Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Gluten-Free Pizza a la CPK (Cauliflower Pizza Kitchen)

We had been going gluten-free for 3 weeks and it was going great, but darn it all, I wanted pizza. I needed pizza. I almost broke down and cheated at my favorite pizza place (California Pizza Kitchen) but I was strong. Wheat Belly promised the joy of pizza without the gluten, so I gave it a try.

Be forewarned: the crust is made of cauliflower, and will require a fork (sorry, you can't pick up a slice and eat it with your hands).

Here is the recipe for just the crust, you are on your own with the toppings!!

***Wheat-Free Pizza Crust

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1 cup mozzarella cheese

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the cauliflower until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and transfer to a large bowl. Mash until the consistency of mashed potatoes with minimal chunks. Add the oil, eggs, and mozzarella cheese and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coast a pizza pan or large rimmed baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Pour the cauliflower mixture onto the pizza pan and press the 'dough' into a flat, pizzalike shape no more than1/2 inch thick, mounding it up higher at the edges. Bake for 20 minutes.***(here ends the official recipe)

Top with whatever your heart desires, and bake until cheese is nice and melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
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My spin:

  • I used a frozen bag of cauliflower that was pre-cut into little pieces. It saved time chopping and boiling, it only needs 6-8 minutes in the pot.
  • The first crust did not stay together very well, so the second time around, I made the crust in a blender. I just threw everything in and gave it a whirl. The 'dough' was much smoother, and the cooked crust was nicely puffed and held together much better.
  • Toppings we used - sausage, onion, fresh mozzarella or sauteed spinach, onion, grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella (I really like onions and fresh mozzarella!)
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We thought it was delicious, and Travis and I were both completely stuffed after 2 slices. Juliet was a little less sure but we told her it was cheese (the color matched...), chicken, or pizza intermittently and she ate it; she even said 'yummy!' a few times. A complete success!!

4 comments:

  1. Nicole, please come and make this for me. I want some.

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  2. I will have to try this! I crave pizza all the time lately.

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  3. Mmm, I am very interested in this recipe! Looks delicious!

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  4. This is seriously my new favorite (and only!) thing to do with cauliflower. Made it the first time with a BBQ chicken theme (BBQ sauce, chicken, red onion, pineapple, bacon, monterey jack chedder, mozzarella blend) and it didn't quite translate the same. But made it again yesterday with normal tomato basil sauce, sausage, red and green peppers, olives, fresh basil/oregano and mozzarella/parm and it was sooo good!

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