Balsamic Eggplant Cauliflower Pizza

I love pizza. The cheese, the sauce, the toppings and the yummy crust. All those flavors combined makes for a delicious culinary experience. Unfortunately, having a gluten allergy really dampens a girls options for pizza. Yes, some of the pizza companies are making gluten-free options and you can always find a pre-made gluten-free crust mix. However, none of these really taste all that great. They come out either too doughy, too crispy, too crunchy, or too sticky, as well as being made out of things like potato starch, rice flour, tapioca, and corn (ingredients I am not too crazy about). Imagine my delight then when I came across recipes for a cauliflower pizza crust. Wait..a what? That's right a crust made from a veggie.

I tried it out and to my taste buds surprise, it was delicious! Since that first attempt I have tweaked the recipe to my own personal liking. Here is a recipe that I enjoy (and my pizza loving non-gluten-free eater husband loves too ;) ).

Balsamic Eggplant Cauliflower Pizza, with Kale Walnut Pesto

Preheat oven to 425 F , line a baking sheet or pizza pan with parchment paper , makes 2 individual pizzas or 1 large pizza.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1/2 a head of cauliflower (blended in the food processor)
1/2 cup of fresh grated mozzarella cheese (or already grated, depending on how you like your cheese)
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt

Pesto:
1 cup kale (chopped and washed)
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut, grapeseed, sunflower seed, etc.)
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil, chopped and washed)
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup water

Balsamic Eggplant:
1/2 off an eggplant (chopped, with the skin still on)
1 medium size onion (chopped into strips not chunks)
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper

Other Toppings:
1 chicken sausage (chopped, you can find good natural ones from Trader Joe's, they also have amazing flavors)
Feta cheese
1/2 of a gala apple (sliced)

Directions:

1. Place the cauliflower in the food processor and plus until little "rice" granules form. Then pour out the cauliflower into a mixing bowl and add the egg. Mix together thoroughly.
2. Add the grated cheese, basil and salt. Mix completely. Set aside.
3. Heat a fry pan on the stove turned to medium heat. Add the oil, onion and eggplant and let cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the pepper, balsamic vinegar and honey, turn heat up to high and let cook for five minutes. (stir constantly). Turn heat off once vinegar has been cooked off completely. Set aside.
4. In the food processor, place the kale, garlic cloves, oil, walnuts, water, and spices and mix together on high until a nice thick pesto forms.
5. Spoon out cauliflower dough onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make two mounds of the dough on the sheet. Flatten out dough with hands until you form a pizza shape circle (the size of a thin crust pizza). Make sure the two little pizzas have enough space between them.
6. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (or until the edges and top of the crust is a nice golden brown).
7. Take the crusts out of the oven and top with pesto, eggplant mixture, and any other toppings you want. I used sliced chicken sausage, apple, and feta cheese.
8. Place back in the oven and cook for another 8-10 minutes until toppings are nice and hot and the feta cheese has a little bit of a golden color to it on top.

Let sit for about 4-5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!