Sometimes I get a bit fed up of not being able to eat any old pizza, a random one sitting in the supermarket, all freshly made up and looking very tasty but with a very glutenous bottom. Not something I say a lot about a bottom and not to a pizza. I know there are some very nice gluten free pizzas available but they can be pricey and there isn't a lot of choice. There are also gluten less bottoms and I have even attempted to make the odd bottom myself too. That's it now, I'm getting obsessed with bottoms, I do mean pizza bases. 

I fancied something different so I came across one of these quick videos on Facebook showing how to make a pizza using slices of potato as the base. So I tried it and it was really nice and depending on the choice of toppings, free on slimming world too. You would obviously have to count the cheese or pop some down as a healthy extra. 

I thinly sliced my potato and layered it around a baking tray and popped that in the oven for 5 mins at 200 degrees or gas mark 6. 
Take them out of the oven and spread some tomato puree over and cheese then any toppings you fancy.
Put the tray and loaded pizza back into oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely cooked and your toppings are to your liking.

Easy eh? If baked well it you can slice it and serve just like a pizza, it can tend to fall apart a bit depending on how well you have layered the potatoes but it tastes fabulous. There is also another gluten free pizza base option through Slimming World using chicken as the base. That recipe can be found at:
 www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/pizza-topped-chicken.aspx

To accompany my potato pizza I also made a dip using mushy peas, I know mad eh? Gluten free and syn free, with an added spoonful of mint sauce and gluten free tortilla chips it make an excellent side dish. You would have to count the tortilla chips on the old diet but hey not bad I don't think. A nice change from traditional pizza. You can almost feel like your scoffing pizza and feel ok about it and you don't have to load it with a massive amount of cheese, use a lighter option and stick to healthy toppings if need be. I just opted for ham and onion on mine but I really enjoyed it.

Give it a go and see what you think. I get quite excited when finding a gluten free alternative so I'll keep passing them onto to you. If you have any ideas let me know.

Thanks for reading, I will be back tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday. 

Take care for now.........

​

I just fancied some scones the other day so I thought I will look up a gluten free recipe and and do a bit of baking. I love baking when I get the time as it makes me feel relaxed. I can go into a world where I can chuck flour around, mix and kneading dough is fabulous if one is feeling a bit hormonal. If you just 'need' (ha ha see what I did there) to bash and punch something really hard and get rid of that aggression, it's a perfect solution. 

I found this recipe on the 'goodtoknow' website and have popped the ingredients and method below but if you want to take a look at more information the link to the website is:
www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/316184/gluten-free-scones

I made these in a food mixer and was a little worried as it was a very wet mixture, almost like a cake mix. I have always been used to making a dough and rolling it out but this recipe makes sense as gluten free doughs and pastries can be a bit tricky to roll without that elasticity to keep it all together. Hence the need for a ice cream scoop, it was actually easier to spoon up the mixture and just dollop (love that word) it onto a baking sheet. I think popping the mixture into a muffin tray may also help to keep  the scone sort of shape. You could add some cheese or dried fruit for added excitement. It did work, some were a bit flat but they tasted gorgeous, even my son devoured them as well. I decided to teat myself to a little butter and jam and of course I had a brew of tea to accompany them. Well worth a go, like the extra info at the end of the method states, I also used the Doves Farm self raising flour and it worked well.

Ingredients
250g (8oz) gluten-free self-raising flour
1 level tsp gluten-free baking powder
50g (1¾ oz) butter
50g (1¾ oz) caster sugar
1 medium egg
150ml (¼ pint) milk
Beaten egg, to glaze
1-2tbsp granulated sugar, for sprinkling
Raspberry jam and clotted cream, to serve
Baking sheet, lined with baking parchment
Ice-cream scoop

Set the oven to gas mark 7 or 220°C.

• Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.
• Lightly beat together the egg and milk. Add this to the flour mixture and beat to give a smooth consistency.
• Scoop 7-9 mounds of the mixture on to the lined baking sheet with ice-cream scoop. Brush some egg over the top of each and sprinkle over some granulated sugar.
• Bake the scones in the centre of the oven for 15-18 mins or until they are a light-golden colour. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the scones on to a wire rack to cool.
• Serve scones warm or cold, with jam and clotted cream.
• Extra info: We've used Doves Farm gluten-free plain and self-raising flours, available from most supermarkets and specialist health food shops.

I tend to worry about baking and being on a diet as I have very little willpower so I could bake and then eat all my good work while it's fresh but you can freeze these scones so you can put them away and just get one out now and again. 

Anyway give it a try and let me know how you go on. Have fun, thanks for the read and I'll catch you tomorrow for some Autism chat on Autism Support Saturday.

Bye for now......

These things are just great! Sometimes you just find a little bit of magic and the food world is looking up. You see the problem I have is finding food that is not only gluten free but free of syns on Slimming World too. Just as I think I get lucky and find a gluten free product I then have to find how many millions of syns it's going to cost me to eat it. As a gluten free eater though, sometimes you want to pick up a quick snack, there may not be time to make a big meal or you may be travelling and need something to keep you going for a while. I mean we are not blessed with the whole grab a sandwich from the fridge section are we? Or a massive choice at the fast food vendors. There is just never anything available apart from fruit or a gluten free brownie. Bless the makers of gluten free brownies, what would we do without them? It does get a bit boring though doesn't it?

Make way though for Grabits Chicken on a Stick, they are gluten free and get this......free from syns on Slimming World. They are very tasty, with good sized chunks of chicken and come in three different flavours, original, nice and spicy and Chinese. You can eat them just as they are, fresh out of the packet, from the stick, slice them up onto a jacket potato, or pop them with a salad. They are not available in major supermarkets which is a big mistake if your reading Mr Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl and Co-op. I found them in our local One Stop shop and they are also available at:

Spar
Costcutter
Londis
EG Euro Garages
MRH GB Ltd
Shop n' Drive
Moto
Budgens
Welcome Break
Mace
Amigo shop and go

So a bit of a motorway service station snack or smaller supermarket find but well worth it. I bought them for £1.50 each which I feel maybe a bit overpriced but compared to a meal deal I can't dip into or limited choice at McDonalds and other fast food places it may be one of my only options. I found it really difficult just lately when going on my travels and noticing how little is available for the gluten free club. If you know of anything that is out there then please let me know. We can share the information. I know, the other option is to take a good packed picnic, or maybe I'm just going to buy my new chicken buddies in bulk and just munch on them to my destination. 

I'm going to have some in the fridge handy from now on, a great discovery, Thank you Grabit people. If you would like any more information on these snacks and others are available go to the Grabits website at
www.grabits.co.uk

Enjoy and if you try them, let me know what you think......
Thanks for reading, I will be back tomorrow for  Autism Support Saturday.

​Take care for now.

Well I did well with the old gluten free diet at the weekend in Mablethorpe. I'm getting a bit brave now and asking more about what I can eat and I find it's getting a bit easier. Most people are so accommodating and will help. Here are just three places I visited.......

Liberty's Dive Bar - Just an amazing place! This was my third visit here, yep its that good, with it's super zany decor including posters with music and movie icons and the place mats being vinyl albums, you cannot help but look around for ages before even thinking about looking at the menu. When you do look the menu you are then spoilt for choice. A great selection of food, the friendly helpful staff will point out what you can eat if you are on a restricted diet and they know their stuff so don't be afraid to ask. The atmosphere is great including great music, what more could you want? Ahhh I hear you! You want to know if they have lovely cakes, cheesecakes, and fabulous desserts....yes they have so get yourself over to Mablethorpe and visit Liberty's I guarantee you will not be disappointed.
Have a look at their info including photos to give you an idea as to what you can expect on their Facebook page at 
m.facebook.com/LibertysDivebarmablethorpe/

The Dunes - oh I love this place! Paddy and Debbie Prince and all the staff make you feel so welcome. There is something for everyone here, you can chill out in the summer, sit outside on the seafront, watching the world go by with a beer and a bite to eat or venture inside and also sit and watch the people passing by, odd ship on the horizon or if that's not strenuous enough you can pop and play a bit of pool. There is a yummy menu and I treated myself to the Sunday Carvery and with the help of the lovely Rosy I was able to find out all my gluten free options, I was so special I had my own gravy!!. There is entertainment galore here with singers, a kids club and sports events. You could actually just park up here go nowhere else and party into the late night. Karaoke? Disco as well. You will be spoilt rotten. Food is excellent and atmosphere second to none. Well done everyone.....super fun. Will be back soon! If you do go I will be the one slouched in the corner looking like a beached whale having eaten all the tasty food and drank all the drinky's, just chuck ya loose change at me, I'll be fine! For more information about The Dunes go to
www.dunescomplex.co.uk

The Myrtle Lodge - now this is the guest house I stayed in. A lovely family friendly place and such reasonable prices. Just a few minutes away from all the amenities in the town centre which makes it just perfectly situated. Nice comfortable room with tea/coffee facilities, tv and wifi available. Rooms have en suite facilities with shower, towels included. Breakfast is wonderful and Darren was very kind as to make me some gluten free porridge up and made sure my cooked breakfast was also gluten free. So friendly and also just kept the coffee coming in large quantities, I bet he had to replenish his stock big time after we had been. A big thank you to Darren and the staff for such a wonderful stay, hope to see you again. (will give you plenty of warning to get plenty of brews in). For more information on Myrtle Lodge you can visit their website at
www.myrtlelodge.co.uk

So if you are that way sometime for a short break or just passing through, this is just a selection so far.....I may have to go back and research more, just for you!! It's not bother honestly. 

Thanks for reading and if you've stayed in Mablethorpe let me know where you've stayed and the places you like to visit too. 

​Take care for now and I'll catch you tomorrow for Autism Support Saturday.