Keto Cauliflower Pizza

Friday night is pizza night at our house. I have been making my own gluten free bases for a very long time, (go the thermie!), but just recently, I decided that NO grain was good for me: You see I have an autoimmune thyroid condition that I control very well, but there is always a little "something" not quite right. Recently I attended an autoimmue symposium and the pervasive thoughts from all the researchers and speakers was that you have to give keto a good go. So, of course, not wanting to give up our Friday night pizza night, I found something else. 

This recipe is a combination of my own work and a recipe I adapted from @iamstevecollins nutrition and personal training (Thanks Steve :)) 

So here is how its done:

INGREDIENTS

CRUST:

• 1 medium head of cauliflower.
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped basil
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped oregano
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped thyme.
• 2 cloves garlic- crushed.
• 2 tbsp almond meal.
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten.
• 150 g shredded cheese of your choice.

TOPPING:

Go wild!

• Olive oil
• 200 g jar tomato paste.
• 1/2 tsp of each fresh herb: thyme, oregano, basil.
• 1 clove garlic, crushed.
• Salt  & pepper to taste
• Pinch finely chopped birdseye chilli.
• Enough grated cheese to cover the base

chopped up anything you want - please note if you are using preserved meats, please ensure taht you get ethiclaly sourced, grass fed and organic.

• Mushrooms,
• Anchovies.
• Salami/pepperoni.
• Capsicum.
• Olives.
• Pineapple - fresh (only a little - this is high in carbs).
• Ham,chicken etc.
• Sliced onions.
• Slice tomatoes
• rocket leaves for garnish.

METHOD:

Preheat oven to  215 deg C

Grease a round pizza tray and line with good baking paper- I use that brown unbleached parchment

CRUST:

• Wash & thoroughly dry cauliflower head - remove any stems and leaves until you only have the florets ( please note, I never wash it as I buy mine organic - the less water you add to this process the better). Add all florets to your food processor (I use my Thermomix TM) and pulse until your cauliflower resembles breadcrumbs. In the Thermie, it usually takes about 3-4 goes of 5 secs on 7-8
• Steam cauliflower until soft - approx 8 minutes. I have become ingenious and use my metal sieve to stop the fine cauliflower crumbs from slipping through the  steamer holes!
• Place cauliflower in a  clean tea towel. Allow to cool and then SQUEEZE until you have all the water out - the drier your cauli is here, the more "real" the base will be. So squeeze until you can't squeeze no more!
• Place cauli in a  bowl and add all other crust ingredients. Mix well with your hands and form into a ball. Press into prepared tray.
• Sprinkle with olive oil and bake for 12 - 15 minutes until golden.

ADD TOPPINGS

Here is when you have a little fun - anything goes as long as it falls into the realm of "keto";

• Place tomato paste in a small bowel, add herbs, garlic, salt & pepper ( be careful, if you are adding salami and anchovies, you MAY not need any salt at all.)
• Spread onto partially cooked crust.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
•  Add toppings evenly (except for the rocket.)
• Bake for a further 15 minutes or so until crispy golden and delicious.
• Lets stand for approx 5 minutes. Add rocket leaves.
• Serve and enjoy