Cauliflower Pizza

This has generated a lot of interest on Facebook, where I mentioned in a few places that I got the kids to try it and they liked it (well, Shaylee really liked it, Ethan said he could taste the cauliflower but that is probably only because he knew it was in there).  Mark thought it was way better than the traditional crust pizza I also made.  I admit I snuck a bite to compare and he was right.  The flour (well, whole wheat and spelt) crust was bland and it was the pizza Shaylee put together so there wasn't much sauce on it, so it was kind of dry.

I used to make this before when I was low carbing.  I heard there is a similar recipe on the Dr. Oz site but it has little cheese and it is a low fat one at that.  You need fat, baby!    Cleochatra from  Low Carb Friends was the one who first came up with the recipe and shared it with the world.  It caught on like wildfire because it was good, gluten free, it was the perfect neutral base for pizza, it was very low in carbs (suitable for induction for those on Atkins) and what isn't there to love about a good tasting pizza that has a vegetable for its base!  If you get the excess moisture out of the cauliflower, you will be able to pick it up and eat it like pizza (sometimes even if you don't).

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

• 1 cup cooked, mashed cauliflower (make sure it isn't too watery; it doesn't have to be packed down)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• italian spice to taste (I usually don't bother)

Mix well and pat into a pizza pan.  I usually cover with parchment paper to make for easier removal otherwise you should grease the pan.  It will cover a 12 inch pan  just pat it down well and make sure it is thin and even.  

Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 to 15 minutes or until it is golden brown.  

Take it out of the oven, cover in sauce and top how you like (meat, veggies, cheese, ect... make sure there is nothing that needs cooking, like meat as it is not in there long enough to cook the second time around).  Put it back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted.  

Remove, let sit about 5 minutes, slice and eat!!  Yum yum!  It's even good cold, as I am experiencing right now.  

I also made garlic fingers but they weren't as good.  I just put some garlicy butter and cheese on top before the second bake.  I used granules so real garlic would of been better as would the addition of bacon!

This would make a very good freezer meal.  I used to make the crusts and freeze them so they would be ready to top when I wanted pizza.  Cauliflower is only $1.99 this week at Sobeys so I bought three mainly for this reason.  I may have to buy more!  I plan to cook it and freeze in one cup portions as it is also good for other recipes, as I will soon share :)

Party Loaves

I didn't know what else to call these since there are so many variations which one could make.

On Tuesday, my family had their annual Christmas party.  I made fudge to bring but changed my mind after I left it in the fridge too long and it got kind of dried out and a little too eaten (Mark and the kids were taking pieces which were 4-6 piece serving sizes since I hadn't cut it.  It was kind of hard to cut since it had marshmallows in it.  Yes, delicious Christmas junk!).

This left me at the last minute trying to decide what to make.  A woman at church often makes a ham and cheese loaf but I couldn't find anything online that resembled it.  So I made my own version!

I made a loaf sized batch of dough.  This would work well with sourdough and I plan to make it when I get my sourdough on the go.  A loaf sized batch of bread dough will make three.  Divide it into three equal parts.

Roll the dough into either an oval or a rectangle shape.  I did it on parchment paper to make it easy to transfer.  Then on either side, make about eight slits which are about a third of the width on each side leaving the middle third uncut, which is where you put your toppings of choice (I made a ham and cheese one with a base of mayo and I made a pizza one which had pepperoni, mozza and a base of tomato sauce.  Sorry they are sideways, I forgot to rotate them and I'm too lazy to redo it ;) ):

Rolled out dough.

Mayo, ham and cheese.

Pizza toppings, I kept it basic.

 After you have your toppings on the dough, start braiding the sides.  Kind of tuck in the tops and bottoms to seal them in.  Next time, I think I would coat with an egg wash before baking.  

Braided loaf.

 After you braid your loaf (loaves), bake at 350 degrees for about half an hour.  Slice and serve!

Finishes loaves on plate, cut into pieces and my itty bitty netbook in the background ;)

This was a hit at the party!  Everyone loved them and they were soooo goood!  You could put any toppings you like, even making it a sweet loaf.  It would be good to assemble, wrap and freeze to have on hand as something to cook on short notice or for an easy lunch/supper.  It probably took an hour and a half from the time I started the dough until it was cut and we were out the door, but that was only because I left for an hour to shop while the dough was in the bread machine.  If you made a bunch, it wouldn't even take any extra time.  I am planning to make some and along with some other goodies, will be part of our Christmas Day brunch :)

Soaked Dough Pizza and Garlic Fingers

Pizza is a favorite around here. It is one of my favorite foods to eat. Garlic fingers are right up there, especially with donair sauce!! It is a local thing but one which you must try! I can't find a good way to make donair sauce really healthy but it is something you wouldn't want to eat very often anyway.

Usually, I just use my normal bread dough for pizza. This time, I soaked it as I have been doing for my homemade bread. Here is how I do it:

Bread Machine Homemade Soaked Dough Pizza and Garlic Fingers

3.5 cups of whole wheat flour

1.5 cups of warm water

3-4 tablespoons kefir

Put these items in the bread machine and put on dough cycle. Let it work for the first cycle until it comes to the rest period then shut the machine off. I usually leave it right in there but you could also put it in a bowl and cover it to sit on the counter overnight.

The next day mix the following in a small bowl:

1/4 cup very warm water (not hot)

2 tablespoons honey

a sprinkle of salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

Stir well to dissolve the honey then sprinkle 2 tsp yeast on top. Let proof about 10 minutes. Put the bread machine back on the dough cycle and start. Slowly add the liquid ingredients, letting them mix in without sloshing around. When all the ingredients are worked into the soaked dough, let it knead until the first rest period then shut the machine off again. You can let it rise at this point but I usually start working it right away. I think it's more tender if you let it rise at least once before rolling out.

Grease two pizza pans or cookie sheets. This will make at least 3 12" round crusts so divide the dough into even portions and roll them into the desired shape. I usually freeze one to have on hand (either rolled out and frozen on a pizza pan or in just a lump).

For pizza, spread with pizza sauce or desired tomato based sauce (I usually use the kids favorite spaghetti sauce). Top with desired toppings and sprinkle with cheese.

For garlic fingers, spread with butter and top with grated mozzerella cheese and minced garlic that have been minced together. If you have a favorite garlic butter, use that and use less garlic.

Bake at 400 degrees until the tops are brown and bubbly. Slice the garlic fingers into long, thin slices and servegarlic fingers with donair sauce.

Another way that I make donair sauce is put half a cup each milk powder and sugar into a blender. Add 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup of boiling water as well as a tablespoon or two of sugar. Blend until well mixed (I sometimes have to adjust the ingredients but I can't remember exactly). The third way I've tried is a can of sweetened condensed milk with enough vinegar added to make it sweet but tart. Like I said, not ideal ingredients but best saved as a rare treat. I've tried making with natural sweeteners, but it is tricky to make and never tastes right.

Slacker!

I have been slack. I have had little to no motivation for much lately and for me, that's bad news. We were away for 3 days and eating junk, which in combination of the cruddy weather, have killed my motivation and energy levels. I need to pick myself up and get back on track.

I still have a backtrack of recipes and an adventure to blog about. I will say this, eating local is both fun and yummy! I live in such a great place and it is wonderful the things you can find if you only take the time to look.

In the meantime, here is a little recipe that I concocted. It is not entirely "real food" but it is something that is good and quick and satisfies a crave:

Zwieback Pizza

For each one:

1 zwieback (you could also use other things but this is what I had on hand)

1tbsp. pizza or spaghetti sauce

1 or 2 slices of pepperoni

a good sprinkling of mozzerella cheese

Top each zwieback as you would a pizza, make as many as you want depending on how many people are eating and how hungry they are. Place on a cookie sheet and bake under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly. When slightly cooled, enjoy! The top picture is my beautiful 6 year old daughter enjoying one :)