Crazy For Cauliflower

I do like cauliflower. A lot. It doesn’t have to have cheese/white sauce on it or be anything too fancy, and I adore it as cauliflower rice. So the idea of roasting a cauliflower whole, slathered in a yoghurt/spice mixture, was something I could not resist trying when a friend shared the post on facebook recently. You can find the recipe here at PureWow blog.

This was very easy and smelt fantastic when cooking. I’m using an unfamiliar oven at the moment, whilst in my temporary home for a few weeks, and I wasn’t sure how it would go – it did start to burn on the top so I covered it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

The result was pretty good (apart from a pan with the bejeezus burnt out of it because I didn’t think to put baking paper underneath, and the yoghurt mixture kind of dripped down the sides like icing on a cake!), but I do think it needed something more. Maybe a type of gravy or some extra yoghurt, or a drizzle of lemon juice/EVOO would have given it a finishing touch. It was cooked beautifully without being soggy, which surprised me after such a long cooking time.

This would be well worth trying with broccoli too, I think! We had it with very easy Honey Baked Chicken, for a simple Sunday night lazy meal, as we’d already been out for lunch with friends at Edgecombe Bros winery in the Swan Valley. We had shared platters of delicious local nibbles, and tasted wines – a very relaxing way to spend a Summer Sunday afternoon!

Happy Fooding!

The Warmth Hath Arriveth

I should have mentioned about the lack of Summer weather earlier, because as soon as I posted about how cold and wet it was, the heat arrived! And I am certainly not complaining now – it’s quite lovely and should remain so now for the next 5 or so months. Hooray!

So……salad time.

After a couple of days of not eating proper meals, in fact not eating much at all I have to say, as well as too much wine consumption (what can I say, my friends are a bad influence….), I was badly in need of something healthy and vibrant. This dish, adapted from a recent Super Food Ideas recipe, fit the detox bill perfectly – light and crunchy, great colours, full of vitamins and goodness, and tasting great too.

Chicken & Broccolini Salad

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 500 gms)

2 bunches broccolini, cut into 3cm pieces

⅓ cup pine nuts

¼ cup dukkah (whatever flavour you like – I used Hot Chilli by Gourmet Spice Blends from Mt Tamborine, Queensland)

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

60 gms baby spinach leaves

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a deep fry pan or wok. Add chicken fillets; brown on both sides then add the soy sauce, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked all the way through (add a splash of water if it starts to stick). Remove from pan, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes then slice and put aside.

Steam broccolini pieces in microwave for 2 minutes on HIGH; let stand for a few minutes then drain.

Heat the other tbsp of olive oil in the same frypan or wok; add pine nuts and dukkah and stir frequently for 1-2 minutes until starting to toast and become aromatic. Returned sliced chicken to pan along with all remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly and gently heat through until spinach wilts.

Serves 2-3

Happy Summer Fooding!

Damper / Soda Bread

I felt like soda bread one day this week, and decided to see if the recipe I’ve had for years worked in the bread machine, because things are so easy that way. It did work, really well, and made great open sandwiches with olive/feta dip, jarslberg cheese, roast beef & alfalfa sprouts on top.

For something different I added a small can of corn kernels and some caraway seeds – you can add lots of things to bread recipes to jazz them up a bit – sun-dried tomatoes, chopped olives, walnuts, poppy seeds, herbs etc.

Soda Bread

3 cups plain flour

1 1/2 tsp bi-carbonate of soda

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp caraway seeds (optional)

125 gm can corn kernels, drained (optional)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk or low-fat Greek yoghurt

Regular Method:

Mix dry ingredients, seeds & corn (if using) together with a whisk.  Make well in the centre and add 1 cup of buttermilk/yoghurt.  Mix with a fork then gradually add more of the remaining buttermilk/yoghurt until a soft dough is formed.

Knead dough lightly on floured surface for 1 minute. Form into an oval shape and place in a greased/lined loaf tin or on a greased/lined baking tray.

Bake at 190C (170C fan forced) for 45 minutes.

Bread Machine Method:

Place all ingredients in machine. Cook on Damper setting. After the first five minutes, scrape down the sides of the mixture with a spatula to make sure it all gets mixed in properly.

Yummy Lunch!

As with all quick breads, this is best eaten on the day of baking. Use leftovers for great toast!

Happy Fooding!

What To Do When The Trains Are Running Late…. Again

Sometimes in the morning on the way to work I have very good intentions of cooking something amazing, grand, special, gourmet, whatever, that night. Then on my way home I start to flag, physically and mentally, and by the time I get home I’m thinking “order a pizza” or “have a box of BBQ Shapes” (yes that is a weakness of mine) instead! I get up at 5.15 some days and it’s a long day by the time I get home and have to start cooking when all I want to do is pour a glass of wine and vedge out watching a DVD or reading (as if I don’t get enough closeness to books, all day at work lol). It’s also, to be honest, very hard sometimes to get motivated when there’s no one to cook for but yourself – much as I love food and all that goes with it – sometimes the lack of people to share the food with is, well just plain depressing.

So, the other morning I had this pang for mushrooms, spinach and feta – I was thinking of something vaguely burrito-ish but hadn’t quite decided what. I bought mushrooms, baby spinach and yummy Danish feta on the way to work, and some lovely fresh broccoli as well. All I knew for sure was, YES I really want to make something super-extraordinaire!

Hmmmmmm. Got to the station after work. Trains running late due to “point delays” (??????). The longer it took, the more my enthusiasm for cooking dinner just disappeared. By the time I got home, all I could think was omg how quickly can I have a shower and get a glass of wine poured (I can tell you from lots of experience, that going straight to the fridge, pouring the wine and taking it to the bathroom with you, is actually the best plan of attack).

I decided to chuck vegies in a pan and do something super fast and just eat it – it would be healthy at least. I wasn’t planning on making something blog-worthy at this point, but it actually tasted SO good that I just have to tell you what I did. Nothing of the rocket science variety, but the perfect super-fast-can’t-be-bothered-healthy-meal-for-one.

No real quantities here, just a great combination of flavours. I didn’t use the feta, decided on tasty cheese instead, so I kept the feta for a salad instead.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a wok or large pan. Add whole button or cup mushrooms, zucchini (chopped into chunks), and broccoli (cut into very small florets). Saute for 1 minute on medium heat, stirring a lot. Add 1 tsp chilli paste, about 1/3 cup condensed tomato soup (I had this leftover from a can I opened for the beef stroganoff the other day) and a good splash of soy sauce. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, then add some baby spinach and cracked pepper, and saute for a further 1 minute until spinach is wilted.

Drain off the liquid and serve in tortillas with grated taste cheese sprinkled on top.

As I wasn’t planning on this being a perfectly presented and photographed meal, I didn’t take a photo until I’d already eaten two-thirds haha – so the pic above is the leftover bit, sprinkled with cheese and ready for lunch the next day.

Delicious, easy, very quick and stress-free for those pesky train-bothering days.

Happy Fooding!

Shhhhh….The Kids Will Never Know It’s Not Rice

At the risk of totally boring you…..yes it’s cauliflower again! But does it look like it?? Not a bit.

I like to think I’m pretty much up there with the latest food trends, products and “in things”, but it was made clear to me last week (thanks Jane!) that I have missed the cauliflower rice phenomenon, completely and utterly.

I picked up a large cauli for $1.37 on Friday, so after scouring the e-world for many variations, this is my version of “fried rice” without rice. You can really use this in any way that you would use rice, and add anything you like. I really wanted the zing of fresh lemon juice/zest, plus a bit of pizzazz from chilli (not much, just a hint), and it worked beautifully, in fact I scoffed a bowl of this and thought omg how moreish is this.

Super healthy, versatile and soooooo easy if you have a food processor. As long as cauliflower stays cheap this will be a new staple food in my cooking. Plus you can freeze it in sandwich bags for future use, when cauli is in season.

There are many step-by-step photos around, of how to make cauliflower rice – just google and you’ll find plenty of recipe ideas. If you don’t have a food processor, use a cheese grater – works just as well but is more labour intensive and slower.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

1 large head of cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp chilli paste (I like Masterfoods)

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

2 tbsp vegetable stock

1/2 cup frozen peas

(and next time I’ll add some chopped coriander – just didn’t have any to hand this time)

Cut the cauliflower into florets (make sure it is completely dry)  and place in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped – should be rice sized grains.

Heat olive oil in a pan or wok. Add the onion and garlic, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

Serves 6 as a side dish, or if you are having it on its own as a bowl of deliciousness, serves 3.

This is a perfect dish to serve fussy kids who like rice but won’t eat vegies – they’ll never know it’s not rice! You can make it plain without adding the onion etc too – just saute for 7-8 mins until “al dente”.

Happy Fooding!

 

Cauli Continues…

Cauliflower is so cheap here right now! It has a very short “cheap” season here in WA, and for most of the year is expensive, so I’ve made the most of the current availability.

I had a recipe from somewhere online, can’t remember where, for really easy cauliflower fritter things, and intended to make those tonight for dinner. I haven’t been cooking much lately, just working and coming home tired and really just haven’t been bothered, a lot of the time – but this morning I was super organised and had the cauliflower all cut up ready to go, before I left home.

So…..I arrived home, cooked the cauli ’til tender, and added the other ingredients. The instructions then said to form the mixture into patties and sauté….WELL, this mixture was boiling hot, and too “wet” to form into anything resembling a firm patty. So I had to rethink…..I also didn’t feel like standing over a stove doing fritters in batches, which takes a while let’s face it.

So…..instead, I placed the mixture in a baking dish and topped with a few slices of tomato and some parmesan cheese, and baked for 20 minutes. It was absolutely delicious – actually quite spicy from the cayenne pepper, which had much more of a peppery kick than I expected it to.

I guess this is more of a side dish, the way I ended up making it – but I just piled a heap in a bowl and ate it with a spoon for my dinner lol. Good stuff.

Cauliflower Gratin

1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets

2 eggs

1/3 cup tasty/cheddar cheese, grated

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

60 gms parmesan cheese, grated

1 tomato, sliced

Cook the cauliflower in boiling water until tender – about 10 mins. Drain, mash and add the eggs, cheese, breadcrumbs and cayenne pepper.

Place mixture in a lightly greased baking dish (I used a square ceramic dish 20 cm x 20 cm approx).

Top with tomato slices and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 180C for 25 minutes until top is golden and bubbling.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Happy Winter Fooding!

 

Cold Curing Cauli Consommé!

Well, not consommé exactly, but “soup” doesn’t start with a C!

I really hate Winter. With a passion. A big passion. My flat is freezing, and even with the heating on I have to sit with 2 pairs of socks on, a quilt on my lap and a hot water bottle under my feet, in order to feel warm enough to work on my embroidery. Thank goodness Winters here are very short. This 3 month period is a nightmare for me every year and I just can’t wait for Spring and shorts/bare feet weather to be here again!

I’ve got a cold at the moment, my second this Winter which is very annoying. This time it isn’t as bad as back in April (that was a real shocker, I even went to the doctor’s which is just not like me!), but still I’ve been needing to nurture myself a bit. I picked up a whole cauliflower very cheap so decided to make cauliflower soup – but in the past I’ve never been able to make one with decent flavour. I’ve made many variations and it’s always a bit bland and boring, so this time I just made it up as I went along and in order to cleanse my nostrils haha, I chucked in a teaspoon of chilli paste. Well, that did the trick. Spicy and flavoursome, and really good for clearing my head!

Cauliflower & Leek Soup

1/2 head of a large cauliflower, cut into big chunks

1 carrot, peeled & cut into chunks

1 leek, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp chilli paste

1/4 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock (use a vegetarian stock if you prefer)

2 tbsp soy sauce

cracked pepper, to taste

1/3 cup milk

chopped fresh parsley, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the cauliflower, carrot & leek until leek is softened – about 5 minutes.

Add thyme and chilli paste, stir to coat and saute for 1 minute.

Add wine, chicken stock, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until vegies are cooked.

Remove saucepan from heat and blend the soup using a stick blender (or put in a food processor in batches, then return to saucepan).

Place back on low heat, add milk and parsley and slowly bring JUST to a simmer then turn heat off.

Serve with fresh bread and a glass of something bubbly (for medicinal purposes, of course….).

Serves 4.

Happy Winter Fooding!

Surprisingly Good!

The weather has been perfect this week – hot during the day, but still cooling down enough to sleep properly at night. Being at work sucks when the weather’s great though!

I wanted to try this easy broccoli side dish, Madras Hari Bhari (love that name!). I actually ate this as my main course, being still in a 95% non-meat phase at the moment – I say only 95%, because I can’t resist the occasional party pie for a snack I’m afraid. And not the gourmet homemade variety either – I just like the Woolworths own-bakery ones and I like to eat them cold straight out of the packet (yeah I know it’s gross, but they just taste so GOOD that way!).

Although this was super easy, when I threw it together I thought oh I don’t think this is going to be too exciting, but in fact it tasted great. Mild curry flavour and ready in half an hour. This made enough for 4 as a side dish, but could easily be increased to make a big bowl of it as a dinner party accompaniment or a vegie dish at a party. You could also add cauliflower as well.

Happy Summer Fooding!

Pizza Perfection!

I thought I’d show you some examples of the pizzas I love to make. I use my bread machine (omg I love that thing SO much), on the pizza dough setting. Each batch makes 2 large pizzas – I divide the risen dough in half, roll it out on a floured board and place each on a pizza tray (sprayed with olive oil spray).

Next is the tomato paste spread over the bases, and then I top with whatever takes my fancy (I am very partial to prawns these days, whole cloves of garlic, and lots of vegetarian toppings – asparagus, broccoli, baby spinach, haloumi and part-cooked cubes of pumpkin).

On top I sprinkle a mixture of grated mozzarella and tasty cheeses, but I don’t like TOO much cheese – I like to taste the toppings properly, and if there’s too much cheese it just tastes of oil (not to mention being serious heart attack material, especially if you also have high-fat meats like salami, on the pizza). Fresh basil leaves are awesome sprinkled on top too 🙂

The oven must be hot, as the pizza needs to cook quickly and be hot enough for the dough to puff up and rise properly – I usually do 10 minutes at 220C and then turn the trays around and also switch them over from top to bottom, to ensure even cooking. With my current oven I do have to be very careful not to burn them though.

Making 2 in one batch is good as you can make one with meat and one without, hence suiting all eating styles. Leftovers are good for lunch (or cold, first thing in the morning, if you need a post-booze-carbs-hit….).

Happy Fooding!

Roasted Cauliflower

I subscribe to Rantings of an Amateur Chef, a blog I find inspirational from a blog point of view because the author posts pretty much daily (where does he get the time?!!). Plus the articles/recipes are always interesting to read, with loads of photos.

This cauliflower recipe from Simply Recipes, re-posted on Ranting Chef, was very timely for me as I had just bought a HUGE head of cauliflower and was looking for a way to cook it other than just steamed/boiled with cheese sauce.

This was uber easy and tasted great. I upped the garlic (of course) and lemon, omitted the salt, didn’t use a whole head of cauli, and I cut it into larger chunks rather than the small florets in Ranting Chef’s post. I served it with baked chicken drumsticks that I marinated for a few hours in HP sauce, honey, soy sauce and cracked pepper.

Nice and quick and pain-free for a Winter’s evening when you don’t want anything too complicated. And I did extra drumsticks, as I love them cold for lunch.

Roasted Cauliflower

3 cups cauliflower, cut into large chunks

4 cloves garlic, crushed

juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

cracked pepper, to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 180C.

Toss the cauliflower, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and pepper in a bowl; toss to coat thoroughly.

Place mixture on a baking-paper-lined oven tray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.

Remove from oven, place in a heated serving dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Carefully toss with a spoon to coat all of the cauliflower with the cheese as it melts.

Serves 4.

Happy Fooding!