The Rise Of Cauliflower Crust Pizza

It slowly crept into our lives , shaking up our culinary world. Some embraced it. Others were wary. What is this phenomenon? Cauliflower crust pizza. Once an outsider, now it's a big part of home cooking. What's the deal with it and why are so many embracing it?

Cauliflower pizza surprisingly is nothing new. It's been around since 2009, and its' invention was credited to the founder of the blog Your Lighter Side. A quick look at this blog and it's still has all sorts of cauliflower based recipes, including cauliflower pizza sticks and garlic roasted cauliflower. The recipe even made it to The Today Show. The idea was a hit with everyone, especially pizza lovers who wanted to have something light but with the same flavor.  Now everyone and every store seems to have a version from Trader Joe's and Stop & Shop. Even the glam mall pizzeria, California Pizza Kitchen has their version where it's topped with caramelized onions and fresh tomatoes. There's even a Los Angeles Skinny Bitch Pizzas that will deliver them. From their inception and first pictures on Pinterest, cauliflower pizza has become the star of the foodie universe. It's a great idea. A gluten free low carb pizza that still offers the great flavor and toppings. Who wouldn't love it?

The pies are all over, even creating entrepreneurs out of ordinary people. Gail Becker, a working mother of two boys decided to try the recipe at home. It seemed perfect for her, because she suffered from celiac disease and was looking for an alternative. The problem was its that the recipe is labor intensive. It takes ninety minutes to rice, drain and bake the cauliflower. There had to be an easier and better way. No such luck. Ms. Becker scoured every supermarket in her area. Not finding any she create her own frozen crust that combines tapioca and almond flour with the cauliflower and coconut oil. Caulipower was born, The company, a big success, now offers eight (!) different kinds of pizzas. She also used the cauliflower crust on chicken to create a new kind of tenders. Other companies, namely Green Giant have followed suit. The crust is an easy bake - only sixteen minutes in the oven , then it's taken out , topped and put back in. Does it beat regular pizza? That depends on the pie. Nothing can beat Blaze Pizza, yet there are others it can surpass.

Cauliflower pizza is here to stay and it will ride out any trends. People like it and have embraced it's veggie flavor and crispy crust. It's a nice alternative to the traditional pie.

Your Own Favorite Restaurant

People are even getting paranoid and understandably so about eating out. Yet, for many it's the highlight of the week or month. The food is tasty and fun. However you don't have to eat out. There are recipes for some of our favorite restaurant and fast food dishes. Why go out when you can bring the eatery to you.

Fast food is always a hit. Who doesn't love a burger with the works or a filled burrito? Yet you can easily make these at home. It's so easy to recreate the special sauce. It's just mayo with a dab of French dressing along with white vinegar and granulated sugar.This can be made healthier with using the vegan Nayonnaise and dark wildflower honey. Add sliced tomatoes , pickles and lettuce on a bun for the full effect. As for fries and onion rings use your air fryer.  You could get the bagged , frozen kinds but you can also buy already freshly cut crinkle potato and sweet potato fries.. Liven it up with some ground garlic and rosemary. Homemade onion rings are another easy make, thanks to panko bread crumbs and an egg wash. Love Taco Bell? Their bean burritos are so easy to whip up - as I know. It's easy to cook up kidney beans and chopped onions in a mix of vegetable and olive oil.Red wine vinegar gives it tang while chili pepper and cumin add flavor. Serve it on steamed tortillas. Have a side of melted nacho cheese  - basically a jalapeno cheese sauce. It's creating a roux of milk and flour and then adding chopped cheddar and butter. Diced jalapenos are then stirred in for fire.

Pizza and pizza sticks are always easy to recreate.The dough is a simple recipe of flour, water and yeast, along with olive oil, a touch of sugar or honey and salt for flavor. Top with already made pizza sauce also used for dipping with the pizza sticks  and a variety of veggies and meats. It's a fun way to teach the kids how to bake as well as create breads. Making a pizza can also be a great method of teaching nutrition and which is the best and healthiest to eat. Kids can learn about using vegan mozzarella and what veggies are the most nutritious and the tastiest for finishing a pizza. Another Italian classic that's always a take out is the hero. Yet these are so much fun to make at home.Take a good Italian or French bread, cut in half, and add slices of your favorite meats , cheeses and veggies.What really makes any hero sing is the dressing.it's just a mix of olive oil and red wine vinegar with a dash of oregano. So many chain restaurants have loaded potato skins.It's baking Russet potatoes and then scooping out the flesh so that there's a quarter of potato left inside. Then you can fill  them with anything you want, from bacon to pulled pork or shredded roasted chicken with taco spicing. You could also try topping them with  pizza sauce and mozzarella for a different spin.

Eat in if you have qualms about eating out. It's easy to recreate favorite recipes at home. You might even improve on them.