Cauliflower-Crust Pizza

adapted from sandyskitchenadventures.com

This recipe is amazing – it’s a new favorite of mine! My co-worker Cheryl Hoefler also gave it a try and liked it – judging from the picture, her pizza looks mouth-watering! I first heard about cauliflower-crust pizza about two years ago, and it didn’t appeal to me then, but I gave it a try a couple weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t taste like cauliflower and the texture is great. Is it a New York-style crust? No, but if you’d like a healthier, low-carb, low-fat option, it’s a winner! By the way, I doubled the recipe and made four pizza crusts, one round and three rectangular.

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 C. grated raw cauliflower (about 1/2 a head of cauliflower)
1/4 C. egg whites, from two eggs, beaten slightly
1/2 C. reduced-fat shredded cheese
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. basil
Toppings:
1/4-1/2 C. reduced fat Mozzarella cheese
1/2 C. Italian diced tomatoes, canned
or use pizza sauce, if desired
Add other favorite toppings

Directions:
Measure out 1/2 C. diced tomatoes and puree in blender or chopper, just pulse for a few seconds. Set aside. Your favorite pizza sauce could be used in place of the diced tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine grated cauliflower, egg whites, cheese, garlic powder and basil until mixed thoroughly. Spoon mixture on prepared pan to make two rectangular pizza crusts, or make two round pizza crusts, one at a time.
Make the pizzas on the small side so they bake through, about 5x8 inches for rectangular shapes and 9” for the round pizzas.
Use the back of a spoon to thin out mixture (or your hands) to make the shape, about a 1/4-inch thick or less – the thinner the crust, the less chance it will be soggy.
Bake for 25 minutes then carefully flip the pizza crust – use a spatula to lift all edges of the crust off the parchment first. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until edges are really brown and crisp. Even if they are a little burnt around the edges, it won’t taste burnt. Allow crusts to cool.
Add tomato sauce and cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Pizza crusts can be made ahead of time, without toppings, cooled and stored in the freezer in gallon-sized Zip-Lock bags. Then bake as you would a normal store-bought pizza: top with sauce and toppings, then bake for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees or until cheese is melted.
The recipe can be doubled for 4-5 pizza crusts, then store extras in the freezer for later!
Angel’s Tip: The original recipe calls for reduced-fat three cheese Mexican blend – this was not available at the store I was shopping at but I found a similar taco blend gave a nice flavor to the crust. Cheryl used a mixture of Mozzarella, Swiss and cheddar for her crust, so be creative with what you have! ... If you get busy and let the mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours, you’ll notice liquid in the bottom of the mixing bowl. If this happens, drain as much liquid as possible and make the crusts.

Homemade Yogurt

This yogurt is delicious, creamy and easy to make. Also, worth it!


All you need to make this is a gallon jug of milk, a cup of yogurt and some sugar and vanilla! Supplies needed include a candy thermometer, quart-size jars plus one pint, and a cooler (such as Coleman or Igloo), then you're set!
This recipe comes from Rachel Carpenter of John Day – thank you! She found this online, adapted from Frugal Girl.
I never thought of making fresh yogurt, but after watching Rachel make this a couple weeks ago, I realize that it is totally do-able. It tastes fantastic with a bit of strawberry freezer jam and granola, or even a bit of brown sugar. Blueberries would be another nice topping – the possibilities are endless!

For any questions, please email me at angel@bmeagle.com.

Ingredients:

1 gallon of milk, whole or 1-2 percent (see tip below)
1 C. yogurt starter (can use a cup of plain yogurt such as Dannon or Yoplait, with yogurt cultures, or you can use a cup from your previous batch of homemade yogurt)
1/2-1 C. sugar (or Agave nectar, if you prefer)
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place four quart-size glass jars, four lids, and four screw-tops in a large pot. Fill with an inch of water; cover with lid and heat to boiling. Boil ten minutes. Leave the lid on the pot and move it off the heat until you are ready to use the jars.

Pour one gallon of whole milk into a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Over medium heat, warm the milk to 190 degrees F. Make sure to do this slowly, you don’t want the milk to scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Place the pot in a sink filled with cold water and let the milk cool to 120 degrees F. While the milk is cooling, stir in the sugar or agave and vanilla. Once the milk has reached 120 degrees F, stir in the cup of yogurt starter using a whisk. Stir well to ensure that the starter is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.

Pour the milk into jars and put the lids and bands on. Place them in a cooler (such as an Igloo or Coleman cooler).

Shut the cooler lid and leave in a warm place for six hours (don’t open the cooler lid). When the six hours are up, place the yogurt in the refrigerator.

Angel's tip: If you go with a 1- or 2-percent milk the consistency will be a bit runnier than yogurt from the store. I tried the yogurt made with 1 percent and thought it tasted wonderful!

Sandi's McDonald's-Style Asian Salad

I’ve been on the hunt for healthy salads for the new year. My co-worker Sandi Gubel shared her version of McDonald’s Asian Salad. She suggests that if you'd like to make it a heartier meal add orange-glazed chicken. I’m leaving the measured amounts of ingredients up to you chefs - so customize to your heart’s content! I love this combination!


Ingredients:
spinach
cucumbers
snow peas
orange pieces, or mandarin oranges
sliced almonds, toasted if you like
Asian salad dressing

Note: McDonald’s adds Newman’s Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger dressing – if that brand is not available, try using another brand such as Kraft.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

My co-worker Cheryl Hoefler suggested this recipe she adapted from www.AllRecipes.com. The burritos have a lot of pluses: easy to make, healthy and taste good. I made them at home, but pared down the recipe, as only me and one of my sons like sweet potatoes. It did turn out great, with the sweet potatoes adding a subtle sweetness to the burritos.
This recipe could make more than 12 servings, depending on the size of tortillas used.
The only thing missing from my picture above is some salsa! I would definitely try these again.
Thank you for the suggestion Cheryl!!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 C. canned kidney beans, drained
2 C. water, or less
3 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
4 tsp. prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
4 C. cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
optional, serve with sour cream and salsa
Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3.Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Angel's tip: I used black beans with mine which were delicious!


Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 503 | Total Fat: 8.4g | Cholesterol: 20mg