paleo italian sausage, mushroom, olive,red pepper and spinach pizza

i was so happy with the results of this pizza. so happy! 

the texture of this crust reminds me of a cornmeal crust and was a little crisp on the outside but tender inside. i broke off a little hunk of it when it came out of the oven, after i par-baked it, and dipped it in the still-warm homemade pizza sauce and i concluded that these would make awesome breadsticks dipped in warm pizza sauce.

when i ran a small home daycare, i had one family that ate paleo. to help with meal times, i asked her sweet mama to send a lunch for the little one twice a week, and one of those times i decided to taste the paleo-friendly pizza that she sent for her. i cut off a tiny slice and was pleasantly surprised by how good this grain-free pizza was. she told me that she discovered that one of the secrets to a really good paleo crust was to mix almond flour and coconut flour and to add lots of spices to it (think rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano).

the mister and i both loved the results. i noticed that after i ate 3 small slices, i felt pleasantly full but not bloated. after eating 2 slices of standard pizza, i always feel bloated and mildly uncomfortable. it was nice to not feel that way and still feel satisfied!

i whipped up a quick pizza sauce with-

1 can organic tomato sauce

1 can organic tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1T olive oil

a few pinches red pepper flakes

1t dried oregano

heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add garlic and cook just until fragrant, stirring so it doesn't brown, about 1 minute. add the oregano and red pepper flake and stir for 30 seconds. pour in tomato sauce and paste and stir to combine thoroughly (you can use a whisk if you want to get it nice and smooth). cook over med/med low heat for about 10 minutes.

pizza crust recipe

1/3 cup almond flour/meal (i used the almond meal from trader joe's)

1/3 cup coconut flour

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk or almond milk

1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed in your hand first

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp each onion and garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

beat the eggs, add the milk and whisk. add in flours, salt and spices and mix well. spread in a 1/4 inch layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. bake@ 350 for 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through so it bakes and browns evenly.

slather with that delicious pizza sauce (freeze what you don't use) and top with whatever you like. i used daiya vegan cheese, black olives, crimini mushrooms, red bell peppers, spinach and italian chicken sausage. it is equally delish minus the faux cheese.

bake for 10-15 minutes more @400 degrees and enjoy.