Pizza! Pizza!

I miss pizza.  Eating just the toppings off a regular pizza doesn’t cut it.  Using a portabella mushroom cap, while good, doesn’t always cut it.  Using a meat crust, also while yummy, doesn’t always cut it.    The gluten-free pizza from Westshore Pizza, while tasty, doesn't always cut it.  

Cauliflower was on sale recently.  I decided to try out one of the many cauliflower pizza crust recipes out there on the ‘net.  I have NO idea with which recipe I started.  I tweaked it and came up with this.  I give it 4 wing flaps!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, stalk removed

.5 cup shredded Colby Jack (I started with cheese cubs and pulsed them in the blender - just grate it, it’s easier) (original recipe called for Mozzarella)

.25 cup grated Parmesan (I pulsed mine in the blender)

.5 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (original recipe called for ½ t dried oregano)

.25 t garlic powder

.5 teaspoon Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten (try using only 1 egg)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Prepare pizza pan (I buttered mine because I’ve never used it before and didn’t know if it is non-stick).  If you don’t have a pizza pan, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break the cauliflower into florets and pulse into itty-bitty pieces.  I used my blender.  Most recipes I’ve read for cauli-rice, cauli-pizza, etc. instruct the reader to pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until fine.  NOTE:  I used my blender BUT it’s quicker to grate it, as you would cheese.

Steam cauliflower in a steamer basket and drain well.  Let cool.  Drain the cauliflower.  (VERY IMPORTANT!!! DO NOT try to squeeze the water out of the cauliflower before it cools - freshly steamed cauliflower is HOT and WILL burn your bare hands!  Ouch! Yes, that's what I did!)  To drain:  use a clean smooth cloth napkin to wring the water out of the cauliflower.  Get as much water out as possible.  You want DRY cauliflower or the crust will be limp after it’s baked.  Try partitioning the cauliflower and drying it in portions to get maximum water expulsion.

While the cauliflower is steaming and cooling, combine the cheese and seasonings.  Lightly beat the eggs.  When cauliflower is cool, add it to the cheese mixture and then add the eggs.

Transfer the mixture to the center of your pizza pan (or baking sheet) and spread it into a circle, resembling a pizza crust. Bake for 20 minutes.

Add desired toppings and bake an additional 10 minutes.

NOTE:  The crust is a bit soggy.  Try using only 1 egg next time.  Try flipping the crust halfway through 1^st baking. 

Nutritional info:

Fat:  36.63g (55.6%)

Protein:  43.27g (31%)

Carbs:  17.71g (13.4%)

Calories:  527 cal

BBQ hotdog pizza on a cauliflower pizza

P.S. No posts for a week or so.

I'mmm baaaaaaccckk!!! With Gruyere Egg Muffins

One of my all-time favorite shows is NCIS.  I LOVE Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs!  For those of you who don’t know, Gibbs operates by a set of rules.  Rule #6:  Never apologize.  (It’s a sign of weakness.)  I don’t agree with the rule 100%; however, I’ve observed that, in general, people apologize too much - and when an apology isn’t needed.  Why am I writing about this?  Because I’ve been MIA for a while - and I know it!  ;-)

I have several recipes to post over the next week or two.  Most were successful.  One was successful as to taste and not so much so as to functionality.  I made Gruyere Egg Muffins with a minor adjustment because I didn’t have shallots.  The taste was spot-on.  They just didn’t hold their functionality as muffins and didn’t come out of the paper liners easily so I ate the “muffins” with a fork!  LOL  I kinda thought these would come out as mini-quiches.  Nope.  

Immediately out of the oven they were like a soufflé - all puffed up!  I think that’s because eggs were beaten until fluffy.  Experiment!  Try not beating the eggs as much.

<-- The picture to the right is about 30 seconds after I removed them from the oven.  They deflated very quickly!

The original recipe makes 12 muffins.  I made 1/6 of the recipe - 2 muffins.  I recommend making 3-4 with the quantities below - these will puff up (big time!) and spill over the edge of the muffin well.  You can also use mini-muffin tins.  According to the original recipe, these freeze well.  I didn’t test that.  Yet.  I give the recipe 3 wing flaps (good flavor but not great or absolutely yummy).

Ingredients:

2 eggs

.25 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

1t garlic, finely chopped

1t butter

4t HWC

dash of Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt

1.  Preheat oven to 325F.

2.  Beat eggs until slightly fluffy.

3.  Lightly sauté garlic in butter.

4.  Add garlic, cream, cheese, salt, to the eggs.  Mix well.

5.  Pour into muffin tin* and bake 25 minutes.

*I recommend greasing the muffin tin and not using liners.

Nutritional info:

Fat:  30.7g (75%)

Protein:  20.2g (22%)

Carbs:  2.4g (3%)

Calories:  371 cal