Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Summer is right around the corner! Unless you live here in Las Vegas, then Summer started about two weeks ago. Ugh. 

This is, of course, the time of year when everyone starts worrying more about their diet and working out so they can fit into that itty bitty bikini (which I know nothing about, you'll find me in a full length poncho at the pool). However, I do like to feel really good this time of year and kick up my health routine since it's not as easy to cover up a bad weekend with a cozy sweatshirt when it's 100 degrees outside, although I've tried. 

I found this recipe on one of the many blogs I follow (simplyrealhealth.com) and my first time making it was a total disaster. I thought I could substitute wax paper for parchment paper (you can't, so don't), the smoke alarm was going off because the wax paper was literally burning in the oven, I couldn't get the pizza off of the wax paper so we were forced to eat a little with almost every bite, and I didn't cook it long enough at all.. To make a long story short, it fell apart, I was pissed off, threw a temper tantrum, possibly cried a little ... all while my amazing husband choked down every waxy bite and kept saying "it's not that bad babe!". What a guy. :) 
Side note: I totally realize that I may have overreacted a little. Leave me alone about it. #roughday

My second time making it was much more successful. I made sure to use parchment paper and kept it in the oven for about 5 minutes longer. We were thrilled with the results! My point? If you fail the first time, get back on the cow and try again ... or something like that. 

This is definitely a new staple in the Hiatt household. 

Bonus points: it's gluten free! But that only matters if you have celiac disease. Seriously. 

Cauliflower Crust Pizza 

Makes approx 2 servings

Notes: You will need a clean dish towel to make this crust, as well as a powerful blender or food processor. If you don’t have one, no problem—just boil the cauliflower florets before you blend them.

Crust:

1 medium head cauliflower, with the base stem and leaves removed (just the florets and some smaller stems needed)

½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 TB almond flour (or brown rice flour - I used brown rice flour because almond flour is much more expensive)

1 egg

1 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp pepper

*A pinch of dried oregano, red pepper flakes, or basil if desired! I use all three.

To top:

Clean ingredient tomato sauce (I love the Delallo brand but there are a lot of good options), homemade tomato sauce or clean pesto.

Other toppings of your choice: roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes, pre-cooked organic sausage, organic mozzarella, parmesan, feta or goat cheese, olives, etc. Using all pre-cooked toppings will keep the cooking time shorter. 

*For the pizza in the photo, I used roasted red peppers, all natural/organic turkey sausage, fresh parmesan cheese and a little fresh goat cheese.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER!). In a powerful blender or food processor, add cauliflower florets and blend until smooth. Don’t over process it, but blend enough so that you no longer have any big pieces visible.

Place the pulsed cauliflower in the middle of a clean dish towel. Wrap it up, and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. There will be a lot! *The more moisture you can squeeze out the better, it may take a few minutes so just be patient. It also helps to do little bits of the cauliflower at a time. 

Then, open the towel and place the cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add parmesan, almond flour, egg and spices and mix together. Combine it into a ball. With your hands, flatten into an even crust on the baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 min (depending on your oven), until it starts to brown. 

Remove from heat, add your sauce and toppings, and place back in the oven until done (approx 5 minutes if you pick topping that are already pre-cooked). Broil at the end to brown the cheese for a great presentation.

*While this is definitely a pizza, I find that this is better eaten with a fork. The crust is absolutely delicious but it does fall apart easier than regular pizza crust.

Serve with a delicious side salad and you're ready to go!

Xo

*Recipe by simplyrealhealth.com - I won't lie, I was to lazy to retype this recipe so these are her words, I just added in a few of my own tips and favorite ingredients!