My goodness, how could I let you down after that nice build-up... (LOL)

Are you looking for a gluten-free pizza crust, or are you avoiding bleached/unbleached flour (wheat)? An all-cornmeal crust would be really gritty. Even corn flour would present a lot of problems because of the absense of gluten. Think how tough corn tortillas are.

I created this recipe years ago. It's my wholegrain substitute for Bisquick (includes cornmeal in the ingredients), plus the recipe for using it as a pizza crust. The pizza crust isn't chewy like a typical pizza crust. Because of the chemical leavening, it's light, and more biscuit-like. If you have any Bisquick cookbooks (or go to the Bisquick web site), they have pizza crust recipes, but here's mine.

Good-For-You Baking Mix

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (I use freshly-milled spelt)
3 c. white whole wheat flour
3/4 c. Morning Moo's whey-based milk substitute or non-instant dry milk powder (Nestle brand NIDO dry whole milk powder found in the Latino section - I've seen it at Wal-Mart, would work.)
1/2 c. quick rolled oats
1/2 c. cornmeal
3 T. flaxmeal (optional)
3 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. softened butter (OR 3/4 c. softened coconut oil)

Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the softened butter (or coconut oil) and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, until evenly dispersed. Store, tightly covered, in a freezer.
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Good-For-You Baking Mix PIZZA CRUST

1-pkg. Rapid Rise Yeast (NOT active dry yeast)
2-1/4 c. Good-For-You Baking Mix (room temperature)
1/2 c. warm water (120-130°F)

In a small mixing bowl combine yeast and baking mix. Add 1/2 c. water and stir to mix. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead for 2 minutes. Cover the dough ball with the bowl and let rest 10 minutes.

Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with Pam cooking spray and dust with flour. Pat crust into pan working dough from the center out, using the heal of your hand. Build up the edge. Par-bake in a 425°F preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the sauce, toppings, and cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10-20 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and pizza is heated through.
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Biscotti isn't one of the things I make. In fact, I've only made it once for Christmas gift baskets, years ago. Maybe if I liked it more... Oat flour tends to cause things to be crumbly, so you wouldn't get the texture you get from wheat flour. You may be able to add vital wheat gluten along with the oat flour, but no practical experience or recipes for you. You normally wouldn't want to substitute more than 1/4-1/3 of the wheat flour in a recipe with oat flour. Breads tend to get rather "gummy" if too much oat flour is added.

I mill oat flour from oat groats, but you can make oat flour at home by running oatmeal through a food processor or blender, so don't buy expensive oat flour.

How to make your own ground oat flour:
1. Place 1 to 1-1/2 c. oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned, uncooked) in a blender or food processor

2. Blend or process for about 60 seconds.

Here's a recipe for Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti that contains oat flour:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000660.html
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Healthier Cookies? I always say it's easy to make something that's good for you, but not necessarily something that TASTES good - that's good for you (LOL).

How good-for-you are you wanting?

This is the newest good-tasting, fairly good-for-you recipe I've tried lately. Friends brought me back the recipe booklet from the Kansas State Fair, and I made these cookies from the booklet as a thank you. They were a big hit!

Source: Kansas Wheat Commission Recipes 2008 (Eat to Be Fit)

http://www.wheatonline.com/upload/2008%20KS%20Wheat%20Comm%20Recipes.pdf

WHOLE GRAIN OATMEAL COOKIES

Stephanie Becker, RD, LD
Pratt Regional Medical Center, Pratt, KS

4 T. margarine, softened (I use butter.)
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
2 c. quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1 c. raisins or dried cranberries (I like golden raisins.)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl using mixer, beat margarine, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg, applesauce and vanilla; scrape sides of bowl. Beat 1 minute.

In medium bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, cinnamon, baking soda and nutmeg; stir into creamed mixture. Mix until well blended. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts; mix until blended.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheet that is sprayed with nonstick vegetable cooking spray or lined with baking parchment. Bake 11-12 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack and cool. Makes 3 dozen. You can get the nutritional information at the link to the 2008 booklet above.
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I'll include the link to the Kansas Wheat Commission Recipes below. Another wholesome favorite is the recipe for Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies. I make them with agave nectar.

Hope that's enough ideas to get you started.

-Grainlady

Deanna, I've been waiting for Grainlady to post so that I didn't send the post down to early..

Can you explain what exactly you are trying to avoid?
Maybe then I can send you a few more NON wheat based recipes.

Here's a fabulous pancake recipe..Not exactly what you are looking for but DELISH and no wheat flour.

It comes from Shauna Ahern AKA Gluten Free Girl on her blog.

Oatmeal pancakes~GFG

1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups cooked oatmeal
1/2 cup milk (or soymilk, for those of you who have to be dairy-free)

Combine the oat flour, sweet rice flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

Whisk the two eggs well.

Combine the oatmeal and milk. Slide them into the eggs and stir them together, quickly. (If the oatmeal is hot, the eggs will begin to cook a bit when they meet. This is why you want everything ready to go.) The batter will be lumpy with the oatmeal.

Grease a small skillet with canola oil or butter. Put it on medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. Don't touch the pancake until bubbles appear on the top of the pancake and begin to pop. Flip the pancake. One minute later, put the pancake aside.

Make yourself a stack of pancakes, keeping the first ones warm in the oven (at 200°).

Makes 8 small pancakes.

You're both right, I should have been more specific!

I am on Weight Watchers and following their Core Plan.
It's different in that you can eat "to satisfaction" from a list of core foods. If something isn't on the core list, you have to count points for it. So, several of us at work are trying to find/create recipes that use only the core foods.

In general: All FRESH (not dried) fruits, veggies beans, legumes are core.
We can have cornmeal, oats, original shredded wheat cereal. Olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and flax seed oils. Fat free milk products (milk, yogurt, cheeses, sour cream), Soy cheese. Tofu. Lean meats.

So, yes, I've been running oats through the FP to make flour! Maybe an oat flour pizza crust?!? Or powder up some of those shredded wheats??

Pizza is one thing I've just given up since May. And my favorite Oatmeal Raisin cookies... :-(

A friend got this recipe and tried it. She said it tasted good, but got soggy after adding the toppings.

Polenta Pizza Crust
4 c. water
1 3/4 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
1 C. cornmeal

Bring water, salt, oil to a boil.
Add cornmeal and cook 5-6 minutes until consistency of oatmeal.
Spread on an oiled pizza pan (about 3/8" thick).

The recipe says you can stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until it starts to brown.

Then you add your sauce and toppings and broil for another 5-8 minutes.

Any suggestions for improvements? What would make it crispier?

You guys are so good........... :-)

Deanna

Don't really understand that diet....shredded wheat is just whole grain wheat.....why not pixxa crust from etc from whole wheat flour? You could put shredded wheat in the blender and get something pretty close to flour.
Linda C

Frankly, I rather count the points for real pizza and limit my intake- I'd rather have a little nice food than a lot of pale imitation :-). I think that's a valid expenditure of points.

Boy, what a challenge...

I'd take the Polenta Pizza Crust mixture and make small rounds (about the size of an English Muffin), and see if you get better results making individual-sized pizza crusts. You might try baking them in a slow oven to dry them out, THEN in a higher oven to crisp them up and brown them.

Have you tried converting a baked corn tortilla into a pizza crust (if that's a corn-based food you can have), or even converting a pancake? I remember making low-carb pancakes and using them for a wrap for sandwiches and a "crust" (base) for pizzas.

How about a blender batter made with cornmeal, dairy, oil, salt and making a crepe-type shell.

Here's a recipe from "An Introduction to Whole Grain Baking" - by Sue Gregg (www.suegregg.com).

Blender Crepes

Stage 1
1. Place in blender, cover and blend at highest speed 3-5 minutes:
1-1/2 c. warm filtered water
2 T. whey or cultured milk, (optional) (you can drain whey from plain yogurt)
2/3 c. whole grain - choice (soft white wheat, Kamut, spelt, barley, brown rice, millet, oats (whole oat groats), etc. (Grainlady note: you could probably use coarse corn meal.)

2. (DO NOT BLEND YET) Cover and let stand at room temperature several hours, or overnight.

Stage 2

3. Add remaining ingredients except eggs and blend briefly until evenly blended; add eggs; cover and continue blending on highest speed for 1-3 minutes:

1 T. melted butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or melted coconut oil
1 t. honey (for fruit-filled or snack crepes)
1/2 t. cinnamon (for fruit-filled or snack crepes)
2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour, optional* see note below
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs

4. Preheat seasoned crepe pan over moderately high heat until drops of water sizzle gently in pan.

5. Grease pan as needed.

6. Pour about 3 T. batter into hot pan, quickly tilting pan to swirl the batter evenly across the bottom of the pan to the edges. Stir the batter before making each crepe.

7. Bake until browned at edges, about 1-2 minutes. Loosen along edge with shish kabob or party stick. Lift gently with fingers, loosening from pan carefully as you turn it over to bake on the second side.

* (Grainlady note) If you have a grain mill, you can substitute milled bean flour for the all-purpose flour or use flaxmeal. I suggest using small white beans because they have the mildest flavor when added to baked goods. I've done a lot of food experiments using bean and chana dal flour (I mill them into flour myself).
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Cookies from these ingredients...

I have a recipe for corn meal cookies (NO flour), but they take a lot of sugar. What are you using for a sweetener? Can you use Stevia or low-glycemic agave nectar?

I bet you could work out an oatmeal cookie. It's probably possible if you use powdered shredded wheat as the flour substitute - since that's essentially what it is. Can you have eggs? If not, substitute tofu for the eggs.

Good luck - necessity is the mother of invention!

-Grainlady

Definately make a pan of polenta and then cut out and "broil" the individual pieces and then put your toppings on, and then heat to melt cheese.

However I'll agree with Colleen..use the points on a whole wheat pizza crust. :o)

I'll find you some more goodies Deanna.
~off to take the Tort to Middle School as an Art Model...I'll be back....

dgkritch, This spring I managed to drop the 20 lbs. that crept up on me over the last 10 yrs.(emotional eating while raising teens, moving, caring for aging parents, going through menopause,etc.)and I did it by following WW's Core Plan. My sister had similar results following their Points Plan. I found being on Core kept me clear of my "trigger" foods and was the better plan for me.

I've been able to maintain the loss for 5 months, but it's almost more challenging to do that than to lose. I have begun baking our breads and finding other ways to add more whole grains into our meals.

I am grateful for recipes from this post, and want to wish you success with your program.

Okay found this.
Most of my recipes that I've gleaned using alternative flours, are sugary and full fat.

But I went looking for you.
Oatmeal Pizza Crust

Apple Muffins

Found this: The recipe creators name is Laurel.
I invented an oat flour crepe/tortilla recipe out of desperation. We are doing an elimination diet and I needed a starch.

2 cups oat flour
2 TBSP oil
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
a piece of hand pureed banana about the size of an egg, or an egg.
Enough water to make a thin batter, much thinner than pancake batter.
Cook in a oiled pan like crepes. Be sure to oil both sides of crepe. It improves the flavor.

You may want to up the salt amount if you use banana as a binder, unless you want a sweet crepe/tortilla. By the way, the banana worked great to bind it all together. I've heard that other dried fruits work well as a binder also. It really needed the binder.

And then there is this: Oat Flour Biscuits

I hope you can adapt a few of these recipes to suit your needs...

Thank you!! This gives me lots of ideas to try.

Grainlady, I was a little confused on the blender crepes...

Stage 1, step 1 says to blend.
step 2 says "do not blend yet".

To blend or not to blend, THAT is the question! LOL

Yes, I can have eggs!

amck: Thanks for the encouragement!!
I'm down about 25 lbs. since May and less than 5 to go to reach my goal. Those last few sure are tough.

colleen: yes, having real pizza is an option, but I actually like the challenge of creating something from limited ingredients. AND it has to taste good!

lindac: I don't fully understand why we can't use whole wheat flour either! But I may just try whizzing up some shredded wheat or wheat bran!

Guess I'm a rebel, when they say "No bread is Core", I look for a way around that!! :-)

Off to play.....

Deanna

OOOOPS - I was looking at two recipes - one for Blender Crepes and another for Oat Groat Pancakes (from the Splendid Grain - by Rebecca Wood) that are oat groats and buckwheat soaked in the blender - without blending - and then blended after a 12-hour soak. I added the Do Not Blend when proof reading the recipe, and shouldn't have (engage brain before moving fingers). So go ahead and blend the crepes.

If you are interested in the Oat Groat Pancake recipe, I'd be happy to post it. It's one I use occasionally.

Here's another recipe I found in "Horn of the Moon Cookbook" - recipes from Vermont's renowned vegetarian restaurant - by Ginny Callan. The recipe reminded me of you... I bet you could adapt this recipe to your limited ingredients using the wholegrain crepe recipe. You could add some pizza spices to the sauce and close your eyes when you eat it ;-). You'll get the "taste", but not the crust!

PIZZA CREPES

4 c. Basic Tomato Garlic Sauce (page 194)
10 crepes (page 220)
2 medium-sized green peppers, sliced
1 c. sliced onion
2 c. sliced mushrooms
3 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Lay out crepes on counter. Preheat oven to 375°F. Put 2 T. tomato sauce on each crepe, then mix the peppers, onions, and mushrooms together and place approximately 1/2 c. vegetables down the center of each crepe. Cover with 2 T. mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Roll up the crepes, place seam side down in shallow oiled casserole dish, and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake covered 20 minutes. 4 servings
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-Grainlady

Those sound pretty good.
Don't know 'bout closin' my eyes though. I have visions of mozzarella dripping all the way from the pan to my chin!! LOL

Thanks for clarifying the crepe recipe!!