Food should be nourishing and delicious. It sounds simple, right? With sweets especially, it can be so hard to find treats that are as good to eat as they are for you. My friend Laurel, the baker behind the grain-free and refined-sugar-free (and sometimes vegan) goodness known as Sweet Laurel Bakery, has shared some of her simplest and most satisfying recipes with me. My favorite thing about her recipes is that they’re always made with whole ingredients, no funny stuff or filler, so even the biggest sweet-tooth loves them.
Paleo + Italian. Not usually seen in the same sentence, but today is an exception. As you all know by now, my husband Nick is a sexy Italian, hence my last name, Gallucci. My all time favorite thing is to make dinner for Nick, and ever since I created this paleo margherita pizza recipe, it has become part of our weekly meal plan. We topped this pizza with my favorite red pepper pesto and Kite Hill Cheese. If you don’t know about Kite Hill yet, it is the best almond milk based cheese. This pizza actually tastes like pizza. Make it, you won’t regret it!
INGREDIENTS (PIZZA CRUST)
Yields 2, 12 inch pizza crusts
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
1/2 cup cassava flour
1 and 1/4 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
DIRECTIONS
Preheat Oven 425.
Whisk together eggs and almond milk together in a bowl. Add flours and salt and mix well.
Layer a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread dough into two large circles. Bake for 15 minutes, then top with Red Pepper Pesto (recipe below). Sprinkle with Kite Hill Soft Fresh Original. This is delicious almond milk based cheese is available at most Whole Foods Markets or www.Kite-Hill.com. Bake another 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Before serving, top with fresh basil. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS (TOPPINGS)
1 cup Red Pepper Pesto
1 cup Kite Hill Soft Fresh Original Cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh basil, sliced thin
INGREDIENTS (RED PEPPER PESTO)
2 red bell peppers (washed, cored and quartered)
1 clove garlic with skin on
1 lemon, juiced
1/8 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425
Roast peppers and garlic about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Place peppers in blender. Remove skin from garlic and place in blender with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pine nuts. Blend on high until smooth. Remove from blender and use as a sauce.
