Game Day Eats!

While I'm not of fan of either team (sorry to those who are) in the Super Bowl,  I still like to make something good to eat!  And watch the commercials of course.  Those are the best part, I think.

Foods that you can eat with your hands are always fun.  Pizza is always a kid favorite.  So I've come up with a Gluten Free Pizza Pocket.  I made a batch with a regular cheese blend as well as a dairy free batch.  Both came out delicious!

There are several Gluten Free all purpose flours on the market, like Bob's Red Mill.  You can also make your own.  I've been using this recipe in cupcakes, cookies and in this recipe all with great success.

Gluten Free Pizza Pockets
makes 24 pockets

1 cup of water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter ( I used Earth's Balance Vegan butter)
2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 cups Gluten Free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum (omit if your flour already contains this)
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or cream (I used Rice Milk)

Pizza Sauce

Cheese of your choice.  I used both a pizza blend as well as a vegan cheese.  I just eye balled the amount.

1. In a medium saucepan, place the water, butter and shortening and stir to combine. Heat over medium heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is simmering (about 3 to 4 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and add in the flour and xanthan gum (if using). Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Add the milk/cream by the tablespoonful, and knead into the dough until it is smooth.
2. Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and knead until fairly smooth. Do NOT flour the kneading surface.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. After the dough has rest, roll it out into a large rectangle that is about 1/4-inch thick. You may find that it useful to roll out the dough between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper, or you may find that the parchment paper simply gets in the way.  I didn't use any parchment. With a pizza cutter, cut the rolled-out dough into 24 rectangles about 3-inches long x 1 1/2-inches wide. On a clean surface, roll each rectangle out again along its length until it is the size of a standard 3-inch x 5-inch index card. This helps you get a smooth and pliable dough.
5. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside..
6.  Place about 1 teaspoon of tomato sauce on one half of each rectangle, leaving at least a 3 cm of the edge of the dough bare. Place 3 to 4 pieces of chopped cheese (less if the cheese is cut into a larger dice) on top of the sauce. Do not overfill. Fold the clean half of the rectangle over the sauce and cheese, and press the edges together firmly to seal. Transfer to baking sheet.
7. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, then quickly and carefully turn over each of the pizza bites. Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for another 7 minutes, or until  the cheese is bubbling and the pizza bites are uniformly golden brown all over.
8. Enjoy!