Cauliflower Pizza Casserole (Chipotle Pizza and Asian Pizza Versions)

Back in November I was watching the Dr. Oz show when a gal that had lost 100 lbs shared one of her tricks to weight loss which was replacing traditional pizza with this recipe for cauliflower pizza.  Since then I have been experimenting with the recipe, but have yet to make the crust hard enough to pick up.  Hence- pizza casserole to be eaten with a fork.

Although the texture is not exactly the same as traditional pizza crust, the spices really make this "crust" taste like pizza but, of course, it's much healthier.  Think of the cancer-fighting properties of cauliflower as well as the high amounts of vitamin c and k when making this great dish.  Susan of FatFreeVegan mentioned yesterday her chipotle guacamole and got these spices on my mind which inspired me to make the Mexican version of this pizza last night.  More than heat, chipotles bring deep flavor and smokiness to a recipe.  Going out to Thai food the other night with girl friends and talking about our love of peanut sauce inspired me to make the Asian pizza.  Both were amazing!

Crust Ingredients:
Cauliflower, 2 cups steamed, grated (by hand or blended in food processor)
2 "eggs"  (I soak 1 Tbl ground flax in 3 Tbl water for 3 mins per egg)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup veggie cheese
Spices: (quantities and/or spices you like, or "pizza seasoning", or what I did:)
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Blend crust ingredients in food processor.  It should look like this:

Spread crust 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.  Cook at 450 (F) degrees for 20 minutes.  You can do this in a casserole dish, or on a pre-heated pizza stone/pan with cornmeal underneath.  (I used both methods and although the pizza pan way didn't yield a pizza you could pick up with your hands, I still liked it because it gave some crispiness to the bottom of the crust that I liked.  Both ways were amazing though!  Maybe I'll try a skillet next time.)  Add toppings of choice, see chipotle pizza topping or asian pizza topping below, and bake another 10-15 minutes.

Chipotle Pizza Topping
1/2 to 1 chipotle (canned "chipotles in adobo sauce" in the mexican foods section)
1/4 cup oil/ veggie broth (I used oil this time)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup black beans (or any kind of bean)
1/2 cup pinto beans
1 red pepper, diced (or any color pepper)
1/2 cup veggie cheese (optional)
Blend in food processor the oil/broth, garlic powder, and chipotle.  Spread on half-cooked dough.  Top with beans and pepper (and cheese if using.)  Cook for 10-15 more minutes.

Asian Pizza Topping
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 to 1 tsp chili sauce
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1/8-1/4 cup brown sugar
water for thinning sauce
dash lime juice
mushrooms, chopped
red pepper, diced
green onion, sliced

I used the peanut sauce my friend taught me for my Vietnamese spring rolls for this version.  Stir together peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, and chili sauce and lime juice.  Taste and make sure there is enough sweetness, sourness and spice to your liking.  Thin with water as you mix.  Should be not watery, but not as thick as the peanut butter.  Spread on half-cooked dough.  Top with mushrooms, pepper and green onion.  Cook for 10-15 more minutes.

(I only wish I'd have put LOTS more toppings on!)