recipes {cauliflower pizza crust}

pizza is one of mark's & my all time favorite food. back in the summer we would pick up a pizza from our favorite spot in town, nicolitalia, every friday night & we would pair it with a redbox. mark & i both could honestly eat pizza every day, but choose not to because it isn't the best food for ya. ha.

so as you all know, i am always on the look out for healthy options & substitutions for great, but typically unheathy, food! cauliflower is a veggie that i have realized can be used for lots of high carb foods. remember when i used cauliflower to make cauli-fried rice??? well, i used this wonderful vegetable to make a pizza crust tonight!

recently i had been reading lots of recipes & reviews on cauli-crust & i was only hearing positive things...so, tonight i took on the challenge of making a lower carb pizza crust. & what were my thoughts about the end product??? AMAZING! i loved it. the crust was crispy & cheesy. i can't wait to make this crust again & use some of my other favorite pizza toppings! one thing to note about this crust is the texture. it is not as firm as regular dough, so i recommend using a fork to enjoy this meal!

yield: one 9-12 inch pizza {feeds 2-3 people}

cauli-crust ingredients:
1/2 large head of cauliflower
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella cheese {or any other yummy cheese!}
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic

& add whatever toppings you prefer!

start off by grating half a head of cauliflower in a food processor with the grater attachment. if you do not have a food processor a hand grater works great, too!

microwave the cauliflower for 8 minutes in a bowl by itself {no water or anything} just to soften it. let the cauliflower cool for a few minutes afterward.

 combine the cauliflower, egg, cheese & spices.

preheat oven to 450 degrees. spray pam or any cooking spray on a pizza pan or a baking sheet {i lined mine with foil for an easier clean up - i found that the pizza ended up still sticking a little bit}. place the dough mixture on the pan & form a 9 - 12 inch round surface. the dough shouldn't be too thick. bake the pizza crust for 15 minutes & remove.

top with any ingredients you desire! i choose our favorite...marinara sauce with pepperoni, black olives & mozzarella cheese! yum!

broil for 2-3 minutes in the oven until the cheese is melted & slightly brown. serve hot & enjoy.

we love to eat our pepperoni & olive pizza with ranch & frank's hot sauce...give it a try!

update: i wanted to add a little bit about the nutrition of this pizza crust that i forgot to mention when i first posted this recipe. i realize that this recipe does have a whole cup of cheese. some might think, well is cheese really better for you than all the carbs in normal dough? and for some it may not be what they want in their diet. after adding calories, the cauli-crust is less calories than a normal dough crust, but there is the issue of healthy vs. unhealthy fats. in a regular crust you use oil {most likely olive oil}, which is a "healthy" fat. so it is up to you! if you think this recipe has too much cheese then maybe try some marinara sauce with grilled veggies & exclude the cheese on top!

this recipe is simply a good alternative for those who would like to eat less carbs or just try something new! 

practice makes perfect

...or atleast works out the kinks, right??

doing short, creative photo shoots with friends is my absolute favorite. it is the perfect time for me to practice in a comfortable environment & work on various skills. i am able to apply new techniques that i've been wanting to try or work on things that i would like to improve. plus, it's the perfect excuse to spend more time with your friends & have that much needed girl time!

to see more from this little holiday fashion shoot check out jenna bechtholt photography. there are two super cute outfits & more to come!

troubled times

as i came to work today i heard of the terrible tradegy that took place in newtown, conneticut. i think that are few things more scary to me than a public shooting. i feel so heart broken that this particular shooting took place at an elementary school & my prayers are with the families of those who lost a loved one today. 

whenever terrible things like this happen the issue of guns tends to be highlighted & highly debated. i can't say that i agree one way or the other necessarily {perhaps slightly due to my lack of a solid opinion about guns at the moment}, but i know that this is bigger than simply the weapons that were used. we are living in troubled & complicated times. not that times prior haven't had their fair share of trials...but today is so much more, well...complicated, for lack of a better word. the internet & technology lends a huge hand in this i think. i also think that families are not as solid as they once were. this may sound weird to apply to this situation but i think the way kids are brought up, what they see & how much they feel loved plays a huge role in their self esteem, their views of the world & who they become as an adult or young person.

i don't have a solution for this problem or know of a way to solve the issue of public shootings, but i'm not sure that taking away guns from the public would solve the issue.

this was a bit of a vent session for me & to just throw out some of my thoughts at this particular moment. my apologies if it is scrambled & doesn't make much sense.

but overall i am sad. the man who did this MUST have had things going on in his life...none of which begin to excuse what he did, but i am also sad for him. sad that he somehow felt that this was the only way to be heard or whatever his reason may have been.

i just hope everyone has someone that they can confide in. someone that they know loves them & something wonderful that is worth living for. i hope that couples, families & friends can be honest with one another & express problems, concerns & ask for help. i think that we all need to feel loved & to love others for this life to be worth living.

i know i have love for my husband, family, friends & God. i love life & that the sun rises every day. there are so many things to be thankful for & times like this really help me to realize i have so much. i also am reminded that people you don't know are often going through tough times & to be kind to everyone you meet. you never know the struggles someone is dealing with & what you can do with a simple smile or "hello" to turn their day around.

let us all be happy, healthy & safe.

a summary of me...today

 

these images sum up what i'm up to & how i'm feeling perfectly today. 

i can't wait to go back to LA & to seattle over the holiday break. i love that mark & i get to travel to both of our homes over christmas & new years. i feel like i have been working really hard for the past few weeks & will really enjoy some time off to see family. with photography & full time nannying i am pooped by the end of the day now! although, i have somehow found some time for baking lately :) & i hope to do some more & to eat some great food in the next few weeks. and finally, i CANNNNNOT wait for christmas. to give & to receive. i haven't had the chance to go shopping in like...forever, it seems. so getting the chance to get a few new things is very exciting!!

happy wednesday!!
12/12/12!