Starring Cauliflower!

Looking back over some of my favorite recipes of this past year, as well as some of the most popular posts, it would appear that cauliflower is one of the star ingredients of 2013.

And I am sure it’s true!  As I type this post, I have been getting up every 10 minutes to tend to the huge batch of Cauliflower Tortillas I am baking this morning, and I am going to be eating Cauliflower and Roasted Red Pepper Soup for lunch later today.  It seems barely a day or 2 goes by without my creating some new dish, or reprising an old favorite… and they often seem to have cauliflower in the ingredients list.

Why do I eat so much cauliflower?

It is such a versatile and nutritious vegetable. It can be enjoyed raw in salads or as a crudite with a dip; it is a lovely veggie to include in stews and casseroles with a wide array of spices; it can be chopped in a food processor to various degrees of puree and used in place of rice, or as a base for pizzas, or as the main stay in tortillas; it can be cooked and mashed like a potato or it can be baked and enjoyed like popcorn.  And not to mention that as a Weight Watcher, cauliflower is considered a zero P+ veggie.

It does have a definite fragrance, aroma, okay… smell… when it is cooking.  But don’t let that fool you. The taste is actually quite delicate and really disappears among other, stronger flavors and spices.  If you think you don’t like cauliflower, I would urge you to give it another chance.

Here is my version of a new Cauliflower Pizza Crust that I found at Gigi Eats Celebrities a short while ago… I am sure it would be delicious the way Gigi posted it too…. and if you scroll on down, you will find links to some of my favorite cauliflower recipes of the year.  Good eats!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust with Chia and Nooch
Makes 1 pizza crust

• 2 cups cauliflower, purreed till quite fine
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 1 Tbs chia seeds
• 1 Tbs mixed Italian style herbs
• 1 Tbs nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F.
2. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and then spread in a circle (or shape of your choice) on the parchment paper, to about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from oven.
5. Cover with your favorite pizza toppings such as tomato sauce or paste, herbs, onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, ham, artichoke hearts, and the like. 
6. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes.
7. Remove to plate and serve.

For the whole crust only.
Weight Watcher P+ = 9.
Calories 279; Protein 25g; Carbohydrate 21g; Fat 20g, Fibre 12g.

Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Spread out to about 1/2 thick on baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.

Bake for 20 minutes then top with your favorite goodies and pop it back into the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and serve.

Printable Recipe

Here are some of my other favorites from the past year…

Cauliflower and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Grain Free and Low Carb Tortillas

I make these a lot and always have several in the freezer, ready to eat.  They can be left on the counter or thawed in the mike.

Cauliflower Rice

Another real favorite in my kitchen. I only eat rice now if I am having sushi, so some version of this Cauliflower Rice has become a staple.  It can be done so many different ways.

Cauliflower Coconut Soup

with 4 different spice options

Easy Curried Vegetables

Are you a cauliflower fan too?

Would love it if you would leave a link to your favorite cauliflower recipe here in the comments.