Cauli-bread sticks

I feel like I'm on a cauliflower kick lately.  And for a girl who has hated cauliflower for 45+ years that's saying something.  Today for lunch I made IP pasta and cauliflower bread sticks. Again this felt like a normal meal - not something on a diet.  Sure I used Ideal Protein pasta and Walden Farms sauces but when it tastes this good, I don't even think about that kind of thing!

The original recipe is on The Iron You blog

This version just swaps soy cheese for the mozzarella and Egg Beaters instead of an egg.

Also note you should not have any restricted IP foods on a day you have this.

Cauliflower Crust Garlic Bread sticks                                            

Ingredients 
Makes 10 bread sticks

Cauliflower crust

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets (should yield 3 cups of cauliflower rice)
1 egg, lightly beaten (or 1/4 c. Egg Beaters)
½ cup / 1.7 oz / 50 gr Go Veggie mozzarella shreds
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
½ teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Toppings

2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
A pinch of dried Italian herb season

Marinara sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a loaf pan with parchment paper so that the excess paper hangs over the sides; lightly grease the parchment paper. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan over low heat; add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute max. Turn the heat off and set aside.
In a food processor rice the cauliflower florets (it should be evenly chopped but not completely pulverized).
Transfer cauliflower rice to a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 8 minutes, until cooked.
Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel and twist it to squeeze as much moisture as you can (I usually squeeze out over a cup of liquid). This is very important. The cauliflower rice needs to be dry, otherwise you’ll end up with mushy bread sticks.
Transfer the cauliflower rice to a mixing bowl, add egg, mozzarella, Italian herb seasoning, garlic oil, salt and pepper and mix well.
Spread cauliflower mixture in the prepared loaf pan.
Bake until the loaf is set and starting to turn golden, about 25 to 30 minutes.
In the meantime, line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
When the “loaf” is cooked, use the parchment paper to lift out of the loaf pan and carefully flip it over onto the lined baking sheet (so the bottom is on top).  
Bake for further 10 minutes until golden.
Take it out of the oven and preheat the broiler. Sprinkle cheese and Italian herb seasoning on top of the loaf.
Broil a couple minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
Let cool a couple of minutes before cutting into (10) sticks.
Serve hot or warm or cold (if you let it cool the crust will harden and it will be easy to hold.)

Nutrition facts

One bread stick yields 34 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein.