Cauliflower Crust Hawaiin Pizza ~ Guest Post

We have a special guest here today with us.  My sister-in-law, Ellie!!  Ellie is a Weight Loss Coach who focuses on Low Glycemic foods.  She made a fabulous Cauliflower Crust Hawaiin Pizza.  Take it away Ellie!

 

 

I have never written a blog before.  Or really anything that has been put out for the public, so bear with me.  Let me introduce myself, my name is Ellie and I am the talented Dee’s sister-in-law.  I am far from a foodie, though I do like to eat.  Ironically, I am actually a Weight Loss Coach, so needless to say, many of the recipes Dee posts, though decadent I am sure, don’t quite fit with the Low Glycemic Impact lifestyle that I live and teach to my clients.

So, how did I come about to be a guest blogger??  I sent Dee a Low GI recipe I thought she would be interested in and she suggested I make it and write about it. Huh? Not really a fabulous cook, nor writer.  However, I am always up for a new challenge, so I said to myself, “what the heck”.

 
I will be the first to admit that my biggest challenge with Low GI eating for me is that I only like a limited variety of veggies.  Kind of why I sent her the recipe…cauliflower.  I HATE cauliflower. The taste, the texture, the SMELL. Everything.  But, she put it back on me.  Like I said, a challenge. So, I made it.

Cauliflower Crust Hawaiian Pizza
Yield: One 9 to 12-inch pizza (feeds 2 to 3 people)
Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 18 min

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Ingredients for the Crust:

• 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

Ingredients for the Toppings: 

• 1/2 cup tomato-basil marinara sauce (or pizza sauce)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 slices Canadian bacon, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits

Instructions: 

1.  Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use the food processor if you'd like, but you just want crumbles, not puree. **I found the mini processor to work best.**  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. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on top. Add the bacon and pineapple, spreading it out around the pizza. 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. 

Cooks Notes:
Tips:  From Eat, Drink, Smile (tip from Beth): For those who don’t have a microwave: You can steam the florets just until they are tender (not mushy) on the stove and then let them cool before grating them. The texture/consistency won’t be the same (It will be more like a puree) but it still works fine once you mix all the ingredients together.

*Other topping ideas:
Marinara or pizza sauce with your favorite toppings
Pesto with thin sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella
Alfredo with sausage, mushrooms, Provolone & Asiago cheese
Barbecue sauce with shredded chicken, green onions and smoked gouda

*This pizza is best served on a plate with a fork.

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Nutritional Information per serving FOR THE WHOLE PIZZA- per slice:
Serving size: 1 slice
Calories per serving: 151
Fat per serving: 7.2g
Saturated Fat per serving: 4.1g
Sugar per serving: 3g
Fiber per serving: 2.2g
Protein per serving: 12.6g
Cholesterol per serving: 53mg
Carbohydrates per serving: 9.2g 

WW POINTS per serving:  Points Plus Program: 4 Old Points Program: 3
 
Nutritional info per serving for JUST THE CRUST- per slice (if you want to do your own toppings):
Serving Size: 1 slice (pizza cut into 6 slices)Calories 84, Fat 4.3g, Sat Fat 2.6g, Cholesterol 40.8mg, Sodium 166mg, Carbohydrates 4.6g, Fiber 1.9g, Sugar 0g, Protein 7.1g 

WW Points Plus: 2 Old Points Program: 2

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Source: RecipeGirl.com (inspired by and adapted from Eat, Drink Smile)

I was nervous when I took that first bite, but I was pleasantly surprised, it was pretty good.  I would warn you, don’t expect it to taste like pizza crust, the texture is different, but you really can’t taste the cauliflower.  My 5 year old even wolfed it down and had seconds!  

So, before I sent this off to Dee, I had to use up the rest of the head of cauliflower in my fridge, so I made myself another pizza for lunch today.  Can I just say, OMG!! This time instead of going the traditional route, I looked in my fridge to see what toppings I had.  Found some onions, green and red peppers and Mexican Cheese.  Well, I bet you can guess what I did! Grabbed me a can of refried beans and made me a Mexican Pizza!!  Ole!  Seriously, did I just eat cauliflower??  Cause I did not taste it. 

Next up, Buffalo Cauliflower “Wings”.  Maybe Dee will let me blog that one too!

This pizza looks fabulous!  I am so intrigued.  Thanks for sharing Ellie.  You are more than welcome to share your Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"!

A Lunatic Guest Post!!

I have a huge surprise in store for you guys this morning!!  A guest post from none other than Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic herself!!  She honors us with one of her famous pizza's!!  I am uber excited about this folks.  I love pizza and when we make pizza at home I always go to Kim's for her crust recipe(s).  Yes, plural folks, she has many different crust recipes!  So, sit back, relax and let's dive in to some dough and pizza toppings!

If you're looking for me, I'm guest posting on Kim's blog - Craving's on a Lunatic as well.  You can find me over there talking about my Apple Cranberry Quick Bread!

Hi folks. I am so very thrilled and honored to be here guest posting at Dee's today. For those who don't know me I am Kim, the crazy person behind Cravings of a Lunatic. My motto is I crave it, I make it, I eat it. Words to live by. Unfortunately they make your butt bigger. So I like to stop by Dee's often for healthy options to help me shrink my butt so one day I can be all bendy and gorgeous like her. Her blog is such an inspiration for anyone looking to healthy up their lifestyle. Add to that she is the da bomb and all kinds of funny. I love stopping by and hanging out here. Now that I've taken over the place for the day watch out world. No telling what kind of mischief I'll get in to. Make sure you swing by my blog to see what gorgeous treat Dee has cooked up for you. Visit her, then me, then her again, then me again. We will keep you entertained I can promise you that. No telling how silly the comment section might get. Going to be all kinds of crazy happening down there. 

Now let me get all sentimental on you for a second. Dee is the reason I am still blogging. I was considering quitting the blog world. Then I talked to Dee and my whole world changed. We had been commenting on each other's blogs here and there. Then one day I got an award from her. Could not have come at a more opportune time. I was not having fun blogging. I was really struggling and I confided in Dee that I was thinking about quitting and feeling out of sorts. I had a couple of fellow bloggers be kind of rude and was just not feeling the love. Dee  talked to me and gave me some advice. She told me to "write like no one was reading". It was like a light bulb went off. When no one was reading I was having fun. It's when I started to worry and over think what I was doing that I got discouraged. I also got caught up in the land of twitter where some people were not nice. So she told me not to worry about the other stuff and find my voice. So I went back to blogging my way, having fun and enjoying the process. I fell in love with it all over again. Her advice changed everything for me. So I adore her and am thankful to her for being my guru girl. Okay so enough sappiness. On to the funny!

I could not resist. I had to make pizza. It's who I am, what I do best I think. We eat it all the time. I am always trying to find new fun ways to jazz it up. I make up fun dough, we do it on bread, we make it on pitas, you name it and we'll turn it into pizza. So when me and Dee decided to blog swap I knew I had to do pizza. I also wanted it to fit in with Dee's lifestyle and blog. Add to that we're swapping on a Monday so it just made sense to do a meatless one. So I dreamed up a nice combination for you. And a new dough. Yup, you heard me. I add stuff to my dough. I've done a few now. It's so much fun. So this one was perfect, but only if you like onion. Which I do. I hope you do too. So enjoy! I know we did.

Lunatic's Pepper and Caramelized Onion Pizza with Onion Crust:

Ingredients for the dough: 

*Bread Machine Used*

1 cup water (beer can also be used)

1 tablespoon shortening

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2-3/4 cups white flour

1-1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

1 tablespoon dried onion flakes

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon basil

Directions for the dough:

Combine all ingredients in your bread machine baking pan in order.

Put the baking pan in the chamber.

Set the machine for dough.

Remove and put in a bowl and cover it for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Or if you are good with dough you can hand stretch it. This takes some practice but is fun to try.

Tips and hints:

This yields two thin crusts or 1 thick.

This can be frozen and used later.

This can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I find storing it for a day then using it makes it easier to stretch it and work with it. 

When rolling or stretching dough it is good to roll it out, then let it sit for about 5 or 10 minutes then come back and finish it. Not sure the science behind it but it works. I tend to cut up ingredients and preheat my oven during that time.

You can always dial back the spice if you are sensitive to it. 

Only use dried spice in my opinion. Fresh might alter the dough and make it gummy.

Ingredients for the pizza:

Pizza Dough

Pizza Sauce (I use store bought and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar to it)

1 green pepper, sliced thinly

1 red pepper, sliced thinly

1 vidalia or sweet onion, sliced thinly

1/2 cup swiss cheese, grated (buy the good stuff)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I used that new pizza one)

1/4 cup parmesan reggiano (buy the good stuff)

1/4 cup grated parmesan (I used the Kraft one) 

Directions for the pizza:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. (some days I go 450, some I go 500)

Toss the onions in pan with a little olive oil and cook over medium heat until they caramelize. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Which is ample time to roll dough.

Roll out or stretch your dough. Spread it on a pizza pan or stone.

Add some sugar to your sauce and stir.

Smooth on a generous amount of sauce.

Now add your swiss cheese.

Now add your parmesan reggiano.

Now add both your green and red pepper.

Now add your caramelized onions. 

Now toss on your mozzarella cheese.

Now sprinkle the Kraft parmesan over top. 

Stick in the oven and the lowest or second lowest rack. You want it close to the bottom so the bottom of your pizza cooks well.

Leave for about 10- 15 minutes depending on your temperature and the way your like your pizza. I like mine crisp and the bottom brown. 

Remove from oven.

Cut with a pizza cutter.

Dive in!

Hope you enjoy. I thought a nice Meatless Monday option would be nice. This crust is is full of flavor and the pizza is incredible. I will be making this one again. 

Thank you so much to Dee for agreeing to blog swap with me. This is my first time being a guest on some one's blog. So glad Dee was my first. She is the uber cool, uber funny, uber bendy, uber supportive person who rocks my world in a big way. I am ever thankful I met her, confided in her and listened to her advice. So you can all now blame Dee for unleashing my crazy on the world and you. It is completely her fault. 

Toodles and smoochies.xx

Autumn Fruit Salad - Guest Post

Well, well.  Look what we have here.  A guest poster!  Meet Laura Jeanne from A Healthy Jalapeno.  I'm sure the majority of you already know Laura Jeanne.  If not, well, sit back, grab a cuppa Joe and a muffin and settle in your lounger for a nice little read.  She is sharing her Autumn Fruit Salad that I want a big 'ole bowl of like right this minute!

If you're looking for me, well I can be found on her blog!  Yes, we are guest posting on each others blogs on the same day.  Isn't that just the cutest thing you have ever heard of? 

Take it away, Laura Jeanne!

What a crazy, crazy week it has been.

Hi everyone, my name is Laura Jeanne and I am the girl behind A Healthy Jalapeño . Thinking back, I am pretty sure I have been following Dee's blog ever since I started blogging. I met her originally through our facebook pages and after seeing her adorable design button and deeelicious recipes, what was a girl to do but stalk her every post.

I started blogging almost a year ago, not because I am a good writer and not because I was a good cook... actually it was quite the opposite. I had moved in with my boyfriend about 2 years ago and Mr Italian was such a great guy that he cooked for me all the time. I haven't exactly had the best track record for fabulous dishes so when I started 'trying' it was quite comical. Come check out the full story of how this little lady brought a little spice into her life.

So back to this crazy week. The boy and I were on vacation in Vermont over a week ago, a beautiful trip... only to come home to a Noreaster in CONNECTICUT. Our town got hit with over 17" of snow, tree's and powerline damage as far as the eyes could see and power out for over 6 days {brrr}. Not all too exciting to come home to after a nice little vaca away. So after finally getting our power back, 4 loads of laundy, 3 dishwasher runs and lots and lots of garbage from cleaning out our fridge, I was finally able to sit down, relax and have a little fun writing up my guest post with this amazing Autumn Fruit Salad.

Today I am sharing with you a fruit salad that more than caught my eye when I saw it. A few weeks back I was playing through all my cooking app's on my iphone when I found this salad. It had fruit, with all fruits in season for the fall, and it looked moderately easy to throw together... that's a winner for me. The dressing on this salad was delicious but to not drown out the salad I eyeballed how much I was going to add to the fruit so feel free to take my tip and lighten the dressing if you so choose.

The taste was fantastic. I actually made this salad for our friends while in Vermont and they loved it as well. Perfect for a brunch and also would be a fabulous side to a nice grilled or baked chicken. The crunch of the fresh autumn fruits paired with the sweetness in the dressing was a delicious combination.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe and please feel free to poke around my page for tons of other deeeelicious dishes just like this.

Thanks Dee for having me!!!

xoxo

Laura

Autumn Fruit Salad 

Photos by  A Healthy Jalapeño   

Recipe adopted by Taste Of Home

Ingredients 

1-1/2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1-1/2 cups cold water 

1 teaspoon butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

6 cups cubed apples 

2 cups halved red seedless grapes 

1 cup diced celery 

1 cup walnut halves 

In a large saucepan, combine sugar and flour. Stir in water until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, grapes, celery and walnuts. Add the dressing and toss gently. Refrigerate until serving.

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Here's me :)

Guest Posting

Hello there! If you're looking for me today I am guest posting over at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts.

Here's a sample of what's going on over there!