Cauliflower Pizza? … (And More Delicious Cauliflower Recipes)

I am a huge fan of cauliflower. I knew that it was low in calories but because it’s white, I assumed it didn’t have that much nutritional value. Boy, was I wrong! Not only is it low in calories, it’s full of vitamins and minerals. If you like cauliflower, you’re going to love some of these recipes. If you don’t think you like it, I suggest you still try one of these, like the roasted cauliflower recipe, which is my favorite way to eat it and is super easy to make.  You can eat cauliflower raw or; roast it, mash it, bake it like a gratin, grill it, or even…make a pizza crust out of it. Seriously.

NUTRITIONAL FACTS –

1 MEDIUM HEAD OF CAULIFLOWER:

Calories: 146

Total Fat: 1.6 g

Cholesterol: o g

Potassium: 1,758 g (50% daily value)

Total Carbohydrates: 29 g

Proteins: 11 g

Vitamin C: 472% daily value

Vitamin B-6: 55% daily value

Magnesium: 22% daily value

Iron: 13% daily value

Calcium: 12% daily value

Who knew?

BUYING & STORING FRESH CAULIFLOWER –

When buying fresh cauliflower, look for a head with compact florets that are free from yellow or brown spots. The leaves should be green and crisp, not withered or discolored. Even though cauliflower is grown, harvested and sold in stores year-round, it is at its best in fall, winter, and into early spring. If you’re buying it from the grocery store and paying by the pound, make sure you shake off any excess water from the sprayers, which can add to your total purchase cost.

Keep cauliflower loosely wrapped in plastic in the fridge or cut into florets and store sealed in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Besides the typical white cauliflower, it also comes in purple, golden-orange or even green (broccoflower.) You can cook these varieties the same way you do the white, or even eat them raw.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER:

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cauliflower with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread in a baking dish. Roast for about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender, browned, and caramelized.

Feel free to garnish with fresh herbs if you want. For a bit more spice, add a pinch of red pepper flakes along with the oil, salt and pepper.

MASHED CAULIFLOWER –

This is like eating mashed potatoes and you can actually use your favorite mashed potato recipe and simply substitute the potatoes with fresh cauliflower. This is a very basic recipe, which might be a bit bland for some so again, feel free to doctor it up. Instead of using 1/4 cup of the cauliflower water, you can use milk, cream, or stock. Other ingredients you can add are butter, roasted garlic, fresh herbs, or cream cheese.

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher or sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water and then drain. Add cauliflower to a food processor. Add oil and reserved water, (1 tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you want.) Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

*You can also mix this with a hand mixer or potato masher…however you normally mash your potatoes.

I saw Chef Sunny Anderson make this recipe on the Rachael Ray show and had serious doubts as to how it would turn out. Plus, it just sounded weird. But…it was surprisingly good and turned out just like hers did. And the crust, which tastes yummy as is, only has 2 ingredients! Once you’ve made your pizza crust, you can top it with whatever you like on a pizza.

SUNNY ANDERSON’S 2-INGREDIENT CAULIFLOWER PIZZA –

Makes 1 Pizza Round

Ingredients:

1 pound cauliflower florets

2 eggs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a food processor, process cauliflower until finely chopped.

In microwave-safe bowl, cook cauliflower for 5 minutes or until tender. Place cauliflower in a towel, and squeeze out excess water till completely dry.

In bowl, mix eggs and cauliflower until well combined.

On parchment-lined baking sheet, spread cauliflower dough out until it resembles a pizza round. Bake 40 minutes.

*This tastes fabulous as is!! But feel free to add sauce, cheese, vegetables, herbs, etc. Top however you want and bake in 450 degree oven for 7 minutes or until cheese and toppings have baked.

I added some tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN –

This is decadently delicious and a great recipe for special dinners. I made this a couple of years ago and it was a huge hit. It’s a bit more expensive since it uses Gruyère cheese, which I usually can’t find on sale, but it really kicks it up a notch. If you have a favorite potato gratin recipe, use that and just substitute cauliflower for the potatoes.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/cauliflower-gratin-recipe.html