Zucchini- Crust Pizza

Turns out when I diet... I always crave pizza. Every time. Can't have it. Well.... I found a way that I can. I saw this Zucchini- Crust on Pinterest and had to give it a try. Plus... people are always telling me they need more ways to use up their zucchini, here you go.

It's a little bit of a process... but it is healthy and pretty tastey. I'm sure the more you made it, the faster you would be at making it. I really liked it and it satisfied my pizza craving.

Crust Ingredients:
4 cups grated then chopped fresh zucchini (one large zucchini about a foot long, or several smaller ones)
1/2 cup finely grated low-fat Mozzarella blend
5 T almond meal
3 T finely grated Parmesan
1 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten

Instructions:

Preheat the grill or oven to 450F/230C.

Grate zucchini, using a food processor or the large side of a hand grater, then chop the grated zucchini.  (I did this with a steel blade in the food processor, but you could chop with a large knife if you don't have a food processor.)  Place the chopped zucchini in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for about 5 minutes.  Then drain the cooked zucchini into a colander that's lined with cheesecloth or a kitchen towel.  Let zucchini drain until it's cool enough to handle.

While the zucchini cools, make the tomato sauce.  First, drain the tomatoes into a colander placed in the sink.  While the tomatoes drain, chop the garlic, heat half the olive oil in a very small frying pan, and saute garlic just until it's fragrant.  Add the drained tomatoes and Italian seasoning and let the sauce simmer on very low heat until the crust is done.  (Just before using the sauce, stir in the rest of the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.)

When zucchini is cool, squeeze out as much water as you can and place the zucchini in a bowl.  Add the finely grated Mozzarella, almond meal, Parmesan, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and beaten egg and stir until the ingredients are combined.

Spray a baking sheet with olive oil or nonstick spray and divide the crust mixture into two balls.  Use your fingers to press out the crust mixture into two circles, being careful not to make the edges too thin (or they will burn).  Bake crust on a pizza stone (on a covered grill or in the oven) just until the crust is firm and starting to brown (about 12-13 minutes.)  You can also bake this in the oven without a pizza stone, but it will take a little longer to cook.

Spread each small pizza with desired toppings.  Put pizzas back into the oven or on the grill and cook just until the cheese is nicely melted, about 3-5 minutes more.