I was very happy with the storm pizza I came up with as ice and sleet, and soon snow began raining down on the farm. Everything is covered with ice, and our baseboard heater will have some work to do in the bedroom, where the windows are covered in thick ice.
Julz Iron, a friend, and food blogger (and businesswoman and belly dancer) turned me on to cauliflower pizza some months ago, and it fits easily into my re-examination of food.
In our former lives, we always got pizza on Friday nights, but this pizza could easily have been on the Mayo clinic diet plan.
It’s on our food plan, and it’s a specialty of mine, Maria just chops the veggies and goes and reads and blogs and waits for me to bring it out. I like to do it alone.
First, cauliflower pizza is a crust that is, to me, delicious and is gluten-free for those who care (I don’t).
It’s a simple blend of cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and a few spices all flattened and baked to a golden crust. I get it at the supermarket, freeze it, and take it out on nights we don’t feel like cooking more complex meals.
I put the oven on 415 (12-15 minutes). I put tomato sauce on the crust (sometimes pesto) added three chopped-up vegetables tonight – kale, red pepper, and broccoli chopped into small bits.
I added a few very thin mozzarella slices (a safe and healthy cheese) and low-fat feta cheese sprinkled lightly over the crust. This pizza should be light, subtle, so I don’t overload it with toppings or vegetables.
I also paint the outer crust with virgin olive oil.
It should be crisp and we have come to love it, not as diet food, but as a food that is good and nourishing and healthy to eat. I’m working hard on my new way of eating, and I don’t want to lose a day of it.
This is what they mean by forging a new relationship with food. We still have our Friday pizzas, and they are every bit as good as the other ones. And they won’t slow down my weight loss program.
They also don’t land in our stomachs like lead balls.
Cauliflower pizzas are generally small, we each get two pieces, it’s light but filling meal for us. I think tonight was the best one so far.
I’m learning to keep the vegetable toppings small and in pieces.
Wow, that looks so good! I checked out your friend’s blog…first thing she has on her page is caramelized baby bok choy!! I will be back!! I am noticing that most of the foods you are showing from Mayo Clinic have very little, if any cheese. They remind me of the simple recipes in my (thread bare book binding) Lorna Sass Vegetarian cookbook! I don’t know about you, but any pain I was having went away when I eliminated cheese from diet. Now, occasionally, I’ll have high quality feta.
Your pizza looks delicious. I have been experimenting with different veggie toppings. I like baby spinach, finely chopped yellow pepper and onion. I want to say thank you again for taking me on your journey. I’m one of those people who doesn’t like change especially with food, but since you’ve been posting so many delicious photos I’ve started to branch out. This weekend I will be trying a barley, shrimp stir fry with asparagus, onion, spinach and baby carrots. I may get brave and try a cauliflower pizza crust.
Looks scrumpt.
We want to add more plant protein but don’t have good meal plans, recipes yet. Any suggestions?
The Role of the Anabolic Properties of Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Sources in Supporting Muscle Mass Maintenance: A Critical Review (nih.gov)
I’d talk to a dietician or a doctor, Bob, I’m not qualified to give out advice..
This looks delicious! I usually pop my chopped veggies in the microwave for a bit. I like them soft but not mushy.