How was everyone's weekend?
Mine was great. I spent Friday and Saturday in Philly doing promos for the upcoming pilot, Heroes of the Street.
It's about the lives of paramedics. Filming starts in December! I'm playing the paramedic, Autry Colbert.
So tonight, I made an especially delicious dinner.
A Cauliflower Flatbread with Mashed Butternut Squash, Pan Seared Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Grapes and Beets!
It's gluten and grain free, Specific Carb Diet friendly, and Paleo!
And suuuuuper delicious!
Here's what you need:
Crust:
1 cup cauliflower, riced
1/2 cup almond flour
1 whole egg (or 2 egg whites)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup butternut squash, roasted, then mashed
6 brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 beet, sliced thin
8 grapes
fresh basil, (garnish)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place your raw cauliflower in the food processor and process until it resembles rice.
Place your riced cauliflower in a paper towel, or cheese cloth and wring out all the excess water. Combine with your egg, almond flour and sea salt.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your batter on the baking sheet, and with another piece of parchment paper, "smoosh" out the batter until it is fairly thin, about 8 inches in diameter. Bake with the top paper on for about 20-25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
Line another baking sheet with tin foil and spray it with olive oil. Place your beets, butternut squash and grapes on the sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Meanwhile, pan sear your brussels sprouts by cooking them in 1 Tbsp EVOO in a frying pan with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat.
When your butternut squash comes out of the oven, mash it with either a fork or a potato masher.
To assemble, spread your mashed butternut squash in a thin layer over the crust. Sprinkle your sliced beets, quartered brussels sprouts, and roasted grapes on top. Garnish with chopped basil.
My goodness, what a delicious meal! I'll tell you what, nothing beats a good flatbread. Especially with these fantastic flavors!
First things first: THE CRUST. Oh my gosh, guys, this is the crust of dreams. :) You can't tell that there's cauliflower in it. It's just nutty and buttery, chewy and a little crunchy, and perfectly golden brown. It is the perfect canvas for the symphony of flavors going on in the toppings!
The subtly sweet and creamy butternut squash provides a great base for the earthy sweet beets and crunchy roasted Brussels sprouts.
And then the roasted grapes!! Holy cow. If you've never had roasted grapes before, consider this your personal invitation! Magic happens in the oven when you roast grapes: they become so sticky and chewy, and so intensely sweet. It's literally insane. Nature's candy. I'm not even kidding, I could eat an entire bowl of just these :) haha ((have I convinced you yet?))
And all together, these flavors were just so wonderful. In the spirit of tonight's Dancing with the Stars, it was a perfect 10!
I also made another version of this flatbread with sliced butternut squash rather than mashed.
As you can see, it also makes a beautiful presentation :)
Until next time!
