not going to taste like Chicago Style pizza
3. Even though it looks like Chicago Style Pizza, it's not going to taste like Chicago Style pizza

Next time I might bake the crust by itself before topping with meat and veggies, thin it out, or something. After a few bites the "crust", which was made from chopped almonds, cashew butter, and egg whites, was somewhat mushy and kinda resembled oatmeal.....I'm about 99% sure that's not how it was supposed to turn out. All in all, weighing the health benefits of this pizza vs. Chicago Style it was pretty good.

The good news - I didn't set off any fire alarms, spill red wine, or have to cook the "back up meal" - which equals a successful cooking evening.

Paleo Pizza
This recipe comes from the Performance Menu website
25 minutes prep, 30 minutes cook time

-3 tsp olive oil, divided
-1 cup ground almonds or other nuts
-3 Tbs cashew butter
-1/3 cup egg whites
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-2 cloves minced garlic
-1 chopped red pepper
-1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
-1 large Italian sausage, cut in 1/2" slices
-1/2 cup marinara sauce
-1/2 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp fennel seed

Mix ground nuts, cashew butter, and egg whites in a small bowl. Grease a pizza baking sheet or similar with 2 tsp of olive oil, then spread the "dough" mixture over it, making a 1/4" thick crust. Preheat the oven to 250 F. In a skillet, add the remaining olive oil and the sliced sausage. Cook until browned, then remove the sausage to a small bowl. Add the garlic, onions, and red pepper to the skillet. Sauté the veggies lightly, making sure not to let them get too soft.

Cover the dough with the marinara sauce, then add the meat and vegetables, excluding the tomatoes. Add the oregano and fennel seed, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add the halved tomatoes, and serve! Use a large spatula to carefully remove the slices from the pan, as the nutty "dough" won't be as crisp as traditional grain dough. Makes 4 servings.

Zone info (per serving): 1/2 carb block, 1 protein block, 10 fat blocks


4 comments:

Stefani said...

http://tiny.cc/VbCoC

I haven't tried this yet but heard it is great!

Stefani said...

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/lowcarb-recipe-help-suggestions/543510-you-won-t-believe-s-cauliflower-pizza-crust.html

The tiny url isn't working here is the link again.

Nicole Hughes said...

That looks absolutely amazing! If you try it you'll have to let me know how it turns out -- I'm for sure going to print that out for late use ;)

Nikki said...

Meatza! I love this stuff and the kids and boyfriend eat it too!