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I was on a two year blogging hiatus and never quite explained why. After sharing so much of my life prior to my break, people emailed me to inquire what was up when I stopped blogging all together.
I sometimes don’t know how much of myself to share on this platform, but I believe in order to connect with an audience, it is essential to share a part of yourself. And so, without further ado, I’ll start sharing a piece of me.
Early 2014 marked the end of my 5 year marriage to my best-friend. While getting a divorce was the toughest and saddest decision I ever made, I also knew I no longer wanted to live a life of regret, but rather one of hope. Lucky for me, our separation was amicable.
I spent the following two years scared, trying to figure myself out, learning to live by myself and enjoy my own company. I tried to figure out what happiness meant for me, and what I wanted out of life to make myself happy. It wasn’t easy, but I finally learned to be on my own, and as a result it made me a much stronger person.
Now that I am in a better and more healthy place, I feel hopeful about the future and look forward to greener pastures as I rediscover my love for cooking and baking. I believe in some ways cooking and baking led me to heal because I focused my energy on something that brought me joy. 
On that note, I want to share with you the Crispy Cauliflower Pizza I recently made. So far I’ve made this pizza three times, and the second time I finally managed to get the crust crispy – the key is to bake it longer. By no means does this Cauliflower Pizza taste like good ol’ New York pizza (I’m biased), but it’s a good choice for those of you seeking a low-carb option.
Enjoy, and thanks for listening, reading!
Crispy Cauliflower Pizza
INGREDIENTS
for the crust
- 16 ounces riced cauliflower, I like Trader Joe's, microwave and squeeze out moisture
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp red crushed pepper
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste, don’t use a lot since the cheese and sauce have a lot of salt
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 egg
for toppings
- 1/2 cup Rao’s Marinara Sauce, you may need more.
- 1/2 cup mozarella cheese, more or less.
- fresh basil to taste, julienne
- dried oregano to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- I used Trader Joe's Cauliflower Rice.
- Dump the cauliflower rice into a big bowl. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooling, preheat the oven at 450 degrees.
- Once the cauliflower is cool, transfer the cauliflower to a kitchen cloth and squeeze out all the moisture. You may have to do this in 3 batches.
- This is what you should have.
- Add all the spices (oregano, Italian seasoning, garlic, red crushed pepper, black peper and salt) and parmesan.
- Add egg. Mix well until all the ingredients are well-combined.
- Lightly coat a 10" cast-iron skillet with Olive Oil spray. Add the cauliflower to the cast-iron skillet. Spread and pat down the cauliflower.
- Into the oven for 30 minutes.
- Crust is ready. See it's crispy!
- Once done, add your favorite past sauce (I love Rao's Marinara) to the cauliflower crust. Don't overdo it.
- Top with mozzarella cheese.
- And now fresh basil.
- Into the oven. Broil for 3-4 minutes - watch this so the pizza doesn't burn.
- Done! You can eat the pizza right away, or wait about 5 minutes and then serve.
- You should be able to hold a slice of pizza up once it's slightly cool. 🙂
Nutrition
It was great to read this post – I definitely think you’ve become stronger and have grown and evolved so much. So great that you know what your passion is, cooking, and that it has helped you throughout the past couple of years. The pizza looks great – I tried making a cauliflower pizza a few times but that recipe required mixing mozzarella cheese into the crust and it was a bit too much cheese so I’m looking forward to trying the recipe you created here.
Thanks Mari for your kind words. I appreciate it. Yeah, I think adding mozzarella to the crust would make the crust too creamy, I think what I was looking for is crispy, and Paremsan cheese can help achieve that. You can also go cheeseless on top if you’d like if you use a good sauce. 🙂
im so happy to see you back dear friend..and i was waiting for you to share this. thank you, i will be trying it soon 🙂
Thanks Dixya. It took a while I know, I guess it happens when you feel ready to share. Hope you try this. Thanks!!
I saw this on your instagram stories, it look so good!! I’m going to pin it to try later
Yeah, I did a step-by-step on Instastories. Hope you try it. The sauce makes a whole lot of difference. 🙂
Great recipe and I do relate to your story. Blogging and cooking for me was a part of my healing process as well and I so understand where you are coming from. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for telling me that.. I’m going to check out your blog now. I find myself drawn to people who have had similar experiences. Thank you.
Good post. Life is challenging at times, isn’t it? That must have been a tough experience, but one you probably had to go through in order to move forward. Anyway, what a neat dish! Super way to enjoy pizza — thanks.
Yes it sure is. Thanks.. the pizza is at least low-carb so yeah, it is a super great way to enjoy pizza without the carbs at home.
It’s very brave of you to share your story . I’m happy that cooking and your blog brings you purpose and joy . It has been a wonderful experience to be on your blog journey . By the way , I love your recipe can’t wait to try it
Thanks Jhiane. That’s very sweet of you to say. Hope you try this recipe, a little time-consuming but worth it.
Hey Nish,
I knew that was the reason for you to take a break 🙁 I felt it. I know it takes so much guts to share your story. That proves, you are way too strong. Besides, you picked the perfect month to share it. Women’s day month.
I am really glad, you are finding your grove back!
My cooking drastically improved cos of you. Pastas and sandwiches became my strength. As I always say, I am a (textbook) lazy cook so I tweak your recipes a lot and find sort cuts to make them. Yet, they taste so good. I spend less time now in the kitchen. Thank you.
Much love from far East
We must have telepathy. 🙂 Thank you for saying that and pointing that out, sharing my story in March wasn’t intentional. So glad your cooking has improved, I need to expand my horizons now since Indian food comes easily to me, other cuisines do not. Thanks Munzi. Appreciate your sweet comment.
Thanks for sharing this recipe and your story! Glad you are came out stronger! I got the cauliflower rice from Trader Joes and didn’t know what to do with it – glad I found this!
Thanks Priya. Cauliflower Pizza and Cauliflower Fried Rice are my 2 go-to recipes when I have cauliflower rice on hand. 🙂