I’m having to learn a very difficult practice, and that is balancing my own diet and weight goals versus those of the rest of my household. It has now been four months since my twins were born and I can proudly say that I’ve returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. In part this has a lot to do with the fact that I’m still nursing my babies, but also because I’ve been very mindful about what I eat, how I eat it, and when I eat. Christopher and I agreed that we would eat our heaviest meals at mid day, giving our bodies a chance to properly digest our food. Then, we will eat a light meal for dinner, making sure we are not eating past 7 p.m. We know that the later, and heavier, we eat, that the more difficult it is on our digestive systems and our waist lines. I also make sure to not have any carbs for breakfast or dinner.

While setting all these boundaries has helped tremendously, I’ve been careful to not deprive myself of something that I may really want. Pastries? Carbs? Sure, in moderation. I’m very careful about enjoying my creations for the blog while not over-indulging. This is of course easier said than done, and there are days where my plan is completely thrown off. But I make sure not to beat myself up about any of it and I just start over the next day.

I’ve made different versions of this low-carb pizza quite a few times. I actually developed a mini cauliflower pizza recipe for Hidden Valley earlier this year (also very yummy and low carb… check it out!), and since then this has been in rotation on the family meals menu.

For the crust, the key is to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. This will ensure it holds together nicely. I used cheese cloth because it’s very porous and allows a lot of water to be squeezed out. Then, for the toppings, don’t overthink the measurements. It’s pizza! Put as much or as little of every ingredients as you’d like (or that you have available). Serve this with a side salad and everyone should be left feeling pretty satisfied.

Mini Cauliflower Taco Pizzas

Serves: 4
Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For Crust:
1 head cauliflower, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten

For Toppings:
1/4 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded cheese blend (e.g. taco or Mexican blend)
1/3 cup black olives
3 stalks green onions
1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup veggie grounds or taco meat
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lettuce, chopped
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven.
2. Place chopped cauliflower in a food processor, and pulse until finely ground (may need to pulse in batches to ensure cauliflower is evenly ground).
3. Transfer riced cauliflower to microwave safe bowl and heat in microwave for 3 minutes. Place cauliflower onto a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth, and squeeze as much liquid from the cauliflower as possible.
4. Combine cauliflower and remaining crust ingredients in a large bowl until well incorporated. Mixture should hold together when pinched.
5. Place parchment paper on a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet, and spray liberally with cooking oil. Divide cauliflower into four 3-inch wide circles on parchment paper, then carefully slide the paper onto the preheated pizza stone (or baking sheet). Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crust is barely golden and darker around the edges.
6. Meanwhile, saute taco meat, olive oil and taco seasoning in a skillet over medium heat.
7. Once cauliflower crust is done, remove from oven and top with sauce, cheese, olives, onions, tomatoes and veggie grounds. Put pizzas back in the oven for 6-8 minutes until cheese is melted.
8. Remove from oven and top with a dollop of sour cream, lettuce and cilantro.

 

Notes