Gluten-Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust

if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know i have been making my way back towards clean eating. i have been making an effort to eat real food, not our of a package and less processed carbs.

that means no sugar or white flour. i have actually been cutting way back on whole wheat too. in fact i did 30 days of completely clean eating. 100% free of sugar, flour, dairy, and alcohol. it wasn't nearly as hard as i thought it would be and truthfully, besides losing five pounds, another positive side affect was feeling great and greatly reducing my migraines!

one thing i realized i could never 100% give up is wine, cheese, and chocolate. i knew that going in but after 30 days, i was sure. other than that, i could give up most carbs. chips, bread, pasta, rice . . . surprisingly, i didn't really miss them. i did miss pizza though.

i have seen this absolutely crazy and purely absurd recipe around pinterest recently for a carb free pizza dough - made out of cauliflower. eople swear up and down its good - and no one knew it was cauliflower. i know, crazy, right?!? no way it doesn't taste like cauliflower!

i actually happen to like cauliflower, but i thought no way would it be the same dough-like consistency. hand over my heart, it was. it was good. it held up like pizza crust. i could pick it up like a piece of pizza. the edges even got crispy like pizza crust. it must be some sort of miracle. even my husband liked it. (i didn't tell him what it was. he hates when i do that. i hope he doesn't hate me now because he is probably reading this. sorry babe. you didn't ask, so i didn't say. i hope you forgive me!)

let me say, i fully understand if you don't believe me. heck i didn't believe anyone either. i fully intended to throw the pizza away after one bite but i loved it and have even made it again since.

i only ask one thing, try it. i'm seriously so glad i did. just try it. if you hate it, you never have to make it again. on the other hand - if, like me, you happen to like it just think about it - guilt-free pizza!

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Cauliflower Pizza Dough

1 head of raw cauliflower (you won't use it all but you can freeze it for the next time a pizza craving strikes)
1 cup shredded parmesan
1 egg
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp mrs. dash garlic and herb
pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings

remove stem from head of cauliflower and cut off florets. place in food processor and pulse until it looks like rice or grain. (do not puree!) place 1 cup of riced cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cook on high 2-3 minutes. remove and let cool. (you can cook all the cauliflower and freeze it in 1 cup portions for the next time you make pizza.)

preheat oven to 450 degrees F. line a cookie sheet with foil and spray well with cooking spray.

in a medium bowl combine 1 cup cooked cauliflower with parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, and mrs. dash. transfer mixture to cookie sheet and pat into a large, thin, round. make sure it is pressed together well. it should be about 1/4" thick. bake for about 15 minutes but keep an eye on it. you want it to be browned all over and the edges to be really brown. let it cool for at least 15 minutes (this helps it become more solid).

peel back foil from crust and then place the crust on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. top with sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings and bake just until cheese is bubbly (4-5 minutes).