I originally published this recipe in my newsletter in September 2019. Decided it’s finally time for it to live on my website, as it’s the recipe I’m most proud of creating, ever!
My newletter post from September 27, 2019:
Friends!!! Hello!!! I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement this week for many reasons, one of which is sharing this recipe with you! I've been sitting on it for a while and kinda forgot how magical it is until I made it again for my final test this week and was like "DANG, this is a WINNER!"
This is SUCH a Garlic Press Jess recipe too (haha) because it is VEGGIE-CENTRIC, CRAVEABLE, and EVERYDAY! I mean - it's a BAKED GOOD that is HALF VEGGIES!!! Does it get more veggie-centric-ly craveable that THAT?!?! I think not. It's also SUPER convenient, because you make it once and joyfully eat it on-the-go all week, each time thinking "OMG THIS IS SO GOOD!"
I LOVEEEEE a very specific, contextual meal problem to solve! In this case, I wanted a SAVORY, protein-and-veggie-filled, satisfying breakfast that I could take on the go and eat at room temp. But I didn't want a frittata. And I was thinking about veggies in baked goods (like zucchini bread, one of my favorite foods, as you may know) and BOOM - I had a dream! And Cauli-Faux-caccia was born!
Ok so - it's not actually the texture of focaccia. You need gluten for that. The texture is more like zucchini bread. But since cauliflower is white, you can't really see it or even tell you're eating it! It magically bakes right in! And it FEELS like focaccia because you bake it in a pie dish/cast iron pan, and you HAVE to decorate the top for that focaccia-like magic of savory TOPPINGS!
I wasn't even thinking about these things when I created it, because I always create for flavor first! BUT - in case you care about these things - this recipe is gluten free, dairy free, grain free, vegetarian, paleo, whole 30 and probably many other things-approved! But - NUMBER ONE - it's delicious because that's ALWAYS the most important thing in my book. And it's an original so I'm extra proud to share it with you!
I can't wait to hear what you think of this! Make it and post it and tag me @garlicpressjess on Instagram or send me a pic!! Happiest of Fridays to you, friends!
Love,
Jess
CAULI-FAUX-CACCIA
an original recipe by Jessica Lioon // Garlic Press Jess
- Makes one ~10-inch pan of Faux-caccia
- Takes ~35 minutes active time + 45m to 1hour baking time (WORTH IT for deliciousness all week!)
Ingredients:
4 eggs
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar works fine too)
1.5 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR 1 scant tsp only if using a different kind of salt!
fresh ground pepper
4 cups almond flour or almond meal*
2 tsp baking soda
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast (or use parmesan cheese instead if you like!)
1 whole head cauliflower - 2.5 cups grated (you can pack it in slightly!)
+ toppings! I recommend:
tomatoes - about 2 big or 5 small
Italian herbs (dry) - a blend OR any combo of oregano, rosemary, thyme, etc
whole coriander seeds (these are a GAMECHANGER in my opinion!)
Maldon/flaky salt
finely sliced onions would work well as a topping too! Or olives! Or whatever you want!
Equipment:
medium-large mixing bowl
pie dish, baking dish OR 10-inch cast iron pan
grater with big holes (like for mozzarella on a pizza)
Tsp, Tbsp, 1 cup measures
spoon, spatula, large fork or whisk
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 and put parchment in a cast iron pan (10 or 12 inch) or pie dish, spread some olive oil on top all over the parchment. (You can also leave out the parchment and just do oil but I like the parchment for easy removal and it looks kinda pretty/rustic.)
{Pro-tip: Measure the 4T nutritional yeast and 2 tsp baking soda into a little dish/ramekin so you don't have to wash the tsp and Tbsp in between wet and dry ingredients} Into a medium-large bowl, crack 4 eggs, add 5 T olive oil, 1 T vinegar, 1.5 tsp salt and a few turns of fresh ground pepper, and whisk thoroughly (I prefer a large fork for this).
Right on top of the wet ingredients, add 4 cups almond flour, 4 T nutritional yeast, 2 tsp baking soda. Mix dry ingredients together gently on top and then slowly and thoroughly incorporate into the wet ingredients.
Cut off any brown or bad spots from the head of cauliflower. (I like to do this right over the compost/trash.) Grate cauliflower, florets down first, on the large setting of a grater until you have 2.5 cups. You will use most of the floret tops and some of the stalk. You want to grate some stalk (it has more moisture, which we want). The grating might sound hard/annoying, but it only takes 5 minutes and the freshness is important! You will have a weird/ugly cauliflower head leftover. That's ok - just chop the rest into pieces and roast it while you bake your Faux-caccia. Or chop smaller and save in the fridge for a sauté! (If roasting, try sprinkling some curry powder on beforehand - one of my favs on cauliflower!)
Add the 2.5 cups shredded cauliflower to the large bowl and mix in thoroughly. You can taste the batter and add more salt/pepper if needed. It will look kinda weird and chunky and seem kind of dry with large crumbs/clumps. This is correct! Don't be worried!
Plop batter into your dish and press it in with your fingers or spatula to make a nice even shape. Now - decorate the top! I think tomatoes add some nice juiciness and color here! Slice thinly and spread out in a pretty circle/formation over top. Then sprinkle with Italian herbs, whole coriander seeds, Maldon salt (if you have it, or normal salt is fine), and fresh ground pepper. You could also try thinly sliced onion or whatever other savory veggie toppings or seed/nut combos you like! Get creative!
Bake in the oven at 375 (or up to 400 if you're in a rush) until a toothpick comes out clean and the toppings are a little soft and maybe even a tad caramelized on top. I find it usually takes 45 mins - 1 hour but I like to start checking it every 5 minutes after 35 mins to be safe. If it's spread thinner it will cook faster, so cooking time depends on the size of what you're baking it in.
Important storage note: Because of all the FRESH ingredients, this will go bad more quickly than a normal baked good. If you'll eat it in 2-3 days, you can store on the counter at room temp. Otherwise (or if you get nervous about these things) store in the fridge to ensure it will last 5-7 days. If you ARE taking it on the go, you can store pre-cut pieces in the fridge, grab them on your way out the door, and allow to come to room temp as your day goes on / before you eat it!
NOTES:
Let's talk about coriander seeds - one of my FAVORITE ingredients. You may not have these at home. If not, I think it's worth it to try them out for this! EXCEPT if you are a super taster and don't like cilantro, you might not like these. Coriander seeds are simply the seeds of a cilantro plant! I don't think they taste like cilantro but I LOVE them and LOVE using them as a topping whenever I want some crunch on anything!
Almond flour - I got some feedback on my zucchini bread about almond flour being expensive. Yes, I know. If you have a vitamix you can grind your own, which is slightly cheaper. Trader Joe's has almond flour pretty cheap. Note that some almond flour is made from blanched almonds which makes it all white, while some (almond meal) is made using whole almonds, in which there are little brown bits from the "skin." Both work fine for this recipe, just note that the white almond flour will be slightly prettier and more "focaccia"-like. Unfortunately I haven't tried this with other flour substitutes so I can't speak to the results if you try to sub.
I have a feeling you might be wondering if you can use pre-made cauliflower rice for this... I have not tried it, sorry, so can't guarantee results! I would imagine it would work just fine, although - I do think that freshly grated cauliflower is better because it's fresher, and I swear it only takes 5 minutes to grate it!
Babies/children have been known to REALLY LIKE THIS!!!! Shoutout to Heidi/Paige and Cara for taste testing many iterations last year when my obsession around this was in full swing.