Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

One of my waves of change involves healthier, tastier food choices. Coming from an Italian Christian Famiglia, the recipes are steeped in traditions and must be packed with flavor. Thankfully, part of that heritage has given us a real appreciation for foods grown in the ground, off trees and on vines, making the transition a little easier. I spend as much time as I am able cooking, baking and experimenting with recipes to get the most flavor in the healthier ways.

When I come across a recipe that looks good, I use that as my starting point and add to it and change it to get the most benefits and the most taste. Changing and tweaking till the tasteare just right for us.?
Since our traditions and roots are deeply ingrained in us and have been passed down from generation to generation they are an extension of us, so we tweak and enhance each recipe to make them more natural and healthier.

My grandparents came over from Italy, almost everything homemade ... and I mean almost everything. They had their vegetable gardens, fruit trees, grapevines ... they raised their own chickens, rabbits, pigeons, goats etc. "all free range" before it was a "thing" (no other way). It was common place to walk in the yard with the animals. Oh they had their houses, they needed protection and warmth from the elements of winters, snow and rain. Canning and mason jars were a way of life and there weren't artificial colors or preservatives.

My grandmother made pasta's, cheeses: (everything from Ricotta Cheese to wheels of provolone, and cheeses from grating), homemade prosciutto, olives, breads, biscotti, and more, and yes ... even wine. My grandfather made that deep burgundy "bite you back" wine, 150 to 200 gallons a year for the whole famiglia and friends that were famiglia. Red wine can have so many nutrients! (in moderation of course). It's about the memories,the love shared and the time spent doing doing it all together.So, yes we will keep many of the cooking traditions, but are changing them to be better versions for us and future generations.

Here is one of our new and improved versions ...

Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

Cauliflower Crust
Ingredients
½ to 1 head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower) (1 head usually makes 2 crusts)
1 large egg or 3 egg whites
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or another kind!) (I go towards the conservative end with cheeses to keep calories and points down)
1 tspn oregano (any type, dried, flaked, fresh)
1 tspn basil (any type, dried, flaked, fresh)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (or dried or fresh garlic)
1 teaspoon onion (fresh, powder, minced or flakes)
Sea Salt to taste

Directions
Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles.
You can do by hand or food processor, but you want crumbles, not puree.
Place the cauliflower crumbles in a large bowl and put them in the over @ 350 fr about 15/20 minutes or microwave them for 8 minutes

Let cool

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
Line Baking sheet with parchment paper
Brush parchment or pizza pan with extra virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles with the remaining crust ingredients.
Press the crust into a 10 to 12-inch round baking sheet.
Brush the crust lightly with extra virgin olive oil
Bake for 10 to 20 minutes (golden brown)
Remove crust from oven and prepare pizza

Making the Pizza
Cut up the vegetables and set them aside
1 Garlic clove finely chopped
1/2 cup mini sweet peppers
1/4 cup Red onion for flavor
1/2 cup Zucchini cut into rounds then halved
1/2 Cup Yellow Squash cut into rounds then halved
1 cup Broccoli
lightly brush the crust again with EV Olive Oil

1/2 to 3/4 ladle of unsweetened tomato based sauce (I use homemade or all natural canned in a pinch) Spread it around coating cauliflower crust lightly
Add vegetables spreading around pie
Add sea salt to taste
Add ground pepper to taste
A little basil and oregano to the crust after sauce
about 1 oz Mozzerella finely shredded cheese distributed evenly over top of veggies

Bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 to 30 minutes. (Depends on how loaded the veggies are and how the crust is baking.

Serves 4

Enjoy!