Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Broccoli Pesto Flatbread w/ Cauliflower Crust! GF, SCD & Paleo w/ BED & Vegan Opt'ns!

Hey Happy Tummies!

Pssst....I have a secret: Guess what........IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!! 

Just a quick post tonight because I'm on my way out to meet some friends:)

So, just a little house keeping: I've been asked about whether I'm on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, and the answer is a big whopping YES! You can find me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/glutenfreehappytummy, on twitter @GFreeHappyTummy, and Pinterest at GFreeHappyTummy! Hope that helps!






So for my last meal in Cincinnati, I made one of my favorite staples: a CAULIFLOWER CRUST FLATBREAD!!!




And this beauty had a green pea and broccoli pesto cream sauce with sautéed peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. It was fabulous.

There's something so satisfying about a flatbread. It's filling, and nice and "bready" -- without actually having bread!




And it's Gluten Free, Specific Carb Diet and Body Ecology Diet friendly and Paleo, with a Vegan option!

Here's what you need:


Crust:
2 cups raw cauliflower
1/4 cup almond flour
2 egg whites (vegan option: 2 flax/chia eggs)
Pinch of salt and pepper

Cream sauce:
1 cup frozen broccoli
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup packed fresh basil (1 small package)
1 garlic clove
3 Tbsp pine nuts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper

Toppings:
1/2 red pepper or yellow pepper ( or both!) -cut into note sized pieces
1/2 zucchini, cut into half moons
6 grape tomatoes, halved (BED omit)

Garnish
Fresh basil, chopped




Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place raw cauliflower into your food processor. Process until it resembles rice. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel, or several paper towels. Then, wring out as much water as you can from the riced cauliflower. This is a really important step! Place your dry cauliflower rice into a small mixing bowl. Combine with the remaining crust ingredients.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your batter (it will be rather wet) on the parchment. With another sheet of parchment, "smoosh" out the batter into a pizza shape. Don't make it too thin-about 10 inches in diameter. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the edges turn a dark golden brown.





Meanwhile steam your broccoli and peas either on the stove or in the microwave. I used the microwave.

In your food processor, place all the cream sauce ingredients and process until it is smooth and creamy. You'll need to scrape the sides several times.






Also, sauté your zucchini and peppers in 1 tsp EVOO, salt, pepper, and a dash of dried oregano and basil.

To assemble: top your crust with 1/2 of the broccoli cream sauce. (The leftover cream sauce is a great dip or sandwich spread! I ate it with some of the extra peppers!) Arrange the peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes artfully on top. Garnish with fresh basil.




My goodness was this ever a treat! The first thing that you notice about this dish is how beautiful it is!! There are so many wonderful colors that just pop off the plate! Red, yellow, different shades of green -- truly stunning.



And then the flavor was so robust! The broccoli pesto cream was so luxurious and fresh from the basil! It was the most wonderful compliment to the juicy tomatoes and sweet peppers.




And the crust! Holy cow! It's so hard to believe that there's CAULIFLOWER in it!! You cannot taste it AT ALL! It's just chewy, crunchy on the edges, nutty, and the perfect vehicle for this tasty dish!

I've gotta say -- I passed around my plate so my family could all have a bite, and they were blown away! They loved it:)

Who says a gluten/grain free gal can't have pizza?!?

What's your favorite pizza/flatbread topping?


Want more GFHT?  You can now get my e-cookbook, The Best of GlutenFreeHappyTummy for only $2.99 on Amazon!

6 comments:

  1. This looks delicious Caralyn, the sauce looks wonderful! A very, very belated Happy Birthday! Hope you had a wonderful day xo

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    1. Thank you Vicky! I appreciate that:) so glad you stopped by! Have a great day!

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  2. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I hope you had an amazing day and a fun time with your friends! You know I'm a huge fan of your cauliflower creations and this is no exception. This looks so beautiful, vibrant and delicious! The tomatoes look so fresh and amazing! There is nothing better than a perfectly ripe tomato in the summer :)

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    1. Thank you so much Sarah! Yeah, it was a a great day:) and thanks! Yeah, cauliflower is my favorite ingredient! Haha thanks for stopping by! Enjoy your afternoon!

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  3. What an interesting flatbread crust...have you tried making one with flax seeds? I love the fact that it is gluten-free. I am starting to learn a few gluten-free tips, even though I have been vegan for several years....it's always nice to try something different. And happy belated!

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    1. Thank you Rika! I hear ya there--it's always nice to change things up and Ty something new every now and then:) I've made this with flax a while ago- it doesn't become quite as crispy --more chewy. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

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