Cheesy “Bread” Sticks

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Remove the core and leaves from the head of cauliflower and cut into florets. Using a food processor or cheese grater, turn your cauliflower into “snow” or finely grated, rice-sized pieces. A few large chunks aren’t a problem. Place all of the snow into an oven-safe dish (like a 9×13 baking dish) and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and let it sit and cool, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer it to a dish towel, roll it up, and begin to squeeze the water out. (If it’s too hot, let it sit for a little longer!) Squeeze until you can barely get any more liquid out; about 5-7 minutes. Less if you’re the Hulk.

Increase the oven to 475 F and dump the dry cauliflower clump into a bowl. Add the egg, the first amount of cheese and all of the seasonings, and mix together.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture all over it with a spatula (or your hands), making it into a solid layer that is about 1/4″ thick. Squish the edges in to make it look nice and uniform (rectangle shaped).

Bake until the top is starting to brown; about 18-20 minutes. Go by looks, not by time. Remove it from the oven. Then turn the oven to broil.

Combine the cream cheese and a splash or two of Italian dressing in a small bowl, then spread on top of the cooked ‘crust’. (You might want to heat up the cream cheese a bit to make it easier to spread!) Then sprinkle with the rest of the shredded cheese.

Broil the cheese topping for a minute or two, until melted and golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool, then cut, and serve.

Adapted from The Lucky Penny Blog.