Cauliflower & Quinoa Pizza Crust

Relax, I haven't gone gluten-free, vegan, or low-carb.  As usual, my dietary lifestyle is based on portion control and good choices that include a decent amount of fiber and low salt.

That said, this trendy recipe is GF, lower in carbs than regular pizza crust, and can easily be turned vegan.  What it is not is a faster recipe than yeast-raised pizza crust.  I was going at a pretty good clip, and it took close to an hour and a half.  That's before putting on the toppings and baking it another 10-15 minutes.  It also produces an unfortunate number of dishes to wash and a bit of laundry, too.  But you do feel better about yourself than if you've eaten a bread pizza.  Too bad it's past holiday party season.  These can be made into bases for canapés.  Not so much for dipping.  It's really hard to get them stiff.  You'll probably have to eat them with a knife and fork.  I can't stress enough how important it is to get out as much liquid as possible.

So why make this at home instead of buying a frozen cauliflower crust?  Control of salt and fat, my frequent mantra.  I'm also trying to find recipes my boss can eat.  Since his angioplasty, he feels like he can't eat anything delicious.  I even had to teach him how to make oatmeal not awful.  When you're used to eating whatever is available, having to look at labels is discouraging.  I seriously doubt he's willing to spend 90 minutes cooking anything, but I learned something new.

As for the taste, it definitely does not taste like bread.  It's closer to a potato pancake vibe, which made me realize these are KLP if you eat quinoa during Passover.  I ended up having sides of garlic toast to round out the meal so I wouldn't feel deprived.  For someone GF, this would seem like a normal recipe and you wouldn't miss a thing.

2 lbs frozen cauliflower florets, thawed overnight in the fridge
*1/2 C dry quinoa
*1 tsp oregano
2 eggs or egg substitute (chia egg acceptable)
*2 Tb parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast flakes

1.  Start cooking the quinoa according to package directions.  Process cauliflower in the food processor until just past the riced stage.  I did it in two batches.  Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Pre-cooking, in addition to using frozen cauliflower, will help to release as much water from the veggie as possible.

2.  Get a thin kitchen towel or a nut-milk bag.  Place the riced cauliflower in the towel, probably in batches, and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.  My goal was 2 cups.  I got pretty close.  Place dried clump of cauliflower in a large bowl.

3.  Add the cooked quinoa (try to get it on the dry side) to the bowl.  Stir together with cauliflower, oregano, and parmesan.  Separately, beat eggs lightly and then add to the mix.  Stir until evenly combined.  At this point, you have 24 hours before you have to bake it if you want to do it in advance.  48 hours if you wait to put in the eggs.

4.  Preheat oven to 400º, or 375º with the convection fan on.  Spray parchment with pan spray after cutting to whatever size pizza you want to make.  I made four ovals, like focaccias, on two sheet pans.  Spread "dough" thinly on parchment, less than 1/2".  I probably would have gotten them smoother if I'd used another piece of parchment or wax paper on top and run a rolling pin over it.  We're calling these "rustic".

5.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.  The tops should be lightly browned and firm to the touch.

6.  Here's where it comes in handy to have two extra sheet pans and two Silpats.  You're going to have to flip these.  They don't have to go onto parchment for the second bake.  I used the Silpats to make cleanup easier.  Pick up the parchment and commit to the flip.  Don't hesitate.  The one on the right was patched together because I flipped it just a smidge too slow.  The other three, I took a breath and flipped them as fast as I could.

7.  Bake crusts again for 10 minutes to brown the other side.  At this point, they can either be finished with toppings and put back in the oven long enough to heat everything through, or cooled and placed between pieces of wax paper for storage.  Refrigerated, use within a few days.  Frozen, you can defrost as needed, top, and bake.

Makes 4 individual-sized crusts

Difficulty rating  :-0