For the crust, I used whole wheat sourdough starter. I put olive oil on the plates, spread out some starter, then baked it for about 15 minutes while I got the toppings ready. I wanted it to be cooked before I added any sauce, so it wouldn't be too wet.
The garlic has worked out very well. We have already used one pint and opened a second. I'm thinking we may need to can another batch of 16 pints.
I layered tomato sauce, browned sausage, onions, sweet peppers from the garden and some of our shredded mozzarella.
After it was constructed, the pizza baked for another 10 minutes at 450*.
Our side dish this evening was a bowl of collard and beet greens picked from the garden. We think the turnip greens are better, but collard greens are just fine, too.
Now the final version. What Frank thought. "You can live on it. Maybe after it's tweaked, you could live on it happily."
There are so many different ways to eat healthy. We try to find ways to grow or make our own with everything we eat. There are many, many low carb products on the market, but if it is feasible for us to make our own, we would much rather do so. It's part of choosing. As long as we still have the freedom to choose, we choose not to participate in the processed, prepackaged, chemicalized items corporate America puts on the grocery shelves and calls food. It takes time and effort to learn, produce, and prepare real food, but it is worth it.
Until next time - Fern
About the crust sticking: what are you baking it on? Metal works better than glass/ceramic.
ReplyDeleteWhat temp are you using to bake? We've found between 450-500 for about 10 min works well, then another 10-15 min with the toppings.
Your pizza looks delicious and I agree it could easily be lived on.
I tried cake pans, Bellen, but they are harder to eat out of so I tried our stoneware plates. You're right, metal works better. I bake the crust at 450* for about 10 minutes then another 10 minutes for the toppings, very similar to you. I'll keep tweaking it to perfection, well not perfection because most things don't turn out the same way twice, but until it tastes better. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteFern
Have you tried cauliflower crust pizza? It is even lower carb. My daughter makes it and her family likes it even better than regular pizza crust. It is basically pureed cauliflower, cheese and egg. She even makes up several and freezes the extras. There are lots of recipes, but here is one I like http://www.theluckypennyblog.com/2013/02/the-best-cauliflower-crust-pizza.html
ReplyDeleteMary, neither one of us like cauliflower, so we don't ever buy it. Thank you for sharing this link with all of us, I'm sure some folks will like to try it.
DeleteFern
This sounds promising. Thank you for trying this out for us, Fern. I'm looking forward to a post with an update on the crust.
ReplyDeleteI'll let you know if I figure some improvements. It is promising as another one of those 'different' meals on occasion. Thank you for the comment.
DeleteFern
This looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteFor a future article, can you give ideas on what you eat per day?
Right now we eat anywhere from 30 to 50 carbs per day. Once we both reach our weight goals we will increase that to around 90 to 100 as long as we don't begin to gain weight again. Our bodies will tell us what the ideal carb intake is once we reach that adjustment point. It has definitely been an interesting journey. We have learned a lot more about the properties of the foods we have been eating and the ones we now eat. We are very happy with our progress. Thank you for the question.
DeleteFern
We've gone militant low-carb, too....no bread, pancakes, waffles, store bought cereal, crackers, cookies, buns, rolls, biscuits, donuts, cakes, pie crusts, rice or pasta.
ReplyDeleteForty-five pounds? That's awesome.
(Well, occasionally we eat some rice or pasta. Very occasionally. Stir fry isn't the same without the rice and of course, who ever heard of spaghetti without the spaghetti?)
We still eat oatmeal all the time.
That pizza looks pretty good. I kinda miss pizza...
Just Me
I don't know if I would call our way of eating militant, Just Me, but we are limiting many items at this time. We have actually started adding a few more things on a very limited basis, and I am not strictly counting up how many carbs we are eating everyday. Frank doesn't need to lose any more weight, and my weight loss has slowed down, but that's okay. We have not had any rice or pasta since December 3rd of last year, and now I don't miss it. I would like to have some potatoes occasionally, and eventually we will, just not yet. We also haven't had any oatmeal.
DeleteWe had a potluck after church today and the meal line goes right past the desert table. It doesn't even appeal to me anymore which is very interesting since I always had way too many sweets at these gatherings before. Frank still thinks everything looks really good. I do still look at all of the potato dishes, though.
I went through some dresses I had stored away this afternoon. I made them years ago but haven't been able to wear them because they were too small. Two of them I have never worn since they were too small to start with. I can't wear all of them yet, but I'm pretty close. Now I have more dresses than I need since I only wear them to church. It's nice to be able to fit into something smaller again. Very nice and well worth the effort. Thank you for sharing.
Fern
Your pizza looks awesome. Have you thought about trying a different grain that is lower carb then wheat?
ReplyDeleteCheering you two on...... SJ in Vancouver BC Canada
Hi, SJ. I haven't considered any other grains because wheat is readily available in 5 gallon buckets, stores well and will grow here if planted. I have never been one to buy specialty items for a recipe or because of popularity in particular diets. The wheat works great in our sourdough, and besides all that, we like the taste of wheat. Thank you for the question and the cheering!
DeleteFern
Hey Frank, I just picked up the local Island paper a few minutes go and found an Article you might br=e interested in. This paper comes out on Thursday so tomorrow is the last day of the event
ReplyDeleteit is gathering of HAM radio folks out here on Block Island to promote awareness of Lighthouse and Lightship preservation and restoration. They say in the article they will be trying to contact people from all over the world. The special call sign for the event is K1L. Tomorrow is the last day. Here is an address where you can find out more of the particulars, www.lllw.net or ,www.qrz.com/db/K1L. Just thought you might be able to do a little skipping and hook up with them for a minute or so. Best Everett
Everett, thank you for the information. I gave the websites a look and had no luck. Thanks for keeping me in the circle.
DeleteFrank
Mmmmm... looks delicious! I have been experimenting with sourdough bread using different types of flour. Since we are also hoping to be as self sufficient as possible, I tried making bread dough with wheat flour, almond flour and acorn flour. It's delicious! This way, I can harvest almonds from my own almond trees, gather acorns from our numerous oak trees, and only use half the wheat flour! As soon as we get our home built we plan to try growing, harvesting and milling our own wheat. At least, that's the plan, and God willing, we're sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a winning combination for your homestead bread, Vickie. Good for you. Thank you for sharing another example of how to use what grows at home to feed your family.
DeleteFern
That looks delicious! We are so anticipating getting settled, I have a lot of your recipes I want to try.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have a good time cooking up a storm in your new home, Fiona.
DeleteFern