Gluten Free Peanut Chicken Pizza

I made this last night for dinner at it was Amazing!! It was inspired by the flavours of  rice wraps with peanut sauce (which include pork or chicken, rice noodles, shredded carrots, green onion, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, cilantro and peanut sauce wrapped in rice paper wrappers. These are also really, really delicious). The sauce is also nightshade free (no peppers of any kind) and uses gluten free soy sauce.
The crust is from a gluten free pizza mix (the brand is Duinkerken and I found it at Walmart) that is very good. It does not taste like regular pizza crust, but it is a perfectly acceptable substitute with a great texture and flavour (tip: if there is leftover pizza, be sure to heat it up before you eat it as the crust is not good cold. The nice thing though is that the crust will not get tough if you heat it up in the microwave as there is no gluten). I modified the instructions on the box a bit as I have used it before and found that it needs to be pre-baked before sauce is put on. Also, I only have traditional baking yeast, not quick rising yeast, so I had to prepare it a bit differently. I will include instructions for both below. The first 5 ingredients and most of the instructions for making the dough are taken directly from the box.
You make think that carrots on pizza is really weird, but it totally fits with the overall flavour and gives some nice texture on the slice. I have cilantro listed as an optional ingredient, but only use if you like it. I don't like it myself, but I do know the flavour works well with all the other flavours.
It does take some time to prepare, but it is worth it!

Gluten Free Peanut Chicken Pizza
Prep: 45 minutes | Bake: 20-22 minutes at 425 | Makes: 2, 12-inch thin crust pizzas

Ingredients
Crust:
1 box gluten free crust mix (Duinkerken brand)
2 1/2 tsp quick rising yeast (or traditional baking yeast)
2 TBSP canola oil
1 cup warm water
2 eggs

Sauce:
3-4 TBSP smooth peanut butter
5 TBSP gluten free soy sauce
1 TBSP ground ginger
pinch cumin
2 pinches cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 TBSP maple syrup (or honey)
1 tsp lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic

Toppings:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
3 green onions, sliced thin
300g mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Method
1.  Crust: follow the instructions for the dough on the box. It helps to beat the eggs first and mix them with the oil before you add them to the mix. Your fingers will need to be really well oiled or the dough will stick. It takes a bit of effort to press the dough onto the pan, and you will need to oil your fingers regularly and it may not look like it will fit on the pan, but it will, I promise. If you do not have quick rising yeast, use traditional yeast but mix it with the water and 1 TBSP white sugar. Let it proof for at least 5 minutes, then add it to the mix with the eggs and the oil. Pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes
2. Sauce: put the peanut butter in a medium size microwave safe bowl. Add the soy sauce. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave to help the peanut butter blend better. Add remaining ingredients and mix with a fork until smooth
3.  Cook the chicken breasts in a bit of oil until golden on both sides and cooked through. Cube into small pieces and set aside
4. Divide sauce between 2 pre-baked crusts and spread. It will be just a thin layer of sauce but it packs a big flavour. Top with chicken, carrots and green onions then shredded mozzarella
5. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden around the edges and cheese is melted. If using cilantro, sprinkle it on the top after it comes out of the oven.

This is the pizza crust mix

Finished Product

Yum!

Gluten-Free, Nightshade-Free 3 Cheese Sausage Lasagne

I know, I know it's been about 3 months since my last post. Life has been really busy (when is it not?) but that is no excuse.
In January, my husband and I decided to do a 60-day gluten-free trial to see if it would help him feel better (both his mother and his sister are gluten intolerant, so it's likely he is too). Lo and behold, he feels better! After many experiments in the gluten-free realm, I feel pretty confident in cooking gluten free (I've done some baking experiments too, and they have turned out relatively well, though I still need some practice).
Nightshade free, on the other hand, has been a little more difficult. What are nightshades, you ask? They are a family of flowering plants that include tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers of all kinds (including bell peppers, chilies, paprika, chili powder, etc), eggplant and potatoes (though potatoes don't seem to bother my husband - we think it's because they are the root and not the fruit). Here's a link to what Wikipedia has to say about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightshade. Trying to find food that does not contain nightshades is very hard. Lots of things have "spice" on the label, which can often contain peppers of some sort (usually paprika or red bell pepper) so we can never be certain. Cooking from scratch is just the best way to go, because then I know what is going into the food.

This lasagne has 3 cheeses (ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella) and a creamy sauce. I used brown rice lasagne noodles (no need to pre-cook) and sweet rice flour as a thickener for the sauce (instead of corn starch - sweet rice flour won't make it goopy the next day like corn starch does). You needs lots of sauce to cook the rice noodles properly. I used mild Italian sausage meat (or you could buy Italian sausages and remove the casings if you can't find the meat on its own); the only thing I'm concerned about is that is has "spice" as an ingredient, so it may not be 100% nightshade free. You could use any kind of ground meat to be certain or if you don't eat pork for whatever reason. 

Gluten-Free, Nightshade-Free 3 Cheese Sausage Lasagne
Prep: 30-45 minutes | Cook: 45 minutes | Yield: one 9x13 pan (about 6 large servings)

Ingredients:
1 package mild Italian sausage meat (or other ground meat) - about 1 pound
3 large cloves garlic, minced (I used my garlic press)
2 TBSP butter
3 cups 1% milk
4 TBSP sweet rice flour
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp each salt and pepper
300g ricotta cheese (this is a standard container size)
2 TBSP shredded parmesan cheese
1 TBSP Johnny's Garlic Seasoning
10 gluten-free brown rice lasagne noodles
250g grated mozzarella
vegetable oil spray

Method:
1. Cook the sausage in a large pan over medium-high, breaking it up as you cook it. When the meat is mostly cooked, add the garlic and cook until the meat is no longer pink and is cooked through. Remove the meat to a separate bowl, leaving the cooking grease in the pan.
2. Return the pan to the stove and reduce the heat to low. Add the butter and melt. Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and cook for about 1 minute.
3. While the butter is melting, mix the sweet rice flour with the milk. Mix well to avoid lumps. Once the shallot is cooked, add the milk to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens. This could take up to 15 minutes - be patient! Once the sauce is thick, add the meat back to the sauce and stir to incorporate fully. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
4. Mix the ricotta cheese with the parmesan and the Johnny's Garlic. Set aside.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the pan with vegetable oil. Spread just over half the sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan. Place 4 rice noodles across the width of the sauce (side-by-side, not overlapping) and then place 1 noodle across the end of the pan (you may need to break it to make it fit).
6. Top the noodles with the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Add a second layer of noodles (same as before and top with the rest of the sauce. Make sure the noodles are completely covered. Cover with the grated mozzarella.
7. Cover with tinfoil and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the tinfoil and return to the oven for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.