It looks like for the next month or so I am going to have to go back to a strict anti-inflammatory/anti-allergen diet. I’ve had a few symptoms recur related to my food allergies and I need to give my body time to heal. So for the next few months hopefully I can give those of you on a strict diet some ideas of what to eat…as I learn myself!  It sure does take a lot of creativity to eat this way.  What’s on the menu for me this week includes a simple Greek style lentil soup, a version of my Turkey Nori Wrap, a veggie stir-fry made with Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles, an eggless turkey meatloaf, and Teff Banana Pancakes from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Among the things I’m avoiding: gluten and dairy (of course), tomatoes, potatoes, eggs, peanuts, corn, cane sugar and processed things. Those are the biggies!

So I will give you a recipe I made last week for cheese-less, gluten free pizza. It’s a fairly clean recipe, just something I couldn’t eat right now since the crust has some no-no items in it (really just potato and sugar). I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix. I suppose I could create my own crust that would work.

The recipe uses caramelized onion as a cheese substitute. I’ve never much liked those fake cheese substitutes you can buy at the grocery store, and besides, they often still have casein in them, which is the protein found in dairy. Also, if you are trying to improve your health, I think eliminating as many processed foods from your diet as possible is key.  Another idea for a dairy-free substitute for cheese on a pizza would be vegan pesto sauce.  Yum!

Gluten-Free Cheese-less Pizza

Ingredients:

1 package Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix

10 yellow onions, sliced into thin strips (these will reduce in volume greatly when caramelized)

2 heads broccoli, cut into flowerets

1 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

various dried Italian spices

olive oil

Instructions:

1.) To caramelize the onions, use a large pan with a lid.  Add some olive oil (about 3 tablespoons).  Heat to medium.  Add onion and a little salt to help release moisture from the onions.  Saute for several minutes.  Once the onions have begun to brown a little bit, turn heat to medium low and cover.  Slow cook the onions for approximately 30-40 minutes, checking every 6 or 7 minutes to make sure you don’t need to add any more oil to keep them from sticking.  You will know they are done when they have greatly reduced in volume, are a light brown color, and taste sweet.  Adding sugar isn’t necessary.

2.) Prepare the pizza crust according to directions.  The recipe on the package calls for egg and I used the egg-less flax seed option, making the pizza suitable for vegans or those with egg allergies.  The flax seed option is explained on the package.  While you should never cook with flax seed oil since it destroys the fats, from the research I’ve done it seems to be just fine to heat whole or ground flax seeds.

3.) In a separate pan from the onions, add a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tbl).  Saute mushrooms, garlic, broccoli and olives until the broccoli is soft but still a little crisp and brightly colored.  Add some Italian spices to taste.

4.) Once crust is done, spread caramelized onion mixture over the pizza.  Then spread sauteed veggie mixture on top.  Bake according to instructions on pizza crust package.

5.)  Allow to cool just  a little before slicing pizza.  Once pizza is completely cooled slices can be wrapped in wax paper and placed in a plastic bag to freeze.  This worked well for me.