My garden is bursting with tomatoes. Romas, Juliets, Sungolds and more are exploding from the backyard with vibrant colors and juicy tomato flavor. I swear, they’re coming out of my ears, my nose and I occasionally find a few in my purse… I’m really not sure how they get there.
Its truly summertime and salads have been on my mind a lot lately. Its not just because this is swimsuit season, but rather the available local produce is growing and my salads are becoming more colorful and flavorful by the minute. In my opinion, salads (and most dishes for that matter) turn from good to better when you can keep these two factors in mind: Color & Texture.
I love Pizza, I mean who doesn’t. Its certainly delicious, but its also diverse and I love that in any mood, I can usually find the right combination of toppings to satisfy my cravings (and lift my spirits!). A dear friend of my mom’s asked me recently to seek out a top-notch pizza crust recipe. Obviously, I was immediately excited and ready to take on the task. After searching through recipes and experimenting with the options however, I really couldn’t settle on ONE. And so, the ‘Pizza Crust Chronicles’ were born. From Yeast to No Yeast, Gluten-Free, Veggie, or Vegan I plan to organize this ode’ to the pizza pie as an easy reference for your next homemade ‘za.
First up, is The Cauliflower Crust. Unorthodox I know, but I’ve seen a rise in recipes touting the veggie and couldn’t help but experiment with it myself. Cauliflower is low in fat and low in carbohydrates but high in fiber which make it the perfect healthy alternative to your typical greasy pizza crust. Not only is it healthy, but truly easy to make. Bonus!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust:
Preheat Oven: 400 degrees
2 cups cauliflower, grated or food processed into rice size pieces
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1. Coat a cookie sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
2. Spread grated cauliflower across oil-glazed cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3. In a bowl, mix cauliflower, cheese, egg, garlic and oregano until well combined and dough-like in texture.
4. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper-covered pizza pan and create a circular crust. Bake for 25 minutes.
I topped my Cauliflower crust with Sweet potato mash, feta cheese, caramelized onion and collard greens. It was both savory and a little sweet, but all together delicious. I love reminding myself that this pizza is “healthy” and therefore eating 6 pieces is totally acceptable.
Sweet Potato, Feta Cheese and Collard Green Pizza:
1 sweet potato, medium-sized
2 cups collard greens, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbs feta cheese, crumbled
2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed and chopped
pinch of salt
1. Bake sweet potato in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until well done.
2. Heat 1 tbs. of olive oil in frying pan and saute onion until tender
3. Add collard greens and lemon juice into pan and saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Remove sweet potato from skin and mix in a bowl with salt.
5. Spread sweet potato mash onto pizza crust and top with garlic.
6. Sprinkle feta cheese and greens on top of potato layer.
7. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy.
I’ll be posting periodically in the ‘Pizza Crust Chronicles’ as I come across delicious crusts and experiment with new recipes . I hope you’ll stay tuned and feel free to share any “must-try” crusted creations you can’t live without.
Hail to the ‘za, in every top and crusted form
love,
tricia