Creative Cauliflower

Cauliflower season has been her for a few weeks and I don't think people take enough advantage of it.  By branching out of the original steamed cauliflower, people will find many uses of cauliflower like: mash it, use as a pizza crust, roast it, make soup, make buffalo bites, cauliflower mac and cheese, replacement for rice or potatoes, and so much more.

During the past couple months I have experimented with this winter vegetable and you might find it useful with my recipes below to experiment, too.

*Fun facts about cauliflower*

- 1 cup has 25 calories, 5g of carbs, 3 g of fiber, 2g of sugar, and 2g of protein!!!

-Low glycemic load= friend of low-carb diets 

-Good source of Vit C, Vit K, folate, B6, potassium

-High level of antioxidant phytonutrients 

-In the cruciferous vegetable family

-Comes in different colors like: white, purple, and a cheddar-color

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Serves: One 9-12 inch pizza (about 2 people)

Total Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Large head of cauliflower (or 2 + cups of shredded cauliflower)
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
• 1 t dried oregano
• 1/2 t dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce (My fav: Don Pepino's)or use any other sauce, like pesto.
• additional toppings: veggies, pineapple, ham, pepperoni, etc (use your imagination)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 
2. Shred the cauliflower with a cheese grater into small pieces. Place crumbs into a large, microwaveable bowl. Microwave them (dry) for 8 minutes. Let it cool. 
3. Add in the egg, 1 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese, oregano, garlic, and onion powder into the cauliflower. Mix together.
4. Spray pizza pan or use a nonstick surface. Place cauliflower mixture onto pan and press it flat. Bake crust for 15 minutes (until golden), remove from oven.
5. Spread the sauce on top, sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese, and add toppings. Bake the pizza for 3-4 minutes until the cheese bubbles and becomes golden.
6. Enjoy this tasty, low-carb pizza. 

Recipe from: recipegirl.com

Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

Serves: 1

Total time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Franks buffalo hot sauce
• 1 cup cauliflower

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix hot sauce with cauliflower.
3. Spray baking pan. Add cauliflower.
4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until soft.
5. When ready to eat, pretend you are eating buffalo wings, just in a healthy way! Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables

Serves: 1

Total time: 25 min

Ingredients:

• Any vegetables you have in the fridge. I used:
• 3 individual brussel sprouts
• 1/2 c broccoli
• a few thin slices of red onion
• 1/2 c cauliflower
• 5 individual grape tomatoes
• 3 slices of red pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• Sprinkle of onion powder
• Sprinkle of ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix vegetables on baking pan.
3. Drizzle olive oil on vegetables, mix the vegetables so they all share the olive oil.
4. Sprinkle all the herbs
5. Bake for 15 minutes, until vegetables are soft to eat.
6. Enjoy! 

-Roasting vegetables brings out so much flavor. This recipe is so easy and quick to prep and cook. It is a good recipe to throw in vegetables that are about to go bad. Try it for yourself!