My love affair with anything fastfood & greasy & potato-ey & sweet is the bane of my low carb lifestyle. Since starting low carb, sometimes I would bite a tip of my kids pizza (naughty!) or nibble a bit of fries, stop myself and then chew on a broccoli.. argh! Get the picture?!
We have pizza day once a fortnight. We’ll order 3 value pizzas at Domino’s after our grocery shop and have that for lunch. If you read my last post, you’ll know I do a week’s worth of meal prep on a Sunday & this lunch treat helps keep my stress level down.
I still want to keep to our family pizza tradition but fit it to our new lifestyle. My solution.. make the pizza low carb! Yes!!!!
I found lots of low carb versions of pizza crust using fathead dough & cauliflower crust, you might have seen & tried some too. But in this recipe, I used broccoli for several reasons..
- aesthetic appeal Ooh green crust! Cool!
- substitution It’s most similar to cauliflower
- economical Thats what I have left in the fridge (cauliflower was used for our cauli-rice)
When I made the crust, I added psyllium husk powder as I find the dough too wet & sticky. It absorbed most of the liquid so the dough was much easier to handle.
I pre-baked my broccoli crust in a small roasting dish lined with baking paper. I just spread the dough up to the edges & presssed so its even & flat.
Once cooked & cooled a bit, I transferred it onto a baking sheet, added the toppings & baked it until the cheese melted.
Just a piece of advise, if you find sudden cravings for your comfort food, have a teeny, tiny nibble (for me personally, it satisfies my craving & it goes away) and don’t feel guilty about it. Then make a low carb version of it so you can enjoy it wholeheartedly minus the guilt. I hope that helps.
What other toppings do you add on your pizza? I would love to hear ideas from you. If you have any other questions, tips or suggestions leave a comment below or send me an email & I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Have a great day & enjoy a slice!
For the Broccoli Crust:
1 broccoli head (150-200 grams)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder
1 large egg
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Grate broccoli head into grainy bits. If you’re using food processor, cut into small florets before processing.
Transfer grated broccoli into a microwaveable container. Add 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain as much liquid off as possible.
Combine broccoli, mozzarella, parmesan & psyllium husk powder in a mixing bowl. Add egg and mix well. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. The mixture will be drier (still sticky) and can be formed to a ball.
Transfer broccoli ball on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Flatten and form into your desired shape (round, square, rectangle).
Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, set aside & allow to cool.
For the Pizza Toppings:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dry mixed herbs, Italian herbs
Dash of Salt & Pepper
1 – 1 ½ cups grated cheese (combination of mozzarella, tasty cheddar & parmesan)
70 grams mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 red onion, cut into rings
Procedure:
Spread tomato paste evenly on the broccoli crust. Sprinkle dry mixed herbs evenly and season with salt & pepper.
Top with grated cheese, mushrooms, tomato and onion rings.
Return in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.
Serve piping hot!🍕
Good for 2 servings
Atê Yvette Cooks Low Carb 