Pop quiz! What vegetable is chock full of nutrients, delicious and is so versatile you can use it to create everything, from hummus to rice to pizza crust? Why…. it’s cauliflower!
Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse containing several vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, several B vitamins plus fibre and a dose of antioxidants. Like broccoli, cabbage and kale, cauliflower belongs to the cruciferous family. These foods are rich in glucosinolates, which help the liver to detoxify. They are also a good source of sulfur-containing compounds which have been shown to lower the risk of several types of cancers. In addition, cauliflower contains the anti-inflammatory compound indole-3-carbinol (I3C) which may help prevent inflammatory responses in the body as well as balance hormones.
If you have only served cauliflower steamed or broiled as an accompaniment to your main or as crudité, you may be surprised at how versatile this vegetable is. I love experimenting with different ways to use this vegetable and today I’ll be sharing one of my favourite choices with you. Apart from being simple to follow, this recipe is so tasty that most people don’t even realize they are eating cauliflower, which makes it really easy to sneak more vegetables in our daily diet. So if you are looking for ways to increase your vegetable consumption (and we probably all should) or you are parents of picky eaters, this recipe is for you!
Enter the Mirror Friendly Cauliflower Pizza Crust…
Yes you can even make pizza crust from cauliflower! When I told my sister I was going to make a pizza crust out of cauliflower she shot me her “that sounds gross” look. But she certainly didn’t give me that look when she took a bite of that pizza. Your cauliflower pizza is almost fully vegetable-based!
The following ingredients were used to make the cauliflower pizza crust:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 1/4 cup mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
– 1 tablespoon dry parsley and oregano
– 1 egg
– salt and pepper to taste
Step by step instructions in preparing the Mirror Friendly cauliflower pizza crust:
1) Preheat the oven to 200ºC (or 400ºF) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Cut 1 head of cauliflower into florets and steam until tender.
3) Pulse the steamed cauliflower in a food processor until you have tiny “rice like” bits.
4) Put the cauliflower into the centre of a thin clean dish towel and wring out the moisture. This is an important step. A lot of liquid will be released, leaving you with a dry lump of cauliflower.
5) Place the cauliflower lump in a large mixing bowl and add in the egg, oregano, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well until evenly blended.
6) Transfer the cauliflower mixture to the baking sheet and shape into a circular or rectangle crust about ¼ inch thick. Press firmly on the crust ensuring that you’ve spread the “dough” evenly and there are no thin spots.
7) Bake the crust for 20-30 minutes, until the top is dry and golden. Remove the pan and carefully flip the crust over and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
8) Remove the crust from the oven and add your favourite sauce and toppings and bake for another 10 minutes until the toppings are cooked to your liking.
TIP: Don’t overload the crust with sauce and toppings or it may become soft.
The nutritional values for a whole Mirror Friendly cauliflower pizza crust are as follows:
Calories: 432 kcal
Protein: 41g
Carbohydrates: 31g
of which fibre: 12g
of which sugar: 12g (this is natural sugar from cauliflower)
Fats: 16g (Note: no trans fats in here)
Bon appetit!
To fitness with love,
Tanya
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