As I’ve alluded to here on the blog and Facebook, we’ve decided to take our entire family on a grain-free journey for awhile. Yes, Mama has been grain-free since October (and down nearly 25 pounds for it!), but the rest of my little family has still gotten to enjoy toast, peanut-butter sandwiches and other grainy goodies.
The reason for our decision to go “all-in” stems from some rather serious tummy problems the Little Lady has been experiencing; after a battery of blood tests and doctor appointments, it seems to be that Abdominal Migraines are the problem. Yes, you can get a migraine in your abdomen and it isn’t fun and, like head migraines, can last hours. Rather than go straight into medication (which for serious cases CAN work wonders), we are trying to eliminate possible triggers and attempting to see if lifestyle changes can make a difference.
The easiest to put in place is to eliminate grains and the last of the processed foods in our pantry, which can be a problem for so many.
Of course, taking away grains leaves me scratching my head … WHAT DO I FEED THESE PEOPLE FOR LUNCH?? I’ve relied on sandwiches because they are fast and easy and fuss -free when it comes to my picky Mr. Boy. Take away his beloved PB&J? Oy.
Time for a LOT of experimenting in the kitchen, and these Grain-Free Pizza Bites are one of the hits!
An adaptation of this recipe for Grain Free Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits (which are fantastic, by the way), these pizza bites are so fast to assemble and can be baked in the oven …. OR in a cake-pop machine.
(yes, I found one last weekend at Bed Bath and Beyond for NINE DOLLARS and I’m now obsessed with thing. So fast, so cool and the balls are perfect for little hands)
Fully of cheese and pepperoni, they are delicious “as-is” or dipped into pizza sauce (I use my freezer-friendly slow-cooker marinara as pizza sauce).
- ¼ cup blanched almond flour
- 3 tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Nutritional Yeast*
- ¼ cup half-half
- 1 egg
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella, grated
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 15 slices of pepperoni (I use Boars Head, which is gluten-free), cut into ⅛ths (roughly ¼ cup total of chopped pepperoni)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, or (if using) turn on the cake-pop machine to pre-heat.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and then add the cheeses, stirring till mixed in.
- Next, stir in the milk, egg, and butter, working the softened butter into the ingredients till fully incorporated.
- Stir in the pepperoni pieces till evenly distributed.
- Using a 1 inch cookie scoop (or a tablespoon), divide the dough out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet**. They will not spread so you can put them close together.
- Place in your preheated oven and bake 12-15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Using a 1 inch cookie scoop (really the easiest for this machine), fill each round cavitiy on the bottom of the machine with a scoop of the dough.
- Close the lid and allow to cook 3-4 minutes, or until the exterior of the pizza bites are golden.
- Use a fork to remove the pizza bites. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
**Don't skip the parchment paper!!!! Grain-free flours bake best on it. You can also use a Silpat Mat if you have that. I prefer the parchment.
These can be frozen! You can flash-freeze for an hour and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. To reheat, you can warm them in an oven or microwave.
