Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

My teenage kids were the first set of guinea pigs for this creation.  My son was reluctant to try it declaring, “No, it looks like hummus!” when he saw the uncooked batter.  But, immediately after taking the first bite of the pizza, both he and his sister asked for more.  The only problem, there were no more! I made only a small sample batch to avoid waste in the event it didn’t go well.  Delighted by the kids’ enthusiasm, I immediately whipped up a new batch from scratch.  My husband, who can be harder to feed than the daycare children because he is acutely aware that my creations tend to have secret ingredients that are good for him, also gave the pizza a thumbs up.

I had a good feeling the little daycare children would like the pizza as well.  My feelings were confirmed; the kids loved it. They devoured it like they would any other pizza.

Now, why bother with garbanzo bean flour?  Per serving, it contains 5 times more fiber and twice as much protein as regular all purpose flour.  This is such an easy switch with big rewards.

For the topping, turkey pepperoni is a great choice at 70% less fat than regular pepperoni (at least that’s what the packaging claims) and has only 70 calories for 17 slices compared to 140 calories for 14 slices of regular pepperoni.  So, when you must have something salty, chewy, and meaty on your pizza, reach for the turkey pepperoni!

In this recipe, I used a small quantity of regular flour because it really balances the flavor of the bean flour.  It definitely makes a big difference in taste, but feel free to leave it out for a gluten free crust.

Garbanzo Bean Crust Pizza with Turkey Pepperoni

Pizza Dough:

1 cup garbanzo bean flour

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. flaxseed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup water

Topping:

1 cup shredded pizza cheese

1 cup pizza sauce

about 3 oz. turkey pepperoni

Thoroughly combine all dough ingredients in a medium bowl.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Dough should be the consistency of pancake batter.   

Preheat skillet on medium heat.  Move skillet off heat and spray skillet with cooking spray.  Add 1/4 cup batter.  Swirl pan in circular motion or use a spoon to spread batter to 1/8 inch thickness.  Place back on heat and cook until golden brown on bottom, about 2-3 minutes.  Spray cooking spray on the top of  the crust. Turn crust over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Makes about eitght 5-inch individual crusts.  Crusts can be made ahead of time an frozen for convenience.

Layer each crust with about 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 5-6 pepperoni.  Place pizzas on a greased cooking sheet and broil on high for about 2 minutes or until cheese becomes slightly golden and bubbly.  

Strawberry Applesauce Granita

A granita is a semi frozen dessert that very much resembles a sorbet.  I was inspired by Melissa D’Arabian who made Applesauce Granita with Maple Yogurt.  She has many wonderful recipes.  I made her granita, which consisted of applesauce and lemon juice, and although it may appeal to adults, the children were not enthusiastic about it.  So…it was back to the drawing board for me.

I loved the simplicity of Melissa’s recipe, liked her used of applesauce, and wanted incorporate it into my version.   After several trials and flavor combinations, fresh strawberry and applesauce was decidedly the winning pairing. It was much better received by the kids than its predecessor.  To keep the granita low sugar, I also used unsweetened applesauce, but added Stevia powder as my sweetener.  You could, of course, use the sweetener of your choice.  

This granita is so full of goodness that it doesn't do it justice to call it a dessert—it is good anytime.  It is a deliciously simple, healthy, and refreshing treat that you will feel good giving to the kids.

Strawberry Applesauce Granita

2 cups fresh strawberries, halved

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. Stevia powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

6 oz. vanilla yogurt

Puree all ingredients except yogurt in a food processor or a blender.  

Place in a shallow container, cover and freeze for 1 hour.  Remove from freezer and scrape the frozen areas of the granita using a fork.  The center may be soft, return to the freezer for 1 hour and scrape again.  Repeat as necessary.  Serve with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.

Any unused granita will solidify once again in the freezer after a period of time.  To serve, allow to defrost at room temperature for about 10 minutes and fluff with fork.

Slow Cooker Honey Ribs

I have used this recipe from HMICHAUD at allrecipes.com for years.  It is delicious.  I made a couple of minor adjustments to the recipe to suit my taste.  Those who don’t care for barbeque sauce really like this dish because it doesn't have a BBQ taste, and even better, the kids love it.  It is sweet, savory and tender.  I usually serve it with rice, but it also goes well with mashed potato, couscous, or polenta.

Slow Cooker Honey Spare Ribs

1 (10.5 oz.) can beef broth

3 tbsp. honey mustard

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup honey barbeque sauce

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 lbs. pork spareribs

Combine all wet ingredients in a bowl.  Slice ribs apart and place in slow cooker.  Pour sauce over pork.  Cook on high for 5 hours or until the meat falls off the bones.   Stir the meat halfway through cooking, if possible, so that the top layer of meat is on the bottom.  Use a spoon to strain off top layer of fat before serving.  Serve with mashed potato, rice polenta, or couscous.

The pork is fall-off-the-bone tender, so watch out for small fragments of bones.  To avoid dealing with them, use boneless pork ribs.  When making this substitution, cooking time might need to be slightly reduced.

Okay, the plated picture at the top of this post is my “pretty picture” to capture your attention, but when I present the dish to the children, it looks like the below.  The pork is shredded and meat juice mixed into the rice.  Yum!