PERFECT CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST

The Secret To Perfect Cauliflower Pizza Crust

ORIGINAL POST FOUND HERE 

By Megan, on January 18th, 2012

Pizza has to be one of my favorite meals EVER.

 Gooey cheese, chunky tomato sauce… I’m already drooling.
But since traditional pizza is mis-combined, thank goodness for whoever came up with the idea of making a cauliflower-based pizza crust. Now we can have our crust AND cheese, and eat it, too! All without feeling sluggish and greasy afterward.
You may remember that I’ve tried my hand at a cauliflower crust before. It was fine, but definitely more egg-y than traditional pizza crust—> and it certainly couldn’t be picked up by hand!
Luckily for us, Doris has taught me the secret to making perfect cauliflower pizza crust.

 The kind you can pick up with your hands.
The kind that will fool your family.
The kind you’ll want to eat again and again!

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
makes 1 large crust
Recipe courtesy of Doris Choi
Ingredients:
4 cups cauliflower rice, steamed and strained
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup soft goat cheese (chevre)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of salt
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400F, then get to work on your crust.
Step 1: Begin by making your cauliflower “rice.”
Simply pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until a rice-like texture is achieved.

Step 2: Steam & Strain the rice.

Fill a large pot with about an inch of water, and bring it to a boil. Add the “rice” and cover; let it steam for about 4-5 minutes. Drain into a fine-mesh strainer.
Now here comes the secret:
Once you’ve strained the rice, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel.

 Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEEEEEEZE all the excess moisture out!
It’s amazing how much liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.
–
Step 3: Make & Shape the dough.
In a large bowl, mix up your strained rice, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices.
Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.

 It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together!
Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper!)

 Keep the dough about 1/3″ thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.
–
Step 4: Bake!
Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400F.

 The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished.
–
Step 5: Load on the Toppings!
Now’s the time to add all your favorites– sauce, cheese, and any other toppings you like.

 This goat mozzarella is ridiculously good, without a “goat-y” flavor.

 Time-Saving Tip: I recommend making a double-batch of cauliflower pizza crusts–> make one for now, and save one for later. After baking the crusts and adding the toppings, wrap up the whole pizza in foil, and FREEZE it for a quick “frozen pizza” to enjoy another night! Simply thaw and bake at 400F, as directed below, until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Then slice and serve immediately!

 There is something so comforting to me about eating retangular-shaped pizza slices.

 It’s reminiscent of cafeteria pizza… only WAY better.
Hope you try this the next time a pizza-craving strikes!

INFORMATION - AN EASY ALTERNATIVE TO COUNTING CARBS

An easy alternative to counting carbs
While carbohydrate counting is the most common meal planning system for people with diabetes, there is another even simpler technique you can use to plan your meals and snacks: the plate method. While you should follow the guidelines given to you by your doctor or diabetes educator, the plate method allows you to visually evaluate the carbohydrates in your meal and the overall nutritional balance in five easy steps:

Step #1: Start with a nine-inch plate. Take a ruler and measure across your plate to make sure it is not too large.    Step #2: Fill one-half of the plate with non-starchy vegetables, either cooked or raw. Fill one-fourth of the plate with a serving of protein. Fill the last fourth of the plate with a carbohydrate-rich food (1 carb serving is 15 grams).    Step #3: Add 1 cup (8 fl oz) of low-fat milk or 1 container (6-8 oz) of light yogurt to your meal (1 carb serving is 15 grams).    Step #4: Select one serving of fruit to go along with your meal (1 carb serving is 15 grams).    Step #5: Complete your meal with one or two servings of healthy fats. This could be a tablespoon of salad dressing, 1 or 2 teaspoons of olive oil used to saute' vegetables or a teaspoon of mayonnaise for a sandwich.This simple plate method works well when you dine out, eat at a party, or aren't able to read labels to count carbs, but be sure to discuss the plate method with your doctor first.

GINGER BEEF

Ginger Beef
A terrific dish when served over a bed of brown rice.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb flank steak
2 tbsp lite soy sauce
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp ginger, ground
1 tsp garlic powder
10 slices (1" dia) fresh ginger root
8 large sized scallions
2 tsp corn starch

DIRECTIONS
Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, ground ginger and ground garlic.
Defrost and slice meat into 1" strips.
Cut against the grain of the meat.
Put in refrigerator container and place in refrigerator at least 20 minutes.
Peel ginger root, slice into thin wafers.
Dice them up with kitchen knife.
Wash scallions and slice them into small wafers.
Heat iron skillet or wok to high temperature (400 degrees) and spray with cooking spray.
When vegetables are browned, add meat, liquid and all, to skillet or wok.
Stir, focusing on browning all of the redness from the meat. The browning and cooking of the meat takes about 10 minutes; be sure not to run out of liquid.
If so, add 1 tbsp water at a time until no burning will occur.
Mix corn starch in small amount of water at very end of cooking. Pour slowly and stir quickly.
For a little extra cooking time, turn down by half and let set, but don't leave it for more than 1 minute.


Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 207.6

Total Fat:	8g
Total Carbs:	10.3g
Dietary Fiber:	1.6mg
Protein:	22.9g

Basic Broccoli Salad

Preparation time: 5 min	Servings: 4
Cooking time: 5 min

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fat-free Italian dressing

4 scallions, minced

1 lb broccoli florets

Cooking Directions:

Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover saucepan and steam 4-5 minutes, or until barely tender. Rinse broccoli under cold running water and drain thoroughly. Transfer broccoli to a serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste and toss.

ZUCCHINI and JICAMA SALAD

Ingredients:

1 small red onion, finely chopped ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¾ teaspoon salt 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced 2 medium zucchinis ½ large yellow bell pepper 1 medium jicama

Directions:
1. To make dressing, in a large bowl, combine red onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt and jalapeño.
2. Add chopped zucchini, chopped bell pepper and chopped jicama; toss well.
3. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:

Net Carbs: 6.2 grams

Fiber: 4.8 grams

Protein: 1.5 grams

Fat: 3.8 grams

Calories: 79

Recipe Information:

Makes: 8 servings
Prep Time: 0:18:00
Marinate Time: 0:00:00
Cook Time: 0:00:00
Cool Time: 0:00:00

Spicy Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

1 lb. medium to large fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup grated parmasan cheese
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced

Cooking Instructions

Nutrition information is for serving size 1 mushroom.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Separate mushroom caps from stems; set caps aside. Finely chop mushroom stems.
In a medium bowl, combine mushroom stems with all remaining ingredients. Press mixture firmly into mushroom caps, mounding on top.
Place in ungreased 13 X9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 23 minutes until thoroughly heated.
Makes 40 muchrooms

Servings Per Recipe: 1

• calories 8
• protein 1g
• carbohydrate 1g
• fat 1g
• cholesterol 1mg
• sodium 30mg
• potassium 45mg
• fiber 0g

Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Fingers (Super Easy)

Ingredients

1/4 cup buffalo wing hot sauce
1 1/4 cups  crispy bread crumbs *id use crushed pork rinds here, lowers the carb content, adjust nutritional values accordingly*
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I add extra paprika as well as some cayenne because I like mine a bit more spicy)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 24 (1/2-inch-thick) strips

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. (I use a Silpat liner because I found the chicken sticks to the foil even with the cooking spray)
2. In shallow dish, place buffalo wing sauce. In another shallow dish, mix bread crumbs, paprika, salt and butter. Dip chicken into wing sauce (I let it marinate overnight to allow the chicken to absorb more flavor); coat evenly with bread crumb mixture. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake uncovered 8 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and coating is starting to brown.
These can be served with celery and a ranch dressing but the ranch dressing is not calculated into the nutritional info.

Servings Per Recipe: 8

• Calories 160
• Total Fat 6g
• Saturated Fat 2.5g
• Trans Fat 0g
• Cholesterol 45mg
• Sodium 380mg
• Carbohydrate 13g
• Dietary Fiber 0g
• Protein 14g