Gluten Free White Pizza- Perfect Weeknight dinner!

Last Tuesday... and actually probably for a month before that, I had the hankering for PIZZA.  It had been SO long since the last time I had pizza.  IN fact, my last ATTEMPT to have pizza was thwarted.  About a month ago, we went out with a group to try Pizza Fusion in Santa Monica for the first time.  I called on the way there to make sure they had gluten free crust that evening... and when we got there, they told me they had SOLD OUT!  WHAT?  Ok, anyway, I digress... Ever since that evening a month ago, I had been wanting pizza.

I came home and found that I still had a package of gluten free pizza dough mix by Gluten Free Pantry and a TON of veggies in the fridge, so it was the perfect weeknight to embark on a pizza making adventure.  The only thing missing that night was tomatoes and tomato sauce.  So, we had a DELICIOUS white pizza.  (But, you can always add a layer of sauce before the toppings to make a more conventional pizza.)

If you are feeling particularly industrious during the week, you can also make your own dough from the best recipe I've tried so far.  It's a recipe I adapted from Gluten Free Girl, which is FANTASTIC.  Even my boyfriend and all the gluten eaters I've eaten it with will agree whole heartedly.

Pizza w/ arugula salad (served w/ honey balsamic vinagrette)

Gluten Free Pizza Dough Recipe: 

As adapted from Gluten Free Girl

Ingredients:
2 c rice flour
1/2 c tapioca flour
1/2 c sorghum flour ( I use sorghum because it is more readily available, and I love the sweet flavor)
1 tsp cider vinegar (another addition- it thins it a little)
1 tsp salt
1 c lukewarm water
1 packet gluten-free yeast
1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Pour a packet of yeast into the cup of lukewarm water, then stir in the sugar. 
2. Preheat oven to a low temperature
3. Slowly stir the mixture together, then rest the bowl atop the warm surface of the stove, as the oven heats up. Allow the mixture to rest for a half hour, or until it is bubbly.
4. Mix the flours together in a bowl, then add the salt and stir well. 
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the warm yeast water in the center. 
6. Combine the liquid and the flour, slowly stirring together. Once the dough is thoroughly mixed and slightly sticky, let the bowl rest on the surface of the stove, for about twenty minutes. This will allow the dough to rise.
7. As the dough is rising, turn the temperature of the oven up to 400 degrees F to allow it to preheat.
8. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, on a floured surface to create two 7-8" pizza crusts, or one larger crust the size of a baking sheet. 
9. Transfer the rounds onto a baking sheet and put into a 400 degree F oven for eight minutes or so. The crust should be golden, and slightly hard on the exterior. 
10. Remove the crust(s) from the oven, and top with pasta sauce (optional), and then with the veggies and chicken as prepared below.  Finish it off with a very hefty layer of cheese.  (I always recommend using more than you expect to need).  Pop the pizzas back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes... then ENJOY!

The Pizza Toppings:

Since we were cleaning out the fridge for this recipe- we used all kinds of veggies as well as a chicken breast.

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion- diced
1/2 green pepper- diced
1/2 lb spinach
1- 1/2 chicken breasts- diced
4 cloves garlic- finely diced
1/3 packet of Italian blend shredded cheese
2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Warm a pan with olive oil, and saute the yellow onion and green pepper together.  Once they are about 2/3 of the way cooked, remove them from heat and set them aside in a bowl
2. Warm the pan again with olive oil, and saute the spinach with the garlic, until the spinach is just barely wilted.  Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.
3. Warm the pan yet again with olive oil and saute the chicken pieces until fully cooked.  Set aside until the crusts are ready to be topped!
4. See #10 above for topping the pizza!!

Let me know what you think!