Happy Monday! Hope you all are enjoying your three-day weekend. I love weekends most when they are a combination of both productive and relaxing.
Saturday was very productive for us. Started out with a nice, long run around the city and spent the rest of the afternoon finalizing our lodging for Europe. We are still trying to figure out where to stay in Paris & Venice so if you have any ideas or suggestions,please let me know.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing, baking a bit in the morning and then hanging out with friends for the afternoon and evening. I am really looking forward to using today to finish running errands and prep meals for the week.
I can’t believe it’s already time for January’s Recipe Redux! I feel like only a week ago we were celebrating the holidays, and now it’s almost February.
This month’s theme is: “A Trend in Every Pot”, combing 2013 food trends in everyone’s favorite winter dish, soup!
I love reading all the predicted food and restaurant trends for 2013. I am happy to see that there is more of an emphasis on vegetables, especially vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Restaurants, if you’re listening- keep bringing on the inventive vegan fare. Nothing is more boring that pasta and red sauce or a grilled vegetable sandwich. Get crazy!
If 2012 was the year of Kale, then 2013 is slated to be the year of cauliflower. Great! Bring it on. I love cauliflower, whether it’s placed into tacos, pureed as a creamy base, roasted and tossed with pasta, it’s all good. Remember when mashed cauliflower became all the rage? My mom was on the south beach kick for a few years, and we ate a ton of mashed cauliflower. Ever since then I realized that cauliflower is so much more than a steamed side dish.
My favorite way to enjoy it is roasted with curry powder. You were warned that I’ve been on an indian kick lately, and thought it would be the perfect partner for this dish.
Roasted, spiced cauliflower, onions and shallots pureed with almond milk, more spice, and topped with sunflower seeds and cilantro.
The thing I most love about this soup? While it feels and looks like a heavy cream soup, it’s actually very light. Perfect for a light lunch, paired with a sandwich, or served as an appetizer for a fancy dinner, this soup will definitely be on trend for 2013.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine chopped cauliflower, potatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, and 2 tsp. curry powder together. Place ingredients onto a roasting or baking pan. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add all ingredients into a soup pot and add cover with almond milk. Place over medium heat and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
Using an immersion blender or high-powered blender, puree the vegetables, almond milk, reserved curry powder, and salt/pepper.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring often so they don’t burn.
Garnish soup with chopped cilantro and sunflower seeds.
Buffalo wings. Synonymous with beer, football, and lazy Sundays.
Ever since BL and I started dating, Sundays from September through January are reserved for bar food and hours of endless football.
Besides Nachos, Buffalo Wings are one of BL’s favorite foods. Since going vegetarian, I know he has missed wings the most. I’ve tried replicating the flavor in my buffalo chix salad, but I know it’s just not the same.
There’s just something about dipping a hunk of buffalo sauce into creamy, cool ranch dressing! I’ve never gotten the appeal of buffalo wings, but I totally understand the obsession with the sauce. I loved these nuggets and will definitely be making them for Super Bowl. In fact, at the end of the day, I think I ate more of these than BL did!
Whether you are vegetarian or not, these are the perfect solution to traditional wings, but much healthier and lower in both calories and fat. You could eat the entire recipe for the same about of calories in 6 regular wings! What’s not to love about that?
First, chop a head of cauliflower into bite size pieces. You want them big enough to be able to pick up and eat in one bite.
Mix together 1 cup all-purpose, whole wheat or gluten free flour of your choice with 1 cup unflavored non-dairy milk. I used 1 cup whole wheat flour with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk. Add 2 tsp. garlic powder & 1 tsp. onion powder. Whisk to combine.
If you want a more traditional, greasier wing, try frying them in a tempura batter and covering with buffalo sauce.
Dip each piece of cauliflower into the batter, making sure each piece is thoroughly coated. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven. Mix 3/4 cup buffalo hot sauce with 1 tbsp. melted butter. Dip each piece of cauliflower into the buffalo mix. Return to the baking sheet and cook another 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve with your favorite dressing and celery sticks!
Since moving to California 5 years ago, our intake of Mexican food has increased dramatically. I never knew I could love tacos and avocados so much. Actually, no I take that back. I’ve been eating avocados like they were my J-O-B for as long as I can remember. Now, in addition to eating them plain and on toast, I use them as an excuse to eat as many tacos, burritos, and the like.
While I love lentil tacos, nut meat tacos, tempeh tacos, ect. I was getting a little bored with our typical Mexican fiesta nights. I can’t remember where I saw the idea for using chopped cauliflower but I am SO glad I remembered that this was a perfectly acceptable option.
Don’t these look awesome? Who knew chopped cauliflower could taste so good! Mixed with taco seasoning, black beans for extra fiber and protein, and fresh peppers from the garden, these were some of the best tacos I’ve had in a while. Add your favorite toppings and taco night is ready!
I recently stumbled upon Trader Joe’s Corn and Wheat tortillas and highly recommend them for your taco shells. Plus, it prevents me from having to buy corn tortillas and flour tortillas. BL likes flour, I like corn. We now compromise thanks to TJ’s.
Cauliflower and Bean Tacos
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 baby bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1 package taco seasoning
1 tbsp. taco sauce
salt/pepper to taste
Tortillas
Taco Toppings (I like lettuce, cheese, avocado)
Finely dice the cauliflower using a knife or food processor. Don’t pulse it too fine or you will get cauliflower mush. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a wok or large saute pan. Add the onion and baby bell peppers. Saute 5 minutes until onion is soft. Add the cauliflower and toss continuously for 3-4 minutes until crispy. Add the taco seasoning, taco sauce, and black beans. Cook a few more minutes until thoroughly combined.
Spoon filling onto taco shells and top with your favorite add-on’s.
I love Spring/Summer and am excited for the upcoming season, warm weather means more outdoor activities and longer days. However, I am trying to enjoy the last bit of winter with roasted root vegetables and this hearty stew. A simple, hearty meal this is a great way to add more vegetables and whole grain into your diet.
Roasted Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
1 cup lentils
1 head cauliflower
3 medium sweet potatoes
8 carrots
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 cup cooked chickpeas (or canned)
9 cups vegetable broth (or use water and add concentrated vegetable broth)
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 lemon, juiced
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large soup pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Add the canned tomatoes, turmeric, paprika, curry powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, and lentils. Reduce heat down to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils are tender.
While that is cooking, chop the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots into bite-size pieces. Toss with 1 tsp. oil, 1/8 tsp. salt, pepper and place on a baking or roasting sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. When done, remove and place vegetables into the soup pot.
Cook the couscous: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add couscous, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
Stir in the cilantro, mint and fresh lemon juice just before serving. Add the cooked couscous. If you need more liquid, add more broth.
Enjoy, what winter meals are you squeezing in one last time?
