Roasted Beet & Fennel Pesto Pizza! GF, SCD, BED & Paleo w/ Vegan opt'n!

What up Happy Tummiesss?!!

How was everyone's weekend? Did you watch the World Cup finals? I watched it with my friends in Harlem. What a fun day.

A double rainbow on the way to the airport in Wisconsin.

So yep, I'm back from Wisconsin, and boy do I miss my fam. It was so great to be with them, especially my little niece, Baby A. She turns one on Thursday. Such. A. Cutie. :D My mom loves being a gma:)

It is definitely a different kind of summer here in NYC. It is seriously muggy and humid here on the East Coast, but that was NOT the case in Wisconsin! It was so cold in the Northwoods that on a couple days, that I had to wear a ski suit when we went boating!! And at the lake home, we have all our old clothes up there -- as the "cottage wardrobe." So let's just say I looked pretty sweet in my mom's 80's ski outfit! haha

Yep, it was a high of 63 degrees some days, so lets just say it was f-f-f-freezing on the water! Quite the change from NYC :D

One night in Wisconsin, I decided to make one of my favorite meals: a Cauliflower Flatbread Pizza!

Flatbreads are a standby for me. They're so delicious, filling, easy to make, and seriously good eats!

And you did read that right: it's made out of Cauliflower! Cauliflower and almond flour to be exact:D

This particular flatbread was a Roasted Beet and Fennel Pesto Flatbread! And it's Gluten and Grain Free, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet Friendly, Paleo, and has a Vegan option!

Here's what you need: (Serves one)

1/3 cup almond flour
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 1 flax/chia egg)
1 cup cauliflower florets (riced in a food processor)
3 pinches salt

1 beet, cut into 1/4 inch rounds (BED sub red pepper)
1 bulb of fennel, half cut into wedges, and half shaved on the mandolin

Pesto Sauce:
1 cup, packed fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
juice 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper
3/4 cup green peas, microwaved for 2 minutes
1-2 Tbsp EVOO

Garnish:
fresh basil, chopped
sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degree. Rice your cauliflower in the food processor. Then, place your riced cauliflower in either paper towels, cheesecloth, or a clean kitchen towel, and wring out all the excess liquid. (This is a really important step!)

Combine the riced cauliflower with the egg, almond flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (NOT wax paper!) Place your "dough" in the center of the parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top, and "smoosh" out the dough to about an 8 inch circle. Leave the top paper on, and bake as a "parchment sandwich" for about 30-35 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.

Next, scrub and dry your beet, and slice it into 1/4 inch rounds. Place them in a single layer on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet. Spritz with olive oil. Set aside.

Take your fennel bulb and remove the two outer layers. With half, cut into wedges, keeping the button intact, so the wedges stay together. Place these wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet with the beets. Spritz with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, take the fennel off the baking sheet and set aside. Flip the beets, and return the baking sheet to the oven for another 10 minutes.

With the remaining 1/2 fennel bulb, carefully shave it on the mandolin into paper-thin slices. These will be scattered raw on the pizza.

Meanwhile, make your pesto by combining all the pesto ingredients in the food processor and blitz until smooth. You'll need to scrape the sides several times.

To assemble, place a thin layer of the pesto sauce on the crust. Top with slices of the beets, the roasted fennel, and raw fennel, and garnish with basil and sunflower seeds.

Oh my goodness this pizza was SO GOOD! Holy cow, what a treat. For those of you who are skeptical of a crust made out of cauliflower, I assure you, you do NOT taste the cauliflower at all. No kidding. I passed it around the table for my family to try, and they all couldn't believe that there was cauliflower in it. Even my dad --- and that's saying something!

The textures were so great. The crust was chewy and bready, and a little crispy/crunchy on the edges. The creamy pesto, chewy beets and roasted fennel went perfectly with the crunchy sunflower seeds and raw fennel.

And the flavors were fabulous! The pesto was so bright and fresh, and the beets had a wonderful earthy sweetness to them that paired perfectly with the sweet and licorice-y fennel. There's something magical about fennel when you roast it in the oven -- its inherent sweetness comes out and caramelizes. SO good! And the sunflower seeds gave a nice nutty and salty *pop* to it.

Finally, it was a stunning dish with the bright green and deep purple. Just beautiful.

Alright, I'm off to watch the Bachelorette! More great recipes coming later this week! Be sure to check back!

Balsamic Roasted Fennel and Beets w/ Blistered Green Beans! Gluten Free, Vegan, SCD & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Well Sunday night, and another weekend has come and gone entirely too fast!

Did you do anything fun? I definitely did. Hit up the Meatpacking District...fun times! There's always a new adventure to be had in the Big Apple.

So I am SO excited to share this new and delicious recipe with you! It's super easy, yet a showstopper...so it's perfect for a Thanksgiving dish, or for an easy weeknight meal!

All the flavors of fall with a delicious sweet addition: FENNEL.

Now, if you've never had Fennel before, or if you've had it but think you don't like it...do yourself a favor and give it another shot. When it's oven roasted, it is absolutely AMAZING! It caramelizes and becomes beautifully sweet and licorice-y.

And with balsamic vinegar --- get outta town!

That's right, I made balsamic roasted fennel and beets with roasted butternut squash and blistered green beans.

Talk. about. incredible.

And it's Gluten/Grain Free, Vegan, Specific Carb Diet, and Paleo!

Here's what you need: (Serves 1)

1 large beet, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 large bulb of fennel, sliced vertically in 4
12 green beans
1/4 cup cubed butternut squash
1 cup baby spinach

1 tsp herbs de provence
2 Tbsp good balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To prepare your fennel bulb, cut off the big stalks that look like celery. :) Then, remove the outer "leaves." Keep the core, (the little "button" at the base) intact. When you slice it vertically into 4, 1/4-inch disks, make sure to keep a bit of the core in each disk to help it stay together.

Also, scrub and dry your beet. Slice it into 1/4 inch disks. Next, cube your butternut squash into 1/2 inch cubes.

Place your fennel and beet disks, and butternut squash on a tin-foil-lined, olive-oil-sprayed baking sheet in a single layer. Spritz with olive oil and sprinkle with herbs de Provence and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

When you flip your beets, fennel and squash, add your green beans to the baking sheet. Drizzle your veggies with the balsamic vinegar. Return to the oven for the remaining 20 minutes.

When your veggies are finished in the oven, sprinkle with sea salt. Slice your beets into 1/4 inch matchsticks. Slice your green beans in half.

To assemble, place a bed of spinach on your plate. Place your fennel on the spinach. Then, put your beets, butternut squash, and green beans in a pile on top.

What a wonderful meal! Roasted veggies are one of my favorite foods! Something magical happens in the oven when you oven roast beets and butternut squash. Their natural sugars caramelize and it brings out the sweetness in the veggies.

And the balsamic vinegar reduces and becomes perfectly sweet! Paired with the roasted veggies and blistered beans, it is out of this world!

And the texture of the fennel is amazing. It is chewy and almost creamy! Mmmm!

Finally, it is a beautiful dish with the deep purple, vibrant orange, emerald green and golden fennel. It looks like autumn on a plate!


Have a great week!


Want more GFHT?  You can now get my e-cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy for only $2.99 on Amazon!

Fennel & Pesto Pizza! GF, V, SCD, BED & Paleo!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Can we just hit the pause button real quick and talk about the fact that we're already halfway through September!? Umm...what?! Time is flying by at warp speed!! 

Well this is going to be a great week becaaaaaause....fall TV is starting!! DWTS is tonight, The Mindy Project premieres on Tuesday...who's excited!? :) I don't know how I feel about James Franco's appearance on the show though...

Any who! As I mentioned before, I was home this past weekend and I had a blast. Not only was I there for some birthday celebrations, (the monster cookies were a hit!) but we also got our family photos taken since we have a new addition! Anna from Anna May Photography is seriously amazing. Anna is a good friend of my brother and his wife. She has a beautifully artistic eye. I thought I'd share some favorites:)

OK, now on to some FOOD! For dinner one evening, I made a delicious cauliflower crust pizza!

One of the beauties about pizza is that you can make it ahead of time and have it all ready to go at the drop of a hat!

Soo, I made a Fennel and Pesto Pizza!!

And it's gluten free, Specific Carb Diet & Body Ecology Diet friendly, & Paleo w/ a Vegan Option!

Here's what you need: (serves 1)

Crust:
1 cup cauliflower, riced
2 egg whites (Vegan option: 1 flax/chia egg)
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt

Pesto:
1 cup broccoli, steamed
3/4 cup green peas, steamed
1 cup fresh basil
2 Tbsp pine nuts
juice 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp EVOO
healthy pinch of salt and pepper

1 tomato, sliced (BED omit)
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper chopped (BED use red) 
1 bulb of fennel, shaved
1/4 tsp dried oregano and basil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your raw cauliflower florets in the food processor and process until it resembles rice. Then, place the rice in a clean kitchen towel (or several paper towels) and wring out all the liquid. This is a really important step.  Combine it thoroughly with your almond flour, salt, and egg whites. Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet. Put your batter onto one sheet of parchment, and place the other sheet on top. “Smoosh” it out fairly thin. Spritz the top with EVOO. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, brown your mushrooms in a skillet with 1 tsp EVOO. Do this by placing them in a single layer and then don't touch them for about 3-4 minutes, so that they can brown. Then, flip, and let sit untouched for another 3 minutes. Add your bell peppers to the pan and let them cook for another 3 minutes. Sprinkle them with about 1/4 tsp dried basil and oregano.  Take off the stove and hit with salt and pepper. 

Next, carefully shave your fennel on a mandolin. (I've learned from experience that it is very important to use the safety hand guard!) Also, slice your tomato into about 1/4 inch slices.

Finally, make your pesto. First, steam your broccoli and peas either in the microwave or in a steamer basket. Then, place all your pesto ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth. You'll need to scrape the sides several times. 

To assemble, spread a thin layer of the pesto on your flatbread. Leave about a 1/2 inch boarder. Then, place your tomato slices on top. Top those with your peppers and mushrooms. Finally, sprinkle the top with the raw fennel.

Mmm mmmm mmmm this was so tasty!

Lets be honest: Fennel can be kind of an intimidating vegetable. It's this big white bulb that has these freakish and fuzzy stalks protruding up like Edward Scissor Hands.  (dramatic much??) BUT, it really is delicious. It adds a wonderfully delicate crunch to a dish and has an unmistakably lovely licorice flavor, unlike anything else. I had some extra fennel left over, and my family (who had never had it before) put it on their salads and LOVED it! #fennelconverts :)

I loved the addition of the juicy tomatoes to this dish too. They were sweet and fresh and complimented the bright pesto wonderfully.  Finally, the mushrooms were perfectly chewy and earthy.

Finally, it goes without saying, but I love my cauliflower crusts. They're one of my "staples." I always keep the ingredients on hand: frozen cauliflower and almond flour! It has this wonderfully nutty and delicate flavor. You honestly don't taste the cauliflower AT ALL! It's a miracle food, seriously!!

And you can pick it up like a piece of pizza. Sounds like a winner to me!

And lastly, this dish was absolutely beautiful too with all the colors. It just begs to be eaten and enjoyed. And that's just what I did!



What fall TV show are you looking forward to?



Want more GFHT?  You can now get my e-cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy for only $2.99 on Amazon!

Eggplant Caponata! GF, V, SCD!

Oh hey! Things have been pretty crazy here today. Because guess why: we’re going up to Wisconsin again, and we’re leaving at 6amtomorrow! Hello Twelve Hour Drive!

Eggplant Caponata!

I know — crazy, right? I’m leaving for New York City on the 5th of September, and we are going to be in Wisconsin until the 4th! I didn’t think I was going up North until Labor Day weekend, but surprise! my parents want to go up a week early. :)

Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet Friendly!

I won’t complain:) I’ll take any extra dose of tranquility I can get!

tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant, oh my!

So tonight for dinner, I had to use up pretty much everything in the fridge! And thinking ahead, I decided to make something I could pack in the car for dinner tomorrow.

yum yum yum!

Enter: Eggplant Caponata! A warm and sultry combination of veggies with a fresh kick of basil. And it’s perfect to pack and bring on a trip!

so healthy!

And it’s Gluten Free, Vegan, and Specific Carb Diet friendly!

Here’s what you need: (serves 3)

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds – reserve 5, and dice the rest (~2 cups)
2 large tomatoes, diced with their juice
1/2 fennel bulb, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
5 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
6 baby carrots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried basil and oregano
salt and pepper
fresh basil, chopped (garnish)

2/3 head of cauliflower, broken into florets

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Take 2 baking sheets, line them with tin foil and spray with olive oil. On one, place your 5 eggplant rounds, and on the other, spread out your cauliflower florets. Spritz everything with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 35 minutes, flipping half way through.

Meanwhile, saute your onion in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and spices. Let it soften for about 2 minutes, then add your carrots and fennel, and let them soften for about 3 minutes. Add in your mushroom and eggplant. Let them cook for about 4 minutes, then add in your zucchini and garlic. Let them cook for about 5-6 minutes. Finally, add in your tomatoes with their juice. Let everything cook for about 4 more minutes. Take off the heat, and reseason with salt and pepper.

so delicious!

To assemble, place one or two eggplant rounds on a plate, top with 1/4 cup of the caponata and garnish with basil. Surround with the roasted cauliflower, and enjoy!

amazing roasted cauliflower!

This meal was wonderful! It was so warm and filling! The caponata was delightful, because all the veggies had become tender, and almost creamy from the eggplant!

what a plate!

The flavors were so comforting from the basil and oregano, pairing perfectly with the tomatoes. And the bright basil added just the perfect pop of freshness at the end.

mmmmmmm!

Finally, the cauliflower was such a fabulous accompaniment. I enjoyed eating a spoonful of the caponata with a golden cauliflower floret! – It almost took on a “starchy” quality that is so longed for on the Specific Carb Diet.

a pile of Italian goodness!

What was the best part of your week?

Until tomorrow!

Need an olive oil mister? Here's the one I use: