Tomato Chicken Cauliflower Pizza

Today, I mixed 2 recipes together and hoped for the best. Luckily it tasted quite good (if not a bit too spicy - don't worry, I adjusted the recipe to make it less spicy). 

I think I'm making small improvements in photographing this stuff (that or it just looked way better to begin with). The white section of pizza has Parmesan cheese on it for my dad, who can actually eat cheese.

This picture shows what the cauliflower crust looked like when it was done cooking. The crust ended up a little softer than I'd hoped and I'm not sure if that is because of the lack of cheese. It was firm yet slightly spongy to touch.

The recipe for the chicken/sauce is out of Weber's Time to Grill and the cauliflower crust recipe is adapted from Perry's Plate.

Chicken

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized chunks (thighs make for moister chicken)

Whisk ingredients in a large bowl and add chicken, making sure all the chicken is covered. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. (Don't worry if there's not a lot of sauce as the same sauce is used on the pizza later.) Use this time to prepare the sauce and crust.

After it has marinated, place in a grilling basket and grill until done - about 15 minutes or so (turning 2-3 times during cooking). If you put your chicken on to grill while the crust is baking, they should both be finished at about the same time.

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp olive oil (I used 3, but I think it was too much oil, use more or less to your preference.)
• 2 Tbsp shallots
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more for a spicier pizza - just remember that the chicken has spices on it as well.)
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk ingredients and set aside. (I didn't end up using the entire batch of sauce, but if you like a lot of sauce, feel free to use it all.)

Cauliflower crust

• 1 cauliflower
• 3 eggs (Whoops, I just noticed I only used 2 eggs. It worked, but I'm wondering if that's at least part of the reason the crust turned out softer than I imagined it would.)
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian seasonings
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• pinch or 2 of salt (I didn't remember this either and didn't even notice with everything on it.)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.

While the chicken is marinating, chop up your cauliflower into 1-2 inch florets and steam/boil until tender - about 8-10 minutes. Drain cauliflower and place into a food processor and pulse until smooth. (I like to give it a stir or 2 in the middle to make sure there are no chunks.)

When it is smooth, remove to a bowl and add your eggs, seasonings and garlic (as well as the cheese if you are using it). Mix well and spread in a parchment-lined (or aluminum foil or greased) rimmed baking pan. Place in the oven for 18-20 minutes, until the edges start to turn brown. Remove from oven.

Pizza toppings

• fresh spinach
• 1/2 medium bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 onion, diced
• mushrooms, sliced
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

After you remove the crust from the oven, spread crust with sauce and veggies evenly across the pizza. Remove the chicken from the grill and place on top. Add cheese on top if using. Place back in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the toppings are hot and cheese (if using) has melted. Enjoy.

(They say that letting the pizza cool firms up the crust enough to eat with your hands, but I didn't let it sit, so I'm not sure if my version would do so.)

Serves 3-4.