Thursday, April 26, 2012

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Last week, a friend of mine sent me a link to a recipe she thought I'd be interested in.  The recipe was for a cauliflower crust pizza.  The fact that the crust is made with cauliflower and cheese and not pizza dough, makes it a healthy low-carb and gluten-free option.

Ever since I switched to a lower carbohydrate lifestyle, pizza hasn't really been on the menu (although I will indulge on "special" occasions), so the idea of a low-carb pizza sounded perfect to me! 

Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable and I've had great success using it to replace rice.  I hoped that the cauliflower would work just as well in this recipe, and it did...it really did!

This great recipe comes from the food blog  Stick a Fork in it and I'd like to share my interpretation of it with you! 



Here is a look at the crust before it was baked.

The crust consists of:

1 cup cooked cauliflower rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1 egg, beaten


I brushed the pizza pan with olive oil and then formed an 8 inch circle with the cauliflower mixture.  I baked the crust in a preheated 450F oven for approximately 15 minutes.



  This is how the crust looked after baking for 15 minutes.


I made my own pizza sauce using whole canned tomatoes pulsed with some extra virgin olive oil, and garlic salt - easy to make and so much better than the canned stuff.

Next, I added shredded mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced chorizo, sliced kalamata olives, green peppers and basil leaves.  I put the pizza under the broiler (550F) for approximately three minutes...



And here is the result!  Doesn't it look yummy?



The personal pizza was delicious and very filling.  My favourite part was the cheesy, crispy edges.  How does it compare to a regular crust pizza?  The taste was delicious.  I couldn't even taste the cauliflower!  The only difference is in the texture of the crust.  Instead of being crispy, it is kind of limp and soft, but not surprising, as the crust contains cauliflower and cheese.  But, for me, it in no way, takes away from the pizza.  It was close enough to a regular pizza as you can get!



Care for a slice?



I was so pleased with the way it turned outl, that I made personal pizzas for Nuno and the girls for dinner.



Pepperoni and cheese for the girls



Chorizo, mushrooms, green peppers, kalamata olives, and basil leaves for Nuno




We all enjoyed the pizza, the girls too!  If any of you are looking for a low-carb and/or gluten-free pizza option, this one's for you! 

Bon Appetit!






5 comments:

  1. Yum, Rosinda! Your pizzas are beautiful and they look so delicious! Pizza is one of the things I miss most on a gluten free diet, and these look like they'd really satisfy the craving. I bookmarked this post so I can try the recipe. Thanks for sharing it! xoxo

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  2. I will DEFINITELY be trying this recipe---it sounds delicious and nutritious and I'm gluten free, so it works for me!!! Your selection of toppings makes a wonderful difference as well---pretty colors, textures, flavors....all work together to make an exceptional masterpiece!!! LIKE YOU!!

    xo
    Joann

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  3. MMM!! Looks delicious sweetie! I love cauliflower too...made a Shepherd's Pie in the week & used cauliflower puree to top instead of mashed potato. I think it was nicer, really! This is a great idea & proves how versatile it can be. Much love for the weekend xox

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  4. Your girls are THE luckiest! You are teaching them so much by being the creative, adventurous woman you are! And, of course, everything looks delicious! xo

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  5. So glad you liked it! I was very skeptical at first, but I was very impressed with the results. :)

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