cauliflower pizza crust? yes!

i heard about a thing recently from Tayelor, and i had seen it before around the blogosphere. cauliflower pizza crust. here's the thing though - i really hate cauliflower. i don't care for cauliflower mashed "potatoes" or cauliflower "rice". but, i'm game to try new things (even cauliflower) and it has some great reviews online. so i cobbled together ideas from lots of different recipes and came up with this:

and baby, it was gooooood. it was chewy and flavorful and tasty. i'm sold. it was great to eat pizza and not feel all blah after. plus, cauliflower is ultra super healthy, so that's a plus. (i even read an article once about how people who have high amounts of cruciferous veggies (broccoli and cauliflower) in their diet have like a 40% decreased risk for heart, liver, and lung problems. yes please.)

cauliflower pizza crust

3 cups riced cauliflower (rice in food processor or grater)

3/4 cup cheese, shredded (i used 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup italian blend)

2 eggs

1 tbls italian seasoning

1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

spray olive oil (or coconut oil or whatever)

spread out the cauliflower "rice" on a sheetpan and spritz very lightly with oil of choice. allow to dry in the oven for around 20 minutes at 225 degrees. we want the cauliflower to be very dry and softened. (you could also steam, boil, or microwave the cauliflower to cook it. however, make sure you squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible with a dishtowel or paper towels. it won't hold together right if it isn't ultra dry!) 

once your cauliflower is cooked and dry, mix it very well with all the other ingredients. simply spread the mixture over a silicone baking mat on a pizza pan in the shape you desire. i recommend going about 1/4 inch thick. it's okay if you don't have a silicone baking mat, but this will stick when it bakes. use nonstick foil, parchment paper, nonstick spray...all the nonstick things in your cooking arsenal!

bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and firm (mine took around 35 minutes). take it out and add your favorite pizza toppings (i used roasted garlic marinara sauce, a little more parmesan, and some crisp bacon.). however, i tasted it without any toppings and it was fabulous! you could easily use it for bread sticks or flatbread. i could see happily dunking this in marinara sauce or soup!

this was super successful and very easy! i will definitely use this one again, over and over.

on another note, appa the poodle isn't supposed to be on the couch. but then this happened:

stare down: "what dad?"

and then he immediately snuggled in. silly poodle.