Gluten & Dairy Free Eggplant Pizzas
I think pizza is one of the funnest things to eat! I especially love pizza when my husband and I have movie nights at home. For times when I don't want all of the calories, I make eggplant pizzas! Eggplant pizzas are a wonderful main dish, but they can also make really cool appetizers.
These can be made two ways. The first way is by using an eggplant brushed on both sides with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Then it is baked in the oven until it is tender, which is usually about 7-10 minutes. You can then add your favorite gluten and dairy free pizza sauce and toppings. Note: This first way is a great if you are vegetarian, vegan or have to avoid eggs. I have made them this way and they are very tasty, but if you would like to go a step further, breading the eggplant actually tastes even more like pizza, and I am here to walk you through every step!
First, you must wash your eggplant and thinly slice it. I used a huge eggplant and literally had three baking sheets of eggplant pizzas! Next, you want to place the eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle them with Kosher salt. The reason why you do this is to "degorge" the eggplant which removes some of its moisture. Larger eggplants have more seeds and have a tendency to get rather bitter. The salt will help with this. Leave the salt on for 30 minutes, while you line two baking sheets with parchment paper. If time, you can also prepare your dredging station and toppings. After 30 minutes your eggplant slices with have water droplet on top of them like this:
Next, rinse the salt off of the eggplants and blot them with paper towels to remove the remaining moisture.
Now it is time to start the dredging process. You will need two shallow bowls or dishes. In the first dish beat together two eggs. In the second dish combine the following with a wisk:
- 1/2 cup of brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp marjoram
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Dip each eggplant slice in the egg-wash, then the flour mixture and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I like to use the parchment paper because it aids in making the crust crispy with out using additional fat or oil. Once this process is complete, it will look like this:
Bake the eggplant crusts for 7-14 minutes until the crust is tender and golden brown. Like the picture below.
Now you can begin assembling your pizza! After you spread your favorite gluten free pizza sauce on the crusts, you can top the pizzas with the toppings of your choice. I used olives, turkey pepperoni (because there is less fat), diced yellow peppers, diced red onion, and Vegan Gourmet cheese. I normally top these with fresh basil, but I did not have any. I have also made these meat free before, by using non dairy cheese, caramelized onions, artichoke hearts, olives, red bell peppers and mushrooms. They are yummy both ways. Place these in the oven and bake themfor 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted properly. Note: My husband and I find that these taste best with a slightly sweeter pizza sauce.
Now that you are done, you can plate these up, serve them next to a salad and enjoy! They also make great leftovers to take to work or school for lunch.
I can happily say that these have even been approved by people who do not eat gluten free, which is a great sign. Have a lovely and "pizza-rific" gluten and dairy free day!
I can happily say that these have even been approved by people who do not eat gluten free, which is a great sign. Have a lovely and "pizza-rific" gluten and dairy free day!
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