I’m really trying to eat better lately but I’m having a hard time trying to figure out what I should actually be eating. I’ve been reading about clean eating lately and while everyone has their own version of what this means, I think I get the gist of it. Its pretty much eating whole foods rather than processed, several smaller meals a day, lots of water and stay away from crap. Sounds easy enough….yeah right.
I’m going to give it a really good try though and I will be posting recipes I find and make – the good and the bad. And make no mistake guys, there will be bad.
My first attempt is a veggie pizza made with a cauliflower crust…..yes I said cauliflower. I’ve heard that you can make faux mashed potatoes from cauliflower but I couldn’t quite picture the crust. I looked it up, found some recipes and gave it a try. I knew that this wasn’t going to taste or be the same texture as regular pizza crust, but I figured it could work when I’m craving something carby. There were many reviews on this crust raving how it was just as good as the real thing and how even the pickiest eater in their family loved it. I call bullshit.
First, I will give my opinion of just the crust. Unless I did something wrong, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t, this is not a substitute for actual pizza crust. The texture was wet, and it tastes like cauliflower with a crispy outside and mushy inside. The taste was good, but the texture takes some getting used to. Plus, be prepared to use well sprayed parchment paper underneath or it will stick to whatever you baked it on.
Now for the final product. Once I added the oil sauce, veggies and cheese, it started to resemble something I could enjoy. It had good flavor and I could see making this and cutting it up as appetizers or on a night where everyone else is eating real pizza.
Now that I’ve made it sound so good and you guys are just waiting to make this here is the recipe:
Cauliflower Crust:
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 egg
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1 teaspoon oregano or Italian seasoning blend
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450. Rice the cauliflower in a food processor. Get a small saucepan, add and inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft. Strain the cauliflower and place in a clean dish towel. Twist the dish towel and squeeze out all the excess water. In a medium bowl mix together cauliflower, egg, cheese and spices. Cover a baking sheet or stone with parchment paper and cover generously with cooking spray. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes.
Now its time to add sauce and toppings.
Oil Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp oregano
a pinch of salt
Mix together and spread on crust.
This is where you can add your favorite toppings. I used chopped onions, mushrooms, olives and mozzarella cheese.
Place back in oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
