Eating gluten free (or entertaining gluten-free guests) can be difficult during the holidays. Trays of appetizers and desserts fill tables tempting those of us trying to reduce our gluten intake.
One of my go-to, kid-friendly holiday recipes is something I call a “Holiday Pizza.” It is a spin off of a recipe my post-college roommate used to make for parties (which she called Summer Pizza). My roommate was a great cook and was always experimenting with different combinations of ingredients. I, on the other hand, counted a meal as successful if I did not burn the kitchen down. I enjoyed her Summer Pizza recipe because it was easy enough for even a hopeless chef like me to make.
To make a Holiday Pizza, start with a Udi’s Pizza Crust.
1. Bake the crust without any toppings until it gets a bit crisp, like a flatbread (about 7 minutes).
2. In a bowl, mix a container of Philadelphia brand cream cheese with a half packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing and Seasoning Mix.
3. Spread the cream cheese/ranch mix onto the Udi’s pizza crust.
3. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheddar cheese onto the pizza and then add vegetables. We like adding broccoli, cauliflower, shredded carrots, and other raw veggies to our pizza. On the night we made this pizza, we only used broccoli since we knew the boys would eat a broccoli-covered pizza.
My final pizza is a little short on the broccoli, mainly because the kids started snacking on it before I made the pizza. I began to protest and then realized it seemed a bit silly to ask my kids to stop eating broccoli because I needed a picture for my blog. So, when you make your Holiday Pizza, I recommend adding A LOT more veggies. Heap them on!
4. Slice the pizza into “squares” and enjoy it as a yummy appetizer!
What a great idea to make it as an appetizer like that!