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Vegan Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Recipe

January 15, 2022
I'm making a vegan, gluten-free pizza crust for my son this morning and this time, I'm recording my recipe and what steps I took. I'm not using tomato sauce for this recipe to lower the acid for easier digestion for my little guy.
Vegan Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients:

Steps:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Mix the 3 ingredients (see dough ingredients above) for the dough with the 1 teaspoon of salt in a mixing bowl.
  3. Mix in the flaxseed meal mix (see the 3 ingredients above for this), olive oil and apple cider vinegar in the same mixing bowl.
  4. Mix in the Fleischmann's RapidRise Instant Yeast Fast-Acting in the same mixing bowl.
  5. Add about 1 cup of water to the dough and mix it. I mix in the water little by little as I'm mixing the dough to gauge the texture.
  6. Knead the dough and shape it into a round 1/2 inch thick size (or to your preference of thickness) and place the dough directly to the stone or pizza pan. I find that this is the best way because the gluten-free dough is very sticky and would stick to any paper like glue. My aunt had gifted me a Pampered Chef stone for baking pizza and so this is my preference when baking a pizza but I'm sure you can use a baking pan or pizza pan too. Find a similar pizza stone: Pizza Stone by Hans Grill Baking Stone For Pizzas use in Oven and Grill / BBQ FREE Wooden Pizza Peel Rectangular Board 15 x 12 " Inches Easy Handle Baking | Bake Grill, For Pies, Pastry Bread, Calzone
  7. When the oven is at 425 degrees and ready, bake in the oven for 20 minutes total. If you are adding toppings, bake for 10 minutes first, then add toppings and finish the last 10 minutes in the oven.
This is a photo of my pizza when I added vegan cheese to the pizza crust, before I baked it.
Vegan Pizza

 

Making Boba Balls at Home

January 8, 2022
Making Boba from Scratch
Surprisingly, you only need 3 ingredients to make and roll your boba balls at home, the three ingredients are:
  • 1/2 cup of tapioca starch/flour
  • Between 1/3 cup but less than 1/2 cup of brown sugar (depending on your preference on sweetness)
  • 1/2 cup of water (divided)
That's it! Lucky for those who can't eat gluten, tapioca starch or flour is gluten-free and you can make sure it stays gluten-free by making it at home. However, it does require some work.

Instructions:
  1. Boil the 1/4 cup water with half of the brown sugar that you plan to use. When it has dissolved, turn off the heat.
  2. Put the 1/2 cup of tapioca flour into the pot and mix throughly together.
  3. When it has cooled down enough to touch, start kneading it on a flat surface. I always just use a sheet of wax paper and put it on my table. Then, work the dough on it. Make the dough nice and and flat and evenly cut into tiny squares so they can be easily rolled into a ball individually.
  4. Now boil a clean pot with water and fill it (how much water depends on how big your pot is). I just fill it enough where it's at least 4 times the amount of boba balls I'm boiling. Boil the water over medium high heat.
  5. Throw the balls into the boiled water over medium heat and cook it for about 10 -15 minutes. I like my boba balls (tapioca balls) to be soft so you may cook for less time if you like it chewy it in the middle. Then, boil it for another 5 minutes in low heat. When the balls are floating, you are definitely sure that they're ready. Drain the boba when it's ready in a colander.
  6. Now, in another pot, boil 1/4 cup of water and put the rest of the brown sugar (the other half that we saved from Step 1) in it and caramelize it into syrup over medium heat. I'd use my eye to judge how long it took but usually under 10 minutes. This may be different depending on the heat of your stove.
  7. After it's in like a caramel sauce consistency, put the drained boba balls in the pot of caramel and mix it until the syrup has coated the boba balls. It's ready to be put in a cup to use with your favorite drink.
You can watch my instagram video to see a short clip of how I made my boba balls.

See other vegan and gluten-free recipes that I've tried.

Not up for creating your own dough and rolling them? Buy some pre-made and all you have to do is boil them. Some of them come in a big bag like: E-FA Black Tapioca Pearl Boba, 2.2 Pound.

If you're a local or travel to SLO, find boba shops in San Luis Obispo County.

Use Boba Kits to Make Boba at Home:

 

Bunn Thai Bistro Restaurant in Grover Beach Review

January 3, 2022
There are a few Thai restaurants in Grover Beach but Bunn Thai is our favorite! Their food is authentic and the decor inside is warm and welcoming with pink walls!

They also have great lunch specials. We've dined there for lunch and have done many take outs for lunch and dinner. It's always a great experience each time. I've tried their Thai fried rice, pad see ew noodles, seafood sizzling plate, curry and a couple of their appetizers.


The only thing that I feel uneasy about is that it's located next to an adult store so the walk to the restaurant can feel uncomfortable with my kids. However, they usually don't pay attention as they're little enough and the restaurant can't help that.

Usually when I order take out from Bunn Thai Bistro, it takes 30 - 45 minutes for the food to be ready. There is another local Grover Beach Thai restaurant that we've order take-out from that only took 20 minutes and the place is called Bee House Thai Cuisine. They are a newer restaurant. See my review for Bee House Thai Cuisine.

Address of Bunn Thai: 968 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

 

Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach Review by a Central Coast Local

January 2, 2022
For one of our date nights, we ate at Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach! It's beachfront with a phenomenal view of the Pismo Beach Pier and ocean.
Oyster Loft Review in Pismo Beach
We didn't have reservations and just walked in around 5:20PM and luckily there was a table available. Once we were seated, it didn't take long for the other tables to fill up so I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time! We were just lucky that they had room for us. 

Oyster Loft is located on the second story. It's a beautiful restaurant with one of the best views of the Pismo Beach Pier and beach at a restaurant. The prices are high so come ready knowing that you will spend a lot of money. However, the ambiance and delicious food made it worth it.

For the appetizer, we asked for grilled oysters.
Oysters at Oyster Loft
Then, I had the scallops while my husband ordered an octopus dish.
Scallops at Oyster Loft Picture
The portions are not large so I'm glad we did order an appetizer. Next time, we might order two appetizers instead of just one. They had specialty cocktails that were definitely mixed by a pro.
Pictures at Oyster Loft Pismo
It was a such a romantic and wonderful place. I used to rank Ventana Grill as the best place for seafood by the beach in the Pismo Beach area but Oyster Loft got them beat! My husband and I agreed that this place would only be a once in awhile, special occasion visit for us! They are only open for dinner.

Oyster Loft Address: 101 Pomeroy Ave. Pismo Beach, CA 93449

2024 Update:

During Spring Break, we decided to come back to Oyster Loft to enjoy a nice family dinner since we weren't traveling anywhere this time. We got a chance to order dessert and they were delicious. We ordered two different ones and shared it between the four of us.
Dessert Pictures at Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach
The dessert names were Caramel Basket and Creme Brûlée. Do make sure that you tell the servers ahead of time if you have any allergies. They were both delicious but I think the Caramel Basket was extraordinary because it had ice cream and banana flambee!

My 10 year old felt adventurous and ordered the Octopus from the Small Plates list and he liked it! He also ordered a kid's buttered noodles. 
Oyster Loft Pismo Beach ReviewOyster Loft Pictures
I also ordered something different for an entree as my main course and it was the Roasted Sea Bass and Mussels. The sauce was delicious and the portion was decent! Not pictured is my younger son's mac and cheese, in which my son didn't finished because he preferred my processed Kraft mac and cheese that I usually make at home (LOL). After visiting Oyster Loft for the second time, I can genuinely say, Oyster Loft might be the best restaurant for us in all of San Luis Obispo County! It's just pricey so it took us over 2 years to finally visit again! We can't wait to come back to Oyster Loft again in the future for another special occasion.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Read about my visits at other romantic restaurants in San Luis Obispo County, including more in Pismo Beach:

I take walks in Pismo Beach quite often as a local. See my video clips below of the views and the beauty of Pismo Beach during my regular walks.
 

Vegan Steel Cut Oatmeal with Coconut Milk

December 28, 2021
Vegan and Dairy-Free Oatmeal I had a lot of coconut milk leftover so I decided to make steel cut oatmeal with coconut milk and have some to save for the next few days for breakfast. I think it makes a delicious dessert too. This is vegan and gluten-free. It only requires 5 ingredients with an optional 6th ingredient.

Ingredients:
  • I used 80% of a can of Lite Coconut Milk as I had used a bit of it for a meal and these are leftover, but you can just use the whole can. (unsweetened) (I used field Day organic and a full can was 13.5 oz)
  • 1 cup of steel cut instant oats (I used the Quaker Oats Brand)
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 1/4 of water to add when the oats are getting too dry
  • Sprinkle cinnamon powder
  • Sprinkle brown sugar (optional if you like sweeter)
Steps:
  1. Warm up the coconut milk over medium low in a small pot until it's a low boil.
  2. Add 1 cup of steel cut instant oats and mix it in the coconut milk for about 5 - 7 minutes (longer if you like it softer).
  3. Stir in 2 tablespoons of honey for another minute. Add a bit of water (I added 1/4 cup) if it's getting too dry.
  4. When satisfied with the consistency, scoop some into a bowl. Sprinkle some cinnamon and eat! You can sprinkle brown sugar to it if you like it sweeter! Eat!
It tasted wonderful. I love it. It's dairy-free but with a great milk substitute, coconut milk! For the leftovers, I stored them in small containers and put them in the fridge.

A Couple Days Later:

For breakfast, I just took out one of my pre-made oatmeal with coconut milk that I had stored in small containers. I heated it up for a minute. Then, I placed it upside down in a bowl and added some nut toppings and sprinkled a bit of brown sugar. Here's the picture below. Looks so fancy!
Vegan Oatmeal with Almond and Dried Fruit

Find other vegan recipes that I've tried.

 

About Me


San Luis Obispo Mom Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
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All photos (except for ads) on SanLuisObispoMom.com including: homepage, 'Family-Friendly Things to do' page, 'SLO Restaurants' page,'Mom Groups & Childcare' page, and 'blog' page were taken by me so they are my original content and belong to this blog/website.

To find family-friendly activities in the SLO area, go to the 'Family-Friendly Things To Do' page.

Some of the links are just useful local information that I'm sharing for free and some are commission-based products that may help me earn a small commission for each sale to upkeep with the fees of running this local blog.

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