When my sister-in-law was going into labor with her second son, [per the doctor's orders] we were at the hospital walking in circles for hours, even up and down stairwells, trying to get things moving along. But, we were sent home to wait it out. I wanted to be with her just in case she suddenly transitioned into active labor, so her and I napped together. Through the nap and when she woke up, the contractions were getting a bit stronger, but then would let up a bit again. Her body was still working hard and it was important that I fed her before active labor was upon her. So, we looked up natural foods that can help labor progress; safely. Basil, balsamic vinegar and tomatoes all came up. Well, I happened to have all those things.
First I made her a little salad with those ingredients. While she was eating that, I used some Dion's pizza dough and went to town. I roasted garlic, on the stove top with herbs and spices, made balsamic vinaigrette, and layered the tomatoes, parmesan cheese, fresh basil along with the roasted garlic and balsamic dressing. I popped it in the oven and... Mmmmm, it was so good! And, as a bonus, within an hour or so we were back at the hospital as her labor really did progress. Was it the basil, balsamic and tomatoes? Perhaps, but either way, it made for a delicious memory in the midst of another beautiful life being born into our blessed family.
This recipe actually became another family favorite. It's pretty easy, so flavorful and super delicious. Our home is now gluten-free so the recipe featured in the blog is actually a cauliflower crust, with all the fresh and healthy toppings mentioned above. My family really enjoyed it, especially my six year old son. I just love how creative we can be to use all natural ingredients to fit our needs and desires to serve our bodies well so that, in return, we can serve others well.
Tomato, Basil, & Roasted Garlic Pizza on Cauliflower Crust with Balsamic Vinaigrette
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped semi-finely
6-8 large leaves of fresh basil, chiffonade (I use scissors to cut into slices)
1 large head of cauliflower, chopped and crumbled in food processor
1 package of Italian blend cheese OR 1 cup mozzarella mixed with 1/3 cup grated parmesan/ mozzarella cheese (as usual, my recipes are pretty flexible)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil (or your oil of choice)
1 tsp Mrs.Dash "garlic and herbs" OR 1 tsp Italian seasoning (for roasted garlic)
1 tsp Italian seasoning (for cauliflower crust)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and fresh ground pepper to your taste
Ingredients for simple pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
one 32 oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1tsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of raw sugar
Ingredients for Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 teaspoon raw sugar (or sugar of your choice)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 olive oil
(I often add minced garlic to this dressing, but since I have roasted garlic in this recipe, I don't add it for this use)
In a small saute pan, add the olive oil (on NO heat) then add the chopped garlic and Mrs.Dash/ Italian seasonings. Turn heat to low and allow it to simmer, slowly. Keep an eye to make sure it never rises above a low simmer as to not burn the garlic - that would be no bueno! Stir occasionally. It might fizz/bubble a bit, that's fine, let the flavors marry! In about 15 minutes you should have roasted garlic flavor - but made much quicker on the stove top.
In a small pot add 1/2 teaspoon olive oil on medium heat. Let warm up a bit, then add all other ingredients for the simple pizza sauce. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Again, this recipe is simple, quick and not overly flavorful - which works for this pizza (which is very flavorful).
Cauliflower Crust
Preheat oven to 450. Clean, chop, and crumble cauliflower in food processor (in batches, based on what your food processor can handle). Put cauliflower into bowl and into microwave for 8 minutes. Let cool for a bit (about 10 minutes). Use cheesecloth or thin towel to squeeze out as much liquid from cauliflower as possible. Add 1/2 cup of cheese, 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, onion powder and garlic powder. Also, you can season with salt to your taste, if you'd like.
Rub pizza pan with a bit of olive out and roll out cauliflower crust on pan. Press firmly, and mold as you would normal dough. Bake in oven for approximately 10 minutes... be careful, you might want the crust to get "crispy" (as I do), but once this starts to brown... it goes fast! Keep a watchful eye, after 10 minutes in the oven.
While the crust is baking, put all ingredients for balsamic vinaigrette into a tightly sealed container/ mason jar and shake, shake, shake!
Take crust out of oven and add most of the remaining cheese (leaving just a bit for sprinkling on top). Spread the pizza sauce over the crust. Cover the crust with sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle the fresh basil all over the top. Then you can just sprinkle the [warm,obviously you don't want to put piping hot garlic on your fingers!] roasted garlic with your fingers to make sure each bite will catch some of that delicious flavor, or you can use whatever utensil you would like. Lastly, sprinkle remaining cheese and drizzle some of the balsamic vinaigrette all over the pizza (note, you probably won't want to add ALL the dressing to the pizza. Just enough so each bite can get a drizzle).
Place the "pizza" back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so, until the cheese is melted and slightly getting brown. This is another dish that is delicious both warm or room temperature. I sure hope you enjoy!
