Remer Sister Guest Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Well, this post is a landmark for my blog! My first guest recipe, and the first savory one! 

My older sister, Amy, was interested in making this pizza (I had coincidentally been saving Jessica's version to try out) and asked if she could have the recipe posted here after it turned out so delicious.

I was able to try out making this pizza this weekend with my mom (since I'm home this week for my final Spring Break of my undergrad career...whhhhattttt?) and ohh man is it good.

The crust is so TASTY. I was honestly surprised how much I liked the flavor, and with Amy's alterations to make it crispier, it's spot on with how we like our pizza (thin, crispy and full of yummy toppings). 

Healthier pizza. Somewhat of an oxymoron, but I won't argue...

(more room for dessert! the important things in life :D).

Ingredients: Yield: One 12-inch pizza (or two 6 inch pizzas)
<Adapted from Lucky Penny Blog and Eat Fat Lose Fat>

Crust:

1 head of cauliflower (once processed it should be 1½ to 2 cups).

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp dried basil, ½ tsp dried oregano.  (I use a coffee grinder to powder the spices.  You could also just crush them up more between your fingers.)

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese.

¼ cup mozzarella cheese
1 egg (if using more cauliflower, add an additional egg white)

AND toppings of your choice (cheese, veggies, meat, etc)

Place a pizza stone in the oven.  If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use a baking sheet.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Cut the florets of the cauliflower and pulse in a food processor until you get fluffy “snow.”  (If you don’t have a food processor you can grate it by hand with a cheese grater).

Put cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover, and cook for 4 minutes.

Pour cauliflower onto a clean, thin, dishtowel.  When it is cool enough to handle, bundle it up in the towel and wring out the moisture.  Really squeeze it; you want to get as much water out as possible.

In a bowl mix together the cheeses, spices, and salt.  Add the cauliflower.  It’s easiest to use your hands to mix.  Now add the egg and mix with hands.  You want the dough to be sticky, like drop-biscuit dough.  If it seems too dry, add an additional egg white.

Roll out a piece of parchment paper onto a cutting board and spray with nonstick spray.  Form a ball of dough, flatten it into a patty on the oiled parchment.  Use your hands to flatten out and form the pizza.  Start from the middle and push out to the edges so it ends up with uniform thickness.  It should be around ¼ to 1/3  of an inch thick.

Use the cutting board to slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the pizza stone (or baking sheet).  Cook for around 10 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown.  The browned surface will be the bottom of the pizza.  Take it out of the oven and flip onto another oiled parchment paper.  Put back into the oven until the other side browns.  It should take around 5 minutes; watch closely so the edges don’t burn.  If you are having trouble getting it to the preferred crispiness, you can use the broiler to toast it.

Remove from oven and add sauce, cheese, toppings…whatever you want.  Put back in the oven until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.  Let it cool for at least 5 minutes.

Slice and enjoy!

Seriously. Do it. It sounds weird and like it wouldn't taste like real pizza, but I promise that you'll not even nooootice that the crust is made from a stinky albino vegetable.

 Cheesy, garlic-y, Italian spice-y...fairly easy. Give it a try! 

...and then go make one of my dessert recipes, 

because what dinner is complete without something sweet? :)