Cauliflower Crust Pizza

- The Health Nut


Came upon this on Pinterest :)  I never realized how many things cauliflower could be used for.  This started a cauliflower trend in my house- cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower, cauliflower in mexican food and of course, cauliflower crust for pizza.  It was really easy to make and super delish.  I like the fact that it was so full of veggies and low carb.  Even though I love bread and carbs, I didn't miss it in this.  Of course, the fact that it's full of cheese helped a lot.


You will need:
1/2 large head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower)
1 large egg
1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese (or try another kind!)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 teaspoon onion salt


1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use the food processor if you'd like, but you just want crumbles, not puree. 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 (see Tips below if you do not have a microwave). Give the cauliflower a chance to cool.


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. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.  Add whatever veggies you want.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Some tips from when I was making it:
- I found it turns out better to make two smaller pizza rather than one large one.  I tried making sticks and those turned out really nice too.
- I flipped the crust one while it was baking.  I'm not sure if it was necessary to do this but I did anyway.


Original: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/01/16/cauliflower-crust-hawaiian-pizza/

Toasted Quinoa Mexican Soup

- by The Oven Mitts

I was in the mood for some mexican food, but have been a bit tired of the normal stuff I make all the time. So I tried something new!

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Ingredients: 

4 cups sodium-free or reduced sodium vegetable stock

1 (28) oz can no or low-sodium fire roasted crushed tomatoes

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 poblano pepper, roasted

1 red pepper, roasted

1 jalapeno, ½ of seeds removed and diced (you can remove all the seeds to reduce spice)

1 cup quinoa

1 tbsp paprika

½ tsp chipotle powder, you can substitute Mexican chili powder if you don’t have it. (reduce amount if you want a less spicey soup)

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

2 bay leaves

Pinch ground cinnamon

1 avocado, cut into ½ inch cubes

Lime wedges, for serving 

Directions:

1. Roast peppers over a gas flame on your stove, turning with tongs until skin is evenly charred. Transfer to a plastic bag, close and allow to steam until cool to the touch. Peel the charred skin by hand. Once peeled cut away the stems, seeds and veins. (this can be done the day before to save time)
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Add diced onions and stir. Keep stirring until the onions start to stick and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable stock. Repeat this step, stirring often for 30 minutes, deglazing pan every so often with a small amount of vegetable stock. Cook onions for 30 minutes or until onions are a dark in color with the desired caramelized flavor.
3. While onions are caramelizing, cook quinoa according to package instructions and set aside. (this can also be done the day before if you want)
4. In a stock pot, add vegetable stock, fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, paprika, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon, chipotle powder and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in caramelized onions and continue to cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, remove bay leaves.
5. Add cooked quinoa to non-stick skillet (I love my Cuisinart Green Gourmet Cookware) and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat
6. To serve ladle soup into bowls and top with toasted quinoa, diced roasted peppers, diced avocado and fresh chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
   
   

http://virtuallyveganmama.com/2011/04/toasted-quinoa-mexican-soup.html
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This took me foreverrrrrrrrrr to make. And it was good but not totally worth all the time in my opinion, so I probably won't make it again. Maybe if there were some alterations to make it quicker?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

- by The Oven Mits

For my birthday, the Health Nut and the Vegan made wheat chocolate chip pancakes for me from scratch! They are so much better than the regular old Bisquik kind, so I figured I would look a recipe for another type of pancake from scratch! It's pretty simple and really good! Check it outtt

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16 ounces orange-flesh sweet potato (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain soy milk

1. Cook the sweet potatoes
2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, sift together in a large mixing bowl the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
3. When the potatoes have cooled slightly, add the butter, and mash until relatively smooth. Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla extract and blend. Finally, mix in the soymilk.
4. Add the sweet potato mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until just moistened (the batter will be lumpy), about 50 strokes. Set aside to rest.
5. Preheat a lightly greased skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the batter onto the preheated skillet or griddle. Turn the pancakes once with a spatula when the surface begins to bubble. Cook until golden brown.  Serve hot with your favorite pancake toppings.

(http://www.lafujimama.com/2011/02/sweet-potato-pancakes-buttermilk-syrup/)
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I didn't have molasses, so I just omitted it. Also, I substituted skim milk for soy milk. These were great and I will be making them again soon :)

Cinnamon Apple Banana Oat Bread with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter

- by The Oven Mits

For one of my small group classes a couple weeks ago, this kid brought in some Cinnamon Apple Banana Oat Bread. It was super fancy with oats on top, apple slices around the plate, and cinnamon butter on the side. It was the BEST bread I have ever had. Like seriously... I am currently salivating just thinking about it again. I asked him for the recipe. But he was lameeeeee and said it was a family secret! So I went home that night and searched for the best recipe I could find. I settled on this one...

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Cinnamon Apple Banana Oat Bread
Makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (I don't have applesauce so I added 1.5 bananas instead)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup quick oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
2 large eggs
1/2 apple, grated (I actually just diced the apple because I like the fruit chunks!)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour, white or traditional
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup raisins (I dislike raisins in desserts so I just didn't put this in)
cinnamon sugar mixture (this is just 1/8 cup sugar with 1/4 tbsp cinnamon)

Preparation
1. Place the oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350° F
2. In bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the applesauce, cinnamon, and quick oats. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well each time, then mix in the grated apple.

3. In the medium mixing bowl, whisk together the unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and baking soda. Take the mixing bowl off the stand and fold in the flour mixture just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the raisins, folding gently. Pour batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar and more quick oats on top.

Cinnamon sugar mixture

....I really like my sugar on top

4. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack before serving. Keep leftovers wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

(http://andreasrecipes.com/2007/05/27/apple-cinnamon-oatmeal-bread/)

Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Butter

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 teaspoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Beat all ingredients until fluffy. Store in refrigerator.

(http://baking.about.com/od/flavoredbutters/r/brownsugcin.htm)

 

 

And mix it all together to get.........................

Yuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm :D

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This was so fantastic. No, it was not as good as the kid's from class, but still sooooo delicious! I put out the whole loaf for game night and it was gone within the first two hours! I will definitely make this again soon so I can eat it all for myself ;)

Roasted Red Pepper Carrot Pesto

- by The Oven Mits

I have been running out of ideas for food lately and have been eating a lot of burritos and pasta. Then I thought, if I'm having pasta, I guess I could at least make a cool sauce to with it! I first thought of that roasted red pepper sauce we usually make, but I don't have any cashews. (Also, side note, I made it once without the cashew cream and it was gross). So I looked up another sauce recipe and this is what I found!

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Ingredients:

• 6 Carmen Peppers, seeded and halved (I just used normal red peppers)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced and cooked
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss the seeded and halved peppers with 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Arrange peppers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Roast peppers until tender and skin is blistered, about 20-25 minutes.
5. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
6. Allow peppers to cool; peel skins off.
7. Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Put all ingredients, except parsley, in a food processor bowl. Pulse until a smooth paste forms.
9. Transfer to a bowl and stir in parsley.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper

http://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2011/09/roasted-red-pepper-carrot-pesto-magnoodles-pasta-giveaway.html

Sorry, I went a little overboard with the cilantro and you can barely see the sauce, but it really is there!

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This recipe was good and pretty simple and made a lot of sauce to be used in other stuff!