A Healthy Pizza That's Equally Nutritious As It Is Delicious

We all know by now that I love pesto. I make it myself with any leftover greens I have. Kale, spinach, basil, avocados. You name it. I even discovered that it's totally okay to substitute the expensive pine nuts with roasted cashews. It tastes just as good. But sometimes I don't have the ingredients (or motivation) at home to make pesto when I'm craving it (shocker). So I'll make a run to Costco to get a delicious pesto substitute. The Kirkland brand is absolutely amazing. I read somewhere that it's a great signature brand that you can trust. The ingredients are all natural, and their organic olive oil has been rated one of the best. It passes the EVOO standards that most Italian brands do not. You can read more about that here.

In addition to Costco, I am a mega fan of Trader Joe's. There hasn't been anything I bought from Trader Joe's that I didn't like. Everything is just amazing. And speaking of Trader Joe's, there is one that just opened near my house (totally thrilled). After work last week, I went over there to grab a few things and stumbled upon their cauliflower pizza crust in the frozen aisle. I bought a few pizza crusts with the intention to make something for the blog to share with you. The result, pesto pizza. A healthy pizza that's equally nutritious as it is delicious.

I also bought a bag of shredded white cheese blend from Trader Joe's. When I got home, I quickly grilled up some chicken I had saved in the freezer. I never made a cauliflower pizza before and to be honest I wasn't sure how it would turn out but for the longest time I've always wanted to give it a try. I'm sure I could have made my own cauliflower crust from scratch, but I had bad experiences working with cauliflower. It's super tricky to get it to stick. In the past, I tried to make a cauliflower grilled cheese and the entire thing crumbled apart. It was an utter disaster. Having something pre-made just makes it easier sometimes. Although, this crust was a little tricky to work with, too. You just have to be patient.

So, if this sounds like something you'd like to try (despite the cauliflower challenge, I highly recommend it), continue reading for instructions. P.S. Anyone else enjoying their extra hour today? I love daylight savings time. I consider it a birthday gift from the Universe every year. I am in total disbelief that I'm turning 27 tomorrow!

WHAT YOU NEED:

- Trader Joe's cauliflower crust

- Pesto (I used the Kirkland brand)

- grilled chicken

- cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1). Before you begin, read the instructions carefully on the box for the cauliflower crust. Cauliflower is super specific when it comes to baking. I burned mine a little around the edges, but I personally wanted it crispier.

2). I preheated my oven to 450 degrees F. I put the crust upside down (bottom facing top) first. I baked for 10 minutes. Then flipped the crust so the top is facing up and bake for another 10 minutes. Flipping the crust was the hardest part. I almost broke the crust. It's very delicate.

3). After baking each side of the cauliflower crust, I added all my ingredients: pesto as my sauce, then the grilled chicken, and then the shredded cheese. I sprinkled some black pepper on top.

4). Broil for 4 minutes. Depending on your oven, this can take 2-7 minutes (it's quick) so make sure you keep an eye on the pizza to avoid burning.

5). Cut into slices and serve when a refreshing iced tea. Bon appetite!