Tali's Tomatoes

Turned off by pizza because of the carbohydrates? Flour? Calories? Kneading the dough? Well you don't have to do worry about any of that with these fab little pizza crusts made using raw grated cauliflower.

It took me one practice run to get the consistency and ratios right for the pizza base, but I’m now happy to confirm that these pizzas are as good as the real thing - you can even pick them up in your hand and eat them like a regular pizza.

Have you ever wondered how the white flour on your pizza base is produced? Non-organic white flour is made by treating the seeds and then the plant with pesticides and hormones. Following this the wheat grains are milled usually with high speed mills that remove the bran and germ, and the resulting flour is mostly made up of the starchy endosperm layer.  In other words white flour is devoid of most of the original nutrients by the time it is made into a pizza dough.

Cauliflower on the other hand contains vitamins, minerals and phytonurients (plant nutrients that may help neutralise damaging toxins). Cauliflower also contains glucosinolates which activate the body's detoxification process, which some research suggests helps to prevent some types of cancers. Cauliflower is also a great source of potassium and vitamin C (one cup of raw cauliflower contains almost as much vitamin C as an orange).

Therefore these pizzas should be eaten with a guilt free conscience! The cauliflower in the base combined with the vegetables on the top are a great way to get your daily intake of veggies.

What you need to make 4 mini cauliflower pizza bases (serves 2 with no sides, double to serve 4):

• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white 
• 2 tbsp of dried herbs (or to taste) - I used thyme and oregano
• 1/4 cup grated cheese - mozzarella or soft goats cheese
• 3/4 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (probably optional)
• 1 tsp coconut or grapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and very lightly spread/spray with oil.

Process or grate the cauliflower until it resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk the eggs briefly and then add the eggs, herbs, cheese and nutritional yeast flakes to the cauliflower and mix until well combined.

Using your hands, divide the mixture into four equal portions. Roll one portion in your hands to form a ball, gently squeeze any excess liquid out of the ball and then spread evenly onto the baking tray to make a pizza base. Repeat with the other portions.

Cook in the oven for 10 minutes and then flip and continue to cook for around another 10 minutes or until crispy on top and the edges are dark brown. Leave the pizza bases to cool at room temperature while you prepare the sauce and other ingredients.

Once you have prepared your toppings and the pizzas have cooled to room temperature, top the pizzas and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Enjoy.




Possible pizza toppings:

• tomato pizza sauce made by cooking organic tinned tomato with oil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until thick
• pesto
• cheese i.e. mozzarella, goats cheese or fetta cheese (of any variety), vegan cheese
• nutritional yeast flakes
• thinly sliced capsicum
• halved cherry tomatoes
• olives (green or black)
• capers
• finely diced and sauteed eggplant
• mushrooms
• anchovies
• finely sliced red onion
• herbs
• spinach and rocket (fresh, added after the pizzas have been cooked)

Sources:1, 2