Just Veggie Pizza Base

This recipe was created by Joni Condos of Opti Cook. Note: OPTIFAST licenses a selection of Opti Cook recipes and does not endorse or hold any further association with Opti Cook or its website content.
 

Ingredients (serves 4)

• Olive oil spray
• 2 brown onions, chopped roughly
• 1 tsp minced garlic (more if you like it)
• 1 medium cauliflower, chopped including the stem
• 1/2 cup low salt tomato paste (or similar)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried Thyme
• 2 cups (approx) of toppings sliced very thinly (red onion, zucchini, red capsicum, mushrooms, eggplant, baby spinach, tomato)

Method

1. Preheat over to 180°C. Place pieces of baking paper on two flat oven trays and spray with some oil spray.
2. In a large saucepan, add a spray of olive oil and onions, garlic and herbs. Cook until browned. Add cauliflower. Cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins until falling apart.
3. Tip into a small holed sieve over the sink. (Keep discarded liquid for soup if you like). Place entire contents into a clean tea towel. Using rubber gloves (as it is boiling hot), twist and strain over the sink until you get as much moisture out of the mix as possible. It should finally look like a ball of dough. As it is very hot, you may need to wring in out, open out on the bench for a few minutes, then go back and do another round.
4. Note: At this stage, you can set 1/2 cup of this crust mix aside if you wish to use some for a "cheese" topping. Simply set aside in a bowl, adding 1 tbsp water, season & mix.
5. Take your ball and squash and fashion into a pizza base approx 1cm thick on the oven tray. Don't do it too thin, or else it will break apart while cooking. Place in the oven for ten minutes. Being very careful, using the baking paper and an egg flip remove from the oven trays. Add another sheet of baking paper to the trays. Flip them over, so the cooked side faces up onto the lined oven trays. This pre-cooking seals the top, so it stays together and crispy when you place the toppings on it. Be very careful, do it slowly, and it should turn fine. If bits fall off, simply fashion them back together, and it will seal when cooked the final time anyway. Don't panic! If you don't mind how crispy the finished pizza is, you can skip this step.
6. Once flipped over, spread the tomato paste over the base, then top with your toppings, ensuring they are sliced thinly and not heaped too high. Top with the "cheese" mixture you got from the base mix if using. Spray generously with olive oil spray.
7. Cook for 15 minutes or until browned to your liking. If you have a "fan grill" option on your oven, this also helps crisp up the top.
8. Once cooked to your liking, take out of the oven and let sit for a few minutes. Season and add any fresh toppings you may like, such as diced tomato, torn basil, oregano, capers or baby spinach. Serve, using an egg flip to move from the baking tray to the plate. It can be handheld but recommend knife and fork, especially if your base is large.
    

Notes

• Be creative with the toppings, add meat to the rest of the family's or simply place your pizza in the oven at the same time as their "normal" ones, so you can eat together, but it doesn't take too long to prepare.