Gluten Free Pizza Pumpkins

Pizza…made from nuts?! Oh my, oh nuts!

As a person who is gluten and wheat sensitive along with being dairy sensitive, pizza is just one of those foods I miss ALL OF THE TIME! How do I fix that? Nuts to the rescue!

Nuts are a great way to help weight loss and add healthy fats and a plant-based protein to your diet. Nuts are a pretty big part of my diet as I rely on them to be a great meat or grain substitute or a simply tasty satiating snack. All nuts have amazing benefits, such as being low in carbohydrates so they are great at keeping blood sugar low. They are full of fiber and help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Their monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids help raise beneficial HDL cholesterol while lowering overall and not beneficial LDL cholesterol.

Nuts are also full of antioxidants so they lower oxidative stress and fight cell damage. Lastly, they fight inflammation. Previous studies show nuts demonstrate a 35% and 90% decline in the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) when incorporated in the diet.

For this recipe we are going to focus on almonds. You will need almond flour made from sprouted almonds, or you can create your own almond flour from pre-soaked and dehydrated almonds. This is best because it removes the phytic acid in the almonds (all nuts have it) and you will receive the full benefits of the nuts. Phytic acid is an antinutrient that inhibits absorption of vital minerals like calcium, iron and zinc in the body. Soaking, sprouting or fermenting your nuts helps with this issue. I did a Try it Thursday episode on how to soak nuts and make this crust.

This recipe really helps because it’s delicious, feels indulgent and fun all without making people like me who are wheat and gluten sensitive feel like they are missing out. This recipe is also themed so it is a great snack for the kiddos to go along with other tasty Halloween treats!

The base of this recipe was inspired by sweetashoney.co’s keto almond bread recipe. I have tried a lot of almond bread recipes and this is the best one I have come across so far. Because I did not significantly modify the recipe, I wanted to give the creator, Carine, a shout out!

You will need:

  • 2 ½ cups of almond flour made from sprouted almonds
  • Pumpkin shaped cookie cutter
  • 1.4oz Psyllium husk flour
  • 1 tablespoon of Baking power
  • 1 teaspoon of Xanthan gum
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yokes
  • 2 tablespoons of avocado oil or grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup of lukewarm water
  • 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning (optional)
  • Avocado oil spray
  • Vegan cheese of choice
  • Organic baby bella mushrooms (or any topping of choice)
  • 2 large mixing bowls
  • 1 small bowl
  • Electric hand mixer
  • 1 cup of room temp water
  • Non-stick cookie sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Pizza sauce of choice

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Spray cookie sheet with avocado oil spray. Place parchment paper on top and then spray the top of the paper.
  3. Chop your mushrooms or other favorite toppings.
  4. Grind your soaked and dehydrated or purchased sprouted nuts into a flour using a high-powered food processor or blender.

Make the crust:

  1. In the large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. In the other large mixing bowl, add your 2 eggs, 2 egg whites and oil.
  2. Mix on high for about 30-45 seconds in a slightly aggressive motion that creates bubbles. Bubbles and air are important in the recipe to prevent the bread from becoming thick.
  3. Add water to the liquid mix and mix again for another 45 seconds, same hand motions.  
  4. Combine the dry and wet mixtures. Use the same slightly aggressive motion that creates air bubbles in the dough.
  5. As gently as possible, scoop and place the dough onto the oiled cookie sheet and parchment with an oiled spatula.
  6. Make a widespread layer, covering your sheet as much as possible. Try your best not to flatten the dough too much by pressing down.
  7. Place into the over and let cook for about 25-30 minutes until brown. Let it cool for about 10 minutes and use your cookie cutter to make your pumpkin cuts.
  8. Let the dough fully cool. Pop out your pumpkin shaped crust, add sauce, vegan cheese and toppings.
  9. Place back into the over on 400 degree Fahrenheit until the cheese melts.
  10. Let cool and enjoy!

Nutrition:

  • 151 calories per pumpkin
  • 8 grams of carbohydrates
  • 3 grams of fiber
  • 4 grams of protein
  • 4 net carbohydrates