This week’s Meatless Monday A to Z posed a challenge…dates? Fruit is fairly limited with my nutrition plan, and I used my cheat meal for some Ethiopian fabulousness with the family this weekend (and may or may not have put away enough injera for at least two people).
Ohh, Heather, please don’t kick me out of the MMAZ club for this, but instead of cooking with dates? I cooked with A date.
(Yes, old picture.) My best guy friend is a primal-eating dude (I believe I have used the moniker Primal Paul for him in the past, so let’s stick with that), and our supposedly at-odds diets always pose a fun cooking challenge. Rather than make one dish to suit both of us, I found one meal that could easily be adapted to our different eating styles. Both dishes started with a cabbage “pizza crust” spun off of Laura’s cauliflower pizza (and yes, you CAN pick it up just like regular pizza!). My crust involved cabbage, flax seed and garbanzo/fava flour, while his involved cabbage, egg and almond flour.
I topped mine with tomato and TVP-based homemade sausage, he topped his with more egg. His also involved bacon, but have you ever told a guy, “No, wait, don’t eat that bacon yet, I have to take a picture”? Yeah, it doesn’t work so well.
So there you have it, what I cooked with a date. I promise I won’t cheat too much next round…
ForgottenBeast 
This might be my favourite edition of Meatless Mondays up to “date.”. I’ve tried (and loved) cauliflower pizza bot interesting that cabbage worked well! I’m on a cabbage kick (especially stir fried) so I’ll most definitely give this a go!
I’m obsessed with cabbage right now too, haha–which is why I had it and not cauliflower in the fridge and decided to just try it out in the crust and see what happened. Success! (And now I want a cabbage stir-fry…)
Egg on pizzza, or a primal pizza, it actually looks really good to me. Cooking for the two of you is definitely a cooking challenge, but you always rise to the occasion.
I have to admit I was kinda jealous of his pizza, haha. Now if it had been cabbage + egg + ketchup?? Oh man, that would seriously tempt me into egg-dom 😉 My chickens need to hurry up and start laying!
That’s a cute guy, handsome too! 🙂 Your special crust does look lovely & the other snack too!
Bacon never last very long around here either! But you probably don’t mind not posting bacon on your blog!
I think it would be the first time bacon made it on here–but hey, I realize diet is a personal thing, and my primal friend loves how he feels eating a meat-and-nuts diet, so who am I to judge?
I keep hearing about cauli crust and am very curious about it! Also, love the neon outfit!
Oops. I commented on this, but I forgot I was logged in under my friend’s WordPress account because I was fixing her blog. That comment from Dressing for Dinner is actually me!!
I was confused! Mystery solved. You’ve gotta try a cauli/cabbage crust, they are SO easy and delicious. I mean, it’s NOT pizza, but it’s good for those days you don’t want a salad but should probably be eating a salad. And not pizza. Pizza.
Lovely interpretation 🙂
I’ve always wanted to make a cauliflower crust pizza and MAN your creation looks DEEEEEElicious!! 😀
You’ve gotta give a try! So easy, and clearly goes Paleo/primal well 🙂
haaaa – nice one Allie – very creative use of “date” indeed.
and injera… MMmmm – I always eat more than my share 😉
Haha, I’m a master of cheating 🙂 And oh my gosh, I think I’m just going to keep going back to that Ethiopian restaurant for every cheat meal, I forgot just how amazing it is!
hahaha nice! Cabbage pizza crust — very creative!
I so wish i’d thought to do this! Or that I could get a date. LOL!
I LOVE how you changed up the crust. that just makes me think of a whole new world of options…
Thanks for the link back .:)
I’ve been thinking of what else I can use for the crust too, haha. I have a bunch of mushrooms that need to be used, but those may ooze too much moisture when cooked to work. And I use the term “date” loosely, haha. More like long-term-best-friend-dinner, but that REALLY wouldn’t fit this week’s theme…Although I’m sure I could’ve gotten some guy-from-the-gym-who-thinks-I’m-16 to show up ;D
LOL! I think you should avoid the gym pedophiles. 😉
Maybe a carrot crust? Or eggplant?
Haha, they just manage to find me somehow! Ohhh, I bet carrot would be good! Or a carrot/sweet potato combo. Eggplant might have the same problem as mushroom–wet, so it might not hold up to being, well, held. But I also have about thirty eggplants in my garden, so it couldn’t hurt to try.
Hilarious why you didn’t have enough time to photograph the bacon!
Hahahahahahahahaaha. You are hilarious. Y’know, if this day job doesn’t work out, you might be onto something.
Also facial expressions = priceless.
I swear we sometimes have fun when we hang out…
So I think I fixed this whole comment thing that now going forward you should get notifications!
Haha, I love this use of “dates”, brilliant! Is it wrong to say he’s fit too 😉
That pizza looks delicious, off to check it out!
Haha, not wrong at all, I’ll pass along the message. He’s single, too *wink wink*
Hahaha I love that you cooked with a “date” and that you could pick up your pizza normally 😉
Hey, being able to pick up a bread-free crust is no small achievement! My past veggie-crust experiments usually require a knife and fork at best. Sometimes a spoon, if things go really, really wrong…
I made cauliflower crust pizza on the weekend, but your cabbage crust looks better! I love cabbage!
I still haven’t actually tried it with cauliflower, haha. I’m hooked! And glad I’m not the only cabbage lover–that’s a veggie that needs more attention!
I really need to get around to make that cauliflower crust – everyone seems to be raving about it.
It’s no “real” pizza, but it’s a super tasty way to get some veggies, and really fun to play around with variations on!
I love that you wrote about this situation! My husband is a total MEAT eater! I eat meat maybe once a day so if I eat it at lunch I always feel guilty at dinner. Thanks for the inspiration! I made the cauliflower pizza crust once and I added some Italian Spices and it was DELICIOUS! Love and Shine CourtStar
It’s definitely interesting to cook for both! I’ve been tossing in my fav–Mrs. Dash–but italian seasonings would be great!
I love you….
Dear JC (Jesus Christ?), I love you too. I hope this was part of your drunken communication rampage with me last night…
Aw this is so cute, I love that you twisted it to cooking with a date from cooking with dates! Cooking with friends is really fun too 🙂
I love the idea of a cabbage pizza crust, I wonder what else you could do it with? Looks great!
I’ve definitely been wondering the same thing, I now want to try to “crustify” all sorts of veggies, haha
hahaha, love your interpretation of the “date”-y thing 😉 and the pizzas look delish anyway. I should give your vegan variation a try. Did you just completely replace the egg whites with flax seeds, or how did this work?
I used 1Tflax ground with 1T water to form a “flax egg.” Just blend the two, let it sit for a little, then use like an egg!
Ha! I’m sure Heather will be glad that you’re having fun in the kitchen, regardless of the date’s form 🙂
True, the MMAZ still inspired me, even if i didn’t exactly follow the rules ;D
Very creative girl! And I must say – I am loving those magenta-ish colored pants you are wearing – so cute!
Very creative! I love the “date” thing! I actually just got my dates today from the fruit man on the street. I’m always 4-5 days late for MMAZ. Oh well. PS you’re hair is exactly the opposite of mine and I’m jealous. I want bangs so badly!