Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

So i know that a lot of my friends LOVE this low-carb 'pizza'.  There are lots of variety's on how to make this, but after experimenting around a little i found the way i like it with as little extra fat as possible!  I added some toppings in mine but you can change the toppings to whatever you like!

Oh and one more thing...I like thin crust pizza, so i spread mine out very thin on the pizza tray.  If you like a thicker crust don't spread it out as much and make it a smaller diameter!  
Enjoy! <3

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Yield: One 14 to 16-inch pizza (feeds 4 people)
Prep Time: 25 min Cook Time: 18 min

ingredients:
CRUST:
1 LARGE head cauliflower (about 3+ cups shredded cauliflower)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 finely shredded fat free mozzarella cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic (or 1/2 tsp minced garlic)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

TOPPINGS:
3/4 cup tomato or marinara sauce
1 cup crumbled low fat feta or goat cheese
3 chorizo sausages (skin removed and cooked crumbled)
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes

directions:
1.  Chop the cauliflower into smaller florrets.  Place 2-3 florrets in a food proccessor to 'rice' the cauliflower into small crumbles. Be careful not to puree. You'll need the whole cauliflower.  Place the cauliflower crumbles in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for 8 minutes.  Do not add water.

2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread a little olive oil or fat free butter alternative on surface of pizza pan.  In a large bowl, mix the riced cauliflower with the remaining crust ingredients. Spread the "crust" on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for about 15 minutes (or until golden depending on your oven). Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil high.

3. Prepare the pizza: Spread the sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a slight border around the edge. Add the Chorizo crumbles and sundried tomatoes, spreading it evenly over the pizza surface.  Sprinkle the feta or goat cheese on top. Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted slightly.  (some Feta cheeses maintain their crumble shape even when melted). Cut into 8 slices and serve immediately.

Pizza is hard to pick up so it is best eaten with fork and knife


Nutritional info per serving for JUST THE CRUST- per slice
Serving Size: 1 slice (pizza cut into 8 slices)
Calories 84,
Fat 4.3g,
Sat Fat 2.6g,
Cholesterol 40.8mg,
Sodium 166mg,
Carbohydrates 4.6g,
Fiber 1.9g,
Sugar 0g,
Protein 7.1g

WW Points Plus: 2

Friday, June 7, 2013

Goat Cheese Pesto and Sundried Tomato Spread

So Last night for my brothers birthday my mom made this and I forgot just how delicious it is!  It is so elegant and so simple to make (but don’t tell people that!)  So I thought id share it with you.  And I finally got a picture! ( I can’t take credit for the picture I found it online, but it looks exactly the same!)
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Goat Cheese, Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Terrine Recipe

Goat Cheese Pesto and Sun-dried Tomato Spread
             10 oz. goat cheese
·         ~10 oz cream cheese
·         ¼ C pesto  
·         1/2  C sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
·         ¼ C cup pine nuts, coarsely chopped
Line the inside of small bowl (roughly 4-5 inches across the top) with plastic wrap.  In a mixing bowl, mix the goat cheese and cream cheese and season with a little salt and pepper; add more cream cheese if too liquidy.  Spoon about 1/3 of the cheese into the lined bowl and flatten the top.  Add the pesto for the second layer (use all).  Add another layer of cheese for the third layer.  And then top that with the sun-dried tomatoes.  Top with the remaining cheese. Pack down and chill covered for at least 30 mins to up to 2 days. 

About 30 mins before serving, take the bowl out of the fridge unwrap it and flip it upside down onto a plate.  Top the (once last) now top layer of cheese with pine nuts.  Serve with a fresh baguette or crackers!  

Monday, June 3, 2013

Jalapeno Popper Pastry

Ok I'm sorry I don't have any pictures up yet.  I usually just make things spur of the moment and don’t plan to take pics, but I promise I will get some up soon!

So this last Sat. was one of my good friend's party's.  My house was volunteered as the Pregame.  Even though other people were bringing food, being the slightly neurotic person i am i wanted to throw together something too just in case.  I scavenged through my fridge and found goat cheese jalapenos and pastry puffs.  So I decided to throw something together.

Everyone loved them!  I was so happy!  (Honestly I had NO idea how they would taste so i was a little nervous!) Here is what I did:

I finely chopped 3 jalapenos (I left the seeds in for an extra kick, but for a less spicy version make sure you de seed them!)  And I added them to a bowl with a little tub of goat cheese.  I mixed them in until the goat cheese was soft and everything was combined.  Then i flavored it with some salt and pepper and paprika.  Then I added in grated cheddar cheese and combined again.  I took out the pastry puff and sliced it into about 3" X 3" squares, and laid them on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.  (I like to line with tin foil b/c they always stick to the pan and it’s easier to peel the foil off the pastry then to rip a crumbled pastry off a baking sheet.) I painted each puff with a beaten egg and a pastry brush, and then I added the jalapeno mixture into the center of each pastry square.  I put it in the oven at 350 F for approx. 20 mins.  Mean while I sliced another jalapeno into thin circles, and deseeded the slices.  When just about done baking, i took out the pan, and to each pastry i topped with more cheddar and one jalapeno circle.


Jalapeno Popper Pastry:

4 Jalapenos; 3 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced de-seeded
5 oz Goat Cheese
1C Cheddar Cheese, grated
Salt, Pepper, Paprika to taste
1/2 Package Pastry Puff (1 Sheet), thawed
1 Egg, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl mix together goat cheese, chopped jalapenos and 3/4 C cheddar cheese.  Season with salt, pepper and paprika.  Let sit at room temperature about 5 mins.  Meanwhile slice pastry puff sheet into
3" X 3" squares.  Place on prepared baking sheet, and paint on egg to top of each square.  Put a drop (about 1 tbs)  jalapeno mixture onto the center of each pastry square.  Place in oven for about 20 mins.  When about done baking remove baking sheet and top each square with remaining cheese and one jalapeno slice. 

Note:  to make more spicy keep the jalapeno seeds in the cheese mixture.