Cauliflower Crust Pizza
I hate cauliflower. Or should I say I used to hate because I have not eaten it as an adult so I really don’t know how I feel about it. All I know is that it tastes bad. Mum used to make it when we were young, she loved it…. WE HATED it. For me cauliflower is rated with broccoli and egg plants; things that I just don’t get why people eat them. BUT I ate some eggplants at the office cafeteria and I actually liked it so I should be experimenting with that soon.
Anyway I digress. When I saw this on Pinterest I was like WHAT the hell!!! Cauliflower??? Instead of the traditional dough base???? Eeeeeuuuuw how disgusting sounding but the foodie in me just had to try it so I did and…… drum rolls it was SURPRISINGLY tasty. I got the full recipe from Eat. Drink. Smile. I used the exact same ingredients save for oregano which I substituted for rosemary leaves because I cant stand the taste of oregano. I did my own thing with the toppings and it was delicious.
However, the base it self tastes funny. Not bad just funny or should I say interesting I think its because its not bread. You eat the base (on its own) and you’d think hhhmmmm what is that? But together with the toppings it’s a winner and I bet with time i’d get used to the taste of the plain base. My gal Liz came over yesterday at lunch time for a slice she ended up with three, she LOVED it she kept screaming out “OMG! this is nice, it’s nice, its so lovely, how did you make it?” etc etc I had actually planned to post this much later but the girl insisted I should post it today so she could make it. She plans to do her base with cheddar instead of mozzarella so it will be knowing how that goes. So do try it as well. Hope you will enjoy it. HAPPY COOKING!!
and ooh Ya its surprisingly filling i had 3 slices and i was stuffed
SERVES 2
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- olive oil (optional)
TOPPINGS
- 200grams chicken breast
- 170 grams spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 big bunch of dhania (coriander/ cilantro), chopped
- 8 button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ onion
- ½ cup cheese of your choice ( I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon chicken masala
- salt and pepper to taste
- chilies (optional)
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
METHOD
- First cut up the chicken into strips and marinate in ½ teaspoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon crushed garlic, chilies, 1 teaspoon chicken masala, ½ teaspoon rosemary salt and pepper. Mix well and set the in the fridge.
- To “Rice” the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor or spice mill and pulse until it looks like grain.
cauliflower after going through the spice mill
Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater) I used my spice meal it worked great. Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
My head of cauliflower produced exactly a cup.
To Make the Pizza Crust:
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Spray a pizza sheet or cookie sheet or whatever you have with non-stick cooking spray or apply some olive oil
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir.
- Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9″ round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
4.Bake at 220 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
how delicious does that look
5. While this is baking, take the chicken out of the fridge and cook it in a pan that is lightly greased till it’s done. Once done chop up further if desired
6.Then place the spinach and dhania in a pot, add some water, salt pepper and the ½ teaspoon of garlic and let it cook for about 4-5 mins till it reduces in size
7. Once the crust is cooked from oven. Then add the spinach at the bottom, top with he chicken and mushrooms then sprinkle the cheese on top. Place under a oven for another 6min until the cheese melts. HAPPY EATING!!
Ingredients
- Pizza Base
- 1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
- olive oil (optional)
- 200grams chicken breast
- 170 grams spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 big bunch of dhania (coriander/ cilantro), chopped
- 8 button mushrooms, sliced
- ½ onion
- ½ cup cheese of your choice ( I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella)
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon chicken masala
- salt and pepper to taste
- chilies (optional)
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
Instructions
First cut up the chicken into strips and marinate in ½ teaspoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon crushed garlic, chilies, 1 teaspoon chicken masala, ½ teaspoon rosemary salt and pepper. Mix well and set the in the fridge.
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor or spice mill and pulse until it looks like grain.
Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater) I used my spice meal it worked great.
Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.
My head of cauliflower produced exactly a cup.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Spray a pizza sheet or cookie sheet or whatever you have with non-stick cooking spray or apply some olive oil
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir.
Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9? round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.
Bake at 220 degrees for 15-18 minutes.
While this is baking, take the chicken out of the fridge and cook it in a pan that is lightly greased till it’s done. Once done chop up further if desired
Then place the spinach and dhania in a pot, add some water, salt pepper and the ½ teaspoon of garlic and let it cook for about 4-5 mins till it reduces in size
Once the crust is cooked from oven, add the spinach at the bottom, top with the chicken and mushrooms then sprinkle the cheese on top. Place under a oven for another 6min until the cheese melts. HAPPY EATING!!
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/cauliflower-crust-pizza/
My HUMBLE abode
So a few weeks ago my pal Githengi called me asking me how he should prepare some liver he had (BTW I have a bachelors corner coming up just for you and my brother) . As we were talking I dunno how I ended up telling him that I live in one room, I don’t know whether to call it a studio or a bedsitter, I think it’s something in between. So Githengi was shocked, he was like “WHAT!!, you cook all that in such a small space?” I was like yes, I’ve posted it on my About page but guess I was not specif on what my living situation is like.
Now this room of mine, many a person have made fun of it, my brother Kiboi has called it a shoe box, Mr MF calls it my 2*2 (2 feet by 2 feet) because I can say I am in bed then I can VERY easily reach out for a drink in my fridge and in two secs after that Il be in my “kitchen” . We have a colleague who actually says she lives in a kitchen (she is an adorable lady, I laugh every time she says it)
But I have come to love my little room. In 2010 when i had just come back home from college I REALLY wanted to move out of home. I felt so crowded and my parents leave FAR. But I was an unemployed graduate and people kept telling me that I could afford to leave in a studio and I would always say “NO WAY how will i fit?” but when I moved to Kakuma I had to fit.
If I can say so my self we (we being me and my colleagues who sued to live in another compound that did not belong to UNHCR) have come a long way. at first i lived in a very small place what Mr MF would call a 1*1 it was sort of ok at the beginning but it had no AC and the power rationing was crazy; no lights during weekday lunch times plus no power on Saturday mornings from i think 8-1pm and on Sunday afternoons. It was CRAZY hot. Then I moved to a prefabricated room, with my kitchen that was even more cramped and now I’m where I am and I love it. I especially love the color. I have an accent deep purple wall then the rest are in a soft soft purple. I LOVE IT. so here are photos 🙂
my whole room minus the “kitchen” thats the little guy who keeps me company 🙂
the view from the bathroom door
my “kitchen”
my microwave/ grill/ oven 🙂 had a pizza baking!
photos of my family minus my little bro Charles 🙁 I still love u I keep saying Il look for your photo and I will
my favorite fridge magnet “if you want breakfast in bed, sleep in the kitchen” and the pretty baby??? that’s me 🙂
my stash of GoodFood magazines
my cookbooks
Well that’s it. hopefully soon i’ll be posting more pics of my desert life
Grilled haloumi and eggplant salad
This is my first of hopefully MANY guest posts. This recipe was done by Winnie. Winnie and I grew up together. Our mother’s have been friends since their college days and they had a chama (womens group) that would meet monthly i think. They were great fun with lots of food and mischief. So here goes:
When I was asked to be a guest writer on Foodieinthedesert, I was ecstatic and quite honestly beside myself. Not only did someone like my ideas on food but they actually rated them highly. I have a passion for food but not just any food GOOD food. Appealing food. Food that has been prepared with attention to detail. Now I am not asking for gourmet nor I am looking for molecular gastronomy but simply food prepared from the heart. Apparently there’s a French joke that goes something like this ‘A good cook is like a doctor, you trust them’. It’s a lot funnier spoken than written but what it simply means is that when you are in the kitchen, you are in a position of authority and the people are reliant on the work of your hands.
I am fascinated at how 10 people can start off with the same ingredients that result in totally different final products or how the same ingredient can be transformed into several different things dependent on cuisine. I am amazed at how a tomato looks like in the market and what it looks like in a bowl of fresh Greek salad. Food is about texture (paw paw is tender apples are crunchy depending on what side of the divide you are on this can be a turnoff), colour (kachumbari made with only brown onion and tomatoes is less enticing than kachumbari made with Spanish onions, ripe tomatoes, coriander and capsicum), contrast (beetroot, rhubarb and tomato on the same plate lack appeal), smell (always use fresh ingredients and remember to complement ingredients, a good diane sauce can lift a steak, but a good steak cannot lift a poor diane sauce), visual appeal (people eat with their eyes), height (a Caesar salad in a bowl is more appealing than a Caesar on a dinner plate).
The Gordon Ramsay recipe that I have attached came in quite handy as I was devoid of ideas of what to cook my vegetarian friends. Foodie in the desert asked for a simple recipe that can be prepared with readily available ingredients. I went ahead with this recipe to show case what one can do with ingredients that may/ may not be on your supermarket shelves. As you walk the aisles and are wondering what would I do with those olives? Why would I buy cheese that doesn’t fit into the ham and cheese sandwich? Well here are some ideas of how haloumi and olives can be used to entice friends and family. Here’s a reason to buy these ingredients. I love the texture of haloumi which gives me the illusion that I am eating meat (sad but true I love my meat and this cheese meets me in my comfort zone).
Parting words, remember one thing oil isn’t a one size fits all. Elianto for cooking shouldn’t be used for salad dressing (in a day when we are all health conscious choose your fat intake appropriately- use the right oil for the right job). Don’t cook with wine that you would otherwise not drink (you can taste poor quality wine through the food).
Whatever you do remember to cook from the heart.
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 6 ripe plum tomatoes
- 40 g kalamata olives
- Small bunch of mint leaves shredded (mint has a strong flavor adjust to taste)
- Olive oil for brushing
- 500 g haloumi (find this in the cheese section, some companies call it Kaloumi)
- 2-3 tbsp plain flour
- 75 g pitted kalamata olives
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar (balsamic may be used)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano 75 ml olive oil
- 75 ml peanut oil
Instructions
Cut eggplant into thin slices. Place in a colander sprinkle with salt and allow standing for 20 minutes. (The salt draws out moisture from eggplant). Pat dry with kitchen towel.
Cut tomatoes into wedges and put in a large bowl with olives and mint. Set aside while you make dressing.
For dressing- tip pitted olives, wine vinegar and dried oregano in a blender and blitz into a smooth paste. With motor running gradually pour in the olive and groundnut oil and season well with salt and pepper. Transfer to a jar and set aside.
About 15 minutes before serving put a griddle pan over high heat. Brush eggplant with oil (must brush as eggplant soaks in oil very easily) and cook on pan for about 2 minutes until softened and slightly charred.
Add to the bowl of tomatoes pour over some dressing and toss to coat.
Thinly slice the haloumi (type of cheese that can be cooked) and lightly coat with flour. Griddle the slices until they turn golden brown around the edges and just starting to melt.
To serve arrange the griddled eggplant on a large platter and top with haloumi. Spoon the tomato and olive salad and drizzle over a little more olive dressing.
Serve at once while the haloumi is still hot.
The grills used for roasting meat can be used in place of the griddle pan
