I almost peed my pants when I saw this

I have been craving pizza like a crazy woman lately - as I love love love cheese. I am on day 21 of my 42 of the HCG diet and unfortunately its not looking promising to be eating a cheesy crusted pizza soon:| Devastating - I know.... but like I mean maybe not even till next fall:| Well let me tell you - I found this Cauliflower Crust Pizza from Eat. Drink. Smile blog.

I could never of been happier that day I stumbled upon it and I have yet to try it BUT on my maintenance I will probably have this within the first week.

cauliflower crust pizza

Serves 2; Adapted from Your Lighter Side.

ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*

directions:

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 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). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

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 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!

*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Now for any followers on the HCG diet - there is a Tomato Basil soup recipe that would work perfectly for the pizza sauce required for this recipe - and shockingly it would be allowed! Portion sizes may need to be worked out but I will post as soon I make this.

Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or substitute 1 cup water for 1 cup broth)

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

3 ounces of tomato paste

4-6 leaves of fresh basil rolled and sliced

1-2 cloves garlic crushed and minced

2 tablespoons chopped onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Pinch of marjoram

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Puree all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pour into a saucepan an hheat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot, garmished with fresh basil leaves or parsley.

Makes 2 servings (1 vegetable)

If you choose to just follow the soup recipe - This soup is so good that I cut up my 100grams of chicken and put it in the soup - because you do eat your fair share of chicken on the HCG and it sucks up the soup and gives you a change! Enjoy

Food for thought!