Are you unable to eat wheat, dairy, gluten? If you answered, Yes then there is good news-you can have Pizza! Since being wheat/dairy/sugar free, one of the foods I miss the most is pizza, and thought I would forever be deprived of…until this week! If you cannot eat dairy either, they have a delicious vegan cheese alternative.

Believe me, I tested a lot of pizza dough recipes to include in my cookbook, No Wheat No Dairy No Problem, but did not succeed in making one that was worthy of being in the book. However, I am still determined to develop one without the ingredients I don’t like or use so, hopefully it will appear in my next cookbook! Until then, we can enjoy it at Amici’s and not even have to do the dishes!

A friend of mine who does not have food allergies invited me to go to eat gluten free pizza and beer-what a good friend! We went to eat at Amici’s Pizza in downtown San Jose, CA because I heard they had gluten free pizza available! I was delighted to find that not only did they have gluten free pizza, but they also had gluten free beer! Wow! I have visited other pizza places that had gluten free pizza, but it was pre-made off site with cheese so, I could not eat it. I was thrilled to find out that Amici’s could make the pizza with a vegan cheese…yes, it is also available with regular cheese for those who can eat it.

We ordered a veggie(black olives, mushrooms, onion, sun-dried tomatoes) pizza with gluten free crust and vegan cheese. I was skeptical about the vegan cheese since I have never found one that tastes good or melts well. If you have a favorite, I’d love to know what it is-please share with us. To our surprise the 12 inch gluten free pizza was DELICIOUS-the crust was thin, crispy and soft, the topping were yummy too-even the mushrooms were sautéed. We substituted the sun-dried tomatoes instead of green bell peppers with a small extra charge that was worth it. The gluten free pizza is only available in 12 inch size. The price ranges from $21.50-$26.30+. The veggie pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and 2 gluten free beers and tip was just under $40. So, this is not an inexpensive treat, but well worth a dinner out to enjoy something delicious and hard to find. The costs to offer this are higher so, it does get passed along to the customer and understandable so. We will definitely go back and order delivery service!

We had so much fun folding our pizza in half and eating it New York style on the street-brought back old, fond memories. We laughed and felt like we were back in college again-pizza and beer! We had left over and took it home wondering how it would be re-heated. We re-heated it in the toaster oven on 400 degrees for 5 minutes and it was just like the night before-crisp and delicious. Amici’s does have half-baked pizzas available to finish baking at home or they DELIVER!

Gluten Free pizza is ONLY available at certain locations including: San Jose, San Francisco(2200 Lombard St.), Dublin, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Vacaville.

I have not been drinking beer since it seems to bother me, but I decided to try this gluten free beer, made by Budweiser $3.95) everyone was talking about…and it was very good even though it did not have a lot of foam it did make up for that with a light, refreshing taste with a hint of hops. The grain that is used to make the beer is sorghum. BTW, I do not normally care for Bud- I am a beer snob and prefer micro brewed pale ales! Give it a try and see what you think.

A few technical notes for those of you who are interested. This pizza crust is made offsite at Still Riding Pizza in Bridgeport, Connecticut where the kitchen is gluten free. The crust contains: bean flour, rice flour, tapioca flour, xantham gum, salt, yeast, egg, cider vinegar, sugar, canola oil, calcium propionate. I was not thrilled about the xanthum gum, sugar or canola oil, but I figured once is not going to be harmful. And, it was worth it.

If you don’t live near an Amici’s Pizza, go to www.stillridingpizza.com to purchase the dough to be shipped to your home. A 12 inch pizza dough is $9.95, and you can order up to 18 crusts for $80!

Amici’s kitchens take the following steps to ensure there is no cross contamination:

Prepare GF items in designated area that is “clean” away from any wheat/flour products

Pizza sauce, cheese and toppings are stored in a special area away from any other foods

GF Pizza is baked on a raised screen so it does not come in contact with the cooking surface used for other pizzas

GF Pizzas are handled and cut with special equipment/cutters used ONLY for GF pizzas.

Conclusion: Go try Amici’s whether you eat in , take out or get delivery. It is delicious. Let us know how you like it by posting a comment under this article on www.NoWheatNoDairyNoProblem.

Have your pizza and eat it too without suffering! Bon Appetit and Cheers, Lauren

Before I get started!!!! This post is a bit backwards!

Today is the DAY! VEGAN -4-A-Day!

• Eat 1 or all meals vegan today
• Link back to mine and Katy’s blog in support of Vegan -4-A- Day
• Put your comment in the bottom of the Vegan 4-A-Day for mine and here for Katy and be entered to win an AWESOME Vega package
• If you post three times..comment three times with the link–then go and comment at the other person blog–double the chances
• Katy and I will be keeping tabs of ALL the posts on our VeganWeek tab..Mine, Katys

Last night I shoved my face full of vegan sushi-–tonight I shoved my face full of pizza. You know what..I am going to do my meals backwards..cause that’s how I am gonna roll tonight.

Cup of Organic Roobios Vanilla Tea…ohmyheavens..amazing! Sipping on it right now

Gluten Free Vegan Pizza

• Base is the whole bag of ‘gluten free’ bread mix

• • w/ 1/2 c. LSA and 2 TB chia seed whisked in 1/2 c. of water. Plus another 1 1/2 c. of water. No yeast–I can’t do yeast.
• No pizza sauce? 1 c. of pasta sauce w/ 2 TB tomato paste
• One side had fresh basil, tomatoes and salt
• Other had zuch, mush, spinach, sautéed peppers and onions.
• Top w/ avocado.

This plate times 2!!!

Detox drink while making pizza. I swear that putting it into a wine glass makes it taste better.

I snacked on Turmeric roasted/fried chickpeas.

• 1 c. of dried chickpeas soaked overnight.
• Melt 1 TB vegan spread w/ 1 TB EVOO.
• Fry chickpeas for about 6 minutes, add a hint of water.
• Add about 1 TB of Turmeric and 1/2 TB of salt.

I probably had about 1/2-3/4 c. of them. Too much..but they were fab.

Snacks this arvo were this

Lunch was this AMAZING. Tofu glass noodle salad. Fresh everything. 1 Kiwi

Morning Snack–see a pattern?

Brekky:

• 1/2 c. rice flakes, 1 c. water, 1 tsp chia seeds, 1 TB almond butter, 1 small organic banana

Today is the DAY! VEGAN -4-A-Day!

• Eat 1 or all meals vegan today
• Link back to mine and Katy’s blog in support of Vegan -4-A- Day
• Put your comment in the bottom of the Vegan 4-A-Day post of mine and of Katy’s and be entered to win an AWESOME Vega package

Check out Jess’ awesome guest post in the environmental and nutritional impacts of being vegan A MUST READ!

Katy has Brendan Brazier guest post and interview about being vegan and a triathlete..awesome stuff

Glo-Bar giveaways from Angela@GloBakery. Here for me and Here for Katy

I am exhausted and need to go to sleep. 1.7km swim tomorrow morning. Thank you from the bottom of my Oz heart for your support! Keep checking back, cause it’s not over til Monday!

Let the animals roam free!
~M

I am one of those people who could eat pizza everyday of the week. With the right combination of different ingredients and toppings I could even eat it twice a day on occasion. When you discover you are a celiac or have gluten intolerance pizza may be one of the hardest foods to replace. A delicious ready-made pizza that is even harder to find.

Since there is as much variety in pizza preference as there are types of pizzas, it is always great to hear when another gluten free pizza has hit the market. So that is what today’s post is about. I received word that Sam’s Club is interested in increasing the number of gluten free products it sells. One of the items they are using to test the public’s interest is Isabella’s Best Gluten-Free Pizza. The initial test will start with 12″ pepperoni sold in 2 packs. They will be available at select Sam’s Clubs in the Mid-West and on the East-Coast. Nationwide availability will depend oh how successful the pilot is.

This product is getting great visibility from the store itself, however since Sam’s Club is not the first name that comes to mind when it is time to do your gluten-free shopping, sales are not yet what they should be. Every time a large food retailer or food manufacturer realizes the public’s need for a gluten-free product the gf market grows. This increases the availability of gluten free food and eventually affects the cost. So visit a Sam’s Club near you and pick up an Isabella’s Best Gluten Free Pizza today. It’s a delicious and easy way to help the gluten-free market grow.

Nicole and I have now more or less gotten into a habit of going to Queen Victoria Market for our fish, I have been going back to Colour of Earth a couple of times instead of the usual hot dog and borek (cos you know you cannot possible eat that every time you go to Queen Vic. Admit it, some of you do).

Colour of Earth has a lot of interesting little pizzas (or as I have been corrected by Liz, the proper plural for pizza is pizze). They have a few different pizza base including gluten free ones made from black rice, maize, etc. So you can actually buy takeaway base and they have psychedelic colour. Very awesome.

(Cosmopolitan – $6.80)

On the day (and I have been back a couple of times since but I haven’t been taking photos) I decided on Cosmopolitan, which was black rice base. It looks kinda funny but it tasted really good. It had ricotti, pesto, mushrooms, mozzarella and sweet chilli sauce. I know sweet chilli sauce on pizza? What the hell? But it was good.

(florentine – $6.50?)

Nicole went for Florentine, which was goat’s cheese, spinach, ricotta, err…  I can’t remember what else. Suffice to say it was good to. I have had a few other pizze from there and they have been good. Josh had the asparagus one (no picture, sorry) and he really liked it. And he is even fussier than me. If that’s even possible.

It’s one of my new favourite lunch hang out now. There were so many choices and most of them seem good. They even have sweet pizza. Unfortunately, some times you wait a bit for them to heat up your pizza and you hang around in front of the shop and there are lots of people, it could get a bit claustrophobic. And then you have to fight people for seats. But that’s Queen Vic Market for you.

(mixed salad – $5)

I also got a little takeaway pack of mixed salad from the Borek shop, which sells Middle Eastern/Turkish type food. The salad had (from left) black eyed peas, brown rice, Turkish (Israeli/pearl) couscous, yellow lentil and broad beans. Each of them had their own dressing and other bit. It was quite good. We didn’t eat too much of it and took the rest back and ate it later during the day.

Nicole also got some doughnuts for the team. The one thing that pisses me off the most about the mericans is that very few of them know how to spell doughnuts and I’m glad these guys spelled it properly. For the record, American spelling of doughnut is not donut. It’s just silly chain doughnut stores not spelling them properly.

Anyway, damn these doughnuts are good. It’s so doughy and chewy and just fantastic. But I try to stay away from them because I can easily eat half a dozen and that would be thoroughly bad bad bad.

Colour of Earth, Shop 97, Deli Hall, Queen Victoria Market, Corner Elizabeth and Victoria Streets
Melbourne VIC 3000

(Click on the images a few times to make them larger)

Well, I have my first published article in a magazine. It is in a shiny glossy magazine that goes out to cafe owners across Australia. I wrote this article for the magazine as part of my job so it discusses all things health related and the trends that are coming up in the food industry that cafe owners should be aware of.

cafe mag editorial pdf

Trend time. – Health and allergy friendly trends for café owners. By Belindabel

Have you thought that catering to niche markets would not be profitable and raise your standing in the community? Think again. The health and organic factor is a growing trend in the food industry and is quickly becoming main stream.

In recent times, Australians have become more health conscience and there is a growing awareness of health food alternatives. With organic stores popping up and supermarket isles filling with “gluten free”, “fat free” and “organic” products, the trend for health and wellbeing is showing no signs of slowing down, in fact the demand for health and dietary conscience food is growing.

The changing dynamic of consumer lifestyles is now demanding better quality, locally produced, ethically run and dietary friendly foods. To make up for poor health brought on by busy lifestyles, insufficient exercise and fast food, consumers are looking for foods that can care for them as well as taste great. The successful entry of ethical and health conscience food can be seen in places such as McDonalds who support rainforest alliance coffee and now offer healthier options on their menu.

Special Dietary Needs

For those with allergies or with special dietary needs, it is a constant struggle to find food outlets that stock products that they can eat and enjoy. By catering to general dietary needs, your business grows in reputation and gains loyalty as allergy sufferers will be sure to bring their friends to where they know they can all enjoy a meal. Those with special diets quickly become regulars at places where they feel safe and catered for.

Dairy Free, nut free, wheat free and vegan are all dietary needs that have seen awareness rise in recent years. While of course a small percentage of your customer base will need special dietary care, with correct signage and staff knowledge, your business can become a one stop shop to cater for most every customer demographic. What café owner could ask for more?

Gluten Free

One of many trends in healthy eating is gluten free. It is estimated that 1 in 100 Australian’s has coeliac disease (Pronounced Seel-ee-ak) which is a medical condition where suffers have a permanent intestinal intolerance to gluten which is found in such grains as wheat and rye (Please visit the coeliac society website for more information about celiac disease http://www.coeliacsociety.com.au/).

With more people discovering that they have coeliac disease, supermarkets and food service outlets are finding a new and strong market to sell specialized items to. The serge in Gluten Free foods is apparent with The Fine Foods Expo in Sydney this September featuring a section dedicated to Gluten Free food items. This shows just how big the Gluten free market has become.

As contamination is an issue to those with coeliac disease, food service outlets that take the gluten free plunge earn great respect and a wider customer base than generally imagined. Because it is difficult and time consuming for people with special dietary needs to find products that suit them, those with allergies will admire and find loyalty with stores that cater to them. Allergy suffers are fiercely loyal.

Offering Gluten Free pizza on your menu is an easy way to make a good proportion of profit and gain subsequent loyalty. Cafes that make pizza often find that their clientele rises when Gluten Free pizzas are added as an option. A small number may be sold each week for an extra charge, but the profit is made when those with allergies bring their large group of friends with them to eat. This is often a significantly overlooked opportunity to gain clientele. Don’t forget, if you please an allergy sufferer once, they will return again and again.

Innovative ingredients

Another health based opportunity comes from offering unique products with innovative ingredients. You will find that it will drive more than interest and hunger amongst your customers. Word of mouth is the best form of marketing so give your customers something interesting to talk about with their friends.

Many ancient grains and seeds are now being rediscovered and their health benefits are astounding. Ancient wheat alternative grains such as spelt and kamut are picking up a market that are looking for something different and nutritious. Also having a resurgence, not just for the fact that they taste delicious, are bread’s containing sourdough culture. The process of creating a loaf of sourdough is long and arduous; people love to hear a good story about the products they are consuming.

A good time to provide unique food is at breakfast time. As society gets busier, breakfast is becoming a popular time of day to hold meetings. Chatty young mums find it very fashionable to meet for breakfast or brunch so by catering to this crowd in the mornings, they are more likely to return at different times in the day. Ask yourself if your company is catering to the rise in breakfast popularity not only with amazing coffee, but with a unique range of specialty toast and some healthy gourmet yoghurt options.

Functional Ingredients

Other dietary trends revolve around functional ingredients that serve distinct well being purposes such as Cranberries which are filled with antioxidants that prevent aging and promote happiness, Oats which help to lower cholesterol, sprouted grains which are low GI and are used in a unique style of bread made without flour. By promoting items with distinctive characteristics, you will see your sales rise and interest spike.

Organic and the environment

Environmental awareness is all part of the healthy living trend. Organically grown and produced products are flying off shelves even though they are priced higher. Research has shown that most people are willing to pay extra for higher quality food from environmentally sustainable sources. From organic chocolate to organic bread, it is being embraced and appreciated.

 No longer geeky, the market for organic produce is steaming strongly though the economic downturn. Organic is hippy chic and is now not limited to the beans grown in your grandma’s back yard, organic food is up market and reeks of modern status. Being “organic” and “green” is the hip vocabulary of this decade. By putting the lingo into practice and creating a store concept, your business will flourish. Ethically orientated cafes are becoming the latest hot spot for fashion and world savvy consumers. Creating a culture and a story for you business helps customers to pass on your message which in turn creates interest and more clientele. Ask yourself, does my imaging match my café’s feel, story, service and the type of menu I offer?

The future is looking very bright for health and organically derived products as awareness is continuously growing. Australia’s health conscience foodies are very knowledgeable about products and the companies that meet their needs. As the message spreads, the variety of products and quality of food preparation they can enjoy is rapidly increasing. The choices of distinctive products are endless and by caring for causes and embracing unique local produce, your business will gain substantial credibility that will set you apart from your rivals.

How ever you look at it, by creating a story for your café with a unique selection of food that meets these healthy trends, your café will definitely gain new clientele and a place in the hearts, and mouths of many.

Every Wednesday night is Wheat Free Wednesday at Beau Jo’s.  Get 1 Gluten Free Pie and 1 trip to the salad bar for only $12.99.  Try one of our Gluten Free beers to go with it.

Last week, Abernathy and I decided to take a little stroll down the beach of Lake Hartwell in Clemson.

Although it’s September and you’d think the weather would have started to cool down, the days are still incredibly warm. We’ve seen quite a bit of rain over the past few days, with the air being so moist that it’s even caused my perpetually stick-straight hair to frizz and curl. As someone who has desperately tried my whole life to get any semblence of a wave in my hair, you’d think I’d be pleased with this, but as fate would have it, my hair has decided to curl and frizz in only a few areas around my face — it’s ridiculously unattractive. So now the girl who invested hundreds of dollars in curling products is desperately buying everything that straightens and de-frizzes. Nothing’s worked yet.

The humidity here makes the air feel more tangible, almost as if it’s another being, gently nudging against you as you walk, making you work a little harder for each step you take. And the rain is fantastic. When it comes down, it comes down hard, but it’s also warm so it’s easier to just give in and accept that fact that you’re getting soaked. That being said, Abernathy’s much less pleased with being stuck in the rain than I am, so we’re usually not out in it for long before he’s giving me another one of his patented, “you realize this is most definitely puppy abuse” looks.

Anyway, it was a rare lovely, mostly sunny day when we headed out to the Lake Hartwell recreation area last week. The spot has a nice beach area and several picnic sites along one of its shores.

Clouds reflecting on the surface of Lake Hartwell during our mid-day stroll.

The lake was built by the U.S. Army just over 50 years ago as a reservoir for the community, and for flood-control. It’s now used for a variety of things — it still serves as a reservoir, but is also used for boating, fishing, swimming and other recreational activities.  According to the lake’s official website, it’s larger than I originally thought it was — containing about 56,000 acres of water and stretching to the Georgia state border. Abernathy and I walked about 1 of its 962 miles of shoreline before the poor pup petered out in the heat and decided to wade in.

Yes, I left Abbie's leash on, but in all fairness, I didn't know he'd want to swim! And we didn't have a towel...so it was a messy drive home.

The car is still an absolute mess; however, Abernathy had a great time in the water. Amazing when you think that this is the pup who typically hates getting wet. He was much less pleased about the bath he got when we returned home.

Abernathy after his post-lake bath, chilling on my favourite afghan, which Granny made us just before we left. He keeps trying to claim it as his own. I keep telling him it's not, in fact, his. It's an ongoing battle, which explains his "Ha!" look in this shot. He was quickly - and unceremoniously - booted off.

Last night, Greg and I sampled a pizza mix from the 365 line of gluten-free products at Whole Foods. Although I didn’t think I had made it properly at first (the dough was pretty sticky), it turned out great!  That was exciting. I’ve missed Pizzeria Prego in Edmonton, which makes the best GF pizza imaginable (I recommend the spinocchio, GF or not), so it was good to have a half decent GF pizza again.

After stuffing ourselves with carbs and salad, we somehow thought it would be a good idea to have a cardio workout. Simply put, it wasn’t. Ouch. I’m still recovering from our terrible idea. Greg ate more salad, and less pizza, so he was fine.

Tonight we’re going to a BBQ the university’s president is hosting to welcome new staff and their families. Should be fun.

as a note, this does not turn out red like the store brand, I guess it just goes to show how much dye they add. This is my second attempt at making pepperoni, and I think it came out a bit closer to what I’m used to. I increased the fennel for one(I really like fennel) and cut a few ingredients that didn’t work as well. hope everyone enjoys the second attempt here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5 lb -ground beef – 70% lean
2 1/2 TBSP -salt
1 1/2 tsp -sugar
2 tsp -Cayenne
1 tsp -garlic powder
2 TBSP -fennel(lightly crushed)
1/2 cup -red wine(holland house is gluten free, not sure about others)
2 TBSP -pepper
2 TBSP -paprika
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. mix all ingredients. this will take a while to get all the little pockets out, and you’ll need to use your hands to get it good.
2. let sit covered in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours
3. bake at 200 degrees for 8-9 hours. Bake on a wire rack and have something to catch the drippings. Turn every couple hours.

While reading Gluten Free Philly, one of the great blogs listed on the NFCA’s Celiac Bloggers page, I was happy to discover that Wegmans plans to offer Bella Monica’s frozen flatbread pizzas in October. Read Gluten Free Philly’s full review of this product, which includes a list of places you can find this product,here.

Bella Monica’s flatbread pizzas are truly one of the best frozen gluten-free pizza’s available. They are available in three varieties, Margherita (Tomato sauce, herbs, and a Asiago and Mozzarella cheese blend), Spinach and Tomato (roma tomatoes, baby spinach, roasted garlic, herbs, and a Feta and Mozzarella cheese blend), and Mushroom and Herbs(roma tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted garlic, herbs, and a Asiago and Mozzarella cheese blend). All three varieties are made on a tasty gluten-free rice-flour flatbread and topped with a plentiful combination of herbs, veggies and cheese blends.

There are a few cons to this pizza. One is that it is a bit light on the sauce. The other is that it is a bit pricey. However the convenience of having an overall delicious, high quality, completely ready-made, gluten-free pizza waiting in the freezer mostly makes up for these. To get the most of these pizzas follow the grilling instructions. This results in a crispier and more flavor filled pizza.

To learn more about this great product visit www.bellamonica.com.

682 Main St.
Dennisport, MA 02639
508.394.6247
www.bzspizza.com

Like many of my fellow Massachusetts and southern New England natives, I know there is one place that never fails to feel like summertime. A long-standing summer tradition, trips to Cape Cod bring back memories of beach days, cookouts and good times with friends and family. For my family, it also calls to mind gluten-free pizza. Just minutes from our old Cape Cod stomping grounds is a new discovery of ours, BZ’s Mexican Pizzeria.

Nestled in a collection of shops on 28 in Dennisport, at first glance BZ’s looks like just another pizza place. But look closer and in the windows you’ll find article after article on BZ’s gluten-free offerings: pizza and beer for their gluten-sensitive customers.

Each summer that I have gone to BZ’s (and hopefully more than once!), I have found the pizza just gets better and better. The crispy thin crust paired with the delicious sauce and cheese tastes like I’m eating pizza I shouldn’t. In fact, each time I’ve eaten it, I’ve been tempted to double check with the waitress that this is in fact a gluten-free pizza, not a real pizza by mistake. The only reminder is the typical gluten-free price tag, $12 for a small and $20 for a large. If you’d like to enjoy your pizza with a gluten-free beer, BZ’s has Redbrigde in stock at a similar price to the glutenous beers on tap.

I would absolutely go so far as to say that this is the best gluten-free pizza I have ever had (my mother, however, maintains that her home recipe topped with toppings from Bertucci’s is the best…) and it seems others agree — I’ve been there twice this summer where they have been out of either one size or both of the gluten-free pizzas. If you are looking for an excellent gluten-free pizza and find yourself on Cape Cod, the drive to BZ’s will be worth it, no matter if you’re coming from upper Cape or P-town. Just call first to make sure they have it in stock!

Yes, it’s true. I love, love, love pizza. I’ve perfected the art of making delicious vegan pizza at home but occasionally I feel a pang of sadness that I can’t go out for that perfect slice of pizza or pick up a pie on Friday night. Not any longer! Today my pizza blues were cured with a visit to Pizza Fusion, 5735 E McKellips Rd., Suite 107, Mesa, AZ 85215.

I heard about Pizza Fusion on Facebook but was a bit reluctant to drive out to this obscure location in East Mesa (ok, I’m a lazy sucker for convenience) until I convinced my good friend Tuula to make the trek with me. It didn’t take much convincing since Tuula is like minded about food choices. I was pleasantly surprised that the journey wasn’t really as long as I thought and that the restaurant is fairly conveniently located off the new 202 freeway.

Enough about getting there. Let’s talk about the food. When it comes to restaurants clever vegans can always come up with something to order but there are good vegan dishes and there are horrible vegan dishes. For instance ordering vegan at Outback is terrible. All I can muster is a side of steamed veggies and a baked potato with ketchup. It will suffice in a famine but it’s not what I call a good vegan dish. Pizza Fusion on the other hand, delighted my taste buds and filled my belly.

We ordered the Farmer’s Market vegan pizza with a medley of roasted artichoke hearts, red onion, roasted zucchini and roasted portobello with tomato sauce with vegan cheese. Can you believe it? Yes, you read that right. They have vegan cheese! Better yet, you can order any one of their pizzas with vegan cheese. I know! It’s time to stand up and do a little dance. Something as simple as vegan cheese at a pizza joint makes me as happy as an insect fluttering around a warm light bulb.

When the vegan pizza came to our table, it looked amazing! It was rectangular shaped with fragrant veggies piled on top. The cheese was melted perfectly and I could barely wait to shove it in my mouth, which I promptly did. This tasty morsel of vegan pizza did more than quench my pizza pang, it far exceeded my expectations. It was flavorful, crisp, sweet, fresh … I could go on. Tuula and I are opportunists. And we took this opportunity to eat 3/4 of the entire pizza! That’s more than normal but it was so delicious, I could not bare to leave it for tomorrow’s leftovers. I’ve been so excited to tell you about the pizza that I forgot to mention our starter Fusion Salad which was great too but, you know, salad is salad. I was there for the pizza.

What I didn’t expect was a monster brownie for dessert. You see we got to talking with the manager Sandy and she told us that we absolutely had to try this vegan, gluten-free brownie. My first reaction to dessert is typically no. I assume that the desserts are a melange of dairy products or eggs, the typical. But not so at Pizza Fusion. Tuula and I went for it. We dove right into this warm, exquisite brownie. When I make vegan brownies they always seem a bit crumbly and strange. This vegan, gluten-free brownie was absolutely perfect. Every bite was deliciously sweet and as it slid off the fork, it seems to melt in my mouth. The dollop of vegan whip cream on top, dare I say, was the icing on the brownie.

After this gluttonous spectacle, I felt filled with love for Pizza Fusion. They starved off my pizza pangs that had built up over the years. They dazzled me with an unbelievable brownie. But there was more. As I started to look around, I began to see that the owner, Jennifer, truly believes in what she does. She cares about people eating healthy and saving the planet … one pizza at a time. From the 100% post-consumer recycled paper products to the low flow toilet in the bathroom and the sign in the mirror that says “this person is changing the world,” you can tell that Jennifer wants her customers to feel that their food choices are making a difference. And they are.

Pizza Fusion is more than just great food. It’s a place of inspiration in a listless and frankly boring restaurant market. It’s a place where you can talk to the owner and the manager and feel like they care about the same things you do. It’s something different, something genuine, and something with damn good food!

P.S. Jennifer did not pay me to write this review. I just loved Pizza Fusion that much. You can follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PizzaFusionAZ.

Travelling a little off the regular tourist trail has brought us into some very small towns and  we’ve met lots of friendly people and we realise that over here they do things differently. Murals painted on old buildings are popular.

Statues that recognize the hard working solid people who make the district what it is.

A lot of towns have great old museums and the terrible two just love to fossick around in the treasure….remember Pa’s Vespa Mum well maybe this is where it ended up…just waiting for a restorer to come along

But htis is an area where the ‘boys toys’ are big…really big.

and take a look at this….. the ute gets towed home behind the machine at the end of the days work.

All these free camp sites are becoming more like native flower gardens.

Yesterday we stopped early so Rod and Ken played with our kites. (We bought a couple of cheapies in Kalbarri because we were trying to find some way we could make ourselves like the wind.)

Rod tried…

Ken tried…

Rod finally succeeded in getting his model flying high

Ken’s still working on the fine tuning

Now the reason it was guys only was that it was gluten free pizza night. Yes avid readers we have cracked the secret of making gluten free pizza…without an oven…and it is absolutely yummy. Margaret with her special dietary needs wanted to have a go at making the pizzas…so under head chef direction she and Shirl become apprentice chefs for an afternoon.

It’s very difficult trying to find gluten/ dairy/ egg/ free food. But we have created a special recipe that works using potato flour and rice flour and a couple of secret ingredients.

Margaret was actually attempting to cut the pizza…not kill it.

This was the super supreme with chicken….we also had ham and pineapple.

Never any leftovers on pizza night.  Anyone interested in the recipe just let us know.

Do we look a bit cold…well we were temp got down to about 2 early morning but the next day was beautiful and we were in for another day of  lovely suprises. But fornow  everyone sends their love and hopes you are all keeping well.

Happy birthday for tomorrow Mum…we know you’ll have a lovely day.

You can decide.

I made a pizza crust recipe yesterday.  But instead of eating it with toppings like a pizza, we just ate the baked crust dipped in balsamic vinegar and olive oil – a complete throwback to the days of warm focaccia bread at a restaurant.  So, I was thrilled with our mock-focaccia, eventho it wasn’t quite the same texture the flavor was amazing!

I am going to copy and paste the pizza crust recipe.  I found it here, and am so glad I stumbled across Karina’s blog!  I basically followed it to a tee but added garlic powder to the dough too, just because I love garlic.

Lydia’s Gluten-Free Pizzza Dough

In a measuring cup, proof:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 pkg dry, active yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar

Whisk together in a bowl and let it sit for 5-10 min as the yeast proofs and begins to foam.

In a mixing bowl, combine:

• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano, rosemary, crushed red pepper and garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 scant tsp xanthan gum

Add the proofed yeast mixture.  Stir to combine.

Add:

• 2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour mix (see below)

Mix the dough by hand for 2-3 minutes.  Let it rest as you oil a pan and sprinkle cornmeal on top of the pan to prevent sticking.

Drop the dough onto the pan and using wet or oiled hands, flatten and spread the dough evenly to the thickness you prefer.  (Usually a 10×13 baking pan.)

Allow the dough to rest while you pre-heat the oven to 425 F.

Pre-bake the pizza crust for 10 minutes.

Add sauce and toppings.  Bake for an additional 10 minutes or so, until the crust is done and the toppings are heated through and bubbling.

For focaccia bread, drizzle olive oil on top of crust and just bake for 20 minutes.

Lydia’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix is:

• 3 parts white rice flour
• 3 parts brown rice flour
• 2 parts potato starch
• 1 part tapioca flour

For us, we really enjoyed the mock-focaccia bread.  I know I’d love this with a warm vegan pesto and fresh sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and balsamic – for a fresca margherita style pizza.

I served this last night with an awesome rustic vegetable pasta sauce.  I will post the recipe I came up with here later today if I have time.  I also didn’t take pictures.  I am a terrible food blogger.

You know you’ve found a good GF pizza, when after taking the first, second and even last bite, you’re not completely sure it’s GF or not! That is how Garlic Jim’s GF pizza is… it’s so delicious, I could easily put it in a taste test with some non-GF thin crust pizzas and it might win.

Not only was the pizza outstanding, but so was the service. We were at Target in Cool Springs when we called for our pick-up order. By the time we made it down Mallory Lane to Garlic Jim’s, our pizza was ready for us (in less than 10 minutes!). And this wasn’t at a random time in the middle of the day. This was during the dinner rush hour. Also, the staff was wise to let us know that the pizza is not 100% GF due to wheat flour blowing through the air in the kitchen.

Unfortunately, we only have the one location in TN (in Cool Springs, across from Centennial High School), but Garlic Jim’s has many more available locations on the West Coast, Colorado and Florida.

I can’t wait to try one of their specialty pizzas on the GF crust! Mmmmmmm : )

Live well,

Katie

Wheat Free/Gluten Free Recipe
http://www.iansnaturalfoods.com

The box of Ian’s French Bread Pizza had been sitting in my mom’s fridge for almost a month before I decided to try it. I had tried Ian’s Chicken Nuggets a few years ago and really disliked them. Seriously, how can you mess up chicken nuggets? This is America! I was very doubtful as to whether this French Bread Pizza could be any good, since it seemed far more complicated.

Had they just been pizzas, another month probably would have passed before I tried them. But they were french bread.  I used to love baguettes and I haven’t been able to find any gluten-free ones in the States. So, I asked my mom what she thought of the pizzas. She encouraged me to try them and stated that it was her second time buying them. Finally, I caved.

Ian’s, you have redeemed yourself. Despite taking longer than the package stated to cook (I chose to use the recommended conventional oven versus a microwave), it was delicious! The sauce was a bit strong and the soy cheez was a bit mild, but the french bread was excellent. I would chance to say that someone who did not keep a gf diet wouldn’t think twice about whether this were really bread when eating it. The bread was crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, the texture and taste did not betray the usual hints of gluten substitutes. I’m not really into soy, and I love regular cheese, but aside from the fact that the soy cheez didn’t melt like regular cheese and threw me off a bit while cooking, it did not taste overly artificial to me like Amy’s Single Serve Non-Dairy Rice Crust Cheeze Pizza sometimes does.

If you are looking for a quick, easy-to-make gluten free pizza, Ian’s French Bread Pizza is a great choice.  This is definitely among the best frozen gluten free pizzas I have tried and it earns five stars. Hmm, the back of the box recommends Gluten Free French Toast Sticks… now that my faith has been restored in Ian’s, I may have to try those…

Gluten-Free Pepperoni Hash Brown Casserole Dish Pizza

Pizza!!! Gluten-Free.... Click Here for Recipe. (C.2009, WTB)

Matteo’s in Cool Springs offers gourmet GF pizza!!!

I fould Matteo’s after searching the Gluten Free Geek’s website. His review of Matteo’s was not very good, but I couldn’t help but try it! My husband and I were both quite satisfied.

They offer 8 and 10 inch GF pizza’s with toppings at 50 and 75 cents respectively. Not only are the prices good ($6.95 & $9.25), but they actually tasted GREAT! I had the 10 in. with italian sausage, garlic and mushrooms, and my husband had a 10 in. with sausage, black olives and onions. Both were fantastic! I’m not gonna lie… you can tell it’s GF crust, but it’s far better than any GF crust I’ve made from the store. And of course the factors of convenience and price win out!

I DEFINITELY recommend Matteo’s and I look forward to future pizza parties with friends! I also recommend stopping by Stogie’s next door to grab some GF beer or cider. Check out this facebook group that has more info about GF beers.

ENJOY!!!

Portland Oregon:
We just heard that Mississippi Pizza Makes a good pie! Here is their info!
3552 N Mississippi Ave
Portland, OR 97227
(503) 288-3231

This is a recipe that my beautiful wife makes.  Too often heart healthy foods don’t seem to be a comfort food. This one, I think if a pleasant abberation in that regard. It is somewhat heart healthy as it is meatless, high in grains and is gluten free: