I know I've said in the past that I'm not really fan of pizza, and that I can't even remember the last time I ordered it from a restaurant, and all that's true. Still, I have to admit that I've been kind of curious about, and have been really wanting to make a cauliflower pizza crust. Its just that I've been seeing so many recipes on Pinterest for cauliflower pizza crusts, breadsticks, calzones, etc. and I've ended up pinning a bunch of different versions due to the fact that each one looks absolutely scrumptious!
Now that I've actually made it, let me just tell you that my predictions were 100% correct. This pizza crust was so incredibly delicious!
The reason I always tend to avoid pizza is because of all the empty carbohydrates that are found in the crust. However, by choosing to make the pizzas myself and substituting cauliflower for the crust, instead of using traditional flour, I knew that it would be healthier and was therefore willing to eat it.
This recipe actually makes 2 small, round pizzas. Each pizza, depending on how much cheese you put on it, is between 450-500 calories. And that's for the whole pizza, which is very filling! Keeping that in mind, think of how many calories are in an average Lean Cuisine meal, and that's something that comes frozen. This pizza is completely fresh. Not only that, but there are only about 25 grams of carbohydrates and around 47 grams of protein. Once again, that's in the whole pizza, and you don't have to eat it all at once, unless of course you want to!
It's always nice when you can make a comfort food healthy!
Sorry that the pictures of this meal may not be my best, but I promise that it's delicious!
Mexican Pizza with a Cauliflower
Crust
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 head of cauliflower
¼ - ½ cup reduced fat shredded
cheddar cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ - 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
flakes
For the Sauce:
1 15 oz. can, no salt added tomato
sauce
1 package hot and spicy taco
seasoning (Old El Paso)
¼ - ½ tsp. cumin
For the Pizza:
½ cup fat free refried beans
1 cup reduced fat shredded
cheddar cheese, divided
Grilled chicken pieces (You don’t
have to, but I seasoned mine with a little chili powder, cumin, and cayenne
pepper)
Prepared sauce
Optional Toppings:
Black Olives
Green Onions
Red or Green Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Directions:
For the Crust:
Place a rack in the middle of the
oven and preheat it to 450 degrees. Line
a baking sheet with parchment paper, drizzle on and spread out a little olive
oil, and then set aside.
Rice the cauliflower florets in a
food processor, make sure to not puree it. If you are unsure how
this is done, follow this link for a video.
Once the cauliflower has been riced, transfer to a microwave safe dish
and microwave on high for about 8 minutes, or until cooked. Once done, you will need to drain all the
excess water out of the cauliflower. I
did this by placing paper towel in a colander, dumping in the cauliflower, and
pressing down. Be careful though,
because the cauliflower is very hot. I
ended up going through quite a few pieces of paper towel, due to the fact that it’s very important to get out all the
water, otherwise your crust is going to be soggy instead of crispy. And let’s be honest…..who likes a soggy pizza
crust?
After the cauliflower has been
drained of all the water and appears dry, place it in a bowl. Add in the egg, cheese, salt, pepper, and
crushed red pepper. Mix well. I used my clean hands to just knead it all
together and it worked well. Once it’s
been combined, break the “dough” into two pieces and work it into small round
circles on the prepared baking sheet, by pressing it down, and shaping it with
your hands. After my pizza crust was
shaped and ready, I ended up placing a paper towel over the top of each
prepared circle, just to absorb some of the extra liquid. After that, place the pan in the oven for
exactly 10 minutes.
While the pizza is cooking,
prepare the sauce.
For the Sauce:
In a microwave safe bowl, pour in
the can of tomato sauce. After that, add
in the packet of taco seasoning and the cumin; then stir around until
combined. Microwave the sauce until just
warm to the touch. This should take 45
seconds to a minute. Set aside. (You
will definitely have leftover sauce, but it’s great to dip things in, and you
can store it in the fridge)
Hint: You might want to warm up the refried beans
as well, to make them easier to spread.
To Assemble:
Once the 10 minutes is up and the
crust is done, remove the pan from the oven.
Now, spread on some of the refried beans (if you don’t use them all, it’s
ok). After that, top the beans with some
of the sauce, followed by pieces of chicken and then the cheese. Feel free to add on any additional toppings
as well, after all, it’s your pizza.
Once the pizza(s) are assembled, place the pan back into the oven and
let cook for an additional 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted to your
liking.
Source: Crust adapted from The Iron You
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