My Version Of Many Folks’ Cauliflower Crusted Pizza

(Makes two pizzas)

Adapted from Your Lighter Side, Eat.Drink.Smile. and Recipe Girl

Crust:

1 cauliflower

2 eggs

2 cups of shredded mozzarella (a bit less than 8 oz.)

½ tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. oregano

1 tbl. chili powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

My Toppings (Use any others you want):

2 chicken sausages, halved lengthwise and sliced

¾ cup tomato sauce

¾ cup fig jam

1 tbl. olive oil

1 red onion

10 oz. mushrooms slices

½ red pepper

1/2 tsp. Kosher salt

About 8 oz. mozzarella, shredded

Optional:

Chopped anchovies, sliced olives…go wild

Cover two large baking sheets with foil. Coat them with nonstick spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 450° F.

For crust, cut the core out of the cauliflower and discard. Cut the remaining cauliflower into even-sized 2 inch pieces. In batches, pulse in food processor fitted with metal blade until chopped finely. (The pieces ARE bigger than rice grains, but still fairly fine.) Measure out 3 cups. Cover and refrigerate the extra for another time.

Place the 3 cups of “riced” cauliflower over boiling water. Steam, uncovered, for 8 minutes. Spread cauliflower out onto dinner plate to cool.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork until mixed. Stir in remaining crust ingredients. Place half the crust mixture on each baking sheet. Pat out crust as thinly as you can in any shape you like. I usually make oval pizzas. Make sure the edges are nicely done and even. Don’t fan them out too thinly. Bake in preheated 450° F oven for 15 minutes. Remove. (I left mine for an hour before topping them.)

For the topping, in a small sauté pan, cook the chicken sausage until browned and crispy on one side. Stir well and cook for another 3 minutes on medium heat. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan. Add onion and cook for 4 minutes. It doesn’t have to be completely softened. Add red pepper slices and cook for another 2 minutes. Push those to the side and add the mushrooms. Cook on medium high heat, without stirring, until the mushrooms begin to brown on the bottom. Then mix all the vegetable AND the sautéed chicken sausage together; add a ½ teaspoon of Kosher salt and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes or until things are looking the way you want them to.

Spread the tomato sauce on one pizza and the fig jam on the other. Top each pizza with half the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle over half the cheese on each one and any other toppings you like.

One at a time, broil each pizza on the top rack for one minute. THEN WATCH CAREFULLY until the cheese is just starting to brown (not char.) Cut with a pizza cutter and eat with a fork.