Quinoa Pizza with Roasted Veggies

My stomach has been going back and forth between feeling semi-tolerable to being intolerable. It sounds like I'm whining which I don't like to do but I thought it would help if others knew they are not alone in what they are experiencing. It's been three days sort of okay, three days bad. Actually, it's not always three days good. Sometimes it's less good and more bad.

Sound familiar? I guess it's pretty common among people with IBS and other stomach disorders. In some individuals, their symptoms may disappear for months. Often, the individuals can't identify anything they've done differently. There are, in some cases, explanations, such as unidentified food allergies, a stressful situation or poor eating habits.


I have dealt with all of those issues and still have the on-going problem. But I keep searching for answers. Along the way I have discovered some great foods to replace ones I am no longer eating. Quinoa is one of those foods. It's another great grain for individuals with stomach issues, like IBS, because it's so digestible but yet high in fiber and protein. It has more protein than any other grain (16.2 percent) which means it rivals the protein content of meat.

I decided to use quinoa to whip up a roasted veggie pizza with an herbed quinoa crust. I didn't use any cheese, although you could use soy cheese, but it was still delicious.

Quinoa Pizza with Roasted Veggies Recipe
(Makes two servings)
Ingredients for the Crust:

1/2 cup quinoa flour
1/2 tsp. gluten/free baking powder
2 T. olive oil
1/2 zucchini, peeled and grated (It's important to remove the skin if you have IBS.)
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 tsp. each dried rosemary and thyme (Other fresh or dried herbs may be used.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Approximately 1/4 cup water

Ingredients for the Toppings:

2 zucchinis, peeled and cut into half-moons
1 yellow squash, peeled and cut into half moons
10 grape tomatoes, halved
10 mushrooms, sliced
Fresh spinach
2 T. olive oil
1-2 T. tomato sauce
Additional herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil (Fresh would be best but I only had dried on hand.)
Salt and pepper
Optional: Shelton's Italian Turkey Sausage (I used three links and picked this brand because it's gluten-free)

Directions:

Prepare the topping veggies for roasting in the oven. Wash all the veggies. Then, peel and slice the zucchini and yellow squash into half moons. Halve the grape tomatoes. Slice the mushrooms. Reserve the grape tomatoes. Put all the other veggies in a bowl and toss with olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Place the veggies on a baking sheet. sprayed with pan spray. Roast the veggies in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. You want the veggies to be somewhat soft but not mushy so watch them carefully. During the last 8-10 minutes, add the grape tomatoes to the mix. Remove from the veggies from the oven to cool slightly.

If you are using the sausage, prepare it according to package instructions. Cut the sausages into bite-size pieces.

In the meantime, prepare the crust. Put the quinoa flour, baking powder, herbs and salt in a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and mix. Prepare the veggies. Fine chop the zucchini in a food processor or with a hand grater. Chop the spinach up with a knife and then put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Steam the spinach with a little water in the microwave until slightly wilted. Drain the spinach. Add the veggies to the dry ingredients and mix. Then begin adding water to make a soft dough. If the dough gets too wet, add more flour. Wet your hands with cold water and shape the dough into two balls to make two crusts. I reserved half the dough for another meal. It freezes well.

Spray a baking sheet with pan spray. Shape the dough into a pizza crust right on the baking sheet. Keep your hands moistened with cold water to make the dough easy to handle. Bake the crust for 5-8 minutes before adding the toppings. Remove the crust from the oven when it starts to crisp up.

To finish the pizza, first spread some tomato sauce on top. Sprinkle the tomato sauce with herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a layer of fresh spinach leaves and herbs if you have them. Follow with some of the roasted veggies and sausage. Place the pizza back in the oven for approximately 5 minutes to heat through. Remove from the oven and enjoy with some additional roasted veggies on the side. I promise you won't even miss the cheese but if you must have cheese, use soy cheese.