Zucchini Crust Pizza
Last night NES was out with work people, so I had a girl's night in. I made food NES wouldn't like and watched "The Iron Lady", only to find out NES wanted to see that one. Oops. Oh well.
My food choices included baby kale salad with pomegranate or zucchini crust pizza. I asked NES which I should have, and all I got was an ew. I guess that I at least picked the food right.
The kale salad was feeling a little left out, so that's coming up soon. We went to Whole Foods (grocery store field trip!) today to find the ingredients.
The zucchini pizza made the final cut. I figured that, being vegetable-based, it'd be healthier than a normal pizza crust. I figured that (besides the fact that it is gluten free) was why it was so popular (along with cauliflower crust) right now. Nope. I mean, there's vegetables in it, which is a plus, but a cup and half of cheese IN the crust? What?!
So I cut it down to one cup. I just couldn't justify putting that much cheese IN the pizza before even putting any on top. It seems like the amount of cheese correlates directly with the amount of crispiness in the crust. So, needless to say, my pizza was not crispy.
I was very, very thankful to have a box grater. Especially around the middle of the second zucchini. That was a lot of zucchini to grate.
I added a bit of garlic salt and Italian seasoning before I browned the crust, since that's what I'd put on a normal pizza crust, and part of my homemade pizza expectations now.
After the crust was browned initially, I added pizza sauce and cheese on top like I would a normal pizza -- a combo of mostly mozzarella and a little cheddar or 4 cheese Mexican blend. It ended up being a LOT of cheese. I think I'll cut back next time.
All in all, the zucchini crust didn't taste all that much like zucchini, but it did turn out almost like a thin crust. It wasn't as healthy as I thought it would be, but it was tasty. I'd make it again.
Oh, and this was my project for tonight:
I made tiny little paper stars and strung them onto a thread to make a garland. Just don't pay attention to how crooked it is!
Zucchini Crust Pizza
from Seattle Local Food
3 small-medium zucchini, ends trimmed
salt
1 large egg
1-1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
garlic salt and Italian herbs, if desired
pizza toppings: I used pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grate the zucchini.
Put the zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
Squeeze the water out of the zucchini. If available, use cheesecloth and squeeze until the water stops coming out. Squeezing the zucchini between two plates can work too.
Mix the dried zucchini, egg, and cheese.
Place parchment paper on a pizza pan or baking sheet, and spread the dough out over it into a 1/2 inch thick circle. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian herbs, if desired.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned.
Cover with desired toppings (go light on the cheese). Bake again until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.
My food choices included baby kale salad with pomegranate or zucchini crust pizza. I asked NES which I should have, and all I got was an ew. I guess that I at least picked the food right.
The kale salad was feeling a little left out, so that's coming up soon. We went to Whole Foods (grocery store field trip!) today to find the ingredients.
So I cut it down to one cup. I just couldn't justify putting that much cheese IN the pizza before even putting any on top. It seems like the amount of cheese correlates directly with the amount of crispiness in the crust. So, needless to say, my pizza was not crispy.
I was very, very thankful to have a box grater. Especially around the middle of the second zucchini. That was a lot of zucchini to grate.
I added a bit of garlic salt and Italian seasoning before I browned the crust, since that's what I'd put on a normal pizza crust, and part of my homemade pizza expectations now.
After the crust was browned initially, I added pizza sauce and cheese on top like I would a normal pizza -- a combo of mostly mozzarella and a little cheddar or 4 cheese Mexican blend. It ended up being a LOT of cheese. I think I'll cut back next time.
All in all, the zucchini crust didn't taste all that much like zucchini, but it did turn out almost like a thin crust. It wasn't as healthy as I thought it would be, but it was tasty. I'd make it again.
Oh, and this morning (before it started pouring and thundering!), NES and I wandered down to the river for coffee, bagels and watching the ice flow away. It was a pretty excellent start to a weekend.
Zucchini Crust Pizza
from Seattle Local Food
3 small-medium zucchini, ends trimmed
salt
1 large egg
1-1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
garlic salt and Italian herbs, if desired
pizza toppings: I used pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded Mexican 4 cheese blend
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Grate the zucchini.
Put the zucchini in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
Squeeze the water out of the zucchini. If available, use cheesecloth and squeeze until the water stops coming out. Squeezing the zucchini between two plates can work too.
Mix the dried zucchini, egg, and cheese.
Place parchment paper on a pizza pan or baking sheet, and spread the dough out over it into a 1/2 inch thick circle. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Italian herbs, if desired.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until browned.
Cover with desired toppings (go light on the cheese). Bake again until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Allow to cool slightly before cutting.
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