Almond & Buckwheat Flour Pizza

I never used to be a pizza fan growing up. I was fine to live my days without such a food. It wasn't until after I got married that I realized what a delectable food this indeed was. The problem, however, is pizza is not the healthiest of food. It's made up of greasy, empty carb crusts, sugar enriched sauces, layered with toppings left up to the imagination, then topped with mounds of greasy cheese. Sounds delicious doesn't it? 

Pizza always seems to be a staple at any major home-viewing event, such as the Superbowl or Stanley Cup Playoffs. We eat it while watching movies, at parties and really, in just about every circumstance. It is a well loved food. 

Today is one of my favourite home-viewing events, the Oscars, and for such a viewing, normal pizza will not do. Plus, I can't eat it anymore anyway. Thus I give you a healthy alternative that is perfect for a more classy event, such as the Oscars, that the whole family is still sure to enjoy. I found this recipe on Oh She Glows and you can see the original recipe post here if you like. 

Enjoy and Happy Oscar Day!

ALMOND & BUCKWHEAT FLOUR PIZZA

(gluten-free and can be dairy-free & vegan)

Ingredients:

Pizza Crust

- 1 1/2 cups almond meal

- 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 2-3 Tbsp favourite spices, fresh or dried (I used oregano, thyme and rosemary)

- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- 2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water, mixed)

- 2-3 Tbsp water, as needed

Use fresh ground flax for your flax eggs.

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flax eggs and set aside for 5 mins. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick mat.

- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well with hands until you can form a ball.

- Place ball of dough on a non-stick mat, or on parchment paper. Place another mat or more parchment paper over top. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is as thin as you can get it. (I wasn't able to roll it all out with parchment on top, so for the last bit just rolled the dough itself.)

- Transfer to a baking sheet (dough may rip, but that's ok). Gently patch rips of dough with fingers. I liked how the dough looked rustic, thus left it as is. It doesn't have to be perfect!

- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes until golden along the edges. Remove to cool slightly. Set oven to broil on medium heat setting.

Our pizza crust was a bit chewy and soft, but we really liked that. If you want a crisp crust, simply roll it out thinner.

Ingredients:

Pizza

- Pre-baked crust

- Garlic basil pesto

- Toppings of choice

- Cheese (dairy-free or vegan cheese optional)

Directions:

- Spread the pesto onto the pre-baked crust. 

- Layer your toppings (I used mushrooms, zucchini, red bell pepper and garlic sausage)

- Sprinkle on cheese

- Broil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, watching very closely so you don't burn the pizza. 

- Slice and serve immediately

I had a bit extra crust that I made into a smaller pizza on a smaller stone.

Happy Eating!