Pizza Surprise

Years back I had a friend who was vegetarian which was a lucky thing for me.  I learned so much from her about food.  Having grown up in a firmly carnivorous household it was novel and interesting to me to have to make do without meat.  One of the dishes she made for me was cauliflower roast as in roast of beef.  She substituted cauliflower for meat and promised me it would taste surprisingly like beef, and it did, it really did.  I went on to use that recipe many times throughout the years. 
Lately my mother has been bragging about how she used cauliflower to make pizza and how everyone loved it.  Some in the family claiming it was the best pizza they ever ate.  When it came down to the details, she actually used the cauliflower to just make the pizza crust and I promised her I would give it a try.  So here is our version of cauliflower pizza. 


Grate half a head of cauliflower, enough to make about 2 cups.  Place in the microwave and cook on high for about 6 -8 minutes to just soften it. When cooled, mix well with one beaten egg, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, a little salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder. 
Place parchment paper on a pizza pan.  Form the cauliflower into a ring, pressing evenly all around.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
 (Both my microwave and oven are very old so you might find you need less time for both stages in this recipe.)
Top with 1 cup of tomato sauce (or pizza sauce if you have it), and any toppings you like.  I used halved cherry tomatoes and sliced yellow peppers.  My mother used pepperoni on hers.  I spread mozzarella cheese over it all and put it under the broiler for about 10 minutes, just long enough to get the cheese good and melted. 

And the proof is in the tasting...it was delicious.