It’s time for my Friday favorites once again! This week we’re going to talk about some easy, healthy meals that my husband, kids and I absolutely love to have for our family dinner nights.
One requirement to continue reading past this point is that you keep an open mind to the recipes I’m about to give, okay? Okay.
{Thanks to Closet Cooking for this photo!}First up, BBQ chicken pizza with a cauliflower crust. Remember, open mind! It sounds like the strangest thing ever, I know. I can only imagine what my face looked like when my sweet friend Laci first introduced me to this interesting food choice, but I promise you it is delicious. And it’s healthy. A win-win!
Here’s the recipe so you can try it for yourself…
1/2 Large head of cauliflower (= 2+ cups of shredded cauliflower)
1 Large egg
1 Cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Teaspoon of oregano
1/2 Teaspoon of dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic)
1/2 Teaspoon of onion salt
To make the crust:
1. Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles. You can use a food processor, just be careful not to puree. I use a cheese grater and it works fine. You will need 2+
cups of cauliflower crumbles. Place the cauliflower crumbles into a large bowl and microwave them dry for 8 minutes. Let the cauliflower cool.
2. Prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet or pizza pan with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles with the remaining ingredients. Pat the “crust” into a 9 to 12 – inch round shape or a rectangular shape on the prepared pan. Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.
3. Prepare the Pizza: Decide what toppings you want on your pizza. I chose to make BBQ chicken Pizza (see topping recipe below.) Top the crust with the barbecue chicken mixture, add red onion and top with cheese. Broil the pizza for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with fresh cilantro. Cut and serve immediately.
This pizza is best served on a plate with a fork.
For the BBQ chicken topping:
1/2 Cup barbecue sauce
1 Cup cooked, shredded chicken breast
3/4 Cup shredded Gouda cheese (you can use mozzarella or any kind of cheese you
like – Gouda goes well with BBQ Chicken)
Thinly sliced red onions
Fresh cilantro
You can really tailor this recipe to whatever kind of pizza your family likes – pepperoni, veggie, extra cheese, etc.
And then for dessert… drum roll, please… avocado chocolate ice cream!
{Thanks to Vegan Culinary Crusade for this photo!}Y’all. I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me there’s a healthy way to get some chocolate into my system, my excitement level rises. I love chocolate. My family loves chocolate. This is perfect!
1/2 Avocado
3/4 Cup coconut or almond milk
1/3 Cup hot cocoa mix (You can use sugar-free if you’d like. You can also switch out the chocolate for frozen strawberries)
2 Cups ice, add more for thicker mix
4 Baby carrots
1 Rib of celery
Blend on high speed of blender for about 45 seconds.
Serve immediately.
If these recipes just saved your mind a whole lot of trouble in deciding what to have for dinner tonight, you won’t want to miss my FREE Summer Sanity Savers webcast on Tuesday, April 23 at 8pm (EST). My friend Crystal Paine and I will be talking about how to save money, time, and of course, your sanity! Just sign up below to receive a reminder about the webcast.
Here’s some more exciting news… today I’m giving away a $250 Amazon gift certificate! Yes! You can win a $250 gift certificate (that would be crazy fun, hunh?!) There’s a whole lot more on Amazon than just books. You could use that credit toward new kitchen appliances to whip up some healthy meals this summer. Smiles.
All you have to do is leave a comment below giving me your summer sanity saving tips. I will announce one blog commenter as the winner on the webcast Tuesday
See you there!
