Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I'm not a die hard low-carber, but I do like to limit my carbs and that is kind of hard to do when you are a pizza lover like I am.  So, a while back I ran into a blog called Your Lighter Side (by the way, great blog!) and this Low Carb Pizza Dough has been on my mind ever since because it was made with CAULIFLOWER!!!  Yes, you heard me right....cauliflower!  So...it just so happens that we recevied cauliflower in our produce basket last week so I figured it was time to try it out.

Now, I've used cauliflower in place of rice and potatoes before....but pizza crust???  Hmmm...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of cauliflower, cooked and riced
1 egg
1 cup of cheese
2 tsp of the seasoning of your choice
(see below for some suggestions)


DIRECTIONS:

First, let's make the riced cauliflower.  You can use frozen and cook according to the package directions, but I think fresh is best.  Cut the florets away from the stem and place them into boiling water for about 7-9 minutes until tender.  Then I like to use the Pampered Chef Mix-N-Chop tool and just chop it all up until you have CAULIFLOWER RICE!!!  One medium head of cauliflower should make about 3 cups of riced cauliflower and it should look like this...super easy, huh?  Yes!  Moving on.......

Next, PREHEAT your oven to 450 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together 1 cup of the riced cauliflower, 1 cup of cheese, 1 egg, and 2 tsp. of seasoning.  Let your imagaination do the flavor work here.  What sounds good?  Mozzarella Cheese/Italian Seasoning?  Cheddar Cheese/Mexican Seasoning?  Just make sure that the cheese you are putting into this crust is NOT a soft cheese.  It needs to be a cheese that when cooked gets that crispy goodness you will be looking for within the crust.  So...best advice...stick with the cheddars, mozzarella (not fresh), parmesan, oooh...maybe pepperjack???  Okay...sorry...must focus!

Once you have mixed it all together, place onto a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes.




BEFORE





AFTER

When it comes out of the oven you want to let it sit a few minutes and cool down a bit.  When it is straight out of the oven it is still just a tad bit mushy, but as it cools it tightens up very nicely and the edges have that cheesy crunchy goodness you expect from a good pizza crust. 

When you are ready to eat, top the crust with your favorite pizza sauce, cooked meats, veggies, more cheese and then broil on high until the cheese is melted.

Last night I made a couple different versions and I also tested out doubling the recipe.  If you double the recipe be sure to increase the cooking time approximately 5-7 minutes.

BEFORE - doubled recipe made in the
Medium Sized Pampered Chef Stone Bar Pan

AFTER baking....it looks good enough to eat just like this!!!

Here are a few photos of our finished Cauliflower Pizza Crust Pizzas!!!  The kids (and Rich) didn't even know it was cauliflower!!!  Shhhh.....



For the kids:  Pepperoni and Cheddar



For us BIG kids:  Portabella and Mozzarella
with fresh basil and thinly sliced fresh tomatoes!

Stay tuned for the following ideas and uses for this same recipe:
Mexican Pizza
Breakfast Pizza
Bite Sized Cupcake Pizzas
Breadsticks


(SPECIAL NOTE: This recipe is an adaptation to the original which can be found at Your Lighter Side.)

ENJOY!!!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Rollups w/ Mashed Cauliflower

Tonights blog is short and sweet....wait....savory!  If you haven't tried mashed cauliflower - you totally should!  When I'm trying to watch my carbs I like to have it in place of mashed potatoes or even rice.  The Pampered Chef Mix N' Chop is the perfect tool for making a rice-like consistency.  Add a little soy sauce and try it sometime with stir fry!

Sorry guys.....there are no measurements on this one....so you're just gonna have to wing it.  It's super simple!  This is what you will need:

Chicken Cutlets (or chicken breasts pounded out thin)

deli ham

swiss cheese

butter

olive oil

cauliflower

salt & pepper

Here is what you're gonna do:

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-Ups

Roll up ham and swiss cheese inside the chicken cutlets.  Secure with a toothpick.  Melt about 2T butter and 1T olive oil in a stainless steel skillet.  Saute' chicken roll ups for about 4 minutes on each side and finish in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  When finished drizzle the browned butter and any escaping cheese from the skillet over the top of chicken.  Enjoy!

Mashed Cauliflower

Meanwhile, cut califlower florets and place in a saucepan covered with water.  Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until califlower is fork tender.  When done, mash together with about 2 T butter and season with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!