Thursday, December 15, 2011

Grain-Free PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there anyone alive that doesn't like pizza?  I'll admit, even before adopting the GFG-lifestyle, I stayed away from pizza because it was just one of those off-limit foods to me, but oh man, I sure liked it!  I'm a Chicagoan so a nice slice of deep dish pizza will always make me salivate.  Lou Malnati's, you know what's going on. 
So, ok, my pizza above may not look like the aforementioned Lou's pizza, but I'm telling you, it is a very very good approximation of some seriously good thin-crust.  MAKE THIS PIZZA ASAP PEOPLE!  It is crazy good.  There are lots of grain-free pizza crust recipes floating around the interwebs.  And plenty more of gluten-free crusts.  You need to buy several different flours, combine them in the right amounts, knead them, add this and that, proof 'em, etc.  Not this recipe.  Even better, this is a great way to "hide" veggies.  The crust is cauliflower.  No kidding.  It does NOT taste like cauliflower either, yummy as it that little white veggie is, if you didn't make it yourself you would have no clue it was cauli.  Try it.  You will LOVE it.  Promise!  And google this recipe, you'll see there are quite a few variations.  I think my technique proved superior, but the ingredients are all roughly the same.

Grain-Free Cauliflower Crust Pizza (Gluten-Free, of course!)

1 head of cauliflower
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp minced garlic
1 can of pizza sauce, like Muir Glen organic
1 bag of part-skim mozzarella
toppings, like turkey pepperoni, sauteed mushrooms or spinach, tomatoes, olives, green peppers, whatever!!!

Preheat your oven to 450 and spray two cookie sheets with non-stick spray.  Cut your head of cauli into florets and throw them in the cuisi.  You will probably need to do this in two batches.  Pulse the cauli until it's at the "rice" stage and transfer to a glass microwave safe bowl.  Microwave the cauliflower for 10 minutes or so.  You want to cook out some of the moisture and get the little grains a bit drier so your crust isn't watery.  Don't skip this step!  You'll probably have about three cups of cauli rice at this point.  If you use all three cups of it, you can probably make 9 individual pizzas, 2 per person.  Depending on how many you're feeding, make all 9, or save the third cup for another time.  I sauteed one cup and will give it to S for lunch.

With the other two cups, I added a tsp of  garlic, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp oregano, and 2 eggs.  Mix thoroughly.  Using a large spoon, drop even amounts of the wet crust onto your cookie sheet.  (Warning- do not used a parchment-lined baking sheet unless you want to start a fire in your oven... yeah...)  This made 6 individual pizzas for me, three per sheet.  Spread the crust out evenly using the spoon and try to get it as flat and thin as you can.  Bake the crusts for 25-30 minutes until the edges are crisp and the whole pizza is brown.  Other recipes tell you to make one big pizza, which leaves the centers underdone and soggy.  This technique works muuuch better.  While the crusts are baking, sautee up some veggies or chicken or whatever toppings you want.  Once the crusts are nice and browned, pull 'em out and set the oven to broil.  Spread pizza sauce onto the crusts, then top with about a 1/4 cup of cheese, and your preferred toppings.  Get creative and try funky combinations, like goat cheese and thyme, feta and red peppers!  Or stick to the basics like pepperoni.  Put your baking sheets into the broiling hot oven for just a couple minutes, until the cheese is melted.  That's it!

Don't worry if your edges are burnt, that's ok!  It'll be great, and that way you know the bottom is well-cooked.  You CAN pick these up and eat them like a regular old slice of pizza!  If you choose to make one large crust, I don't think you can. 

I promise, these do not taste like cauliflower.  It tastes like pizza.  Maybe a floppy pizza, but a damn good floppy pizza.  And instead of a bunch of starchy gluten filled carbs, you're eating veggies!  Yeah buddy!  Great recipe for those tough to please toddlers.

I have to say, this is one of those recipes that has really gotten me excited!  Every once in awhile you make something that just totally blows you away, and this is one of those recipes.  Please give it a try!  You'll be so glad you did!

Totally on a different subject, last month I mentioned I was going through a rough patch.  The last six weeks have been pretty trying.  I don't want to bore anyone with the deets, it was work related, and I'll leave it at that.  But I am so so so so so pleased that things are really looking up.  I am so grateful to this goofy little blog of mine for giving me purpose, giving me a positive outlet, and giving me something to do that was rewarding for me and always makes me smile.  Some days, when everything is going wrong and you feel like a failure, at the very least I know I can get in the kitchen and create something healthy, wholesome, and GFG-approved that I can be proud of.  If nothing else, I know that is one thing I am good at.  Sharing that with whoever is out there is a privilege and a joy.

In my little fantasy-world I've concocted, I have a small nutritional empire comprised of a brick-and-mortar store selling all manner of goods for all of us on special diets, whether its a diabetic diet, grain-free, primal/paleo, gluten-free, SCD, GAPS, anti-candida, etc, where you can get quality ingredients at a fair price (can you believe what they charge for "gluten" free products in that sad little gluten-free aisle at the grocery-store?  UGH!) maybe some cooking classes for the newly initiated, and nutritional counseling from holistic nutritionists, that can shop with you, cook with you, clean out your pantry if needed, and just work with you on your new lifestyle.  Maybe this blog is the first step in my little fantasy, maybe not, but it's fun to dream, right?

Do you have any business ideas you'd love to make happen?  However goofy our outlandish?  What are they?  Any tips for a risk-averse wannabe entrepreneur like myself?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for eating!  XoXoGFG

3 comments:

  1. I love cauliflower pizza!! And I love your business idea too - i'd love to do something like a grain free bakery or lunch place.

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  2. I have made cauliflower pizza crust as well, and liked it. My favorite gf pizza crust so far has been one made with garbanzo bean flour. I can't remember where I found the recipe off the top of my head, but I do plan on posting about it and I'll post the link.

    I'm glad things are looking up for you at work. I also have had dreams of opening my own specialty cafe. I think those of us with special diets often dream of this because we know how hard it is not to have a cafe/bakery/restaurant readily available that sells non-typical fare. I can't even imagine a restaurant being totally gluten free, and being able to order anything you want off the entire menu. That would be wonderful.

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  3. I just wanted to let you know that I did a blog post for the pizza crust I mentioned.

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