Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Most people eat cauliflower in veggie platters, or smothered in cheese and baked in the oven au gratin, or roasted, or steamed with carrots. Ugh, (about the carrots, not the cheese). I aim to inspire  you to think outside of the crisper, and try using cauliflower as the star ingredient in your meal, and not just as a supporting character.

It all starts with cauliflower rice. It really doesn’t get any simpler than this, and it is the foundation for so many cauliflowericious dishes (say that 3 times fast).

Grate one head of cauliflower: you should get about 2 1/2  to 3 cups. Put this into the microwave and nuke for 6-8 minutes. Microwaving cauliflower is a delicate art, be careful not to burn it! Even though grating uncooked cauliflower is messy, I prefer this method because the result is a texture very similar to rice.

If you steam cauliflower florets before grating it, the “rice” will be mushier as the florets will have absorbed a lot of water. When I’m feeling lazy I just steam and chop, but for this recipe I recommend grating.

Cauliflower pizza is a healthy gluten free alternative and great recipe to try out. I know the steps look daunting, but it really is very simple, don’t wuss out on trying something new! Be forewarned, this isn’t the type of pizza you can pick up with your hands, it’s unique and deserves to be savored with a fork and knife.

Cauliflower Pizza

You Will Need:

1 head of cauliflower, riced
1 small potato, grated
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg

Optional: Fresh herbs like parsley, rosemary, cilantro or even Italian seasoning can be added if you wish.

Toppings:

This is not your average pizza crust, so step up your pizza game and add some gourmet toppings! I used prosciutto, goat cheese, arugula and whole olives.

This Is What  You Do:

Preheat your oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk one egg. Grate  your small potato and onion and wrap them in paper towel or a clean kitchen cloth and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

Combine cooked riced cauliflower, potato,onion, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and fresh herbs with whisked egg.

On a large baking sheet, or pizza pan, spread out your cauliflower dough. I made two small pizzas about half an inch thick. I found making smaller pizzas works best for this type of dough.

Brush with olive oil or a bit of egg yolk to ensure a crispy crust, and then bake for 15 -20 minutes, or until firm and golden. Don’t add your toppings yet! The dough needs to firm up before you pile it high with tasty treats.

Dress That Pizza Up

Once the dough has firmed up, remove from oven and add your sauce, cheese, ham, pepperoni, mushrooms – whatever you like. I added homemade red sauce to one, and lightly brushed the other with olive oil . Next came the crumbled goat’s cheese and sliced prosciutto. I put it back in the oven until the cheese was melted and bubbly. Meanwhile I tossed my arugula in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. When the pizzas were ready, I added the arugula and finished it off with some olives. VOILA!

I’m full of Bacon and Regret at Edible Canada

I finally think I overdid it with the breakfast bacon. But what can I say, my eyes are bigger than my stomach and my stomach was full of bacon and bacon related goodness. Edible Canada, touché.

As always, we ordered drinks to start, the $5 cocktail feature and a coffee which came with its own press! Very cute.

It was a well crafted caesar with horseradish for spice, a chilled slice of bacon and a bacon salt rim. I was intrigued by the combination of cheap liquor and bacon, but it was very rich and salty. That bacon salt was no joke.

Phil tried the Canadian Rockies Beef Burger for $13.00. It didn’t come with fries, so that was an extra $5.00. The burger came with double smoked bacon, smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, house-made pickle & house ketchup.

Great burger, we really liked it. The meat was juicy and not over seasoned, you could really taste the beef. The strong flavours from the smoked cheddar and caramelized onions complimented it well. Very filling, even Phil had to brace himself to finish it. The side of duck fat fries came with a bacon aioli which was okay, but didn’t live up to the urbanspoon rave reviews.

I ordered the Edible Canada Breakfast for $12.00: Scrambled free range eggs, Sloping Hills pork & apple sausage, double smoked bacon, smoked tomatoes, crispy duck fat fried hashbrowns, fresh herbs. It also came with the house “ketchup”. The meal was well presented, and the perfect serving size. It was richer and more filling that it appeared.

Two thick slices of perfectly cooked bacon, not charred to a crumbling crisp like most breakfast joints. I was very impressed. The Sloping Hills apple pork sausage was alright, the eggs were very dense, and I didn’t enjoy the smoked tomatoes – which had a smoked bacon flavour.

We disagreed about the house made “ketchup”. Phil liked it because it was real ketchup and not the sugary Heinz stuff; I hated it ( but kept eating it just incase the next bite was the one that changed my mind…) It really didn’t add anything to the meal except a lack of flavour. It was bland and unexciting.

My friend Dom tried the Gluten-free Fish and Chips, $15, made with rice flour tempura. This looked pretty amazing, and in hindsight I regretted not ordering it. Go read her blog for the review and  food photos! theglutenfreedom

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

I thought it was only okay. I’d like to go back and try some of their dinner items and enjoy the evening ambiance, sans whimpering children. The price of my breakfast was right, and I was stuffed …. but it was too salty and I felt bloated afterwards. This is partially the fault of the bacon salt caesar, however the rich creamy eggs and the duck fat hash browns were both heavily salted, the fries so much so that it was hard to finish them. But everyone else really enjoyed their less salty meals, so I give this place a 3 out of 5 stars.

Thai Style Ribs

It’s getting closer and closer to BBQing season, but for those of us unlucky enough not to have a backyard or patio grill, I found a crock pot recipe for fall-off-the-bone ribs that will make your mouth water. And they really do fall off the bone, and then melt in your mouth because they’re that tender. The Thai style marinade incorporates fresh ingredients like cilantro, garlic, and ginger to produce a sweet and tangy sauce. Garnishing the ribs with lime zest rounds out and accentuates the flavours for a finger-licking-good meal. 

Thai Style Ribs, A La Crock Pot

You Will Need:

A crock pot, duh. This recipe is for a 6-quart slow cooker.

2-3 Racks of Pork  back ribs, cut in half or thirds to fit into your crock pot
1 can thawed and undiluted Pinapple-Apple-Orange juice from concentrate (I used Tropicana but Welches is good too)
3/4 cup Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Peanut butter
1/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons Fresh ginger, minced
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Lime, quartered to squirt over the ribs before eating.
optional: 1-2 Thai red chilis if you like to get spicy

What You Do:

1) To make the marinade combine and whisk together the juice, soy sauce, peanut butter, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and Thai chilis if you’re using them. Pour the marinade over your ribs, seal ribs in an air tight container and let stand in the fridge for 8 hours. 8 HOURS?! Yes, 8 hours. I did mine over night. The longer you wait, the better they taste.

2) If you don’t have a crock pot, cook your ribs on the BBQ, or in the oven, or however you want. Whatever.

3) Place ribs into your crock pot and discard remaining marinade. I found that leaning some against the sides of the bowl gives it charred edges, like you cooked it on the BBQ. 

4) Cook on high for 1 hour, then on low for 5. Don’t open the lid, just enjoy the sweet aromas wafting through your house.

5) Garnish your ribs with a few squirts of lime. This really brings together the flavours, and can’t be left out. 

Who needs a BBQ when you have a magical crock pot? Seriously, Happy Eating.

365 Days of Heaven

365 Days of Dining is an amazing opportunity for one blogger to eat out in the city of Richmond B.C. for ONE YEAR. Did I mention it is paid? I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Already sent in my application, keep your fingers crossed for me!