Recipe: Gluten Free Chickpea Crust Pizza (aka CHICKPIZZA)

Okay how clever is 'chickpizza'?? (I can say that because I didn't come up with it.)

Should I trademark it? Is that even the right term? Do I have to give Eric credit or can I pretend I dreamt it up? After all, 'chickpea pizza' is kind of a mouthful...

Here's the origin: Eric (@ephonehome) edits all of my blog pics because he is an angel and I am lazy. Usually he sends the files in a dropbox folder with a fairly NSFW folder name. (Unless your work supports comparing mini hotdogs to mini.. oh nevermind.) When he sent me the folder titled 'Chickpizza' I was like BABE WE'VE STRUCK GOLD THIS IS BRILLIANT........but also is something wrong because I think this is completely appropriate?

So do you know what a chickpizza is yet? It's only my most favorite thing to make for a quick (I mean QUICK) lunch or dinner. The batter is so easy that you'll memorize it after your first try. It's 1/2 cup of chickpea flour, 1/2 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of some seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc). No oil, no eggs, and only two different measurements. This legitimately could not be easier unless I came to your house and made it for you. (Which I would totally do since I'm always down to meet some more Internet friends. In a non-creepy way.)

After whisking, the batter is pretty thin, like a crepe batter. It gets poured into a greased pan, cooks for 5 minutes, then gets flipped like a giant pancake. From there, you can top it with pretty much anything. I mean, really, I won't judge. I usually dig around my fridge for whatever pizza-friendly odds and ends are hanging about, slash about to expire.. (Love me a good 'clean out the fridge' meal.) Last night was the last of a jar of vodka sauce, some shredded mozzarella, and a handful of arugula.

Most times, though, I top my chickpizza (yep, still dig it) with pesto (I always have this in my freezer), cheese, a few chopped sundried tomatoes, and a bunch of torn spinach. My. God. Is it good.  
   

The base of the pizza is gluten free (wait did I tell you I'm gluten free?), and based on the toppings it can easily be made vegan, vegetarian, dairy free.... basically anything-free. Except chickpea free cause I'm not a magician OK??

Recipe: Gluten Free Chickpea Crust Pizza (aka Chickpizza) 

Ingredients (makes one, 10-inch pizza)
Crust:
1/2 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour (I use Bob's)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup water
Cooking spray

Suggested Toppings:
1 to 2 tbsp pesto (recipe here)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella 
1 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1/4 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1 to 2 tsp parmesan 
Balsamic syrup 

Instructions
In a small bowl (or measuring cup), whisk all dry ingredients (flour, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, baking powder, salt and black pepper). Add water, and whisk to combine. (Make sure there are no dry pockets at the bottom.)

Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour all of the batter into the pan. It should spread to the edges, but if not swirl the pan a bit. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip with spatula. 

Set timer for additional 5 minutes. Add toppings in this order: pesto, mozzarella, tomatoes, spinach, and parmesan. Cover pan and cook until the timer runs out. Cheese should be melted, and spinach should be wilted. 

Use spatula to transfer pizza to a cutting board. Drizzle with balsamic syrup, and slice into 6 pieces. 

Recipe: Baked 3-Ingredient Lemon Pepper Wings

New working blog name: Food My Mom Makes and So I Make It Too.

Ugh it's too long for a Twitter handle. Back to Gluten Free Blondie. 

As you can guess, this is another one of my mom's WORLD FAMOUS recipes. (I say 'world' because I'm positive if the whole entire world knew about these wings they'd be making them too.)

Just like the rosemary marcona almonds, these are another appetizer where if you serve them, people will be all 'Wtf is on these give me the recipe immediately'. And you will give them the recipe, which is a total of three ingredients, and they will be like 'No dude, I'm serious. Give me it.'

But that's really it. Chicken, lemon pepper, and a can of canola oil to make it stick. Something incredibly magical happens when you crust some little wings and drumsticks with lemon pepper seasoning. The chicken meat stays so moist (like fall off their teeny tiny bones moist), and the skin. Oh dear god the skin. It's crispy and crackly and spicy and lemony and everything chicken wing skin should be. 

You can make these for the Super Bowl in a few weekends, and they'll be the first thing to go. Or you can make them for dinner tomorrow night and eat them all yourself. (I plan on doing both!)

PS. This post was almost, almost just a link to the chicken wang song. Bless the soul who created a video that is a seamless 10 hours of pure joy.

Recipe: Baked 3-Ingredient Lemon Pepper Wings

Note
-If your chicken isn't separated into wings and drumsticks already, you can separate them yourself! The image above shows where to cut the chicken. Use a large, sharp knife and push it down right in between the joints. (Ew, I know. Worth it, though.)

Ingredients
Chicken wings (combo of wings and drumsticks)
Cooking spray
Lemon pepper 
Fresh parsley, cilantro or basil, chopped (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

Line a baking sheet with foil.  Coat lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the chicken on the baking sheet, skin side up. Coat all of the chicken pieces with cooking spray, then sprinkle liberally with the lemon pepper. (You can't really use too much, so don't be shy.)

Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken. Coat this side with cooking spray, then sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper.

Place the baking sheet in the oven, and cook for 20 minutes. Use tongs to flip each piece of chicken so they are now skin side up. If you notice that some of the lemon pepper stuck to the foil, sprinkle on some more. Cook for an additional 25 minutes, until the skin is really crisp and nicely browned. 

Serve hot, warm or room temp, and garnish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley (optional). 

Recipe: Gluten Free Basil Chickpea Pancake with Mozzarella + Balsamic Glaze

I am having an illicit relationship with chickpea pancakes.

No matter what I'm eating, I wish it were a chickpea pancake. I just ate a bowl of yogurt and granola while wishing it was a chickpea pancake. Last night I made my roommate a chickpea pancake and managed to eat half. This morning I thought about how nicely a chickpea pancake would complement my coffee. 

Please don't tell. But I even think I like them more than quesadillas. GASP.

The thing is, the chickpea pancake is so versatile. Between the firm and chewy, slightly crisp exterior, and the endless filling/topping possibilities, it could sustain a craving for anything from a pizza to a panini to, yes, a quesadilla.

It's also impressively healthy. I mean, the batter itself is pretty much just chickpea flour and water. That's like, solid protein plus.. nothing. This makes it a LOT more filling than your average corn tortilla or slice of bread. There are also no eggs or dairy in the pancake base, so it's fairly simple to keep it vegan in addition to gluten free, if you just skip the melted cheese or use dairy-free cheese.

Recipe: Gluten Free Basil Chickpea Pancake 

with Mozzarella + Balsamic Glaze

[original recipe from Oh She Glows]

Notes

- The base ingredients for the pancake are: chickpea flour, salt, pepper, baking powder and water. Feel free to play around with the dry seasonings (in place of the garlic powder and oregano), as well as the fresh herbs (in place of the basil). Might be fun to try a Mexican version with cumin and cilantro. 

- You can also customize the filling: in place of the mozzarella, try other cheeses. Add prosciutto, deli meat, roasted red peppers, pickled jalapenos, and/or other things you'd find in a panini or quesadilla.

- Instead of folding the pancake in half at the end, you can also leave it flat like a pizza. Just place the cheese over the entire pancake instead of only half. For the last minute, cover the pan with a lid so the cheese melts evenly. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup chickpea flour/garbanzo bean flour (same thing)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano 

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup water

fresh basil, julienned or torn into pieces

cooking spray

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

balsamic glaze, balsamic syrup or reduced balsamic vinegar (I use Trader Joe's brand)

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk the chickpea flour with all of the dry seasonings (salt, garlic powder, dried oregano, baking powder, and black pepper). Add the water and whisk to combine. The batter should be thinner than traditional pancake batter, and have lots of tiny bubbles. Stir in the fresh basil. (You can try a whisk but the basil might get stuck in the prongs.)

Place a 10-inch skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Once pan is hot, pour in all of the batter. It should naturally spread evenly to the edges of the pan, but if not you can quickly smooth the top with a rubber spatula or give the pan a jiggle. 

Cook for 5 minutes, uncovered. Use a large spatula to flip the pancake. (It should be firm enough). Cook for 4 minutes on the second side. Add the cheese to one half of the pancake, and use the spatula to fold the pancake in half. Cook for an additional minute or so until the cheese is melted. 

Transfer to a plate, drizzle with balsamic glaze, and enjoy warm. 

Two 4-Ingredient, No-Cook New Year's Eve Appetizers (That I Stole From My Mom)

Disclaimer: These recipes are blatantly plagiarized from my mother's brain. And probably also a 1986 issue of Bon Appetit.

These two apps are pretty much a staple at any party my parents host. And every time my mom's all, 'but don't you think people are sick of the endive?'. NO, mom. Give the people want they want. What they want is rosemary almonds and endive boats with smoked salmon.

So tonight, if you're having a party or going to a party or swearing off parties, here are two appetizers that require a total of zero cooking and seem kind of fancy schmancy. Definitely fancy schmancy enough for New Year's Eve. Also! They're each only 4 ingredients. And I'm counting olive oil and salt/pepper, which I think doesn't even qualify as ingredients if we're playing by the rules.

Appetizer Recipe 1: Endive with Smoked Salmon and Boursin Cheese 

Ingredients
Endive (1 endive will get you about 12 good-sized leaves)
Boursin cheese, room temperature (any flavor; I used garlic & herb)
Smoked salmon
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom of an endive spear. Start pulling off individual leaves. As you uncover leaves that are still attached at the base, cut another 1/2 inch off the bottom. Continue separating the endive leaves until you get to leaves that are too small.

Arrange the endive on a platter. Spread each leaf with about 1 teaspoon of the Boursin cheese. Top with a sliver of smoked salmon, twisting a bit so it looks pretty. Sprinkle all of the salmon and cheese topped endive with freshly ground, coarse black pepper. 

Refrigerate until serving. 

Appetizer Recipe 2: Marcona Almonds with Rosemary and Salt 

Ingredients
Marcona almonds, toasted (I get a pre-toasted jar at Costco since they can get pretty pricey elsewhere)
Fruity olive oil
Few sprigs of rosemary, removed from stem and chopped (can sub a few pinches of dried rosemary)
Coarse salt

Instructions
Place the almonds in a large ziplock bag or a bowl. Add the olive oil, rosemary and coarse salt. Shake or stir to evenly coat the almonds. (If the rosemary and salt aren't sticking to the almonds, you need more olive oil. The almonds should be nice and glossy.)

Taste the seasoned almonds, and add more oil, rosemary, and/or salt as needed. 

Store in a ziplock bag or airtight container until serving. 

Recipe: Peach-Basil Smoothie with Cucumber and Lime

Listen up, New York. If I have to shave my legs in October I'm at the very least going to cheer myself up with a smoothie that has summer written ALL. OVER IT. 

And there are plenty of peaches and bunches of basil at the Union Square Greenmarket, so I've gotta believe I'm in good company. 

I've literally been thinking about this smoothie for months (MONTHS!) after hearing about it from one of the neighborhood Moms at home in NJ. You see, I super-love herbs in just about anything: rosemary shortbread cookies? Sure! Herb-flecked ice cream? Uh, yes. Infused cocktails? Even better. Give me the whole freaking thyme sprig while you're at it.

So I'm obviously 110% okay with tossing some basil into a smoothie. Basil and peaches are pretty much lovers, and the cucumber and lime are ridiculously refreshing. If it hadn't been 3 in the afternoon I might have glugged in a little liquor - but I'll leave the experimenting to you party animals.

  

Hi-fives all around for October peaches!

Recipe: Peach-Basil Smoothie with Cucumber and Lime

[original recipe via Diane Whitman & It's All Good]

Ingredients (serves ~2)

2 ripe peaches, unpeeled and pit removed 

1 small handful fresh basil leaves

1 cucumber, peeled 

Juice and zest of 1 lime

10-12 ice cubes (standard size)

Instructions

Blend all of the ingredients. Add more ice as needed.

Recipe: Flourless Blender Pancakes with Blueberries

Blender pancakes are my JAM. 

One of my most favoritest perks of working from home is being able to cook up something delicious for lunch. (Secondary only to not having to shower/look like a presentable human/change out of sweats/etc.) 

If you don't work from  home, you a) are more qualified as a functioning member of society, and b) can totally make these pancakes for breakfast or dinner. After all, blender pancakes are, as Rachael Ray would coin them, a BLD (breakfast, lunch or dinner). 

Essentially you just throw a handful of ingredients in the blender to make the batter, then create one giant pancake in a skillet and add whatever toppings/mix-ins your little heart desires. Though lately I'm extremely partial to fresh blueberries or chocolate chips. 

Best part? These face-sized flapjacks are naturally gluten free and require a total of zero obscure flours. Hip hip hooray! 

Recipe: Gluten Free, Flourless Blender Pancakes 

with Blueberries

Notes

-I don't even measure any more when I make these, except for the oats. After you make them once you can pretty much eyeball all the other ingredients. 

-Topping/Mix-In Ideas: fresh fruit (blueberries, sliced strawberries), nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), chocolate chips 

Ingredients (serves 1)

1 ripe banana 

2 egg whites (or 1 whole egg, 1 egg white if you'd like)

1/3 cup gluten free, quick-cooking oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)

1 tbsp apple sauce (sweetened or plain, whatever you have)

1 tsp ground flax seed (optional)

splash of vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of nutmeg 

fresh blueberries (or other mix-ins) 

Instructions

Add banana and egg whites to the blender and blend for about 15 seconds, until they're completely combined and a little frothy. 

Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the blueberries. This includes: oats, apple sauce, flax seed, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend for another 10 seconds or so until the ingredients form a consistent batter, and the oats are broken up a bit. (You may need to jostle the blender a few times to make sure nothing gets stuck at the bottom.)

Place a small, non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Once skillet is hot, pour in the pancake batter and, if necessary, evenly spread out the batter with a rubber spatula. Immediately add blueberries and/or any other mix-ins (see suggestions above). 

Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes. Once the bottom of the pancake is nicely browned and the top is set, carefully flip the pancake and cook for an additional 30 seconds or so. 

Slide the pancake onto a plate, add your favorite toppings (I go for a light drizzle of pure maple syrup), and dig in!   

Recipe: Pear Slices topped with Crispy Pancetta, Goat Cheese + Honey

At the risk of ruining a certain handsome boy’s street cred, I will not tell you that he scoured my Pinterest boards and surprised me by making this very appetizer, followed by apricot glazed chicken. That would have been totally thoughtful and gushy and delicious and therefore, not cool.

Instead, I will tell you that I’ve been running around like a damn pear-scavenger trying to get this recipe up before Thanksgiving. Because it is peeerrrrfect. We ate it a second time for Friendsgiving this past week, and will definitely be going for round 3 this Thursday. You should too.

But definitely, definitely get someone else (i.e. your loving caring boyfriend, your mom, your cat, etc.) to make it for you. Preferably while you sprawl on the couch in a uniform of 2-day old sweats and exert all the willpower you can possibly muster not to go peek into the kitchen. NOT. EVEN. A PEEK. Cause things just taste better that way, don’t they? Yup.

Recipe: Pear Slices topped with Crispy Pancetta, Goat Cheese + Honey

 [original recipe from My Recipes / Southern Living] 

Notes

-It’s super important that you do not use over-ripe pears. You should be able to pick up each slice without them bending too much.

-I’ve also made this with prosciutto, so feel free to substitute! Just cut each slice into about thirds before baking.

-Thinking that blue cheese would be a fantastic substitute for the goat cheese.. who wants to be a guinea pig?

Ingredients (makes ~12 portions)

3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta (about 12-14 slices)

2 to 3 firm pears (you should get about 5-8 decent sized slices out of each pear)

½ lemon

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Honey, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Separate the pancetta slices and place them on the baking sheet. They’ll shrink up quite a bit as they cook, so no need to leave much room in between. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the pancetta is darker in color and the edges are curled. Using a spatula, move crisped slices to a paper towel to cool for 10 minutes.

Cut the skinniest part off of one of the pears. Slice the rest of the fruit in rounds about ¼ inch thick. The middle-most slices will have seeds in them. Use a knife or the edge of a spoon to cut out the seeds/core. Move the pear slices to a bowl and squeeze the lemon over them. Toss to coat (this will stop the browning process). Continue with the other pears.

Arrange the pear slices on a serving platter. Top each pear slice with one piece of pancetta then a few crumbles of goat cheese. Drizzle with honey, and finish with a dash of black pepper.

Serve immediately. (If you let them sit out for a while the pancetta won’t be as crispy. But they’ll still be delicious.)

Recipe: Maple Banana ‘Ice Cream’ with Toasted Coconut

Please ignore the fact that it's starting to feel like fall here in NYC. Please also ignore the fact that I've had this recipe written for over a month and forgot to hit publish. 

Thank you! Now we may move on.

Last summer, The Kitchn enlightened me about the freaking SCIENCE experiment that ensues when you put frozen bananas in the food processor. So obviously, I blogged about it. This summer, they shared 5 variations on the 1 ingredient wonder. So naturally, I did the same. 

This particular flavor combo came about from having a bag of leftover coconut from these almond joys, and wanting to splash a little pure maple syrup from the Union Square Greenmarket in just about everything. And my goodness, do coconut and maple play well together. This mock-sundae is intriguing enough to end a summer dinner party, but I’m just as happy to enjoy mine in the solace of my apartment, parked in front of the television.

Notes

-I always have a large zip-lock bag of frozen bananas in my freezer that I use for this ‘ice cream’ and smoothies. As bananas are about to go bad, I just peel them, break them up, and throw them in the bag.

-If your coconut is untoasted, put it in a dry sauté pan over low heat. Toss occasionally until golden brown and nutty-smelling. Watch it though – it burns fast!

-The consistency is best when served immediately. I’ve frozen it for a few hours with little issues, but I’m not sure how it holds up any longer than that. Let me know if you experiment!

Ingredients

Frozen, ripe bananas (at least 2); cut into coins/chunks

Pure maple syrup, to taste

Vanilla extract, to taste (optional)

Toasted, flaked coconut

Instructions

Place frozen banana chunks in a food processor. Run machine until bananas are the consistency of frozen yogurt. (You will probably need to scrape down the sides a few times.)

Add a splash of vanilla, and a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup (about 1 tablespoon/banana). Pulse until blended. Taste, and add additional vanilla or syrup as needed.

Divide among bowls and top generously with toasted coconut. Serve immediately for best consistency. 

Recipe: Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potato Bites with Taco-Seasoned Cream and Scallions

Alright kids. I’m back... again. With announcements! And confessions! And purple potatoes!

First order of business – I miss you. And I miss blogging and rambling about the radness of whipped egg whites and the uncanny similarities between squash and pasta. It’s not that I haven’t been cooking – I have – this whole perfectionist thing just seems to get in the way sometimes. Perfectionist, as in, I habitually tear pages out of my work notebook and start from scratch if my cursive or a check box isn’t absolutely flawless. And who sees my work notebook? Um, me. That’s it.

So. From now on if I forget to measure, or if I forget to take a picture of the ingredients beforehand, you’re still getting the recipe. (As long as it tastes utterly divine, of course. No compromise there.) Moreover, I rarely measure when I’m cooking myself, so there’s no reason why you can’t use your intuition either. Taste as you go! Eyeball it! You’ll be just fine. I promise.

(There will be some measurements moving forward, of course – mostly because my measuring cups are too darn shiny and cute to neglect.)

Next up – some of you may have arrived here from a Tumblr called When I Went Gluten Free. If that’s you, welcome! If it’s not, you should check it out for some serious giggles. The Kitchn even did a sweet little write-up on it. So I mean, I’ve pretty much plateaued in terms of Internet fame.

And finally - I've been toying with the idea of posting more than just recipes on here. What do you guys want to see: Product recs? Products I wouldn't recommend? Restaurant suggestions? Weekend photo recaps? Pictures of puppies? Please let me know in the comments, or puppies it is. You can consider it your good deed for the day.

WHEW. Now without further ado, here’s a recipe for a bite-sized appetizer that is extra pretty if you can find tri-color, baby fingerling potatoes. It’s like a baked potato bar, except classier. Because tiny = classy, right? Right.

Notes

-This can be easily sized up or down, so that’s why you’ll see proportions as opposed to measurements. (Also, I forgot to measure.)

-Potatoes can be boiled the day before, and the topping can be prepared the day before. Pan-fry and garnish potatoes the day of.

-Extra sour cream/cream cheese mixture makes a great dip for tortilla chips!

Ingredients

Baby fingerling potatoes (preferably purple, red and white; I used ~2 lbs)

Sour cream (fat free or reduced fat)

Cream cheese (reduced fat)

1 packet taco seasoning

Scallions, sliced

Butter (salted or unsalted)

Olive oil

Sea salt (optional, for garnish)

Recipe

-Wash potatoes. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Salt water like you would for pasta. Place over high heat.

-Once water is boiling, cook for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes can be pierced with a fork. (Cooking time will vary based on the size of your potatoes - don’t let them go completely to mush!)

-Drain potatoes and return to pot; set aside to dry and cool.

-In a small bowl, mix together equal parts sour cream and cream cheese with an electric beater or a whisk. Add more sour cream to thin out, or cream cheese to thicken. Once desired consistency is reached, add taco seasoning to taste.

-Scoop seasoned mixture into a zip-lock bag and cut off a corner so there’s a hole about the width of your pinky. Set aside.

-Spread out cooked potatoes on a cutting board. Using a fork, smash each potato twice – the tongs should make the shape of an X or a cross. You want the skin to break a bit, and for each potato to flatten to about a half inch thick.

-Place a heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Melt about a tablespoon of butter with a tablespoon of olive oil. Place some of the potatoes in an even layer in the pan, and cook each side for ~2 minutes until crispy and slightly browned. Move to a paper towel to drain, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining potatoes.

-Transfer crisped potatoes to serving platter and top each with a dollop of the seasoned cream cheese and sour cream mixture.

-Garnish with sea salt, taco seasoning, and a generous shower of scallions.