Backstory: When I came home from Italy, I started to suffer from chronic sinusitis. I was just about always feeling miserable from sinus migraines, post nasal drip, and all the sinus pressure that wouldn't be alleviated by anything. Waking up in the mornings was a ritual of hate and loathing since my light sensitivity was severe and the start of my all day sinus migraine. I was an ENT guinea pig for medications that cost a fortune. All of my allergy testing came back negative, even when they tested my blood. I was barely able to breathe.
I finally found an ENT that suggested surgery for my deviated septum and a procedure to open my sinus cavities in an attempt to alleviate my sinus pressure and help my breathing. I had the surgery about three years ago. I could breathe! However, I still suffer from sinus pressure that no one can attribute to a specific cause. It's not as insufferable as it was before, and I'm relatively happy with the results and how long they have lasted.
Since dairy is a MAJOR mucus producer, we cut it out of our diets in order to help my sinus issues. IT WORKS. Every now and then, I cheat and have some dairy. I suffer for it. During this period of total dairy-free eating, and then slowly reintroducing some really good cheeses into our diets, we discovered that John is lactose intolerant. So we continue to be (for the most part) dairy-free. I have found non dairy substitutes for everything, except cheese. We're just not a fan of the non dairy cheeses.
John continued to suffer from foods and digestion. Several people recommended trying a gluten-free diet. Gluten is also a MAJOR mucus producer. It took over a year to try it, but we finally did last year. John and I both feel so much better than we did before we went gluten-free. We both have more energy and feel younger. My sinus issues are less. John also lost unwanted weight after being gluten free for a couple months.
We will never go back to eating glutenous foods! The benefits outweigh any drawbacks we have found.
Back to pizza: This is one food that we are still testing crusts for. Last night, I made Bob's Red Mill brand gluten free pizza crust. I was excited because I have really liked this brands' products so far, and the package makes two 12" crusts where most brands only makes one. I prepared it according to the package instructions.
This crust was only okay. For a gluten free product not containing corn of any kind, it sure tasted like it would be really good to make Mexican food with. The pizza was edible, but mostly due to my toppings. The edges got nice and crisp, but the center stayed slightly doughy even though I ended up baking for an extra minute than the longest recommended time on the package. If you have a gluten free pizza crust recipe or mix you really enjoy, feel free to share it with us in the comments below! We have tried Nuts.com and Pampered Chef brands so far. I have another brand in the cabinet to try, just don't recall off the top of my head.
Here is how I topped the pizza last night:
-Crumble mushrooms over the sauce. I generally use white or bella.
-3 teaspoons Trader Joe's Artichoke Antipasto.
-Prosciutto. I tore it into chunks. I used two slices of Danielle's Prosciutto from the deli counter. It was $9.49/lb and tastes just as good as the stuff you buy pre-packaged at $6/3oz.
-Typically I would use fresh garlic and herbs from the garden, but I didn't. I sprinkled Garlic Powder, Fresh Ground Black Pepper, Oregano, and Basil.
-When you have about 5 minutes left of baking, throw on the Smoked Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
