We know eating right is important, but is a life without pizza a life worth living? We're not sure. Luckily, there's a way to eat comfort foods like pizza and tater tots without ingesting massive amounts of carbohydrates. This alternative won't leave you feeling like a blob on the couch after dinner.
The magic ingredient? Cauliflower. You might have heard about cauliflower-crust pizza, but did you know you can make cauliflower tater tots, cauliflower mashed "potatoes," cauliflower rice and cauliflower grilled cheese sandwiches?
We'll show you how. Admittedly, the pizza and grilled cheese options should still be qualified as a treat, because the flowing, oozing, wonderful cheese that they contain means that they can't be called health food. However, it's a low-carb veggie alternative, so you can eat it without guilt every once in awhile.
Some of these recipes instruct you to "rice" the cauliflower. This means "to run through a ricer," which is essentially an old-timey blender. A food processor is the best way to do it nowadays, and if you don't have one, a box grater will work just as well.
Cauliflower-Crust Pizza. This is the ultimate cauliflower-crust recipe. It makes for a thin, crispy but soft pizza crust. It's not doughy and fluffy like bread - we're not magicians here - but it'll be a delicious vehicle for sauce, cheese and other toppings.
Cauliflower Tots. These baked, veggie-based tots taste very close to the real thing, but they're a million times healthier. They're baked instead of deep-fried, and they're made of cauliflower instead of starchy potato.
Cauliflower Grilled Cheese. These follow a similar process to the cauliflower-crust pizza, but the dough is shaped into "bread" squares and left a little thicker. It'll hold lots and lots of oozing cheese, just like a good grilled cheese should.
Cauliflower Rice. This makes for a carb-free, super low-calorie side dish for anything you'd normally accompany with rice. Meatballs, stir fry, curry - it'll work with everything but sushi.
Cauliflower Garlic Herb Mash. Just like creamy mashed potatoes but without the guilt. Herby, garlicky, creamy and comforting. Serve it with a steak or a salad or both.
