Secret life of Cauliflower

Guilt Free Bites (Cauliflower Pizza Bites)

Makes 24 Cauliflower Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Grated Cauliflower (washed, dried and grated using a food processor or cheese grater by hand until rice-like or thinner – Note – Approximately one head of cauliflower)
• 1/4 Cup Egg Whites
• 1 Cup 1% Cottage Cheese (drained)
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• 2 Tsp Parsley
• 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil (Optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp Frank’s Hot Sauce (Optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 450 F.
2. Using a healthy cooking oil spray your mini muffin tin.
3. In a hot frying stir fry the “cauliflower rice” until the cauliflower is slightly translucent (about 6-8 minutes). Place in a bowl and let cool.
4. Place all other ingredients the food processor and blend until smooth.
5. In a bowl combine both the “cauliflower rice” and blended ingredients. Mix completely.
6. Evenly spoon mixture into your muffin tin molds. Press pizza dough down evenly and firmly (*The pressing down firmly is very important to make sure these stick together).
7. Place in your oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.
8. Remove the pizza bites from the oven and let set until cool (This is also very important – let these pizza bites set in their pan for 5 – 10 minutes before removing – If you take them out while they are too hot they will break).
9. Once cool remove from muffin tin (either by tipping them out OR by running a thin knife down along the side and popping them out).
10. Use organic, natural pizza or pasta sauce for dipping (or make your own sauce- Simple Marinara Sauce link)

SIMPLE MARINARA SAUCE:

Makes About 3 Cups.
*Use this simple marinara sauce as a topping for your pizza or as a dipping sauce for your garlic breadsticks.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Reduced-Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1 Cup Finely Chopped White Onion
• 4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/8 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• 2 Tbsp No-Salt-added Tomato Paste
• 2 (15-Ounce) Cans No-Salt-Added Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Thinly Sliced Fresh Basil
• 1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Oregano
• 1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring broth to a simmer.
2. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Reduce heat to medium, stir in tomatoes and cook about 15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally to make sure mixture doesn’t stick to the pan.
5. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Serve warm or chill until ready to serve.

Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”

 If you like the mashed cauliflower to be a little chunky, instead of using an immersion blender, use a potato masher to mash and stir with the butter and sour cream.

Top with chives (or whatever you normally like on your mashed potatoes) and you’ve got one heck of a side dish.

ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower3 tablespoons milk1 tablespoon butter2 tablespoons light sour cream1/4 teaspoon garlic
saltfreshly ground black peppersnipped chives

directions:

1. Separate the cauliflower into florets and chop the core finely.

2. Bring about 1 cup of water to a simmer in a pot, then add the cauliflower. Cover and turn the heat to medium. Cook the cauliflower for 12-15 minutes or until very tender.

3. Drain and discard all of the water (the drier the cauliflower is, the better) and add the milk, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper and mash with a masher until it looks like "mashed potatoes." Top with chives.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

I got this idea from Beth's blog:
 http://www.eat-drink-smile.com/2011/04/cauliflower-crust-pizza.html

ingredients:

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)

pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*

directions:

To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes (some microwaves are more powerful than others, so you may need to reduce this cooking time). There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Enjoy!

*Note that toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Salad in a Jar

SALADS:


SALAD IN A JAR

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Recipe from Creative Kitchen Adventures

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp water (more or less depending on the consistency you want)
2 tbsp honey (can be replaced with agave or brown sugar)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Place all ingredients into a small jar (canning jar). Anything with a lid works well.
Shake to mix thoroughly. Stores in fridge for 1-2 weeks.

*Or use my blending method: throw everything in the blender, blend for about 30 seconds, then store in a jar for 1-2 weeks.

Salad
Makes 2 salads (Salads pictured were made in 32 oz mason jars)

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 big handfuls spinach
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion, diced
4 tbsp balsamic vinagrette

Layer the ingredients in the jar as follows:
dressing
onion
mushrooms
tomatoes
quinoa
spinach

The most important part of the layering is making sure the dressing and the spinach (or whatever ‘leaf’ you choose) don’t touch. As long as they stay separate, these salads can be made up to 4 days in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge with a lid on. This is one of my tricks to eating salad everyday for lunch at work. I make a few jars on Sunday night and just grab one to bring to work everyday. When you’re ready to eat, just shake it up.

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette Dressing

2 heads of garlic, roasted and peeled
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp honey

Cut the pointy top off of the garlic. Brush them with olive oil and roast them in a pan in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, until it is starting to turn golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven, allow to cool. Once the garlic is cool, peel the skin off. Discard the skins, save the garlic.
*Skin peels off really easily after they are roasted.

Add all the ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
*If some of the skin get processed with the rest of the dressing, no big deal, it won’t change the flavor.

The salad dressing can be vegan if you sub the honey for agave. And it is dairy free, with no substitutions!

Heirloom Tomato Salad

A simple summer tomato salad made with heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives, red onion, extra virgin olive oil and garden fresh basil. If you can't find heirloom tomatoes, you can use garden tomatoes instead. This is my husband's recipe and it's my favorite ways to eat tomatoes. Serve this as a side dish or for lunch with a nice crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 8 kalamata olives
• fresh basil, sliced
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

In a bowl combine onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. Let it marinate about 5-10 minutes. Slice the tomatoes and arrange on a plate. Pour olive oil and onions on top and season with additional salt and pepper. Top with fresh basil. Divide equally in 4 plates.

Bake-sized Baked Brie

Bake-sized Baked Brie

These bite-sized treats come together with puff pastry.

It’s buttery.  It’s flaky and light.  It’s buttery.

It’s totally buttery.

Cut the sheet of puff pastry into 12 rectangles… then each rectangle in half.  That means 24 little rectangles that will make 12 little puffs.

 Brush half of the squares with egg wash, a little nibble of cheese (do not be afraid of the brie rind!), a touch of jam, and more puff pastry.

Put these little brie bites on sticks.  I stuck a small popsicle stick half way up the puff pastry and then pressed it all together. You don’t need popsicle sticks.  You totally don’t.  The sticks just make things more… sticky.

Sweet little cheese pockets. A lot of brie was eaten in the making of these pockets.

Egg washed and a sprinkling of salt.

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed but still cold

1/2 wedge of brie, cold

1/3 cup cherry jam (or any flavor you fancy!)

1 large egg, beaten

splash of milk

All-butter, store bought puff pastry  usually comes frozen and folded into thirds.  We’re going to use these folded thirds to our advantage.  Cut the puff pastry into thirds along the creases.  Cut each panel into four pieces.  They’ll be 2 1/4-inch tall and 3-inches wide.  One sheet of puff pastry will yield 12 rectangles.  Cut each rectangle in half.  You’ll have 24 little rectangles that will create 12 little rectangle pockets.

Combine beaten egg and splash of milk.  Brush 12 of the small rectangles with egg wash.  If you’d like to make brie bites on sticks, now is the time!  Place a popsicle stick halfway up the puff pastry and press in gently.  Place a small sliver of brie (rind and all) on top of the egg wash (and stick).  Top with about 1/2 teaspoon of cherry jam.  Take another square of puff pastry and press between your fingers to make the rectangle slightly bigger.  Place puff pastry on top of the cheese and jam.  Use a fork to press the edges together.  The egg wash will act as a glue.  Make sure to seal the edges well by crimping with the fork.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place prepared brie bites on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with egg wash.  Sprinkle with a touch of coarsely ground sea salt.  Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Brie bites are best served warm, but are also delicious at room temperature.  

Kale & Quinoa

Kale and Quinoa Cakes

1 1/2 cups raw quinoa

2 1/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 bunch (about 3 cups) chopped dino kale

splash of apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoon olive oil for frying, add a bit more as necessary

lemon wedges, olives or capers, spicy mustard, and greens for serving

Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.  Wash under cool water for a few minutes.  Quinoa needs to be rinsed or it tastes dirty.

In a medium saucepan place rinsed quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for about 25 t0 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  We’ll need about 3 cups of cooked quinoa for the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and set aside.

In a medium sauté man, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add kale and toss until just slightly wilted, about 1 minutes.  Remove from heat and add a splash of vinegar.  Place kale mixture in a large bowl with prepared quinoa.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  You can speed up this process in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Add cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, break crumbs, salt, and pepper.  Add beaten eggs and stir until all of the quinoa mixture is moistened.  Add water to thoroughly moisten mixture.  Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn’t dry out during cooking.

Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful.  (I used a small ice cream scoop to scoop the mixture right into the hot pan.)  Use clean, moist fingers to form into a patty.  Create as many patties as you’d like.  (Rinse your hands after every few patties… it makes making patties easier.)

In a large skillet over medium low heat, heat olive oil.  If you pan is large enough, add four to six patties to the hot pan.  You’ll need a bit of room to successfully flip them.

Cook on each side until beautifully browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Low heat helps the quinoa cakes cook slowly. Brown on each side then remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Serve warm with a lemon wedge, mustard, fresh spinach, and salty capers.  It’s like a deconstructed salad.  Serve them any way you’d like.

Also, the quinoa mixture can be left, uncooked in the fridge for a few days.  Cook as necessary.  Fresh quinoa cakes with fried eggs are delicious!

Lemon, Olive, and Parsley Quinoa Cakes

1 1/2 cups raw quinoa

2 1/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, beaten

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan or Gruyere cheese

1/3 cup coarsely chopped green olives

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoon olive oil

Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer.  Wash under cool water for a few minutes.  Quinoa needs to be rinsed or it tastes dirty.

In a medium saucepan place rinsed quinoa, water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Place over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for about 25 t0 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  We’ll need 3 cups of cooked quinoa for the recipe.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together onion, garlic, cheese, olives, parsley, lemon zest, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and cooled quinoa.  Add beaten eggs and stir until all of the quinoa mixture is moistened.  Add water to thoroughly moisten mixture.  Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn’t dry out during cooking.

Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful.  Use clean, moist fingers to form into a patty.  Create as many patties as you’d like.

In a large skillet over medium low heat, heat olive oil.  If you pan is large enough, add four to six patties to the hot pan.  You’ll need a bit of room to successfully flip them.

Cook on each side until beautifully browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.  Low heat helps the quinoa cakes cook slowly. Brown on each side then remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Serve warm with a small spinach salad, or with scrambled eggs.  Serve them any way you’d like.

Also, the quinoa mixture can be left, uncooked in the fridge for a few days.  Cook as necessary.