First Friday of Lent!

Perhaps this might have been a bit too tasty for Lent, but it started out as an experiment so it really could have been penitential.
I present to you Tuna Melt Pizza!  Full of vegetables and lots of protein, and grain-free.
Wow...  Wait a minute, how did I make a crust for the above pizza without wheat?
Why, it's made of cauliflower!

Just check it out:  (as well as my new, favorite tool!)

Here we are mashing up the steamed cauliflower (one head).  See that tool?  Triple duty tonight!

Mixing in the olive oil (1/4 cup), cheddar cheese (1 cup), and 2 eggs.

Scooping and...

Spreading the cauliflower mixture on the stoneware (brushed lightly with olive oil-whatever was left in the measuring cup).

Baked at 350 for 30 minutes and then ready to top!

Random topping collected from around the house:  one tomato, one pepper, half a large purple onion, some really old green onions cleaned up...  

Three cans of tuna and some organic mayo (whatever was left in the jar, perhaps a 1/3 cup?).  

And of course, a whole ton of cheddar!  (Look at that really cool, mixing bowl!)

You can tell it was a hit, right?  Kids couldn't wait for me to take a picture before diving in. 

Yep, too delish for Lent...

Fresh Bread!

Oh. My. Gosh!   Experimented with No Knead, 100% Spelt bread today... AMAZING!
(OK.  I actually started it yesterday!)

Here is the recipe:

3 cups Spelt flour

1/2 teaspoon yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1-1 1/2 cups warm water

Step I

Get out your batter bowl!

1.  Combine flour, yeast and salt in bowl.  Whisk it up.

2.  Add warm water.

3.  Mix until shaggy ball forms. 

4.  Place in bowl and cover.  (Batter bowl with lid works great!)  Let it sit at room temperature for 8-18 hours.

Step II

Get out some parchment paper and your favorite 8in skillet.  (Here's my recommendation!)

1.  Line an 8in skillet or large shallow bowl with parchment paper.

2.  Work dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead 10-15 times.

3.  Shape into a ball and place on skillet.

4.  Loosely cover with plastic wrap.  (I just place the batter bowl lid on top!)  Let rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Step III

Get out your DCB or an oven-safe covered pot.

1.  About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position and place Deep Covered Baker with lid on the rack.

2.  Preheat to 500 degrees.

3.  Remove pot from oven and remove lid.

4.  Pick up dough by lifting parchment paper and lower it into the pot.

5.  Cover pot, place in oven.

6.  Lower oven temperature to 425 and bake 30 minutes.

7.  Remove lid and continue to bake 15 minutes until loaf in golden brown.

8.  Place on cooling rack and cool for at least 20 minutes.  (Yeah, right!  It's all gone within 20 minutes!)

Check out these pictures!

Fresh out of the oven.  (Notice everything out, ready to spread!)

Cooling ever so slowly...  COME ON!

Yep!  It tasted as great as it looked!  Crispy crust, soft and light inside.  Was it the DCB?  

We will be sure to try it again!

Soup's On!

Well, my experiment with making fresh, vegetable broth was a success, (See video below for helpful hints!  That isn't me.)

and so was "baking" veggie soup in the deep covered baker!

The fry cutter made short work of the potatoes and zucchini.  Then I added a can of diced tomatoes and one of beans, next came the four cups of my broth seasoned to taste, and then into the oven for an hour at 400.  Last but not least, I topped it off with freshly grated parmesan cheese!

Spelt vs Wheat

The best grain is spelt.  It is hot, rich, and powerful.  It is milder than other grains.  Eating it rectifies the flesh and provides proper blood.  It also creates a happy mind and puts joy in the human disposition.  In whatever way it is eaten, whether in bread or in other foods, it is good and easy to digest.  St. Hildegard of Bingen

Sounds good, right?  Well if you've been keeping up with the latest controversy over modern wheat, 

(Check out the video below for a brief introduction.)

you may be wondering if you can safely replace it with something similar.  

Spelt might be the answer!

Spelt is "legally" related to wheat, so that it must be labeled as such, but it's more like wheat's great, great, grandmother!  Check out some of the differences:

1) Gluten:  Spelt gluten is water soluble, wheat gluten is not.  Spelt gluten is degraded by heat, heat merely relaxes wheat gluten.  Spelt gluten is easy to digest, and that of the wheat is NOT!

2) Enzyme inhibitor:  Spelt, with its hard outer hull, has no need of one.  Wheat, having no hull, needs an inhibitor to fight off pests.  It is because of this inhibitor, and other enzymes, that it is recommended that you soak wheat, or even sprout it, before baking with it in order to make its nutrients more available.  

3) Nutrition:  To sum it up, spelt beats out wheat!

4) AND: Spelt supposedly has the perfect glycemic index!  

In case you're interested, here's some more info.

Now I want to share one of my favorite, EASY recipes using spelt.

This biscuit recipe makes the absolute best pan/deep dish pizza crust!  (My husband is from Chicago.  He says it's authentic.)  Very few ingredients are needed, as well as very little time, and it's very easy to make, especially with my pastry blender.  

Ta da!

When making the biscuit crust in the pan or deep dish, brush the cookware first with olive oil, pre bake the crust, (about 12 minutes) and then add your favorite toppings and bake again!  (Yes, that's my favorite pan in the foreground!)

Bon Appetit!