Cauliflower ear... good thing I don't wrestle...

Who really likes it?  Not many.  I don't know a whole lot of people who choose cauliflower as their favorite veggie...  am I right?  BUT- ever since I first heard about pizza with a cauliflower crust, I was all in.  Ok, no I wasn't.  But I was interested/curious/intrigued.  How could this possibly be a good replacement for the crust that serves to hold all the tomato-y, cheesy, goodness that I LOVE?  I have an addiction to Pinterest, and you will likely find many a crust substitute on my boards, but I have yet to attempt one- UNTIL TODAY!  Yes, I did it!  I jumped in cauliflower ear first and made one heck of a pizza (if I do say so myself)!

Let's back up a bit, seeing as I haven't been very present on my blog lately. We have new rules at our house. We are on a budget.  No, I mean a real one.  Not our usual, "We're on a budget, unless you really want something." budget.  This is the real deal, and we are killing it, I must say!  This budget combines a little Dave Ramsey and Ron Renyolds, and a whole lot of will power.  This includes a weekly grocery budget (CASH ONLY, friends).  Groceries on a tight budget require advanced planning.  As we all know, it's not always cost effective to eat healthy, so I really need to make sure I know what we are eating and when, and then stay true to the plan.  I have been, and it's been enlightening to see the items we purchase when we are intentional!  And guess what...  no one has starved!  :)

This week's plan includes:
Monday- BBQ Chicken pizza w/cauliflower crust  (Recipe here)
                green salad (just romaine and cukes)
                clean popsicles (recipe here)
Tuesday- Cookout w/friends- bring Mexican Quinoa salad (recipe here)
                                                       dessert (not sure what I'll do for that, yet)

Wednesday- Cookout w/friends- bring pattied burgers
                                                            veggie salad (romaine, sweet peppers, cukes, feta)

Thursday- Talapia (recipe here- but I will use Wildtree Everything Spice Blend for the season salt and
                Earth  Harvest spread for the butter)
                 broccoli
                 brown rice (w/garlic, liquid aminos and ginger)

Friday- Gluten-free spaghetti w/grapeseed oil, quartered cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and parm.
             veggie salad
             garlic bread for the kids

Sat- cookout (not sure what we need to bring, but saved $20 of the budget for this reason)

So- once I committed to the cauliflower crust, I had to be in it to win it.  My crust didn't look like the pic in the recipe. Here's mine:

 

after 23 min. at 450*

I topped it just like the recipe said, but I used 2 cups of shredded chicken and probably more BBQ than necessary, but I do love that condiment!  Had we not had some at home already, I would have sought out the sauce with the least amount of sugar.  However, what we had was good and took nothing from the budget, so we went with it.  I would also suggest for those that are dairy free, or on the cleanse, head over to Whole Foods and get Mozzarella Style Shred from Lisanatti.  I typically get the block and shred it myself.  It's delicious and NO ONE will know the difference (pinky swear).  I used regular cheese, and it was still delicious.  Here's the final product:

YUM!

My only complaint was that it was not pick-up and eat pizza.  The crust was pretty flimsy.  My youngest ate hers, my older two were less excited, but they don't get excited for much that I make.  We ate outside with the evening breeze and a little Brett Eldridge on the radio.  Made for a great evening.  I will say, upon entering the house after dinner, I was quickly reminded that we ate cauliflower... let's hope that smell doesn't stick around!!

If you try any of these recipes, let us know how it goes.  If you make modifications, please share.  :)
Enjoy!