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

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!)

·

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!  

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.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

Last night I was in the mood for something kind of tropical and exotic.  I read a few recipes for Teriyaki Turkey Burgers and I picked out the best ideas from each one.   I made this for 8, so for simplicity sake ill try to cut everything in half to make for 4, but i apologize if the proportions done come out quite right.

Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Yeilds: 4

1 lb Lean Ground Turkey
4-5 Scallions, chopped
1-2 tsp Cilantro (to taste)
Teriyaki Marinade (low sodium)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Pineapple, sliced
4 Whole Wheat Buns

In a bowl, put ground meat, egg scallions cilantro and Teriyaki sauce.  Mix well.  Divide evenly into 4 patties.  Grill the patties and pineapple and serve with pineapple slice on top of the patty.  If desired can serve with other condiments, but i found this had so much flavor nothing more was needed.
I served mine with Spicy Sweet potato Fries.  :-)

Buttermilk Flax Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I was experimenting around with an old pancake recipe and decided to switch it up a bit.  The result was delicious!  So I’m sharing it with you all. :-)

Elyse’s Buttermilk Pancakes

1 C Flour

¼ C Ground Flax Seeds

1 Tbs Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 C Light Buttermilk

1 Egg

1 tbs Oil

1Tbs Agave Nectar

½ C Semisweet Chocolate Chips

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl, add in everything except the chocolate chips and mix until just combined.  Then add in chocolate chips and stir a few more times.  Pour desired amount onto a nonstick pan over medium high heat.  Enjoy!

Natural Antidepressants

·         Water

o   Although it seems so simple, most people do not get enough hydration throughout the day.  Keeping hydrated and drinking proper amounts of water helps you body stay refreshed and energized.  When your body is up to par then everything it produces will maintain normalized and be produced/recycled at normal rates.  Sometimes this slow down can cause waste back up which can make us feel sluggish and depressed.

·         Leafy Greens

o   Spinach and kale especially.  That whole fad with the green smoothies now, well, although they don’t look so appetizing they are actually great for your body and also your brain.  The folic acid and iron in kale and spinach help to power your brain to keep everything up to speed.

·         Wheat breads and Pastas

o   The brain loves carbs, which is partly why when you feel sad you want sugar.  But you have to be careful with this one.  White breads and pasta have refined bleached wheat which get digested rapidly by the body creating a good feeling but then it quickly crashes leaving you right back or even worse than before.  Whole grains and whole wheat bread products are best because it takes the body longer to digest them leaving you with a longer feeling of satisfaction.  With that said.  Carbs are probably the quickest food antidepressant because carbohydrates drive serotonin production.

·         Fish

o   Especially oily fish.  The omega-3 fatty acid in fish oil is sooo good for your brain cells.  . Dietary fats and cholesterol can clog up cell membranes causing them to block the flow of fluids and chemicals in and out of the cell.   Omega-3s help to unclog this junk and allow the cells to function properly. 

There are so many products out there with pills to take or something, but just try to keep it natural.  Usually if you are feeling blue or depressed its most likely because something in your body is out of sync.  Just try to eat right and exercise and unless it’s a clinical diagnosis, you will probably start feeling better sooner than you think!

Strawberry Banana Muffins

So I have been trying to eat Healthier and cut down on sweet things.  My problem is that I LOVE baking!  So I decided that I was going to experiment with a bunch of recipes and try out substitutions for a healthier version.  This one came out really well the first try so I don’t see any need to change it.  The nice thing about this recipe is that you can substitute the strawberries with almost any fruit.  So depending on what you are in the mood for or what is in season where you live, you can make these muffins year round!  I use all purpose flour but you can mix in some whole wheat flour if you want, just remember when adding whole wheat flour that it will fall apart unless you keep the ration under 1/2.. Ex: for 2 cups flour use 1 c whole wheat and 1 c white.  Also whole wheat flour makes them denser.

Strawberry Banana Muffins:

	1 tsp baking powder
	1/2 tsp table salt
	1 tsp ground cinnamon
	2 medium banana(s), really ripe, (black skin)
	3/4 cup(s) fat free skim milk
	1 tsp vanilla extract
	2 cup(s) all purpose flour
	2 item(s) egg(s)
	1/3 cup(s) agave nectar
	2 cup(s) (raw) strawberries, chopped
	1 Tbsp baking powder
	1/2 tsp baking soda
	1 Tbsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 spray muffin pan with Pam. In a bowl of a stand mixer add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. mix to combine. In a small bowl add milk, eggs, and vanilla and whisk lightly until egg yolks are broken. Add milk mixture to mixing bowl with flour and stir a few times only until combined, it is important not to overmix. Add strawberries and banana, stir until just combined. Divide batter evenly among cups and bake for 25-30 mins. Let muffins cool in pan on wire rack for about 10 mins then remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.
  

These muffins are really moist because of the fruit in them so keep them in the fridge or else they will mold!!!