26 Apr CAULIFLOWER PIZZA WITH PARMESAN AND GREEN PESTO

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA WITH PARMESAN AND GREEN PESTO

This is officially the first recipe on the blog – I have been completely lost as to what recipe to post as the first. I have so many I want to share with you, and it feels like a big thing to pick the first.

Scrolling back and forth between all of my delicious recipes that I now am going to type up and post here, almost made me lose my mind. In the end I picked one – the Cauliflower Pizza – a absolute favourite amongst our clients at The Performance Retreat.

Even the biggest meat lovers often end up choosing this one as their favourite.

Pizza with cauliflower – will it be the same?

First of all, you have to know, that when choosing to nourish your body with the Clean-Living Diet, you say goodbye to traditional ingredients like flour, starch, additives, yeast etc. These are all ingredients that are very difficult to replace. So, to answer that question – “No, it will not be the same”. In my opinion it will be better 🙂

Once you have gotten used to living without these ingredients, in the first instance you will feel so much better. Your digestive system will love you for choosing this anti-inflammatory way of living. Your taste buds will also adjust, and you will feel fuller for longer periods of time.

As said earlier, our clients at The Performance Retreat have given us great feedback on this different version of pizza and here in our house, even my daughter Anna likes it.

Use it as bread substitute

Whilst this recipe calls for pizza, you can easily make an extra batch of the “dough” and use them as sandwich bread. I like to have them either cold or warm with some avocado, fresh spinach and a dash of homemade aioli. Another great version is to toast it with cheese.

Well, let us get back to this pizza recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Approximate 6 small pizzas Pizza base:

• 1/2 cauliflower
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of almond or coconut flour
• 75 g parmesan cheese (save some for serving)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pesto:

• 1 large handful of basil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 chunk of parmesan
• 1 handful of pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Marinated onions:

• 1 red onion
• 2-3 cups of vinegar
• 1tbs Sukrin Gold (you can choose not to)
• pepper

HOW TO COOK IT STEP BY STEP:

Pesto:

1. Give the garlic cloves a quick boil in a pot of water. It takes the top off the sharpness, this way a more mild garlic flavour emerges.
2. Roast the pine nuts slightly on a pan until they turn a little brown.
3. Mix everything together in a mini-chopper or blend it.
4. Taste with salt.

Marinaded onions:

1. Cut the onions into thin slices and put them in a clean container preferably glass.
2. Pour Vinegar, Sukrin and pepper over the onions. Close and keep cool until serving as a topping on the pizza. I always do a minimum of 4 hours or make them the day before but even 30 minutes will do miracles for your onions.

Pizza Base:

1. Turn on the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Grate the cauliflower fine – on a grater or in a food processor.
3. Add eggs, almond or coconut flour, grated parmesan cheese and salt.
4. Mix it all together well.
5. On a baking sheet lined with baking paper, spread the dough to 4 or 6 small pizzas.
6. Bake in the oven until they are golden approx. 15-20 minutes.
7. Take them out and top them with pesto and grated parmesan cheese.
8. Bake again for about 10 minutes until they are a little crisp on the top. Keep an eye on them – you do not want them to get too dark.

Serve:

1. Serve with the marinated onions and some herbs for decoration.
2. I often serve with a salad on the side – on the photo it is the “Green Hulk Salad” – recipe will follow soon.

ANYTHING SPECIAL TO REMEMBER?

• For a quicker version buy cauliflower already shredded and good quality peso ready-made.
• The longer you marinate the onions the more intense the colour will be. Remember we do not only fill our tummies but also our eyes.

BENEFITS FROM THE DISH:

Cauliflower: is high in fibre and a good source of antioxidants.

Basil: is an excellent source of vitamin K, manganese, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is also a good source of calcium, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids.