Cauliflower pizza

Besides chocolate, my biggest love in the food world is pizza. And It has been the hardest thing in the world to give up. It was my "I feel like being a bad diabetic." food. Until two nights ago when Naythan came home with the answer: Cauliflower pizza. I know, it sounds iffy, but man was it yummy, only 151 calories and less then 10 carbs? Yes please!

I found my recipe over on recipegirl.com (she also has an awesome step by step which I didn't do.) I did do somethings different, so with out any more ado, Cauliflower pizza!

cauliflower crust pizza

Yield: One 9 to 12-inch pizza (feeds 2 to 3 people)

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 18 min

Ingredients:

CRUST:
1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 1 1/2 cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt

TOPPINGS:
1/2 cup tomato-basil marinara sauce (or pizza sauce)
1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices Canadian bacon, cut into strips
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits

1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use the food processor if you'd like, but you just want crumbles, not puree. You'll need a total of 1 1/2 cups of cauliflower crumbles (which is about half a large head of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes (see Tips below if you do not have a microwave). Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.

2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface). In a medium bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups cauliflower crumbles with the remaining crust ingredients. Pat the "crust" into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.

3. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top. Add the bacon and pineapple, spreading it out around the pizza. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Tips:

From Eat, Drink, Smile (tip from Beth): For those who don’ t have a microwave: You can steam the florets just until they are tender (not mushy) on the stove and then let them cool before grating them. The texture/consistency won’t be the same (It will be more like a puree) but it still works fine once you mix all the ingredients together.

*Other topping ideas:
Marinara or pizza sauce with your favorite toppings
Pesto with thin sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella
Alfredo with sausage, mushrooms, Provolone & Asiago cheese
Barbecue sauce with shredded chicken, green onions and smoked gouda
*This pizza is best served on a plate with a fork.

Nutritional Information per serving FOR THE WHOLE PIZZA- per slice:
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories per serving: 151
Fat per serving: 7.2g
Saturated Fat per serving: 4.1g
Sugar per serving: 3g
Fiber per serving: 2.2g
Protein per serving: 12.6g
Cholesterol per serving: 53mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 9.2g

WW POINTS per serving:
Points Plus Program: 4 Old Points Program: 3

Nutritional info per serving for JUST THE CRUST- per slice (if you want to do your own toppings):
Serving Size: 1 slice (pizza cut into 6 slices)
Calories 84, Fat 4.3g, Sat Fat 2.6g, Cholesterol 40.8mg, Sodium 166mg, Carbohydrates 4.6g, Fiber 1.9g, Sugar 0g, Protein 7.1g
WW Points Plus: 2 Old Points Program: 2

Source: RecipeGirl.com (inspired by and adapted from Eat, Drink Smile)

 I make my own tomato paste, and it is amazingly easy and really cheap.

1 can on low sodium tomato paste, 1 can of low sodium tomato sauce mixed together, than add as much or as little Italian seasoning as you want. Toss in a bit of garlic, enjoy! 

Also, we used Mild Cheddar cheese and it was just as good.

I needed to cook the crust a bit longer than 15 minutes since it fell apart on us, or let it cool longer, one of the two, it was good with a fork. And it was delightful the next morning heading out the door. You could honestly not tell it wasn't a normal thin crust pizza, and my blood sugars were just as happy as my tummy!! :)


Enjoy!