Cauliflower Bagels (Say What?!)

Here is something I bet you never heard of before.  Bagels...made out of cauliflower!  Before you walk away thinking I've officially lost it, here me out.  While these are not a wheat bagel replacement, they are a delicious alternative that are gluten-free, low-carb, and full of veggies!  I'm hooked.  I've already made numerous sandwiches out of these guys.  So. Good.
 

These are two of my cauliflower plants from my garden.  They are just beginning to form heads, and I am anxiously awaiting their harvest because I have a unnatural love for the vegetable.  I've made mashed cauliflower, cauliflower rice, and cauliflower crust pizza so far.  Now I can add bagels to the list.  And I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon!

Before I made my first batch of these, I did a search for cauliflower bagels to see if anyone else had attempted such a crazy creative idea.  I stumbled upon The Iron You and instantly fell in love. Written by a guy named Mike, this blog is seriously worth checking out.  Not only does he have numerous cauliflower recipes (including calzones and lasagna noodles!), but also a recipe for cauliflower bagels that I adapted mine from.  I get so excited when I find a new food blog to follow:)

I love everything bagels, so I topped mine with the works.  Sesame seeds, minced onion, salt, poppy seeds.  Well, actually I swapped poppy seeds for chia seeds.  It's my trick that works in everything from lemon poppyseed muffins to these bagels. sneaking in more omega 3's, fiber, calcium... and the list goes on and on.  Anyway, you can top these bagels any way you want.

Now let me share some tips for how to properly rice the cauliflower.  The general idea is you cut the florets off the stem and throw it in the food processor until a rice texture is left.

1. Make sure you are only ricing small batches at a time.  You want the bottom of the food processor to be covered, with a few florets on a second layer.  If you put too much in at once, all the florets won't reach a rice texture before some of the cauliflower is over processed.
2. Don't over process!  You will end up with cauliflower mush instead of rice.

Cauliflower Bagels

adapted from The Iron You

yield: 8 bagels

1 head cauliflower, riced* (should make about 6-7 cups once riced
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch fine ground black pepper

Toppings:
chia seeds (or poppy seeds)
sea salt
minced onions
sesame seeds

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 F (with the oven rack in the middle position) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2.  Mix the riced cauliflower, coconut flour, salt, garlic powder, baking powder, and black pepper.
3.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Gently form the dough into a ball.  With a knife (or hands), divide the dough in half.  Divide each half again, then repeat one more time so you are left with 8 small balls.
4.  Gently press the balls on the parchment paper so they are about 1 1/2 inches thick, shaping the edges and making a hole in the middle using your finger.  Add desired toppings.
5.  Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until bagels are golden brown.

To store leftovers, allow to cool completely before wrapping each bagel in a paper towel and placing in an air-tight container in the fridge.