Sweet Potato Caprese Pizza

May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

Sweet Potato Caprese Pizza | Life Healthfully Lived When I was coming up with the recipe for these tasty pizzas I had such a great idea/method. I was going to make a hashbrown like crust and then broil some delicious melty cheese, tomatoes, and basil on top. It was going to be awesome because I was going to use my waffle iron to make this wonderfully crispy crust and then pop everything under the broiler for the final touch.

My waffle iron is now in a garbage dump somewhere in Illinois. Sweet Potato Caprese Pizza | Life Healthfully Lived

Long story short, if you have an awesome waffle iron that you love you can still make these the way that I intended. If you have a waffle iron that is literally the spawn of Satan you can use my alternative method and still have pretty delicious results.

Also, just a quick reminder to myself and anyone around me: Don’t decide to test a new recipe on a Saturday night when you’ve completely lost track of time, haven’t eaten in like 5 hours and it’s almost 9 p.m.

Yes, this really happened.

Yes, Adam had to deal with a hangry wife.

The things I do for you guys. 🙂

Sweet Potato Caprese Pizza

2 large sweet potatoes, shredded (I used my food processor and it was super easy but you can also use a box grater)
1 batch of my No Mozzarella Mozzarella
8 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
small bunch of basil, stems removed
2 large eggs, beaten (or 3 tbsp flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
olive oil or coconut oil for the pan/waffle iron

Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper and place the shredded sweet potatoes, eggs, and seasonings into a large bowl and mix together until everything is well combined.
If you are using a waffle iron (lucky duck), grease the iron with a little oil and scoop about 1/4 to 1/2 cup (depending on the size of your iron) of the sweet potato batter into the iron and cook until the edges are crispy. Or your waffle iron goes ding. Move the finished crust to the baking sheet and continue until you have used all the batter.
If you don’t have a waffle iron, you can cook this in a skillet (I used this one) or on a stovetop griddle. Use a little oil, scoop about 1/4 cup batter onto the skillet and let if cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the edges are crispy and brown. Move to the baking sheet and repeat until you’re out of batter.
Once your crusts are complete, top each pizza with a dollop of mozzarella, a few tomato slices, and basil leaves. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top and then move the pizzas to the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to get a little brown and the tomatoes have crisped.

The fun part about this recipe is it can be dinner or it can be breakfast! Or lunch. Or a snack. Or if you’re a bit odd, dessert! I guess what I’m saying is eat this whenever the heck you want and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. You don’t need that negativity in your life. Sweet Potato Caprese Pizza | Life Healthfully Lived

Happy Friday friends and enjoy your weekend!

*There are affiliate links in this post. If you click on them and buy the product through that link, I get a percent of the sale. Any money I get from affiliate links goes back into the blog to make it better for you, so thanks!

DIY Wednesday: Homemade Gluten-Free Flours

May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 2 Comments

For those of you that bake and cook with gluten-free flours often, you know that it can be a pricey endeavor. You can get five pounds of all-purpose flour for like a nickel but 2 ounces of any type of gluten-free flour costs all the gold in China as well as your firstborn child.

Ok, maybe it’s not that dramatic, but you get the idea.

For awhile, I had relegated myself to shelling out the extra dough when it came to gluten-free flour but then I started to think about it. Most of the flours I bought weren’t blends, they were just straight up one-ingredient flours. Almond, brown rice, quinoa, oat, buckwheat, corn, coconut… all flours made with just one thing.

I can make things with just one ingredient in my own kitchen.

I have a blender/food processor.

Why am I paying an arm and a leg for these things again?

So I started saving money and making my own flour at home. If you have a decent blender or food processor you can do the same thing. Heck, if you have a pretty crappy blender or food processor you can get by making a few of these on your own. I did until I got a new food processor.

Here are four of my favorite flours to make at home and a few ideas on how to use them!

Oat Flour

This is probably the easiest and cheapest flour to make. All you need are regular rolled oats and you can make your own oat flour.

1 cup regular rolled oats = a little less than one cup of flour.

Pulse oats in a food processor or blender until you have a fine flour like texture.

Uses: Great for cookies and quick breads. I like to use it as a binder in lentil meatloaf or meatballs too.

Buckwheat Flour

Even though it has the word heat in the name it’s still gluten-free. You will want to find plain buckwheat groats, not roasted.

1 cup buckwheat groats = about 1 cup of flour

Toast the plain groats in a dry pan over medium-high heat until nutty and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Pulse the groats and then blend into a fine powder.

Uses: I like using it to make pancakes, bread, and crackers. It also makes a nice crispy crust for pork or chicken if you mix it with a few spices, salt, and pepper.

Quinoa Flour

You might need a little bit more powerful blender or food processor to grind up the tiny quinoa seeds. A smaller bowl or pitcher work better if you have one of those. You can use any color quinoa you like but I like to use white quinoa because it has a more neutral flavor.

1 cup quinoa = less than 1 cup of flour

Toast the quinoa in a dry pan over medium-high heat until fragrant and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes
Blend in a food processor or blender until you have a flour consistency. This might take a bit longer than other DIY flours.

Uses: I have been using this a lot in rolls and breads because it gives a nice nutty flavor, you can also use it for my cauliflower pizza crust!

Coconut Flour

Perhaps the best smelling flour in the bunch, I like this because it lets me use up the leftover coconut from my coconut milk!

1 cup coconut shreds = less than 1 cup of flour
If you are using leftover shreds from making milk let them dry out on a pan completely before continuing.

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting (mine is 200 and it worked just fine) and toast the dried coconut shreds until golden. About 20 to 30 minutes
Let the shreds cool then pulse them in the blender or food processor until you have a flour-like texture.

Uses: I use coconut flour a lot around here for things like pancakes, avocado fries, and desserts like these chocolate PB bars.

So there you go! You can make your own gluten-free flour for a fraction of the cost at the store. Just make sure to store all these flours in an airtight container to maintain freshness.

Things I’m Loving Lately

May 16, 2016May 16, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

I haven’t shared one of these posts with you in awhile so I thought I would let you in on what I’ve been liking in my kitchen, in my belly, and in fitness!

Yuca Root

For our very first Christmas, Adam got me this cookbook called Roots. It’s all about root vegetables and I was thrilled because 1. I like food 2. I love root vegetables 3. This book had gotten amazing reviews. I dove in and started learning more about root vegetables and where they come from and traditional ways to prepare them. It’s as much a history book as it is a cookbook. I love that! Well, I got to the yuca chapter and kind of skimmed over it but didn’t pay much attention.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I’m grocery shopping. I see a yuca root at Jewel and on a whim I decide to get one. I had no clue what to do with it but I knew I had a whole book about it at home. I made chips with it and they were awesome and I’m obsessed. I’ve been playing around with it so expect to see some recipes soon….

Maca Powder

See? I told you I’m all about the root vegetables. Maca powder comes from the maca root which is typically grown and consumed in the Peruvian region. It has this nice malty-caramel-y flavor and I’ve been adding it to baked goods and my smoothie bowl. It also has a pretty impressive health profile. I got this brand from Amazon and I’m pretty happy with it.

My Homemade Coconut Milk

I’m still amazed at how easy it is to make coconut milk and have been making a batch of it every week for smoothies, coffee, baking, and cooking. It’s pretty impressive and you don’t need a fancy blender to get a good result!

Parsley

I know this isn’t that exciting but for some reason lately I’ve been obsessed with parsley. I buy at least 2 or 3 bunches and put it in everything. I blend it into my scrambled eggs, top all my vegetables with it, gnaw it raw like a rabbit… ok I don’t do that last one but you get the idea. I think I’m just ready for farmer’s market season and all the fresh herbs. Once I can get my hands on some fresh basil that isn’t $2 for half an ounce, all the pesto shall be made.

All-Clad Fry Pan

For Christmas this year, Adam got me a double-handled all-clad saute pan and then this fancy fry pan that claimed to be the non-stick of all non-sticks. Yeah. It sucked. I took care of it exactly how the instructions said and everything stuck to this pan. I’m not a happy camper when half of my dinner is left in the pan. My all-clad saute pan, on the other hand, was a dream. So last weekend I got an all-clad fry pan and all is right with the world again.

Strength Training

I know I’ve talked about Fitness Blender before and told you that we’ve been doing their workout programs but I’m going to say it again. I seriously love them and these programs. Their strength training programs, in particular, are awesome and I’ve gotten stronger and am surprising myself with what my body can do. That’s always a good feeling. Plus, Kelli and Daniel are motivating, positive, and funny. All good things when it comes to working out.

Things I'm Loving Lately | Life Healthfully Lived

I think Daniel nailed it…

So that’s what I’ve been enjoying lately, how about you? Any new things that you’ve fallen in love with? Let me know in the comments and have an awesome Monday friends!

Homemade Banana Pudding

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016 / ktbuchs87

Homemade Banana Pudding | Life Healthfully Lived Ok, so I learned some new things while making this recipe. First, I have to tell you about my inspiration for this one because it’s weird and who doesn’t like weird stuff? No one. That’s who.

I was making a loaf of my gluten-free banana bread (which you should make immediately because it’s the bomb. Side note: I’m bringing back “the bomb”) and as I was blending the banana and avocado together I thought to myself, “Antoinette, (I call myself Antoinette NBD) that kind of looks like pudding. I wonder if it would be any good as pudding? I wonder if there is banana pudding?” So I set about to research banana pudding.

This is my life people. Homemade Banana Pudding | Life Healthfully Lived

I remember pudding snack packs used to have a banana flavor but I doubt that there was any actual banana in that pudding. My google searches told me that banana pudding was indeed a thing. A southern thing. Which means it’s delicious because it has all the fat and sugar. All delicious things have fat and sugar. Most recipes called for making a vanilla custard type deal and adding sliced bananas, vanilla wafers, and in one case merengue. While it wasn’t a difficult process, it was more steps than I wanted for my pudding. And by more, I mean this is pretty much just one step.

There are no eggs in this so you don’t have to cook anything but because of the addition of avocado, stick with me, it is creamy and delicious without the eggs. And depending on how ripe your bananas are, it’s pretty sweet too. You can add maple syrup if it isn’t sweet enough but mine was totally delicious without it. See? Fat and sugar. Just a better version of fat and sugar.

I know you’re probably getting tired of me putting avocado in things but I’m not, so get over it 🙂 It’s delicious and I can’t stop, won’t stop. You can get creative with toppings like coconut whip cream, pecans or walnuts, crumbled up graham crackers, or in my case cacao nibs because, chocolate.

Banana Pudding

As I was making this I started singing the part about figgy pudding from We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Adam asked me if I was singing a Christmas song and I said no, I was singing a pudding song because how do you make pudding without singing about it? So feel free to sing about pudding while making this because I think it enhances the flavor.

2 very ripe bananas, sliced (about 2 cups)
1/2 avocado, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup coconut cream (you can buy coconut cream from Trader Joes or just put a can of full-fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight and scoop off the solid cream)
1 tbsp maple syrup, optional if your bananas aren’t super ripe. I didn’t need any extra sweetener for mine
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp maca powder, optional but adds a nice caramel-y flavor

Toppings (optional)

chocolate chips or cacao nibs
pecans or walnuts or almonds
sliced banana
coconut whip cream
graham crackers
nilla wafers if you’re rebellious or Southern 😉

Ready for this? Put all the pudding ingredients into a blender and blend until super smooth. Dish it out and put on all the toppings.

Told you it was one step 😀 Happy Friday friends! Have a great weekend! Homemade Banana Pudding | Life Healthfully Lived

DIY Wednesday: Cauliflower Pizza Crust

May 11, 2016May 10, 2016 / ktbuchs87 / 6 Comments

DIY Wednesday: Cauliflower Crust Pizza | Life Healthfully Lived The cauliflower pizza crust. For many, it is an elusive dream. You see recipes on Pinterest and they claim that it is the best crust ever (just like real pizza) and that will fulfill all your gluten-free pizza dreams.

And then you make it.

And it turns into a soggy wet pile.

Or it has five pounds of cheese and eggs holding it together.

I’ve tried a lot of cauliflower pizza crusts and while some were good, none were great. Most of them had to be eaten with a fork and a knife and that’s ok if you’re eating a deep dish pizza but not ok when you want to pick up a slice and feel like you’re eating pizza. That’s what I wanted.

Then I stumbled across Sprint 2 The Table’s quinoa flour crust pizza and it sounded simple enough and didn’t have the cheese that most crust recipes use to keep everything together. So I gave it a shot and EUREKA! It worked. I could actually pick it up and while I won’t go as far as saying it tastes exactly like real pizza it was the closest I had ever come.

I kept playing with the crust and swapping out a few things and came up with one that doesn’t use eggs or grains as the flour. If you’re totally fine with eating quinoa flour and eggs then go ahead and try Sprint 2 The Table’s pizza crust. If you want an eggless and grain-free version try this one below.

I’ll give you a step-by-step tutorial (along with pictures) so you can get the best pizza crust possible then you can go crazy with toppings. And I may have gone crazy with my toppings aka the whole refrigerator on my pizza.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza- Based on this one by Sprint 2 The Table

1 cup of cauliflower with as much of the stems removed as possible
1/4 cup coconut flour
3 tbsp ground flaxseed
6 tbsp water
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 425 and get out a pizza stone/pan or regular baking sheet. Line whatever you’re going to use with parchment paper (I used a pizza stone and cut my parchment paper into circles) and then cut another piece of parchment paper to match the first.
In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseed and water and let it sit and gel for a few minutes.
In a blender or food processor, pulse the cauliflower a few times until it’s in small rice-like pieces and then dump it into a large bowl. Add the flour and seasonings and whisk to combine everything. It’s ok if it’s a little clumpy.
Add in the flaxseed and water mixture and start stirring everything together with a spatula. It should start to form a big dough ball. If it’s too dry, add a little water a tablespoon at a time. Remember that coconut flour likes to soak up water like a sponge so as you add water wait just a few minutes to see if it needs more.
Nice dough ball. Not too dry or too soggy.
Once you have your dough ball place it on your stone or pan that’s lined with parchment paper. Slightly flatten the dough with your hand and then using a rubber spatula start pressing the dough out into a pizza shape.
Spreading out the dough. It takes awhile so don’t rush it
Work from the middle pressing out and keep going until you have about a 10 to 12-inch circle. You want it to be fairly thin so the crust will cook all the way through and not end up soggy. As you press the dough out the edges might crack a little but that’s ok just press them back together.
About how thick you want your crust. You could even go a little thinner for a crispier crust.
Place the other piece of parchment paper on top of the crust and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven.
Ok, this is the slightly tricky part. You’re going to flip the whole crust over. What worked for me was putting on an oven mitt and then using the parchment paper to slide the middle part of the crust onto my hand and then flipping it over in a quick motion. The crust should be mostly cooked at this point and if you rolled it out thin enough won’t break apart on you. Don’t freak out, I’ve made this crust a dozen times and even if I totally botched the flip it hasn’t broken or ruined the crust.
Once it’s flipped remove the parchment paper from the top of the crust and top with your favorite pizza toppings! Bake for another 5 minutes and enjoy!
Ready for toppings!

A few other tips:

Don’t use a crazy amount of sauce because that is just going to turn the pizza to mush. Trust me. My favorite sauce so far has been a light layer of my spinach or cilantro pesto.
If you put on a lot of heavy toppings your pizza may fall a little bit as you pick it up. If you don’t care and want all of the toppings go for it!
You can make this crust in advance and keep it in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to use it. I’ve only done it a few hours in advance so I can’t vouch for the quality after it’s been frozen and thawed but I will update this if I try it.
If you put onions or peppers on your pizza and you want them cooked a little more than the five minutes at the end, saute them before you top your pizza. If not, they might be a little less done than some would prefer.