Smokey Pepper Pizza & Red Velvet Brownies

One of my favorite breakfast treats has always been leftover pizza. I admit it, weird as it may sound, but for some reason a slice of next day pizza just does something to my foodie soul nothing else does. Whether I blame it on my college years in Rome with all the pizzerias open at o'dark hundred and college kid affordable or those early days my dad used to moonlight as a Domino's pizza guy and allowed us to have pizza for breakfast with our morning cartoons while mom was having a break from cooking on Saturday mornings - PIZZA for breakfast is FABULOUS! So when I found out I had Celiac Disease a few months back my pizza mornings seemed lost and I feared all that was left were those lovely memories of cheesy slices and soft chewy crusts. However, last night I stumbled across the fix it all of gluten free pizzas - Udi's Gluten Free Pizza Crust! And what's amazing, not only does it come in a package of two round crusts and freezes well, it also is soft and chewy and left long enough in the oven develops that crunchy crust I LOVE! Not too thick but definitely not paper thin allowing for toppings to stay in place, Udi's GF crust is a pizza loving girl's (or guy's) dream come true. The house smelled like a Roman pizzeria all last night and upon waking this morning, smelled like pumpkin pie spice coffee AND pizza :D Now it's probably not the healthiest breakfast (although I did wash it down with half a gallon of water) but boy was it good and made this birthday girl very excited :D

Here's the recipe for the sauce (made spicy but can always be made mild or non-spicy depending on your taste). This can also be made with your own favorite pizza crust, but as a Celiac and a new found lover of Udi's GF pizza crust - give it a try and see for yourself! Ask and I might just send you a crust sample for you to try simply because I love to share my passion of all things delish!

Smokey Pepper Pizza Sauce:
**Sauce makes more than enough for one pizza but makes for a wonderful sauce tossed with pasta or added on top of your choice of meat for another meal**
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 carrot (shredded)
1 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Salt/Pepper (to taste)
1 cup cremini mushrooms (sliced)
1 jar roasted red peppers (drained & chopped)
1 large can of spaghetti sauce (choose your favorite)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat and add onion, garlic and carrot
- Season with salt and pepper, continue cooking until veggies are soft
- Add mushrooms, roasted peppers and red pepper flakes until mushrooms are slight brown and soft
- Add spaghetti sauce and bay leaf, bring to a boil uncovered
- Add parsley and cheese, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
- Check for taste, may need to add more salt before topping pizza

**Pizza:
2 Udi's GF Pizza Crust
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Parsley to garnish (chopped)
@ 375 for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling

- Top each pizza with sauce leaving a border around the edges for the crust
- Top each with half of each type of cheese and bake
- Garnish with parsely when finished and serve

(Here's what was left of my pizza after dinner :D)

And for dessert - my new favorite Red Velvet Brownies (and yes these ones are 100% Gluten Free!) They're also a new favorite request for my annual Christmas platters :D **Warning: They are RICHLY DECADENT and a cold glass of milk may be required!** Happy baking and eating...

(These NEVER last long in the house!)

Red Velvet Brownies:
(All purpose flour can be substituted for the gluten free flour)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder
Pinch salt
1/2 bottle of red food coloring (I use about 1/2 a bottle because I like the pop of a really nice red - you can add as little or as much as you would like dependin gon your color preference)
1 teaspoon Hienz distilled vinegar
2 eggs
3/4 cup Red Mill gluten free all-purpose flour
1/4 cup toasted walnuts (chopped)

Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
1/2 can condensed milk (the other half can be stored in the refrigerator for another recipe - but amazing mixed with your morning coffee in place of milk or creamer or spread on top of toast)
1 lemon (juiced & zested)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

@ 350 in a greased 8x8 baking pan

- In a saucepan on medium heat melt the butter. Remove the butter to a large bowl and add the sugar, vanilla, cocoa powder, salt, food coloring, and vinegar, in that order, mixing between additions.
- Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and stir it into the cocoa mix.
- Fold in the flour until lightly combined.
- Stir in the walnuts and pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

**Cream cheese layer: Blend together the cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, zest and vanilla in a medium bowl. Gently spread the cream cheese layer on top of the brownie batter in the pan. Using a skewer or the tip of a knife, drag the tip through the cream cheese mixture to create a swirl pattern. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes or until set. Remove to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before cutting.