Low Carb Pizza

Low Carb Pizza
Pizza may just be the bane of my existence….and ice cream, lots of ice cream. I don’t know what sort of witchcraft that the Italians used to make this the most perfect food on the face of the planet, but I would sell my soul for a slice of good pizza. Well, that might be pushing it a little. Then again, probably not. I have been tinkering with different recipes for low carb/paleo/grain-free pizza crusts. Normally, I go for either my Flax Foccaccia or Broccoli & Basil Crust. I worry about the flax, because it has been known to cause stalling in low carb weight loss and the broccoli crust is impossible to pick up. So now I am trying a crust made from just cream cheese and egg. To my surprise, it is actually easy to pick up! Each batch has about 16 carbs total and you get 2-4 servings. Normally, I split the batter into 2 oblong-shaped thin crusts–one for me and one for the hubby. This serving size really fills me up. So in the end one serving had about 8 carbs. It’s very important to beat the cream cheese first, and then add one egg at a time and scrap the bowl in between each step. You don’t want big chunks of cream cheese in the crust. After you mix everything, you will see a few little chunks, that’s just fine. I spread mine pretty thin, as you can see in the pictures. You don’t have to make two separate crusts if you don’t want to. I just like having personal sized ones for me and my husband to top them as we see fit! After the crusts come out of the oven and cool, I run an off-set spatula under them to free them from the silpat and then top with whatever topping I want. Today I went with homemade pesto, ground sausage, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and a little lemon zest. Of course, after it was all baked I threw some chopped fresh herbs on top! Low Carb Thin Crust Pizza Ingredients: 1/4 cup grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Romano, Manchego, ect) Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a hand/stand mixer, beat the cream cheese until soft. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add cheese, garlic powder and black pepper. Mix until combined. Add one egg at a time, scraping down the bowl in between. Spread batter into a silpat-lined baking sheet in desired shape. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the top is lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Run a spatula underneath the crusts to remove from silpat, leave crusts on silpat. Add desired toppings and place back in oven for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the toppings are heated through. Other great ideas for low-carb toppings! Meats: pepperoni, roast beef, ham, chicken, bacon, turkey, ground beef, prosciutto, shrimp, crab. Veggies: sun-dried tomato, caramelized onion, roasted garlic, avocado, artichoke hearts, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, arugula, fresh spinach, roasted eggplant. Sauces: Paleo BBQ Sauce, alfredo, classic marinara. Get creative! Original article and pictures take http://theprimitivepalate.com/2014/12/15/low-carb-pizza/ site