Yummy Pizza Crust!

This delicious pizza dough is so easy to make you will want to make pizza for every meal! There are so many options for toppings and sauces, let your imagination run wild! And of course the best part is the crust is gluten, dairy, egg & soy free!

Makes 1 large pizza or two small individual pizzas.

Dry Ingredients:

1 tablespoon dry yeast granules

2/3-cup sorghum flour

1/2-cup tapioca flour

2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/2-teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

Liquid Ingredients:

2/3-cup warm rice milk

1/2-teaspoon agave nectar

1-teaspoon olive oil

1-teaspoon cider vinegar

How to Make It:

{    Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

{    You have two options here, if you have a pizza stone*, place it in the oven on the bottom rack, leaving the main rack free. If not just preheat the oven.

{    Combine all dry ingredients in the mixer, including yeast.

{    Mix on low briefly then add in the liquid ingredients.

{    Beat the ingredients for two minutes on medium speed.

{    If the dough bounces around the mixer, it is too dry, add a little extra rice milk until it mixes smoothly.

{    Prepare a metal pizza pan or your pizza stone* by greasing it with a little olive oil.

{    Scoop out your mixed dough with a spatula and place it in the middle of your pizza pan. You can either make one large pizza or split the dough in two to make two smaller individual pizzas.

{    Put a little bit of olive oil on your hand and press out the dough into your desired pizza shape, round, rectangle, whatever you would like. Leave a little rim around the edge for the crust to hold the toppings.

{    Bake crust for 15 minutes, watching it to make sure it doesn’t over brown**.

{    Remove from the oven and cover your pizza(s) with toppings then either pop it back in the oven or move it onto the pizza stone and bake it for at least another 10 minutes or until the pizza is done.

{    That’s it!  How Simple! Enjoy your yummy pizza!

*Cooking the pizza crust on a metal pizza pan and then moving it onto a warmed pizza stone helps cook the crust and makes for a bit of a crispier crust. However, if I am in a hurry I usually just cook it straight on the pizza stone from the get go!

**If you would like you can wrap your precooked pizza dough in some freezer wrap and freeze. Just take out the frozen pizza dough in the morning and it will be thawed and ready to add toppings to by the time dinner rolls around! What could be easier than that?

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:18 PM 0 comments

Creamy Rice Pudding

This creamy rice pudding is delicious, vegan and super simple to make. Eat it as a dessert or re-warm it for a quick yummy breakfast.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1-cup white basmati rice

1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt

3 1/2 cups rice milk

1/2-cup organic cane sugar

1 slightly heaping tablespoon arrowroot

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon if you don’t have cardamom hanging around!

Pinch of fine sea salt

How to Make It:

{    Combine 1 1/2 cups water, the rice, and the salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

{    Cover and simmer over very low heat 8 to 9 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. Check frequently and stir to make sure it doesn't stick.

{    Add 2 1/2 cups of the rice milk and the sugar. Continue simmering on low heat for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is soft and most of the milk is absorbed. You want a spongy texture, with no bite. Remove the rice from the heat.

{    Pour 1/4 cup of the remaining rice milk into a bowl and whisk in the arrowroot to dissolve. Add the vanilla extract and cardamom.

{    Pour the arrowroot-milk mixture along with the remaining 3/4-cup rice milk into the hot pudding and stir to combine. Add a pinch of salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it seems a little runny put the mixture back on low heat and warm until it thickens up a bit.

{    Enjoy!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 5:30 PM 0 comments

The Life of a Plastic Bag

Here is something that might bring a smile to your face about something serious and very near and dear to my heart, the plastic bag and ultimately the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Heal the Bay released this “mockumentary” narrated by Academy Award winning actor Jeremy Irons which follows the travels of “one of the most clever and illustrious creatures: the plastic bag. 

All kidding aside, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated 3,960,000 tons of plastic bags, sack and wraps were produced in 2008. Of those, 3,570,000 tons (90%) were discarded. It is estimated that an average individual uses around 130 plastic bags per year. And, if you haven’t heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch read my blog post about it here.

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 1:07 PM 0 comments

Why Buy Organic?

Organic vs. Non-Organic

To buy organic or not to buy organic is a question many of us ask ourselves. In these financial times it is sometimes hard to justify the higher cost of buying organic to ourselves. The following is a list of items that are found to have higher pesticide levels and are healthier to buy organic and also a list of items you can get away with skipping their organic versions if you are on a tight budget.

When you SHOULD buy organic:

1. Celery


2. Peaches


3. Strawberries


4. Apples


5. Blueberries


6. Nectarines


7. Bell peppers


8. Spinach, kale & collard greens


9. Cherries


10. Potatoes


11. Grapes


12. Leafy greens

13. Carrots

14. Pears

15. Meat

16. Milk

17. Coffee

When you can SKIP it:


1. Onions


2. Avocados

3. Sweet corn

4. Pineapples


5. Mangoes


6. Sweet peas


7. Asparagus


8. Kiwi fruit


9. Cabbage


10. Eggplant


11. Papaya


12. Watermelon


13. Sweet potatoes


14. Broccoli

Why Buy Organic?

Although selectively choosing which products you buy organically saves money, doing so also misses an important point: buying organic is about more than keeping pesticides out of our bodies. It is about supporting a system of sustainable agricultural management that promotes soil health and fertility which nourish plants, foster species diversity, helps combat climate change, prevent damage to valuable water resources, and protects farmers and farmers’ families from exposure to harmful chemicals. In this sense, buying organic is a commitment to the bigger, more complex picture of which our personal health is a part.

In thinking about which organic products to buy, consider this: instead of focusing your organic purchases on a particular category of items, choose organic versions of the products you buy most. Whether that is milk, produce, or personal care products, buying organic will not only help reduce your exposure to harmful pesticides and fertilizers, but also support a system of agricultural management that is great for the planet.

So simply in my opinion if you can afford to go organic, DO, it’s worth it.

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 11:47 AM 0 comments

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

A swirling sea of plastic bags, bottles and other debris is growing in the North Pacific, and now another one has been found in the Atlantic.  How does it get there?

Not all garbage ends up at the dump. A river, sewer or beach can't catch everything the rain washes away, either. In fact, Earth's largest landfill isn't on land at all.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch stretches for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean, forming a nebulous, floating junk yard at sea. It's the poster child for a worldwide problem: plastic that begins in human hands yet ends up in the ocean, often inside animals' stomachs or around their necks. This marine debris has sloshed into the public spotlight recently, thanks to growing media coverage as well as scientists and explorers who are increasingly visiting the North Pacific to see plastic pollution in action.

The garbage patch is said to be twice the size of Texas, other reports say it’s the size of France.  Whatever the size, what we do know for sure is it is mostly made up of plastic. Unlike most other trash, plastic isn't biodegradable — i.e., the microbes that break down other substances don't recognize plastic as food, leaving it to float there forever. Sunlight does eventually "photodegrade" the bonds in plastic polymers, reducing it to smaller and smaller pieces, but that just makes matters worse. The plastic still never goes away; it just becomes microscopic and may be eaten by tiny marine organisms, entering the food chain.

What’s one thing YOU can do to prevent this giant garbage patch from getting any bigger? Use reusable grocery bags instead of plastic ones! All stores have them now or you can even get your own designer style ones. You only need a few and you can use them over and over again! It’s something that is so easy but really makes a HUGE difference. Another thing, take one day and note every time you use something made out of plastic, whether it is your shampoo bottle in the morning or the plastic container your food came in at lunch…note everything throughout your day. The amount of plastic you use in a day might just surprise you and the first step to reducing that amount is really being aware of just how much you use! 

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 4:12 PM 0 comments

How Much Water Do You Use?

I just ran across this short, great video that paints the picture well: our daily water use, what you can do, and how it really adds up!

posted by Allergy Free and Cheap Like Me! at 3:49 PM 0 comments