Cauliflower "Bread Sticks"

You know all those recipes out there for cauliflower crust "pizza" and "bread sticks?" They're purported to be great for people on Paleo or low-carb diets, and they're also gluten free. I'm here to tell you that I tried it, and it actually works. However, don't be fooled that they taste anything remotely like a bread product. They are more like a quiche that's been run over by a steamroller.

That said, they are pretty tasty, especially if you already like cauliflower, as I do.

I'd say if you were going to make a pizza crust, aim for multiple small pizzas. The larger the crust, the more likely the middle will be soggy and break off. The outer edges of my crust were lovely and sturdy, but the center was floppy. Had I topped it with anything other than cheese, it would have slid off onto my plate.

Cauliflower Breadsticks or Pizza Crust

1 medium head cauliflower
4 eggs
3 cups shredded cheese of your choice (divided use) (I used cheddar, Parm, and feta)
Seasonings of your choice (I used a teaspoon of Old Bay, plus some fresh thyme and basil)

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut the cauliflower into small florets and whiz into bits in a food processor. There should be about 4 cups of cauliflower bits. Put them in a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and nuke for ten minutes. Remove from microwave and allow to cool 10 minutes. Take off the plastic and add the eggs and 2 cups of cheese, stirring well to combine. Add seasonings and stir again. Taste for salt and add a pinch if you think it needs it.

Prepare two baking sheets with a parchment liner. Pat half the mixture onto each sheet, shaping it into one or more rectangles or circles about the thickness of a pizza crust. Bake for 25 minutes. For a crispier product, flip the crust and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with additional cheese, and bake again until cheese melts, about 5 more minutes.

Cut into sticks and serve with dipping sauce of your choice. Or top as if it were a pizza, with sauce, pepperoni, and more veg. Put back in the oven for a few more minutes to warm everything up and melt the cheese.

Serves 4-6



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Chocolate Nutter Butter Cookie Butter

The first person to toss cookies in a blender with cream or oil or condensed milk to produce a spread was an evil genius. As if cookies aren't fattening enough on their own, this was a way to infuse them with even more fat and calories and create a product that could possibly rival the pumpkin spice latte for popularity with the Uggs-wearing set.

It also happens to be delicious stuff.

As far as I can tell, cookie butter was originally made with speculoos, a traditional spiced Christmas cookie that is probably best known to Americans as the in-flight snack for Delta airlines. But any cookie will do, actually. Peanut butter lovers will enjoy this version of cookie butter made with Nutter Butter cookies. It's not as smooth as commercial cookie butter, but perhaps if you have a more heavy duty food processor than my Cuisinart, or maybe one of those fancy $700 blenders, you could whip yours to a less-coarse consistency. It's still tasty served on bread or eaten right off a spoon.

Chocolate Nutter Butter Cookie Butter
I think this is one of those recipes that works best by feel. Add as much of the sweetener, oil, and cream as you think you require. The cocoa is absolutely optional, but a nice touch.

1/2 pound of Nutter Butter cookies
Agave syrup
Vegetable oil
Heavy cream
Cocoa powder

Separate the two halves of each cookie and scrape the filling into a small bowl. Place the cookies in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Place the crumbs in a food processor and pulse until the crumbs are fairly fine. Add a tablespoon of the agave and pulse to combine. Add the veg oil a tablespoon or two at a time until the crumbs start to stick together and form a mass; 6-7 tablespoons should do it. Dribble in some heavy cream and pulse again until the mixture seems spreadable. Add a few tablespoons of the cocoa powder and continue pulsing until combined. When you stop blending, the mixture should visibly relax in the bowl.

Scrape into a lidded container and consume within a week. Keep refrigerated.



Posted on Minxeats.com.