Pizza Dough

Before I was diagnosed and went gluten free I was a pizza freak!  I loved it.  I could have eaten it every night. I wasn't picky either.  I liked it all, from homemade to gourmet to domino's cardboard textured crust.  I liked it all.  I think it is a comfort food for me.   When I was young, my father would pick me and my brother up every other Friday night to spend the weekend with him. We would go directly to TK's pizzeria to pick up dinner.  I would sit in the car with the warm pizza on my lap, impatiently waiting to pull in the driveway and eat.  Often I was scolded for trying to sneak a piece of pepperoni off the top.  It was safety and family and it tasted good!

Later, as a pre-adolescent and teenager,  I spent many weekend afternoons and evenings with my father making homemade pizza.  We would talk as he prepped all the toppings and the sauce.  He would let me pound on, oh, I mean knead, the dough and would always grate extra cheese and cut extra pepperoni for me to "sneak" a taste of.

My first few years of being gluten free I tried and tried to find a good gluten free crust.  I tried a lot of homemade crusts.  They were all terrible.  Tasted disgusting, wouldn't rise, etc, etc. I then moved on to pre-made.  For a while I was using Whole Foods Bakehouse Pizza Dough which was okay but not like the glutenous stuff.  Then I found Gluten Free Kneads.  It is made with whole grains and is quite tasty.  It is super yummy and now most of the pizza places in town use it as their GF crust.  However, I still longed for the days of homemade pizza, dirty hands, messy counter, thick, bready dough.

So, I was visiting my parents back in January and my Dad wanted to do a pizza night.  Despite all my GF pizza dough failures he has continued to send me recipes, box mixes and encouragement.  We had picked up a few GF flours from the store to make some other baked good.  I was sure any try at GF pizza dough, especially with limited supplies, would be a disaster but I decided to prove it to my Dad.  I googled GF pizza dough recipes that had teff and went for it.  I found this recipe and had almost all the ingredients.  A few adjustments and we were a go.

It was fabulous.  I couldn't believe it.  It rose!  Even more than glutenous dough does.  Then, with complete disbelief, I tasted it.  It was good, really good, like real pizza dough.  Then my Dad tried it and said it was almost as good as his.  Amazing!!

Once I got home, I was skeptical about making it again.  It must have been a fluke.  My Dad continued to pester me to make it for my 2 other celiac family members because they had loved my homemade glutenous dough.  I gave it and tried it again.  With a few more tweaks, It worked!!!  I am so excited about this and may need to have pizza daily once again.  Waistline, watch out.  I realize that this is not the NY style, greasy pizza you can fold up but it is the closest thing I have tasted to a Sunday afternoon of cooking with my Dad I have had in 5 years.  I am so grateful and hope you like it too!

This is my version of the above recipe:

GLUTEN FREE PIZZA DOUGH

Ingredients

1¼ Cups Cornstarch
¾ Cup Millet Flour
2 Cups Authentic GF Classic Blend Flour
¼ Cup Teff Flour
1½ Tablespoons Xanthan Gum
1½ Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Package Active Dry Yeast
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
2  Medium Eggs
1 Egg White
1¾ Cups Warm Water (110-115°)

Directions

Place Cornstarch, flours, Xanthan gum, salt, oregano, garlic powder and yeast in mixing bowl; mix. 

Add vinegar, sugar, honey, oil, eggs, egg white and lastly the warm water; mix. 

Increase mixing speed to high, and beat for 4 minutes.

Coat your pizza pan with cooking spray and or use parchment paper. The dough is super, incredibly sticky. 

For a round pizza you can just pour the patter and use an oiled spatula to even out.

I like the pizza on a cookie sheet to make it deep dish and tried to spread it multiple ways.  It takes a little more time but the most effective so far is placing it using a pastry bag. I doubled up the edges to make a nice crust edge. 

Spray surface of pizza dough with cooking spray or olive oil (very light coating). 

Allow to sit in a warm, dry location (free of drafts) covered loosely with plastic wrap for 40 minutes. This allows time for it to rise.

Preheat oven to 375° and pre-bake crusts for 20 minutes. It will rise even more at this point so be prepared. 

Remove pizza crust from oven. Increase oven temperature to 400°.

Add pizza sauce, cheese and any other desired toppings to the pizza crust.

Place back in oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.  ENJOY!!!

Saltgrass Steakhouse - Austin

We were feeling mildly adventurous tonight.  Translation:  We were not too exhausted to go through the gluten questions at a new place.  It was decided that we needed a steak so I consulted Urbanspoon.  We were going for not pricey, not downtown and casual.  I came up with Saltgrass Steakhouse.  I thought it amazing that there was a steak house in an area of town I know well and I hadn't even heard of it.  Off we went to give it a try.

I was a little skeptical at first. The inside was a combination of early bird diners and daycare center.  Surprisingly,  it wasn't too loud or crazy though.  The menu reminded me of a chain.  Similar to Applebee's, Outback or Chili's.  Our waitress was very nice, and prompt.  She did freely admit that she had no idea what this gluten thing I spoke of was but kindly listened.  She quickly told me not to worry that the manager knew every ingredient in every meal and would help me out.  He did in fact show up to our table just as I was ordering and answered all of my questions.

I ordered a filet mignon (no seasoning just in case) and a loaded baked potato.  I started with a house salad with oil and vinegar dressing.  I was delighted at how helpful they were until my main dish showed up.  My steak was covered with onion rings. Fie!!! The person that brought it to us immediately saw my face and asked what the problem was.  The meal never actually got placed in front of me before it was whisked off to be remade.  Not one person rolled an eye when I said I needed a completely new one.  The manager brought a replacement over in just a few minutes.  Concerned with how quickly they cooked a brand new steak I questioned the manager.  Is this a new steak?  How could you have recooked it so quickly?  He looked me in the eye and assured me it was new and had not touched the onion rings.  He said that it was already on the grill for another customer but I had ordered first so he gave it to me.  Nice.

The steak was good, not the best, but good.  Equal to Outback.  The potato was fantastic.  I don't know what made this one potato better than another but it was.

Would I go back here?  Perhaps, though it was just not my style. The staff did a great job, considering their limited gluten knowledge.  Most impressive was their sincerity.  No one acted as though they knew something they didn't or like I was being difficult or crazy.  I have had all of those experiences in the past. I would certainly stop here if I was passing through on the highway (it is on the 183 bypass) or if my family wanted to go somewhere for a cheap steak.  The food was good and the service was great.  I wouldn't call it "gluten-friendly" but it was certainly not gluten-mean!  It was a nice tittle adventure and no tummy ache.

National Geographic/Lindblad Expeditions - Antarctica

As I planned this trip I thought "What if this wonderful trip is ruined by gluten?", "What if I am gutenized AND seasick?"  I am not normally anxious about gluten when traveling.  I simply bring some Larabars or GF pretzels and if I can't find something GF than I'm okay.  Antarctica, however, doesn't have  a lot of GF restaurants and due to the customs rules in Chile, bringing food was not necessarily going to be an option.  Bring on the anxiety.  I tried to keep things in perspective.  I could live on fruit or salad for 2 weeks.  Right?

There was little discussion regarding who we would travel to Antarctica with.  National Geographic all the way.  Reliable, small, scientists on board... nerds unite!!  I called Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic regarding my dietary restrictions before we booked.  I was told, "Don't worry.  We deal with dietary restrictions regularly.  Just be sure to write it down on your medical form when you send it in."  Too easy?  I would just have to see.

My first food experience on the Explorer was a delicious adult coffee.  They made a little Lindlad symbol on top.  Very detail oriented and encouraging.
Once I had checked out our room and settled in a little I sought out the restaurant manager, Gaylord, to start my gluten free quest.  He advised me to just contact him prior to every meal and he would make sure I stayed GF.  I could do that.

After the safety drills, announcements, etc., it was time for our first on board meal.  Dinner that evening was a buffet.  All but 2 of our dinners on board were real sit down, 3 course meals.  I was easily able to find Gaylord at the buffet line and he took me around, directing me to what was safe and away from what was not.  It was that easy.  For dinner I had rice salad, tomato and avocado salad, green bean casserole, roasted vegetables, perch with verde sauce and beet crisp, potato leek soup and some cheese for dessert.  All delicious.  I went to bed full, exhausted and without a tummy ache (if you don't count the sea sickness that started in the middle of the night as we hit open sea.)

The next morning, breakfast was again a buffet, as were all that followed.  Unfortunately, many of the brands were South American and all of the labels in Spanish.  Also, I did not have my trusty iPhone or an internet connection to check on things.  That meant no yogurt for the duration.  There was plenty to eat though.  Most mornings there was a collection of fresh and dried fruit which I placed in a bowl and poured a little milk over.  There was also a variety of eggs each morning to chose from.  I did not go hungry.  My first morning Gaylord even offered me some GF toast.  I happily accepted.  I thought "this is great!"  until I saw it.  It couldn't have been more than a little tapioca starch and some water.  Sad.  I certainly did appreciate the effort though.

Lunch was always a buffet similar to our first dinner.  Always mostly gluten free.  Each time Gaylord was there to let me know what was safe.  If there wasn't anything or I really wanted something that wasn't GF  he would have the chef make a special GF one for me.  One afternoon after a long day of hiking and penguin watching, I walked into the dining room to find a smorgasbord of pizza.  I thought I might cry a little.  How could they do this too me!!!!!  Gaylord immediately saw me standing there shell shocked and walked up to me. "What do you like on your pizza?"  he asked as he pointed to all of the options on the buffet. I could not believe he was asking me this.  After all our time together had he just not understood the concept of gluten?  In fact, he was offering me my own GF pizza with any toppings I desired.  I regret not taking a picture.  I was too busy eating I guess.  It was good!  The crust was obviously all white flours but it was thick and not resembling cardboard at all.  The toppings and sauce was delicious.  I was so excited.

No penguin burgers?

Dinners were usually very good.  They always had ice cream available and often had other options as well.  I simply told my waiter that I wanted my meal gluten free, picked what I wanted and the chef made it gluten free for me.  In a few days in every waiter would hand me my food and say "gluten free".  The gentleman who brought me my morning beverage would even set down my water or coffee and say "Your coffee ma'am, gluten free."
I did have a few close calls.  There was a pudding dessert that I was told was safe and when I took a bite it had little chocolates that crunched on top.  Crap.  Gaylord did not know what they were "some kind of cereal".  That did not instill confidence.  There was also something about once a day that I was told was GF but I just didn't trust.  Apparently, on ship they made most things with cornstarch rather that flour but I just couldn't bring myself to believe something breaded was safe.  It is entirely possible but I went for safe not sorry.  Plus, there was so much food that was safe, leaving one thing off my plate was not going to kill me.
All in all a very good GF experience especially considering the situation.  Nat Geo/Lindblad won my vote for GF friendly trip!!!  Go Antarctica.

Ushaia, Argentina and the Beagle Channel

Arriving in Ushuaia was breathtaking.  The town was cute and very Sound of Music with the tudor houses and the snow capped mountains.
We had had a 4 hour flight from Santiago to Ushaia.  Grawnola to the rescue again.

We were promptly put on a tour bus for our trip to Tierra del Fuego National Park.  I was very excited.  I am a total science and nature nerd.  I have always wanted to go to Patagonia and there we were.  Into Patagonia and to the Beagle Channel.  The same water way that Charles Darwin himself sailed over 175 yeas ago and started exploring as a naturalist.  WOW!!

After an amazing hike through the the park, the plan was lunch on a catamaran and a trip down the channel.

By this time I was very hungry.  We hiked town to the Canoero catamaran, the Elisebetta for lunch.  Tables were already set and a wrap appetizer was already on the plate.

Initially our server was Spanish speaking only so I got out my Triumph Dining Card.  It has Spanish on one side and English on the other. I have rarely used this and felt a little silly doing so but, it totally worked.  I was so surprised.  The server quickly brought over the English speaking manager who confirmed the ingredients of the lunch soup and that they were safe.  She sent over a very good salad, in place of the wrap, with packaged dressing. The amazing thing was the ingredients were so simple I could even read them in Spanish.  There was no obvious gluten so I went for it.

The rest of lunch was small but incredible good.  It was a beautiful beef curry soup.  The manager even double checked with me the ingredients were gluten free as it was served.  It was very good.  Small portion but the spices were just right.  Flavorful without being overly spicy, hot.

Then there was dessert.  It was a chocolate covered ball of black cherry ice cream.  The manager said it was safe.  I knew that maybe the chocolate may not be completely safe but this was one of those calculated risks and she did say it was safe.  I did not get sick, so I win.  Take that gluten!

Half eaten.  I couldn't wait. 

As I ran outside to take pictures of sea lions and cormorants I noticed some cookies by the door.  The boxes were sitting behind the cookies for identification.  They were gluten free!!!  It said it right on the box!!! "Sin Gluten"!

 Okay, I admit they were aweful!  Disgusting actually.  But what a great effort on their part.  There were no other glutenous cookies, just the GF ones for everyone.  Good show.  

For a small operation, that speaks a different language, they did a FABULOUS job of pulling off gluten free.  I was very impressed.

After our great lunch and tour of the channel we boarded our ship to Antarctica!  So exciting!

                                                                                     Antarctica here we come!!

Santiago, Chile

On our way to Antarctica we had a few pit stops to make.  First Dallas, now on to Santiago.  This part of the trip is probably what I was most concerned about gluten-wise.  I had done some Internet research and most postings said that Chile was VERY stringent about bringing in any food.  I even got a letter from National Geographic/Lindland Expeditions (who I was going with) stating not to bring any food on the flight to Santiago and if you did to be sure to declare it.  Even declared, it may be completely confiscated.  If not declared, you faced a fine of up to $25,000 and hours of being detained. That being said, it was a 9 hour plane ride without any idea when I would eat again.  I found a page with specifics about what could legally be brought in and tried to stick to it.

  I brought 5 - 6 Larabars with some concern about nuts, Hail Merry Grawnola sample packs, some hard ginger candies for sea sickness and a box of Valentines chocolate (we would be in Antarctica that day and it's my sig other's (SO) favorite VDay treat).  I didn't think I would get any of these things through.  A Larabar and some Grawnola did save my butt as I watched my SO eat glutenous yogurt and a croissant for breakfast before landing. I declared everything and went to the scary uniformed men at customs.  They looked my food over, verified that my heart box was indeed "comida, si?"  Then a simple "Is okay" and a wave of the hand and I was free!  I would have brought so much more if I knew it would be that easy.

After a 30 minute drive from the airport, through the shantytowns that the tour driver never acknowledged existing at all, we arrived at our home for the next 18 hours.

We checked in and got up to our room with a beautiful view.  The next step... FOOD!!  I was starving.  I had only had my Larabar and a little Granola and it was now well past lunch time.  So, here I am at the beginning of an incredible vacation, in a 5 star hotel, hungry.  I did what any completely rational, hypoglycemic girl would do.  I ordered room service!  The Hyatt is known for their gluten free friendliness so I gave it a try, in Spanish.  Initially, it didn't look good.  The man at the end of the line spoke little English and my Spanish is "muy malo".   He figured out that I had an "allergy" and quickly got someone with some English skills on the line.  We still fumbled a bit but I ordered something relatively easy and likely to be gluten free and she understood what I needed.  I had a lovely omelet with tomato, cheese (confirmed GF) and red peppers.  It came with some roasted greens, tomatoes and yucca instead of toast.  The fruit plate was phenomenal, super fresh and sweet!

Full of glucose minus the gluten once again, we took off to have a walking tour of the city.

I was hoping for some traditional Chilean food.  I brought my trusty food/travel GF card with me and we were off.  It was hot out there.  And quite honestly I was tired.  The walking tour took us past historical  parks, churches and government buildings.  Nothing food-wise struck my fancy.  Nothing that was worth asking gluten questions in Spanish for.  At the end of out walk we did find a central gathering place called The Central Market or Mercado Central.  It is an open air, fresh fish and fruit market.

We were both dirty, sweating and exhausted by this point.  We decided we would both like life a lot better with a shower and a nap rather than a gluten experiment just then.  I do really think this is potentially a great place to find fresh, gluten free food in Santiago, though.  I would try it if we ever went back.
I also want to note that we spoke to many people who had spent more than a few days in Santiago and they all commented that they hadn't found any amazing Chilean food and that it tended to be very bland.


After a nap and shower I felt much better and ready for the next challenge.  Our presence was requested at a cocktail hour and introduction dinner at the Grand Hyatt.  I had called and written to my trip organizers that I had celiac and was gluten free before the trip. They assured me that they dealt with this often and would take care of it.
The cocktail hour at the pool side was a great success.  They had some killer drinks and lovely looking appetizers.  I was easily able to locate a staff member and talk gluten.  She said they were expecting me and would find out what I could and couldn't eat.  She quickly came back saying there was only one appetizer that wasn't GF.  With that great answer she also brought 2 trays of appetizers just for me.  Yeah me!  There were probably 6 appetizers in all that were safe.  All of then delicious.

I know, that looks like soy sauce.  It is balsamic vinegar.  I confirmed!

Just a little tipsy and half full, we headed inside for dinner with the the other 140 passengers headed to Antarctica.  There are 3 restaurants and 2 lounge/bar eateries in the Santiago Grand Hyatt.  We were scheduled to eats at Senso, the Italian restaurant.  I initially had worries but after the cocktail hour I was a little more optimistic.  There was a set menu and the 1st course, a glutenous something, was preset on the table.  We were being welcomed at that point so it was difficult to flag someone down to help me.  After a few Spanish speaking only servers I was able to find someone who spoke English.  Unfortunately, she continued to repeat over and over that she understood and would get my vegetarian meal for me.  I tried to explain gluten but she just didn't get it.  I found someone not associated with the restaurant staff but with our Travel company (Lindblad) to help.  They says they knew about my needs and just needed to know where I was sitting and they would send my meal right over.
I was presented with a nice mixed greens salad with vinaigrette for the 1st course.  While everyone else had a terribly overcooked piece of tuna on something glutenous, I was given indeed a vegetarian dish.  However it was also GF and super yummy!

Vegetarian/GF Lasagna.  No noodle, just veggies. 

As dessert we had a "creme brulee" with berries.  I use quotes here because, in fact, there was no brulee, just creme.  The berries were good but the rest really wasn't worth the calories.

There was also some chocolates brought to us, milk, dark and white but I was full and didn't have the patience or confidence in the staff to ask about gluten status. heck, I could barely ask for sugar for my coffee in Spanish!  Stupid American!

We headed to bed for the full night of 5 hour sleep we had ahead of us.


In the morning we were expected on our airport shuttle bus at 5 a.m.  We woke at 4 ish and headed down stairs for a quick breakfast.  There was a large buffet set up mostly of gluten full foods.  The were beautiful little coffee cakes and scones and lots of cereal and pancakes.  I did resist but, did I mention it was not even 5 a.m. yet?   I took a small risk getting some plain yogurt with almonds and a piece of canned fruit.  Most plain yogurt is safe even if their fruit filled equivalents are not so I took the chance.  I also had some bacon, cheese and fruit.  Basically I just put anything I thought might be safe on my plate.

It worked, I was satiated and did not get contaminated.  The coffee cake did look good though. Never mind that!!  On to the next leg of the adventure... Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina...

DFW Airport - Dallas, Fort Worth Texas

The beginning of a long and wonderful trip to the bottom of the earth.  Literally!! We were on our way to Antarctica.  This trip was a little overwhelming. I kept thinking of all the potential dangers, the incredible things we would see and do and of course gluten.  I did do some planning ahead though.  The first was checking in on the airport during our first leg.  There is a great website for DFW and you can see where you plane is likely to come in, leave from and which restaurants are around.  It has an interactive map and a list of restaurants.  There were many options for gluten free. I would starve if stuck here for a few days.  Here are a few:

CHILI'S TOO
     Chili's has a gluten free list of foods and depending where you are a GF menu.  I have found time and time again that the Chili's too airport restaurants either do not have the GF menus, their regular menu is very abbreviated and/or the GF manager lists are often out of date.  So, be sure to ask lots of questions.

AU BON PAIN
     This was going to be my back up plan but they were closed when we got there at 7:30 pm.  I will say, I had incredible luck with this deli at the Orlando Airport in 3/10.  The servers did not really know about gluten but they had a computerized kiosk that did.  You could just pick what you wanted and it would give you a detailed ingredient and allergy list.  I had a great, healthy and filling meal.

RED MANGO YOGURT
     I have not eaten here but I did notice when I was at the Newark Airport that they advertised they were certified GF.  Ice cream makes everything better!

UNO DUE GO
     This is a take off on Pizzeria Uno.  Again haven't eaten there but I know that most Pizzeria Uno's now offer GF crust.  It's worth asking.

There are also a few upscale restaurants including at the attached GRAND HYATT.  They are usually very gluten friendly and often have GF bread and pasta if you ask for it.

I decided to go for COOL RIVER CAFE in the international terminal.  A short train ride from our Austin connection and we were there.  I had eaten at the Austin restaurant once before when I was first diagnosed and they were helpful in answering my questions.  Plus, it's a steak house.  Overall, there are often GF options.

I had the flat iron steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions and a side of mashed potatoes.  I confirmed that all were gluten free ahead of time.  It was quite good.  There were 2 strange things though.  #1 - My steak was cut into strips.  Still tasted good.  #2 - The silverware was all plastic.  Maybe that's why my steak was cut up.  I was happy with my choice and my good, solid meal before our next flight.  That was until I tried my companion's filet mignon. (Also confirmed GF though she is not)  HOLY COW!  It melted in my mouth, requiring little if any chewing on my part.  So good!

Topped dinner off with a bag of plain M&Ms and headed for Santiago, Chile...