Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Tomato Basil Pizza

Tomato Basil Pizza
So this is not the best picture but I am lucky we even got one before it was gone! I made this recipe on my new favorite cauliflower pizza crust! See the link on how to do that here: http://itsmmmmmmgood.blogspot.com/2013/03/cauliflower-pizza-crust.html

Ingredients for Topping:
Small Jar 4-6 oz of Pesto Sauce (I love Costco and Trader Joe's but looking for lower fat/calorie ones).
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Handful of fresh  basil chopped
a few extra garlic cloves if you LOVE garlic minced (I actually did not add it in mine there is garlic in the      crust but I bet it would be extra yummy)
2 sliced or cubed med large tomatoes

Directions:
Make your cauliflower crust, take it out of the oven about 3 minutes before it is done. Layer the pesto, sprinkle 1/2 of both cheeses, add fresh basil and extra garlic if you want, top with tomatoes and sprinkle as much or as little cheese as you want.

Change your oven from cook to Broil (raise your oven rack to almost the top) and put it in for about 3 minutes. It will be done when the cheese is melted and the tomatoes are soft and grilled. The crust and cheese at the edge of the pizza may burn a little. Keep an eye on it!

Let it cool a few minutes, slice, and use a spatula to serve. Now it is time to ENJOY!!!

This would also be a delicious pizza on a real pizza crust or even pita bread style pizza. I got the recipe from my friend Mary Lee.

Love,
Christina

Cauliflower Pizza Crust


I have found a healthy bread substitute that is sooooooo DELICIOUS!!  Avrie HATES cauliflower and LOVED this. She would not even sample it while we were making it.

I got the Recipe from here: http://dailydishrecipes.com/cauliflower-pizza-crust-recipe/

Here is her post with a few of my additions IN CAPITALS. Ü

Cauliflower Pizza Crust Recipe
Rating: 5
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 1 pizza crust

 Yes it’s really cauliflower, and a much healthier alternative than regular pizza crust. Nobody will know it's cauliflower though! It is seriously that good!

Ingredients
1 c. cooked, riced cauliflower
2 egg whites
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp. minced garlic

Toppings: (WHATEVER YOU WANT)
¼ – ½ c. pizza sauce
Parmesan cheese, if desired
pizza toppings

Instructions

Don’t know how to rice cauliflower? Let me teach you the quick easy way.

I purchased a large head of cauliflower, brought it home – washed it thoroughly, and then patted it dry. I then chopped it into small bite size pieces and tossed them into my food processor and processed it until it was the size of rice. Like this: (A BLENDER OR HAND PROCESSOR WILL WORK FINE)


After you've riced it, place it in a microwave safe dish and put it in there for about 7-8 minutes or so.
(YOU CAN BOIL IF NEEDED UNTIL A LITTLE SOFT BUT NOT SQUISHY)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F

Grab a pizza pan and spray it with a non-stick spray. By the way, don’t be stingy with the spray. If you don’t use enough, that pizza will be difficult to get off the pan. Trust me on that. You can also use parchment paper if you have it. It works pretty well. I still spray the parchment paper lightly.
(I USED A PIZZA PAN WITH HOLES IN IT AND IT WORKED FINE JUST A BIT HARDER TO CLEAN. I WILL TRY PIZZA STONE NEXT)

In a medium bowl, combine the cauliflower, egg whites, mozzarella, oregano and garlic. (I PUT IT INTO A BIG BALL AND THEN PUT IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAN AND SPREAD IT OUT)

Press evenly in the pan. Push it down into all the corners making sure its stuck to itself pretty well. It will not be a pretty circle, but it won’t matter when you taste it, I promise.

Sprinkle with some parmesan cheese if you want some more flavor.



Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I strongly recommend checking it at about the 12 minute mark and then allow it too cook for remaining time if needed. This crust is not like a typical BREAD crust… it sometimes won’t stay together as well and will require a fork and a spoon, but I also know that once you taste it, you just won’t care. At all. (MINE WAS NOT AS FLUFFY AS THIS BUT YUMMY)



Remove the pan from the oven. Add your sauce, toppings and cheese.

(I MADE A TOMATO BASIL PIZZA- SEE THAT POST, HOWEVER ANY PIZZA TOPPINGS AND SAUCES WILL WORK TRY MY BBQ CHICKEN RECIPE!)

Place under a broiler for about 30-60 seconds, just until the cheese is melted. Watch it carefully or it will burn. (TOMATOES TAKE A BIT LONGER TO GET DONE.)


I WAS LUCKY TO TAKE A PICTURE OF IT BEFORE WE ATE IT ALL!