Hi, everyone!
I’m Erin’s friend Jess and I am excited to be a guest blogger! I’m a writer with an interest in cooking and wine, so when Erin expressed her desire to have a guest blogger while she’s on vacation, I jumped at the chance and thought this recipe would be perfect.
Erin and I met on terms where two of our favorite things – wine and food – combined. We became instant friends and spend our time laughing, tasting, and being goofy in and around the Chicago area. And, since we’re in Chicago, we’re pretty confident that we know good pizza. As pizza aficionados, we have our favorite spots, but also enjoy whipping up our own variations at home. So, when my sister-in-law gave me some zucchinis from her garden, I racked my brain for new recipes to try. Luckily my sweetie Kevin got creative and made us this zook crust pizza!He grated the zucchini, formed a crust and baked it until it browned up nicely. Then, he piled on whatever ingredients we had in the fridge. The result? A healthier, low carb and gluten free pizza that hits each and every pizza-craving spot I’ve got!
About 4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 tsp garlic powder and salt
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Pizza sauce
Any toppings you want
Directions:
1. Use a cheese grater to grate your zucchini and squeeze most of the moisture out. Add egg, shredded cheese, garlic powder, salt and parmesan cheese to the zucchini.
2. Coat a glass circular baking dish with nonstick spray. Place zucchini and cheese mixture in dish and flatten to the dish.
3. Bake for 25 minutes at 400*
4. Remove from oven, add your favorite pizza sauce (store bought or homemade)
5. Add preferred toppings (we added onion and turkey pepperoni) and cheese
6. Bake for another 20 until the cheese browns. Let cool and serve!
Taste test: I was shocked at how similar this was to the “real thing!” The crust browned up nicely and the turkey pepperoni gave it a nice flavor, too. This is definitely going into my recipe arsenal for the future. So simple and very tasty!
WINE
Wine lovers, take note. I’ve got a new wine on my mind and I feel as though I MUST share it with you!
As a Pinot Noir connoisseur of sorts, you’re likely to find me with red in my glass. I enjoy the occasional white, mostly the sweet stuff, but recently, my palate has been introduced to a crisp, light white that’s joined my list of faves.
Although I’d worked at a wine bar in college with 100 wines on tap, I’d never heard of Grillo. I’d also had a couple of bad experiences with Italian wines and stuck to what I love – Oregon and California reds. Lucky for me, my dad and his fiancee signed us up for Wine of the Month Club as a gift and this bottle of Sicilian deliciousness arrived on my doorstep. The best part is this wine can be found for $7-$9!
