Is this the question? As someone who went gluten-free over 16 months ago, one of the biggest adjustments was bread! It seemed more often than not gluten-free bread was an oxymoron. Replacement ideas seemed to lack that texture thing. When it came to alternative ideas like using veggies for pizza crust, I couldn’t even bring myself to give it a try. Cauliflower? You’ve got to be kidding!
Well here I am literally eating my words! Cauliflower, that’s right, cauliflower has become my go-to veggie for a healthy bread replacement. When I finally decided to give it a try (did I mention my stubbornness?) it was to make faux bread sticks. I reasoned this would be a path to missing a decent pizza crust alternative.
Ricing cauliflower has been used as a substitution for white rice in many recipes; and I have used it for fried rice with great success. It has proven to be a great idea for lowering your carbs in your diet. You can even find it at Trader Joe’s in the produce section ready made (for those of you without a food processor). The leap for using it as a bread substitute became an aha moment. I wasn’t completely sure, but now I’m completely sold! I gave it to some foodie friends to try without mentioning the absence of bread and they absolutely loved it. When I told them it wasn’t bread at all but cauliflower, they were amazed.
CAULI-BREADSTICKS
Ready for the oven
1 small cauliflower, flowerettes separated
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons fresh parley, chopped
1 jar prepared marinara sauce
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (this will prevent it from sticking) and set aside.
Place cauliflower flowerettes in food processor bowel and pulse until finely ground and it looks like rice. Place cauli-rice in non-reactive bowl covered with saran wrap and microwave for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
To this add your oregano, salt, pepper, beaten eggs and 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella and mix thoroughly. Pour onto parchment paper and shape into oval using your fingers.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Bake additional 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Cut into “sticks” using pizza cutter; serve with marinara sauce on the side.
Fresh from the oven
“Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love truth.” ― Joseph Joubert
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