Baking Madness!

I've been bad. I've been on a baking-experimenting rampage for the past two weeks, and have failed to share any of my madness with the outside world. It's as if a "flip has been switched" (I know that's incorrect, but it makes me giggle 'cause I accidentally say it all the time), and I can't stop!

Everywhere I look there is inspiration to cook something wonderful, healthy (or not), and delicious, and I spend my mornings drooling over Google images and Pinterest ideas and then trying to recreate them in my own way. I have entered two recipe contests, because all this tinkering in the kitchen has resulted in some really terrific food. I feel energized and super creative, and I haven't been able to sit still (hence my absence from this blog). But, no more will I keep all this yummy food to myself!

Today, I ran across a recipe for Spinach-Crust Pizza, which led to another recipe for Cauliflower-Crust Pizza, and my mind started working overtime...My boyfriend and I eat entirely too much of this particular treat, and the calories involved are murdering any headway I've made with my midsection! Over the past weeks, I made a couple batches of homemade pizza dough (super easy!), but it still takes too long for our rumbling tummies, and we usually end up resorting to the frozen kind that dominates our freezer. Besides, unhealthy food tastes so much better when you are famished (my theory is because the hunger drowns out the thought of excess calories, haha).

So, to be able to make a crust from veggies would be more than ideal, and I am determined to try this recipe today (I'll post the pics later this afternoon). My boyfriend hates spinach and cauliflower, so the bonus is that I get this pie all to myself, and from what I've read about the calorie content (about 143 calories for the crust without toppings), I could eat an entire 12" pizza and it wouldn't come close to eating the frozen junk. I looked at 3 or 4 recipes and here's how they mesh together for my very own recipe:

Spinach&Cauliflower Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1/2 clove garlic
• 1 cup cooked, grated cauliflower ("riced")
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup shredded Italian-style cheese
• 1/2 cup panko crumbs
• Squeeze of lemon
• Dash Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt

• Pizza sauce
• Shredded Cheese
• Pizza toppings

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Process spinach, garlic, and cauliflower in food processor.

Add egg and cheese, process until mixture reaches a baby food-like consistency.

Add in panko crumbs, give a twirl, then lemon juice, twirl, then spices, twirl. Adjust seasoning to your liking.

Spread mixture in a 12" or smaller pizza pan that has been lined w/parchment paper.

Spray dough with cooking spray lightly and cook for about 15 min.

Add sauce, cheese, and desired toppings, broil for a few more minutes until cheese just starts to melt.

 

YUM! Sounds delish! This experiment will hopefully turn out, I am going to try it as a medium-sized pie and then also in mini-muffin cups (my new obsession is making everything mini).