Cauliflower Mini Pizza Crust
Cauliflower ‘Bread’ Sticks
Yeah, I know that calling it ‘bread’ seems like a knock-off, but I’m not sure what else to call it. You use it like bread. I had the same problem when trying to make the duxelles ‘meatballs.’ If you call them Meatless Balls, which is what they are, it just sounds neutered, and Mushroom Balls doesn’t sound appealing at all. At least if they are to be used like meatballs, the quotations make it more clear. Did you know that I bounced around the idea of naming our son Magnus? Andrew wouldn’t have it! In fact, Nathan didn’t actually have a name for 3 days, but that’s enough renting about names….
Obviously you don’t need to replace bread with a vegetarian option, but if you have grain allergies this might be just the thing. It is also loaded with a lot of nutrition, and perfect for folks on a low carb diet. I would consider this a vegetarian recipe, but obviously lacto-ovo-vegetarian.
One of the things to remember most, if you choose to tinker with this recipe, is to season it well. A lot of salt may not be needed because of the cheese content, but use plenty of your other favorites, like garlic, basil, oregano, or even eastern flavors like turmeric, coriander, paprika, and chilies.
Cauliflower Croutons
You can make these crusts ahead and then just heat to serve or top for a quick bake and an easy snack.
Need to get some more veggies into you kid? This could be just the ticket.
It takes a few minutes to prep this recipe, but I think the versatility makes it worth the while. Leave me a comment below and let me know how you chose to use Cauliflower ‘Bread.’
Cauliflower ‘Bread’
By:semiserious chefs
Serves: 3-5 personal pizza crusts, or Bread Sticks for 6
Ingredients:
- 2 pound head of cauliflower
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or parmesan if preferred)
- 1/4 t garlic powder
- heaping 1/2 t dried basil*
- 1/8 t pepper
- 1/8 t salt (more to taste)
- 1 whole egg + one egg white
*You can change the herb and spice choice to meat your personal preference and choice of meal.
Directions:
- Trim and rough chop the cauliflower. Chop in food processor, in batches as needed, until whole head is ground. About 6 cups chopped.
- Add water and processed cauliflower to a pot with lid, bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until soft.
- Strain off the liquid using the pot lid, and let cool. Using several layers of cheese cloth or a bandana farther strain the cooked cauliflower, giving a good firm squeeze. The drier the better for the final product.
- In a bowl mix the strained cauliflower, cheese, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and egg.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cauliflower batter out into preferred forms 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. It may seem wet or loose, but don’t worry, it will bake solid.
- Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Slice and serve if using as bread sticks or croutons. If using as a pizza crust top and return to oven at 475 degrees for 10 minutes until toppings are melted as desired and crisped to perfection.
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