Vegan CauliPizza

31 Jul Vegan CauliPizza

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 large OR 1 small head cauliflower, “riced” (6 cups or ~750 g)
• 1 1/2 flax eggs (1 1/2 Tbsp (10 g) flaxseed + 4 Tbsp (60 ml) water)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp (15 g) Vegan Parmesan Cheese or nutritional yeast (use nutritional yeast if avoiding nuts)
• 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 1/2 tsp fresh
• 1 tsp dried basil or 1 1/2 tsp fresh
• 3 cloves (9 g) garlic, minced (or sub 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 heaping Tbsp (14 g) cornstarch (or arrowroot starch // helps bind)
• 1 Tbsp (7 g) cornmeal or gluten-free flour (to discourage the dough from sticking to the parchment)

• Puréed tomatoes
• Vegan Pesto
• Sautéed or fresh vegetables (e.g. bell pepper, onion, mushroom)
• Fresh basil
• Red pepper flake
• Vegan parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
2. Use a box grater or the grating blade (not “S” blade) on a food processor to make the cauliflower rice (follow link above for photo tutorial). Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then add riced cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Then drain in a fine mesh strainer (make sure it’s fine or the cauliflower will seep through the holes). Let cool 5 minutes.
4. While this is happening, this is a good time to prepare pizza sauce or sauté any sturdier vegetables (such as onion and bell pepper) you intend to use as toppings. Otherwise, they require too much time in the oven to brown once the crust is baked. Set aside.
5. Transfer cauliflower rice to a clean dish towel and ring out as much of the excess liquid as possible. This is a very important step, so be sure to ring it out until no more water will come out. Set aside.
6. In a large mixing bowl, prepare the flax egg and let rest 5 minutes. Then add cauliflower rice, sea salt, vegan Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, garlic, and cornstarch.
7. Stir with a mixing spoon or your hands to thoroughly combine. A loose “dough” should form. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, salt for saltiness, or herbs/garlic for more intense flavor.
8. Line a baking sheet or pizza stone/pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little cornmeal or gluten-free flour to help prevent the pizza from sticking when slicing.
9. Then use your hands to carefully spread the dough into a circle or square (depending on shape of pan // see photo) and keep the crust slightly less than a 1/2-inch thick with a slightly thicker outer perimeter.
10. Bake crust for 45 minutes. Then remove from oven and carefully flip the crust. Do so by first loosening the crust from the bottom layer of parchment with a spatula and then laying another sheet of parchment paper on top of the crust. Then grab both sheets of parchment and gently flip. Arrange the crust back on the baking pan.
11. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes more or until the edges appear golden brown and the center feels mostly firm to the touch.
12. Remove from oven and top with desired toppings (cooked or fresh). I recommend going light on the sauce as it can make the crust soggy if too much is applied. Bake for another 10 or so minutes or until toppings are tender. Watch the edges of the crust, which can get brown before the toppings.
13. Enjoy hot with any additional garnishes, such as fresh basil, red pepper flake, or vegan Parmesan cheese.
14. Best when fresh. This pizza is best eaten with a fork – I find that it doesn’t quite support itself when eaten with hands. Note: You could bake your crust ahead of time and then freeze for later use if desired.