{Gluten and Dairy Free} Pizza Pockets

Snail Paced Transformations has his great recipe for Bread Machine Stuffed Pizza bread. It is not allergy-friendly so I "transformed" it into something that is. Below is my recipe for bread dough. You can skip the bread machine, mix the ingredients in a bowl and then roll it into the flat pocket pieces(see pic below) on a heavily dusted surface.  Once they are in the flat pocket sections let them rise for 30 minutes.  Then you can stuff and bake them as she describes. I would use Daiya Mozzerella. You could do canadian bacon and pinapple, pepperoni and black olive, or a veggie stuffed pizza. Yum!! You can use egg replacer in this. It will be a bit more "dough like" if you use eggs, but it still works with egg-replacer. Here are her directions for her version.

1/2 cup millet
1 and 1/2 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup tapioca starch
1 and 1/3 cup potato starch
2 packages gluten free yeast
2 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 egg whites slightly beaten (I used 4 eggs worth of Ener-G egg replacer)
4 TBS olive oil plus more for brushing
1 and 1/4 cup  warm water

optional: GF corn meal for dusting crust

Place all ingredients in your bread machine and then set to “dough” setting. When it is done then divide the dough into two even sized balls, and set aside while you get all your ingredients for the stuffing out.

Roll the dough out into a pocket that is longer than it is wide. When mine are rolled out they are about the size of a regular cookie sheet, so that when folded shut you could fit the 2 pockets side by side on one cookie sheet (although I cook mine on 2 sheets because I have the oven room).

Next go ahead and stuff the stuffed pizza bread with what ever topping you want. Pictured here is a mix of pizza sauce, pepperoni, seasoned hamburger, mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan which is a family favorite, but you can mix it up however you want it. Stuff pizza bread night is a great night to use up those  little bits of this and that leftover in the fridge and freezer.

Here is a tip before you fold over your pocket wet all the edges with a bit of water using either your finger or a pastry brush. This will help seal the dough better decreasing the chances of the toppings oozing out of the bread pocket.

Another tip for ensuring a tight seal on the stuffed pizza bread, is to use the back side of a fork to pinch the dough together.

Once your pocket loaf is made, place it in oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees until golden brown which takes about 15 to 18 minutes. Cool for 5 and then slice and serve.

Going Paleo?

Are you going Paleo? Are you already Paleo, but are running out of ideas. Amazon regularly has Paleo cookbooks for free. Also, Elana's Pantry is one of the best blogs I've seen for Paleo foods. Her concoctions are out of this world. For Paleo ideas go here.   Below is a photo from one of her amazing recipes. Go here for the recipe.  As you probably know, Paleo uses a lot of nuts so if you can't have nuts unfortunately this isn't for you. But if you can have nuts, this is a gold mine!

photo from Elana's Pantry

Vegan and Gluten Free Mexican Bean Baked Casserole

Allergy Free Test Kitchen has this fun Mexican casserole on her blog. I may omit the cinnamon, just because I'm not a cinnamon fan in savory dishes. Enjoy!

From: Adapted from More Choices by Cheryl D. Thomas-Peters

Ingredients:

• 1 15 oz. can pinto beans, rinsed, drained, soaked, drained again
• 1 15 oz. can mild chili beans, with sauce
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mild salsa
• 1/16 tsp. cinnamon
• gluten free (homemade or bought), corn, tortillas (how much is up to you)
• Daiya Cheddar like cheese shreds (as much as you like)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a bowl, combine beans, onion, salsa and cinnamon.
3. Cut your tortillas into little 1-2 inch pieces.
4. Place a layer of tortillas in a 10 by 8 Pyrex pan.
5. Spoon some bean mixture evenly over top of tortillas.
6. Sprinkle some cheese over top.
7. Layer more tortillas.
8. Spoon more bean mixture over tortillas.
9. Sprinkle more cheese, if desired.
10. Repeat layers as often as you like or want. Top most layer should end with cheese.
11. Bake for 45 minutes.
12. Cut into squares and serve with sour cream, or any toppings you choose.

Not Your Mama's Meatloaf {Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free}

(to save time I made the meatloaf into meatballs)

I confess. I used to hate meatloaf when I was growing up. I'm not even sure why, but something about it did not go down well with me. It wasn't until my friend made me her out-of-the-box meatloaf that I "got" why people can love it so much.  I have altered it a fair bit to make it allergy-friendly.  The last time I made it I made it into meatballs to reduce oven time. I have also put them in muffin tins to make mini meatloaves. It has a lot of ingredients, but if you use the food processor to do the chopping for you, this will go way faster. The gravy makes the dish. Every time I make it I question the nutmeg idea, but every time I put it in I am glad I did. If you are wanting something a little different, give this a try! (not to mention how many veggies and nutrients are hidden in there!) I serve this with mashed potatoes and grilled broccoli or cauliflower. I am posting this at Allergy-free Wednesdays.

MEATLOAF or MEATBALLS:

Saute in 3 T Olive Oil:

½ cup minced red onion

¾ cup minced green onion

¾ cup minced celery

½ cup minced carrots

½ cup minced green pepper

½ cup minced red pepper

1 T minced garlic

*set aside and cool

Combine:

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp pepper

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp nutmeg

*add to cooled vegetables

Mix in:

½ cup ketchup

2 pounds ground beef

¾ cup GF bread crumbs or crumbed gf crackers (I make mine by mincing it in the food processor)

For meatloaf:
Form into loaf and place on baking dish.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

For meatballs: 
Form into balls and cook at 400F for 20 minutes.

SHALLOT GRAVY:

Saute in oil:

1 T minced shallots

¼ tsp thyme

1 crumbled bay leaf

¼ tsp pepper

Add:

2 cups beef broth

1 T  Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

*heat until reduced by half.

*serve over meatloaf