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

Using leftovers for lunch

Hi!  Happy Labor Day!  I hope you are taking the day for some R&R.  I am!  I baked some Italian Rev Rolls this afternoon.  For those who don't know, Rev Rolls are short for "Diet Revolution Rolls" from the Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution book (1972).  He made his with cottage cheese. I make mine with mayo because I rarely have cottage cheese in the house.  Although ... cottage cheese sounds yummy right now.  Back to the topic at hand ... Rev Rolls can be sweet, savory, or plain.  They work fabulously as a vehicle for sandwiches.  I've seen them used in desserts.  Between the ham I baked last night and the Rev Rolls today, three guesses what I'm having for lunch and the first two don't count.  Yup!  Ham sandwich!  Doesn't that sound absolutely delish??? :-)

Rev Rolls store well in the fridge.  Store them in a zipper bag with wax or parchment paper between each role.  They will soften up a bit on the second day.  I don't think I've tried freezing them.  I eat mine within 3 days or so. 

6 finished Italian Rev Rolls - see the specs of Italian Seasoning?

Here's my recipe for Italian Rev Rolls.  Make sure to see the Notes (having to do with Cream of Tartar and yolks in the whites) at the bottom.

Italian Rev Roll

3 XL eggs, separated
3T mayo
1/2t Italian seasoning
1/2t Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt
1 drop liquid Splenda

Whip the egg whites until they are ultra stiff.  And I mean STIFF!

See how stiff they are?  There's a chunk sticking up towards the top of the bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the yolks, mayo, seasonings, and Splenda.

Fold the two mixtures together. Start by adding a little bit of the egg whites to the yolk mixture to lighten the yolk mixture. Then, in thirds, fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites.

Drop into 6 equally-sized rounds on a buttered (parchment paper lined) cookie sheet or a muffin-top pan.

Mixes folded together and put into a muffin top pan (these are a little runnier than normal).

Bake at 325F for 18-20 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Nutritional Informational for the entire recipe:
Carbs:  1.34g (1%)
Protein:  21.89g (18%)
Fat:  44.30g (81%)
Calories:  526

Notes:

1.  You can use Cream of Tartar to help stiffen the egg whites. I usually do and didn't this time because I don't have any in the house.

2.  EVERY recipe I've seen on the web for whipping egg whites says something to the effect of "When whipping the egg whites, the bowl must be absolutely dry and clean or they won't whip up" And "Make sure that, when separating the egg, not even one speck of egg yolk is left in the whites or they won't whip up."  I call BS on both of those statements.  Why?

Because when I separated the eggs (the first time), I tried the plastic bottle technique (sucking the yolk back out of the bowl after cracking the egg into the bowl) and one of the yolks broke.  Unfortunately, I'd done what I know not to do - cracked the second egg into the bowl with the white of the first egg.  Oops.  I ended up making scrambled eggs using those two eggs because I hadn't eaten yet.  And I started over.

The second time, I used the same bowl - after washing it.  It was still a little damp when the egg whites landed in it.  Then I used the "pass the egg yolk back and forth between the shell halves" to separate the first egg.  The yolk broke!  I got most of the yolk out and continued with the second and third egg.  Normally, I'd have started over but I wanted to test the "not a speck of yolk" instruction.  Below is the picture of the egg whites before whipping.  As you can tell from the photo above, at least the little bit of yolk in the whites didn't matter.  Remember - I didn't use Cream of Tartar either.

Egg whites before whipping.  See the egg yolk in the south east corner of the bowl?

Cauliflower & Ham Salad

Happy Monday!  Did you survive with all of your hair still in your head?  Or did you pull some out? LOL It was a day today!  Tomorrow will be even busier.  I prepared a new entree when I got home.  Ready for it?  Cauliflower & Ham Salad.  

It's a cold dish - perfect for summer.  It was pretty easy to put together. The most challenging part was draining the cauliflower.  I was in a hurry so I micro waived it then drained it.  Next time, I will probably roast it.  That should eliminate the need to drain the cauliflower.  Oh, as for the "cubed ham," my local store (the one and only AWESOME Publix) carries Hormel cubed ham in the butcher/meat section (not with the lunch or canned meats).  Even before chilling this recipe, I snuck a bite.  It was absolutely delicious!  The sauce has some sweet-n-spicy action going on.  It bursts in my mouth.  I give it 5 wing flaps!!

I started with one of Linda's recipes:  here.  I made changes based upon what I had on hand.  I omitted the onion because ... I don't care for raw onions and I was not in an oniony mood.  I don't do pepper much either so I left it out.  With the sweet relish, I might omit the Splenda next time.  I absolutely LOVE (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!) Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.  It has salt, herbs & spices, dehydrated onion, and dehydrated garlic.  

Cauliflower & Ham Salad
7 oz cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (I used frozen cauliflower)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1.5 tablespoons sugar free sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
3/4 teaspoon Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt
1/2 tablespoon granular Splenda or 2 drops liquid Splenda
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounce ham cubes
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped in large pieces

Place the cauliflower in a large bowl.  Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.  Drain and microwave on high 2 more minutes.   Cook until the cauliflower is slightly tender and not mushy; drain off any excess water.  Let it cool to room temperature before adding the remaining ingredients.  After it's cooled, squeeze additional water out of the cauliflower.   I used paper towels. Alternate: roast the cauliflower instead of microwaving it.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, parsley, salt, and sweetener.  When the cauliflower has cooled, add the dressing and gently toss to coat.  Stir in the tomatoes, ham  (if you use pre-packaged cubed ham squeeze some water out with a paper towel), and eggs.  Cover and chill at least 3 hours.  The longer you let it sit, the more the flavors meld.

Nutritional Information for the entire recipe:

Carbs:  16.13 (7%)

Protein:  17.69 (8%)

Fat:  83.58 (85%)

Calories:  950