Thursday, July 25, 2013

Margherita Pizza Made With Homemade Cauliflower Crust

I LOVE pizza.  For real, its one of my favorite things to eat.  So imagine my horror when the results of my food sensitivity testing came back last summer showing high intolerance's to gluten, and bakers yeast.  I almost cried.  Actually, I did cry but that was due to the nutritionists recommendation not to drink wine anymore (turns out I'm intolerant to brewers yeast as well).  Yeah, like that was going to happen.....Anyhoo, once I got over my little pity party I discovered a whole world of healthy substitutions for wheat + yeast.  I also figured out that I can still have a love affair with pizza by making healthier swaps for the crust.

If you've never tried cauliflower crust pizza, I really encourage you to give it a try!  If you're like myself and have any issues with gluten, you'll be thankful that you can indulge in a slice of pie without paying for it later.  Enjoy!




Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg; lightly beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
Any brand of pizza sauce (I used Organicville because its GF)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1 roma tomato; sliced thin 
Fresh basil


Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Using a food processor pulse batches of cauliflower florets until they are broken down to very small pieces (about the size of a lentil). 

Transfer to a large pot, fill with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes.  

Using a fine mesh strainer, drain cooked cauliflower.  You can use a large wooden spoon to lightly press & pack the cauliflower into the strainer to aid in the draining process.  Allow to slightly cool.

Transfer cauliflower from strainer to a cheesecloth (or a clean dishtowel) and squeeze out any excess water until it feels completely dry.  *Its much easier to do this step once the cauliflower has cooled slightly*

In a large bowl, mix cooked cauliflower, egg, parmesan cheese, oregano, dried basil, and salt until well combined.

Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and press "dough" out into a circle about 1/3" thickness.

Bake for 35 minutes @ 400 degrees, or until pizza is golden brown & firm to the touch.

Remove pizza from oven, and immediately top with desired amount of pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and tomato slices.  Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Top with fresh basil slices and serve immediately.



2 comments:

  1. Ok, I am super pumped to try this! I'm wondering, does the crust get crispy? The BF loves thin crispy pizza crusts and if I'm gonna make him eat a cauliflower crust it better be crispy!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Leslie! The edges get pretty crispy, but its definitely a different texture than traditional crust. I made it twice this week, once as a test and again to photograph for the blog and Adam scrumped it down both times!
      Let me know how yours turns out! xx

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