Thursday, May 31, 2012

Gluten-Free Cauliflower Pizza Bento

Hello people! Remember the first gluten-free pizza crust I made over in this bento last month? It was from a mix, and it was okay. It had that gluten-free background flavor, not like real crust. Well, this time I wanted to try something totally different, and I found this cauliflower pizza crust idea floating around. I saw it at RecipeGirl's site first, but she noted that lots of others had tried similar variations. All you do is grate a head of cauliflower, mix it with egg and cheese, form a crust and bake. Sounds crazy? Actually I thought, there's no way this is going to stick together to make a crust. So I added some rice flour and some flaxmeal. Did I ruin it? Who knows? Let's just say this does not turn out to be what you think it'll turn out to be. It's basically a cheese cracker with some cauliflower bits mixed in there. Nothing wrong with that, but I mention it just so you'll know. Now, I love a cheese cracker. Salty, crispy, and yes - greasy - goodness is hard to argue with. So of course my little girl loved it! But if you try it, I'd caution you to use a nonstick pan, or parchment paper.

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Cauliflower Pizza Crust (from Recipe Girl)

1/2 large head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
[not in original recipe but I added 2T rice flour and 2T flaxmeal]

Directions:
1. Grate the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use the food processor if you'd like, but you just want crumbles, not puree. I used a box grater. You'll need a total of about 2 cups or so of cauliflower crumbles (which is about half a large head of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes. Give the cauliflower a chance to cool. They'll be nice and soft.
2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray (or use a nonstick surface). In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles (about 1 1/2 cups since they shrink after cooking) with the remaining crust ingredients. Pat the "crust" into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.
3. Add toppings of your choice and return pizza to oven to broil for 5 minutes or until toppings are hot and cheese is melted and bubbly.
For this pizza I used chopped mushrooms, sliced zucchini, pepperoni, and diced capsicum in varying colors, then topped with shredded mozzarella. The pizza came out nice and crisp, since I pressed the crust as thin as I could manage. It doesn't stick together very well, so a thin crackery crust probably works better than a thicker crust which might break. I packed some in her Keroppi sandwich box, and placed some refreshing fruit and veggies in the lower tier. Pretty successful as a gluten-free pizza, but my search continues...
Added to What's For Lunch.

21 comments:

  1. I have seen similar recipes, but I haven't tried them yet. This looks soo good, I think I'll try the recipe soon!

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    1. It's worth trying; it's really an interesting texture. And you can't taste the cauliflower really at all, but it gives substance to the crust. Hope you can try it for yourself!

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  2. Owww...I see this nearing my lunch time and I am so hungry now... :)

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  3. Yum! We love cauliflower crust pizza at our house ~ It's such a delish, healthy, GF option!

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  4. Yep... thinking about eating this as crackers only... Delish!
    I´ve heard about this crust before from a vegan-friend of mine but i think he uses some egg substitute together with a vegan mozzarella. Wow! Isn't it nice to give cauliflower as pizza? So awesome :)
    PS: Love your keroppi box ^_^

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    1. Can't believe I only just now heard of it. It's a functional substitute that's also kinda healthy. Woh.
      Hehe!
      Thanks karaimame :D

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  5. Great that you linked it in. Have a great week, too.

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  6. Ooooh interesting! Looks really crispy and yum! Hmmm wonder if it's ok to do away the cheese? ....

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    1. Shirley,
      I think if you omit the cheese it won't stay together. The melted cheese and the egg works to bind the cauliflower in the absence of flour. I haven't tried it, but that's my guess.
      Thanks :)

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  7. It sounds great--maybe not pizza, but still great. I think you're right about the cheese. I've seen recipes for crackers that are essentially just melted cheese.

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  8. This is so cool! And looks so good. It looks both crunchy and chewy (my faves!).. Serious yum.

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  9. yummy seems very delicious pizza ,, (^^,),, I am so hungry right now ,, see this pizza ,,, (^^,)

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  10. I made this pizza for my family and it was devoured within minutes. We're a family of six, so I doubled the recipe. Pizza will never be the same in my house....this was declared the best crust ever!!

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    1. That's great!! Thanks so much for sharing that Carey. So glad your family is enjoying it so much!

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  11. I'm going to have to try this recipe. My picky boy will hardly touch veggies so maybe I can sneak it by in this crust, LOL. You seem to be a relative newbie to GF so I thought I might suggest a pizza crust alternative to you (my son is Celiac). I use Chebe mix (the original, not the pizza one) and make the dough to package directions but add italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a little extra oil for handling and shaping. You can use cheese or not (I have done both with and without parm, and I prefer without). Split the dough into 2 and form crust on an oiled cutting board (make it as thin as possible but without it ripping). And I grill it or bake it. If you are grilling it cook one side, then top the cooked side with sauce, cheese, and toppings then stick it back on the grill until the underside is cooked and cheese is melty. If baking, bake for about 15-20 mins (it should be golden and look done) take it out, top it and then stick it under the broiler. One box of mix will make 2 8-10" pizzas. The texture of chebe is a little more on the chewy side, so it is important to try to get as thin as possible. I don't add cheese because I find cheese adds to the already chewy texture.

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    1. I've not heard about this mix yet. Thanks for the tips Scarlett! I've noticed that GF pizza dough must be pressed thin or else it tends to break; at least the ones I've tried so far. This recipe is so unique, and everyone can enjoy its cheesy goodness :D

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