Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Makes 1 medium crust, serving 6

YOU WILL not believe how well my friend Mr. Cauliflower transforms into pizza. Yes, a crunchy cauliflower pizza crust! I’ve made this for gluten-eating friends, and they loved it. The secret to the crust is squeezing the water from the cauliflower completely after cooking it.

You could make this with tomato sauce just like a regular pizza crust, but if you are completely eliminating nightshades from your diet while eating Pure, try it with arugula and pear drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Himalayan salt. Or opt for sautéed spinach with garlic and some butternut squash. All are delicious. And see the box (here) for more ideas. You can even just make the crust, sprinkle it with olive oil and Himalayan salt, and eat it as a bread. You’ve got options.

1 large head cauliflower, leaves and stem removed

½ cup cassava flour

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (or use 3 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons warm water, if you are eating from the Clean section of this book)

Toppings of choice (see box, here)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a cheese or box grater, grate the cauliflower by hand, or put it in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is pea-size. Don’t over-grate or mince—you want good-size shreds. Place the shreds in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a bowl to sit until cool enough to handle (you can cool it in the refrigerator for a minute or two to help).

Place the cauliflower in a clean dishtowel or paper towels and wring to squeeze out all the water. This takes some time. You may need to use quite a few paper towels, but the more water you get out, the crunchier your crust will be. When you’ve gotten out as much water as possible, return the cauliflower to the bowl and add the cassava flour, parsley, garlic powder, onion flakes, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the applesauce (or chia mixture) and mix again.

Take your cauliflower “dough” and press it onto the lined baking sheet, using the palms of your hands to flatten and press the dough outward to form a thin (but not too thin) crust—maybe ½ inch thick. (For an even more authentic crust, bake on a pizza stone: Place the parchment paper on a cutting board. Shape the dough into approximately a large grapefruit size on the paper, then carefully transfer the dough to a baking stone that you have been preheating in the oven.)

Bake for 25 minutes, then flip carefully using a spatula (or two) and bake for another 10 minutes, until firm. Remove from the oven and top to your heart’s delight with toppings (but not too heavy, so the crust doesn’t weaken and break). Bake for another 5 minutes with the toppings, until they are warmed through, if you want the toppings warm.

PIZZA TOPPINGS

Grain-free pizza crusts can be a bit less sturdy than regular pizza crusts, so it’s a good idea to keep the toppings light. Some ideas: fresh figs, olives, pear slices, spinach, garlic slices, fresh basil. Grill vegetables before using them as toppings so they don’t release water into the crust. Or keep it light, with simple toppings like a drizzle of olive oil and a topping of rosemary and kosher salt, or sliced olives and sautéed mushrooms, or thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh torn basil leaves.