Cauliflower Pizza Crust

 

Happy Monday and Happy first of February! Yes February! You better keep up Player  (cue Tinashe) …. the year is just flying by!! 

I went to a health and wellness fair yesterday and I don’t know if it was vulnerability through my wrist injury or sheer gullibility that made me spend near enough a hundred bucks on a ‘mineral infused’ wrist band and a few yoga beads which I could’ve got at Jack’s 99c store.  The wrist band guy did this weird thing on me though…. he placed his hands on my shoulders and directed energy throughout my body and believe it or not I felt something.  He was specific enough to the point he mentioned certain years that something happened in my life and he could feel trapped energy in certain body parts associated with that event, which he was releasing. It was quite trippy and for those interested in healers and autosuggestion I suggest reading one of my all time favorite books, The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. I also passed a tarot reader who said she could tell just by looking at me that something exciting is about to happen and I’ll be meeting my soul mate very soon…..hmm, watch this space. Needless to say, it was a cool experience and I met some great people who are just trying to do good by the world.

WRIST UPDATE: I see improvement but recovery couldn’t come soon enough.  I’m like that kid on christmas eve waiting to open their presents, except all I want is to do pull ups. For rehab, I found icing it on the daily is working well. Fortunately I can do this at work too. I fill a freezer bag with ice and place it over my wrist when I’m at my desk. I also used the Kelley Starrett method of applying compression to the muscle tissue. Compression helps tissue respond better to stretches and mobility work. The product I use is the Voo Doo bands (available from roguefitness.com).

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On the food front, I’m not having to time my meals around my workouts, which is good. However, not lifting has also meant less calories overall, so I cut down to 1100-1300 Monday to Friday. The key is to eat nutrient dense vegetables. They keep you full without the calories! This week’s menu included squash, zucchini, parsnips, beets, collared greens and red peppers. As a side note it is important to eat seasonal vegetables and right now parsnips are big! I like to roast mine just because it’s winter but most vegetables are versatile. Eating different color vegetables is also important, as each shade provides a different nutrient. And no, 1300 calories is not unhealthy since I’m not expending anywhere near the typical energy levels I would when I lift.

On that note, today I wanted to share my low carb cauliflower pizza crust recipe. And if you ask me, cauliflower crust is to pizza, what Fabolous is to Hip Hop: UNDERRATED.

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST

YIELD:

1 pizza / 2 servings (3 slices per serving)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cauliflower head

3 tablespoons flax seeds

1/2 cup almond flour (grind almonds in food processor like I did)

1/2 tsp salt (himalayan is my preferred salt these days)

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp chopped coriander

pizza sauce

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

MAKE IT:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Break up cauliflower florets and place in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until it looks like rice. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan with enough water to cover it, and bring to a boil.  Once boiled, take it off the stove and drain out the water, using a sieve. 
  2. Place mixture into a plastic or glass bowl (freezer proof) and freeze for around 10 minutes.
  3. Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water, and mix until a paste forms. Let this set for 5 minutes in refrigerator.
  4. Remove cauliflower mixture from the freezer and transfer onto a cheese cloth or thin dish towel. Bring all four corners of the cloth together such that the mixture cannot fall out.
  5. Using your best grip strength, squeeze the mixture to remove all excess water.
  6. Place the mixture in a large bowl and fold in the flax seed mix from the fridge, almond flour, one additional tablespoon of ground flax seed, salt, black pepper, ground cumin and the chopped coriander. Mix using a baking spoon if you have one, then press it down onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  7. Using the baking spoon, pat into a square or circle shape (up to you) and then using a rolling pin, softly roll it out, making sure the crust is around 1/4 of an inch thick.
  8. Place onto a baking tray (if you have a pizza specific tray, even better)
  9. Using a spatula, apply the pizza sauce and then add your chosen toppings. Here I opted for mozzarella and later (final 5 minutes of baking, added red peppers)
  10. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.

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If your a fan of flavor rich foods, this crust won’t disappoint. The seasonings make for a very tasty base. This went down well with everyone fortunate enough to get a slice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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