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Valentine’s Day: A romantic celebration requiring the girlies to wear ruby-red dresses, look for lavish bouquets of flowers, enjoy bottles of white wine and heart-shaped sweets filled with lusciously sweet cream and lots of chocolate-covered strawberries.

From the month of October all the way to the month of February, many of us ride an intense sugar wave as we bounce from holiday to holiday and treat to treat. We thought we loved our life with sugar, but now we love our life with less sugar so much more.

While chocolates on Valentine’s day is a lovely idea, a healthy pizza especially when it’s been cooked by the person you love, is completely unexpected, and truly special. We’ve listed a super-simple healthy recipe for even the most culinarily-challenged that can be prepared in five minutes or less to bring some unexpected romance to an otherwise normal day.

A low-sugar diet works wonders for your energy levels, your figure, your skin, your smile, and your immune system. Cutting back on sweets can be difficult because sugar consumption prompts our brains to release neurotransmitters of dopamine that make us feel oh-so-lovely— but the less sugar we consume, the less dependent on it we become. A well-nourished body can still provide us all the same feel-good pleasures of our favourite treats— and more— without all the processed carbs! 

Here’s how to make a perfect cauliflower pizza crust or quinoa based pizza, for a healthy and low-carb option. Time-saving tips included! 

COURSE: MAIN COURSE

CUISINE: ITALIAN

KEYWORD: CAULIFLOWER, QUINOA, KETO, LOW CARB, PIZZA

SERVINGS: 4

CALORIES: 74 KCAL

RECIPES FROM: Nutritionist Chara Malioti Project Health and Agni Aristophanous

Ingredients

For Cauliflower pizza

• 2 pounds cauliflower florets , riced
• 1 egg , beaten
• 1/3 cup parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Buckwheat or almond or coconut flour
• Pinch of salt
• Feel free to improvise and add any of the below toppings
  • Ruccola
  • Tomato sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Cashew cream
  • Vegan cheese
  • Aubergines
  • Courgette

Ingredients

For Quinoa Pizza

• 3/4 cup white quinoa
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Herbs

Instructions – Cauliflower Pizza

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. If using fresh cauliflower, fill a large pot over medium heat with an inch of water. Fit a steamer basket into the pot, then pour the raw cauliflower into the steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil and cover the pot, steaming the cauliflower until it is very tender and can be pierced with a fork.
2. If using frozen cauliflower, be sure to thaw it completely before getting started, then continue with the following steps.
3. Pour the completely thawed, or freshly steamed, cauliflower into a large food processor fitted with an “S” blade. (You may have to do this in batches if you have a smaller food processor.) Process until a rice-like texture is created. If you bought frozen riced cauliflower, you can skip this step and proceed to the next one.
4. Transfer the “rice” to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! (Be careful if your cauliflower is still hot– you may want to let it cool before handling.) A lot of extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.
5. In a large bowl, mix up the squeezed-out rice, egg, parmesan, buckwheat or coconut flour and spices. (Don’t be afraid to use your hands! You want it very well mixed.) It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry– it’ll hold together!
6. Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (It’s important that it’s lined with parchment paper, or it will stick.) Keep the dough about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick, and make the edges a little higher for a “crust” effect, if you like.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400F, until dry and golden. Use the parchment paper to flip the crust over, and bake again until the other side is nice and dry, about 10 to 15 more minutes.
8. Add your favorite pizza toppings to the crust, such as sauce and cheese, then return the pizza to the 400F oven. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly. Slice and serve warm

Instructions – Quinoa Pizza

Soak the quinoa overnight or for about eight hours in water . The best way to do this is put the quinoa in a larger bowl and cover it in water, make sure that it’s covered by a few cm’s. Then leave this to one side.

Once you’re ready to make the pizza, pre-heat the oven to 190C. Then drain any water left in the quinoa bowl, before putting the quinoa into a food processor with the apple cider vinegar, herb, chilli flakes and salt. Blend for a few minutes until a smooth dough forms, it should look a bit like pancake mix.

Line the bottom of a pizza dish or cake pan with olive oil and pour the mix in, then bake for about 15- 20 minutes, until the base is firm – it cooks really pretty quickly though.

Remove and add your topping, either place it back in the oven for a few minutes to warm them or enjoy your toppings raw! I like my tomatoes and tomato puree heated and the rest of my ingredients raw. Delicious!

Recipe from: https://deliciouslyella.com/2013/03/02/vegan-quinoa-pizza-crust-gluten-free-dairy-free/