Foodie Recipe: Cauliflower Pizza Crust and Homemade Tomato Sauce

 

I have been wanting to make cauliflower pizza crust for as long as I could remember. The closest I ever got to making it was when I purchased cauliflower for faux tater tots, but even then I was too busy making soap and working two jobs to get around to that either. After making cashew cream last week, I think it gave me the needed confidence to make the cauliflower crust. I was inspired by this recipe. The only thing I tweaked initially was doubling the recipe. What I would tweak for the future is reducing the amount of water I used. The bake time was more like 45 minutes before getting a truly golden brown crust (but my crust was more than 1/4 inch thick). Also, I made two pizzas. My boyfriend's had real cheese and lots of it, and that seemed to work better in terms of holding the crust together and making it sturdy enough to pick up. So the key to a sturdier crust is using less water and lots of cheese. My instructions includes toppings prep and homemade tomato sauce. I know in reality most people don't have three hours or so to devote to prepping dinner, so feel free to buy store-bought sauce and precut veggies to cut the time.

Tools
Food processor
Pot
Cookie sheet (greased and/or with a silicone liner)
Blender (or simply used food processor)
Pan

Crust Ingredients: (prep 30 minutes, cook time up to 45 minutes)

1 Large head of Cauliflower

3/4 cup of almond flour

1 1/2 Tbsp Dried Oregano

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/2-1/4 cup water (1/2 cup for thicker crust, 1/4 cup for thinner crust)

Sea salt and pepper to taste

1. Set the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add chia seeds to water and put in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Chop up the cauliflower florets then run them in the food processor 2-5 minutes until grainy. Put the mixture in a bowl
4. Mix cauliflower with almond flour, dried oregano, and salt and pepper.
5. Add chia seed mixture to bowl and mix everything by hand. Form mixture into a ball and place in the center of a greased cookie sheet.
6. Use your hands to carefully flattened out into a circle, oval, or square. Add a little ridge around the edge if desired. Make into the thickness desired (if you used less water = thicker crust up to 1/4 in)
7. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown for thinner crust. Bake up to 45 minutes for a thicker crust.




   





Tomato Sauce: (prep time 5 minutes, cook times 10 minutes)

2-3 tomatoes (pureed in blender or food processor)
1/4 cup fresh oregano
2-6 cloves of fresh garlic
1/2 small onion
1 tb olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
1 cup+ of other pureed veggies if desired (I added broccoli and eggplant to maximize my veggies)

1. Put oregano, garlic, and onions in the food processor until minced.

Tomato sauce

2. Heat pan with olive oil and add oregano/garlic/onions mixture. Saute until translucent.
3. Carefully pour in tomato puree (and other pureed veggies if desired) and bring to a simmer. Simmer on low until sauce reduces at least by half (or until it thickens to desired consistency.
4. Add salt an pepper to taste.
5. Once the crust is done, spread layer of sauce onto crust.





Toppings (all thinly sliced in food processor; prep time 10 minutes, cook time up to 7 minutes)
1/2 cup of mushrooms
1 bell pepper
1/4 cup of red onions
1-2 oz vegan pepperoni
6-8 oz of vegan cheese (the more you use, the more it will stay together)

1. Turn on the oven's broiler.
2. After crust is completed, and tomato sauce is added, add a layer of cheese. Try to layer the cheese so that there are no gaps (the least amount of gaps results in a pizza that holds together better).
3. Layer the veggies and pepperoni, then top with more cheese.
4. Put pizza under the broiler 3-7 minutes until cheese is melted to your liking.
5. Cut and enjoy!











Please tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter if you make this recipe!


See our other recipes:

• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Pesto
• Food recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde
• Food recipe: DIY vegan protein powder
• Foodie Tip Cream of Coconut
• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Cream Sauce

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Marquita Bell is soaper-in-chief and the owner of The Body Buffet where foodie meets beauty. Based out of Philadelphia, The Body Buffet aims to cultivate beauty inside and out from foodie adventures, self-care tips, and via handmade artisan soap, shampoo bars, facial bars, laundry soap and more. They use local ingredients when possible and have aimed to make conditioning skin-loving, hair-loving, clothes-loving soap since 2009.

Foodie Recipe: Vegan Cream & Mushroom Pasta

For years I have been reading about how to make a cream sauce using cashews, but I just have never gotten around to trying it, mainly because I can make it using a plant-based milk with a little flour for thickening. Because my vegan friend was visiting me for dinner, I thought I would try a new recipe using cashews. True to my nature, I almost never follow a recipe exactly, so I adapted a recipe from Nadia the Good Food Cook. The results were impressive. I was able to achieve a very thick cream without needed flour or another thickener. And it was delicious (partly due to how much garlic I added). I loved it so much I had foodie day dreams about eating it right up to lunchtime today. Here is my not-so-precise recipe.

Tools

Food processor

Pot

Strainer

Knife

Cutting Board

Ingredients

Cream sauce:

8.5 oz can of cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours and drained (or boil 10-15 minutes)

4-10 cloves of garlic (10 cloves is really strong, so add however many to your preference)

1/2 Onion diced

1 tb Olive Oil

1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce (I used Teriyaki and it didn't have a sweet taste)

1/4 cup Almond Milk (or any other plant-based milk)

2 tb lemon juice

3/4 water

1/4 cup of fresh basil

1/2 of fresh, minced spinach (optional)

Pasta & Mushrooms:

8-oz whole wheat pasta

Four cups of water with 1 tb Salt

1 tb of salt

1.5 pounds white button mushrooms (thinly sliced)

1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Teriyaki Sauce
Additional salt + pepper to taste

Soaked cashews.

Directions

Cream sauce:

1. Saute 1/4 onion with 2-4 cloves of thinly sliced garlic in the olive oil just until softened.

2. Put mixture into food processor along with drained cashews. Add remaining garlic, almond milk, lemon juice, water, basil, and spinach and blend until you have a thick, pourable sauce. Add more almond milk if necessary.

Pasta:
1. Put four cups of water into pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add salt and pasta and cook to desired firmness.
3. Save 1/2 water from the pot and drain the rest of the water from the pasta using the strainer.

Mushrooms:

1. Saute mushrooms in olive oil until they shrink and turn brown.

2. Add teriyaki sauce. Add cream sauce to mushrooms. Add 1/2 cup of water from pasta and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

3. Pour sauce over cooked pasta. 

4. Enjoy!

Please let us know if you try this recipe. Tag us in pictures on social media.

See our other recipes:

• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Pesto
• Food recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde
• Food recipe: DIY vegan protein powder
• Foodie Tip Cream of Coconut

Marquita Bell is soaper-in-chief and the owner of The Body Buffet where foodie meets beauty. Based out of Philadelphia, The Body Buffet aims to cultivate beauty inside and out from foodie adventures, self-care tips, and via handmade artisan soap, shampoo bars, facial bars, laundry soap and more. They use local ingredients when possible and have aimed to make conditioning skin-loving, hair-loving, clothes-loving soap since 2009.

Foodie Recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde

Being from California, I love Mexican food and the side dishes, condiments, especially salsa because it is so incredibly easy to make. I personally prefer pico de gallo, chunky salsa with tomatoes, but tomatoes tend to give me heartburn; so the next best thing is salsa verde, made predominately from tomatillos, and actually requires less work in my opinion, and is harder to mess up. Here is my recipe. The numbers aren't exact, I mostly wing it to whatever way my tastebuds feel, so you can tweak as necessary. This last batch was a bit on the spicy side since I risked using two jalapeños. I encourage you to make and gauge, and adjust accordingly. I never actually looked up a recipe other than reading a jar of a store-bought brand (do you notice a trend here?). The hardest part might be finding tomatillos. Luckily I've never had that problem.

Equipment
Food processor or blender
Knife
Cutting Board
Colander
Cookie sheet (with silicone liner optional)
Oven
Container for salsa

Ingredients
Tomatillos (1.5 to 2 pounds)
Cilantro - 1/3 cup
Lime Juice (freshly squeezed 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
Onions (chopped 1/2 cup)
Jalapeños (optional 1-2 chopped)
Salt 1 tsp or more to taste
Pepper 1 tsp or more to taste


1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and discard.

2. Wash the tomatillos well, usually they have a waxy feeling.
3. Place tomatillos on a lined cookie sheet.



4. Bake on 450F 15-30 minutes or until slightly brown and softened. Be careful not to spill any juice as you remove them.



5. Roughly chop the onions, cilantro, and jalapeños and add to the food processor/blender.



6. Carefully pour the juices from the tomatillos and the tomatillos into the food processor/blender.

7. Add lime juice and salt and pepper.

8. Blend until completely liquified.  Add more salt and/or pepper to taste and blend again.



9. Pour into container and cool in the fridge.

10. Enjoy. I usually keep mine for 5-7 days (if it lasts that long)


See our other recipes:

• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Pesto
• Food recipe: DIY vegan protein powder
• Foodie Tip Cream of Coconut
• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Cream & Mushroom Pasta

Marquita Bell is soaper-in-chief and the owner of The BodyBuffet where foodie meets beauty. Based out of Philadelphia, The Body Buffet aims to cultivate beauty inside and out from foodie adventures, self-care tips, and via handmade artisan soap, shampoo bars, facial bars, laundry soap and more. They use local ingredients when possible and have aimed to make conditioning skin-loving, hair-loving, clothes-loving soap since 2009. 

Foodie Recipe: DIY Vegan Protein Powder

When I started eating more healthy food, I realized that I had an allergy to dairy. I had been making protein shakes up to twice a day and wanted to continue to do so. I purchased a couple of vegan protein powders that were horrible and a wonderful protein shake that was almost $40 for less than a two week supply. Since I already owned a dehydrator I decided to make my own powder. 

I saw on the tasty vegan protein label that two of the ingredients were soy and pea powders and that's where my formulation began. I went to my local market and purchased edamame, soy beans, as well as sweet peas and chick peas. I also purchased some whole flax seeds and oatmeal. I threw the soy beans, sweet peas, and chick peas into the dehydrator. Then I used my blended to make a powder along with the flaxseed and oatmeal. I made so much I ended up throwing half of it away. My first attempt was a bit gritty versus smooth, but it was sure better than paying almost $40 not to mention the added sweetener and other undesirable ingredients. 

A couple of weeks ago I tried again, this time with much more success. I made the soybeans, chick peas, and sweet peas into a paste first, then dehydrated it, which made for a finer powder. I also purchased flaxseed powder instead of whole flaxseeds to get a smoother powder. I threw in chia seeds to add more energy and thickness to the shake as well. The best part is I actually HATE peas and I'm not a big fan of edamame, yet I can down this, without the flavor/taste of those things. The powder goes well with almost any flavor you add to it, as it is almost tasteless to my taste buds. Best of all there is no added sugar and no preservatives. Because there aren't any preservatives you MUST make sure your mixture stays in a dry place away from humidity. Here is the recipe!

Equipment:

Food processor and/or blender

Dehydrator with insert trays (so the food doesn't fall through)

Spatula

Fork

Sealed container (for the finished powder)

Large mixing bowl

Large sifter

Ingredients:

Edamame - 16 oz - peeled and rinsed

Chick Peas - 8-15 oz - drained

Peas - 8-15 oz - drained

Oatmeal - 1-2 cups - powdered

Flaxseed Powder - 1-2 cups

Chia Seeds - 1 cup -powdered (optional)

1. Peel and rinse your edamame. Drain the sweet peas and chick peas. Put all three into a food processor. Mix until it becomes a smooth paste (similar to hummus). Don't worry if there are a couple of chunks here and there. Just try to get it as smooth as possible.

2. Use a spatula to smear the paste onto the dehydrator insert trays. Make sure the mixture is not more than a quarter inch thick (or else it will take forever to dry).  You will likely need 3 or more trays, depending on your measurements. Set the dehydrator to veggies setting (about 135F).

3. After the mixture has been drying four or more hours, use a fork to break up the pieces and flip them over to other side. Use your fingers if necessary.

4. The length of dehydration depends on a number of factors including the weather/environment etc. When the mixture has COMPLETELY dried (please note if you are not sure, wait until it has cooled back down to room temperature. It should be brittle and break apart easily), put the mixture into the food processor or blender. Make sure that the blender/processor is COMPLETELY dry. It is extremely important to keep moisture away to avoid mold and spoilage. Pour the mixture into a bowl.

5. Repeat step 4 with the oatmeal, then the chia powder.

6. Pour all of the powders along with the flaxseed powder into the same bowl. Mix well using a fork.

7. Use the sifter to make sure you don't have any unwanted chunks. Throw any chunks back into the blender and grind into powder.

8. Store in an airtight container. I usually store mine in a sealed ziplock inside of an airtight container. I had mine for over six months without any issue.

9. To use, simple use 1/4 cup (up to 1/3 cup) powder into the water/liquid of the smoothie you are making. I do not recommend putting the powder in the bottom of the blender before adding the liquid. I usually add a little over a cup of liquid with one frozen banana, peanut butter, and sometimes other fruit. I suggest using a teaspoon or less of cream of coconut if you want to add more sweetness.

If you try this recipe, be sure to tag us on Facebook. Instagram, and/or Twitter with the posted pics. :) What I love about this recipe is that you can control your calories, sugar, carbs, etc. Have fun with it. Next time I am going to add spinach and maybe even try kale. 

• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Pesto
• Food recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde
• Foodie Tip Cream of Coconut
• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Cream & Mushroom Pasta

Marquita Bell is soaper-in-chief and the owner of The Body Buffet where foodie meets beauty. Based out of Philadelphia, The Body Buffet aims to cultivate beauty inside and out from foodie adventures, self-care tips, and via handmade artisan soap, shampoo bars, facial bars, laundry soap and more. They use local ingredients when possible and have aimed to make conditioning skin-loving, hair-loving, clothes-loving soap since 2009. 

Foodie Tip: Cream of Coconut

Our slogan is “Where foodie meets beauty.” We have been lacking on our foodie emphasis. We will start bringing out the foodie in us (and you!) more often. YAY! Plus we need ways of channeling our foodie energy.

Recently we have started adding cream of coconut (NOT coconut cream) in our smoothies and we LOVE the results. Using a tablespoon or less in a smoothie gives it a light sweetened taste without being overbearing. 

Simply open a can, put it into a container and refrigerate when you want to create a smoothie. It is dairy-free and similar to condensed milk. I personally don’t like coconut-flavored anything, so the cream takes on whatever flavor the other ingredients has.

I know, looking at the list of ingredients is probably sketchy, but we found this to be a dirt cheap, satisfying way to get quick results without having to get powdered coconut milk, or trying to have a bunch of coconut milk on hand.

What is your favorite sweetener and/or dairy alternative?  

P.S. Stay tuned: we will share our homemade vegan smoothie powder recipe with you next week!

• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Pesto
• Food recipe: Homemade Salsa Verde
• Food recipe: DIY vegan protein powder
• Foodie Recipe: Vegan Cream & Mushroom Pasta

Marquita Bell is soaper-in-chief and the owner of The Body Buffet where foodie meets beauty. Based out of Philadelphia, The Body Buffet aims to cultivate beauty inside and out from foodie adventures, self-care tips, and via handmade artisan soap, shampoo bars, facial bars, laundry soap and more. They use local ingredients when possible and have aimed to make conditioning skin-loving, hair-loving, clothes-loving soap since 2009.