Cilantro and Lime Cauliflower Rice

 



I am putting this recipe in here because I always look for it here!

Skinnytaste.com

Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup  • Old Points: 1 pt • Weight Watchers Points+: 2 pts 

Calories: 61 • Fat: 3 g • Carb: 8 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 2.5 g • Sugar: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg • Sodium: 37 (without salt)

Credit to Nicole for finding it!

Ingredients:

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 scallions, diced
• kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-1/2 limes
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Remove the core and let the cauliflower dry completely. Coarsely chop into florets, then place half of the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous – don't over process or it will get mushy. Set aside and repeat with the remaining cauliflower.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil, scallions and garlic and sauté about 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cauliflower "rice" to the saute pan. Cover and cook approximately 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and place in a medium bowl; toss with fresh cilantro and lime juice to taste.

Makes 5 servings [or not!!].

Added by  Ella+Felix Mama:

Mediterranean eggplant ratatouille

I made the recipe you sent me from The Meat Free Monday Cookbook but didn't have some of the ingredients so it changed considerably into this; very delicious! I'll definitely be making it again soon.

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped (or 3 small)
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
1 eggplant, cubed
1 - 1.5 cup Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend (a mixture of Israeli/pearl couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa). Substitute with whatever grains you can find, or potatoes.
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large (28 oz/800g) can/2 medium (14.5oz/400g) cans chopped tomatoes
2 cups/400g vegetable stock (or a bouillon cube and boiled water)
10-12 mushrooms, chopped
1 large apple, chopped (or 3 small)
1-2 Tbsp capers
2 oz/125g feta, crumbled

Heat some of the oil in a large soup pot, add the chopped onion and celery and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover with a lid (this helps them sweat but not brown). While the onion is cooking, chop the eggplant. Add the remaining oil and the eggplant and cook 4-5 more minutes, until the eggplant begins to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock/water, grains, oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for  25-30 mins until all the vegetables are tender and the grains are cooked (check halfway through to stir and add more water if necessary). At the end, it should be thick & chewy, not soupy.

Add the capers and heat through, and salt & pepper to taste. Serve with the feta.

Optional: additional vegetables like zucchini and red bell pepper, olives, and sprinkle with parsley and pine nuts (or more affordable: sunflower seeds). You can definitely make this ahead and let it sit, it will improve.

Mom's Rice and Spinach Ring

I love this recipe (from Magimix Cookery). They say, "This is the most attractive vegetable dish and one that is very easy to make. Serve it with curries, roast meat or fish."

Ingredients:
12 oz (350g) long grain or Basmati rice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb (450g) fresh spinach (or 8 oz - 225g - frozen spinach)
1 small bunch parsley (or dried)
1 large onion
1 green chilli pepper (or 1/4 tsp dried chilli pepper flakes)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I prefer cumin seeds, more fragrant when you've fried them)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala (not too much)
2 oz/50g butter

Method:
* Cover rice with enough cold water to come 3/4 in. (2 cm) over the top of the rice, add 1/2 tsp salt, stir well, bring slowly to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir well, to beat air into the grains, return the cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes by which time the rice should be tender and fluffy and all the water should have been absorbed. (I just boil the rice in lots of water for 10 mins, no measuring involved, drain and rinse with boiling water. Always perfect rice)
* Remove any tough stalks from the parsley. (I never bother; in fact, I use a ton of dried parsley. Seems to work!)
* Peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic.
* Remove the seeds from the chilli pepper. (flaked red pepper easier)
* Cook the spinach until just tender and drain well.

* With Magimix double-bladed knife: process the parsley until finely chopped and remove. (if you've used fresh parsley)

* Process the onion, garlic and chilli until finely chopped.

* Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, garlic, cumin seed and chilli (flakes) and cook over a medium heat until the onion is soft and transparent.

* Add the (cumin), coriander and garam masala and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for four minutes. (why four minutes?)
* Process the spinach (a bit), add the butter and process for long enough to melt the butter (a second or two), unless you've used finely chopped spinach to start with in which case, just drain it!
* Add the onion and garlic mixture, the spinach and parsley to the rice and season with salt and pepper.

* Press the rice into an oiled ring mold, cover tightly with foil and bake in a moderate oven (350º F/170ºC/gas 4) for 45 minutes.

* Turn out onto a serving dish (as if you need to be told!?)

"Note: the center of the ring can be filled with a savory mixture of leftovers" or, much nicer, chicken/quorn tikka massala!

Pizza!

I am not very fond of pizza unless it's really good - i.e. not of the frozen or take-away variety. So I bring you these recipes to make one heck of a delicious pizza! It's also fun to 'shock' your friends by telling them you're serving them pizza for dinner - esp. when you're a bit notorious for cooking well and elaborately - but then pull out this delicious home made one rather than a yucky frozen one.

The secret is in the red sauce, very simple and delicious, combined with making the dough yourself. This is also very easy after a bit of practice, and working with flour and water towards getting just the right consistency is also very therapeutic and calming, I find. It all sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't and trust me, it's soooo much better than a freezer pizza, really no comparison.

Here's two varieties: the first is a 'traditional' pizza with a really great red sauce (also perfect for pasta, lasagna, canelloni, etc.). This one also makes a great vegan meal if you skip the cheeses and add maybe some more vegetables (eg. thinly sliced sauteed mushrooms). The second is a hip pizza variety imported from LA (where else) which is made with red onions, port and brie.

For the pizza dough (2 pizzas):
500 grams of flour (white flour is easiest)
350 ml luke warm water
1 sachet yeast (7 gr.)
1 scoop of light castor sugar
salt
a sprinkling of corn meal, for baking tray

Add yeast and brown sugar to the water, stir and let sit for a moment. Pour flour in a mound onto a clean counter top, add a good pinch of salt. Make a large open space in the centre of the flour heap. Pour most of the water mixture into the flour, and using a fork, carefully stir in the flour, until the two have formed a good mush-like substance. When the water is absorbed by the flour, take over by your hands and start kneading the dough for about 5-10 minutes. You may need to add the rest of the water, or more flour, to get a good, fairly dry consistency. When the dough is 'right' (you will know when this is!), set it aside in a bowl, cover lightly and put in the fridge for about 1/2 an hour, or while you prep the pizza topping.

Turn on the oven to preheat to about 200 degrees C.

For the red sauce:
1 tin of plum tomatoes
1/2 box of passata
olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 cube veg. bouillon
herbes de provence

Pour a good layer of olive oil into a sauce pan. Don't be stingy with the oil!! Slice garlic. When oil is warm, add garlic. When it is golden (not brown!) add the tomatoes and the passata. Throw in a bunch of the herbes, some pepper and the stock cube. Turn down to a simmer and let it cook for about 20 mins for the flavours to absorb.

Oil the baking trays with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with the corn flour. Take dough out of fridge. Lightly flour the counter top, divide the dough in half and roll out for a thin crust to fit the size of your baking tray. Pop into the middle of the oven for about 5-7 minutes, or until crust starts to lightly turn brown. Remove from oven, and flip over so 'uncooked' side is facing up. Repeat for the other half of the dough. The dough will also start to bubble a bit but that's okay, it will 'relax' once the toppings are on.

For the toppings:
Basically, you can add whatever toppings you like best, but the general rule of thumb is less is more. So I usually go for the original, basic 'Tuscan' variety:
- a good serving of the red sauce to cover the dough all around, leaving an edge of about 1 cm.
- a light sprinkling of grated gouda
- a can of artichoke hearts, sliced up
- a ball of mozzarella, torn into small pieces
Return pizza to oven for 5 minutes or until mozzarella is melted and starting to brown.
Pull out of oven, add a sprinkling of arugula (aka rocket salad, rucola, etc.) over the top and serve immediately!

Red onion pizza variety
For a fancier version (I usually serve both), try this.
- 3-4 red onions, sliced in thin rings
- a large glass of red port, or red wine and a heaped teaspoon full of light castor sugar
- 1 section of brie (200 gr?)
- pine nuts

Slowly sautee the red onions in olive oil. When they are halfway done (i.e. starting to soften), add the port (or the red wine/sugar). Finish cooking until soft. In the meantime, carefully brown the pine nuts in oven or dry pan. Take a cooked pizza crust (see above), turn onto uncooked side. Spread the onions over the top. Cut brie into thin slices and lay over the top of the onions, sprinkle pine nuts over this, and cook for a few minutes until the brie has melted. Make sure the pine nuts don't burn. This is a very subtle yet extremely tasty pizza.

Source: red sauce & pizza dough adapted from Jamie Oliver; onion topping adapted from Nicki Ferguson (LA Ring?)

Fergusons' famous funghi

My father and I learnt this recipe in an Italian cooking course we took a few years ago and have tweaked it a bit along the way. It is delicious, fairly simple but with a unique taste and flavour, and always a big hit. Not healthy, but it's so tasty that you should just not think about that. You can also alternate how you serve it - for instance at Christmas we served it wrapped in crepes rather than with the usual tagliatelle. Anyway, here goes:

• a bunch of mushrooms (any kind will do really; you can do the plain ones, although the darker ones ('kastanje' or 'grot' champignons in Dutch) are tastier, or go for fancy mixed paddestoelen for a special occasion)
• a tub of mascarpone (200 gr. or so)
• a bunch of garlic (to taste, but I would do at least 2 or 3)
• 1 small onion or shallot
• 1 liter vegetable bouillon
• 2 laurel leaves
• 1 twig fresh rosemary, or otherwise a handful of herbes de provence
• 1 small jar of black olive tapenade
• truffle oil (white is stronger but black (cheaper) will do also)
• tagliatelle
• butter
• salt & pepper to taste
• my father adds: a swig of marsala wine
• I add: a bunch of lemon juice, just to freshen it up

Bring a large pan of water to the boil for the tagliatelle.

Clean the mushrooms carefully with a piece of kitchen paper or a mushroom brush (not water!) and slice them (but not too thin). If you are using wild mushrooms leave them as they are. Cut the onion/shallot into small pieces and slice the garlic. Heat butter in pan, add mushrooms, onion, garlic, rosemary and laurel. Salt & pepper to taste. When they are done, scoop out of the pan and set aside.

Pour in the bouillon, loosen the scrapings from the pan, and add the mascarpone (and if you are using it, the marsala wine). Slowly stir until it reaches the consistency of a nice sauce and is reduced by about 1/3. (In the meantime, cook the tagliatelle.) Add half of the mushrooms to the sauce, all the tapenade and a good swig of truffle oil (and if you are using it, the lemon juice).

When the tagliatelle is done, drain and add olive oil. Scoop into deep plates, add the mushroom sauce and top with the rest of the cooked mushrooms. Garnish with a smattering of fresh green herbs.

Just experiment with this recipe until you have it how you like it best. But I guarantee each time it will be delicious if you stick to the basic ingredients.

original source: atelier otto & mezzo

Halloween 3-Cheese Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is another good one for crowds. A big hit at my office potluck.

2 lbs elbow macaroni
1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter, divided 5 & 3 Tbsp
5 Tbsp flour (APF or whole wheat)
2 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp paprika
4-5 cups milk
1-2 bay leaves
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 lb medium yellow Cheddar cheese, grated
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese or American Neufchatel cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups breadcrumbs (from whole wheat bread, or Panko)
1 Tbsp dried parsley

In very large pot of salted water, boil macaroni according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and rinse with water to stop cooking and prevent sticking.

In large saucepan, melt 5 Tbsp butter. Whisk in flour to make a roux and cook for a few minutes. Add milk and incorporate with whisk - let roux absorb milk a little at a time until all milk is incorporated and you have a thick sauce. Whisk in ground mustard and paprika and add chopped onion and bay leaves. Allow to simmer on very low heat for about 5-10 mins.

Remove bay leaf, then add grated Cheddar cheese, stirring while it melts into the sauce.

Put macaroni into large baking dish (eg. deep glass casserole dish or oven-proof crockpot insert). Pour Cheddar sauce over macaroni, mix through and then stir in cream cheese/Neufchatel in pieces so it's evenly distributed, does not have to be totally mixed in. At this point you can allow to cool, cover and refrigerate until needed or continue on...

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt 3 tbsp butter in saute pan and add breadcrumbs. Toss to coat. Mix in Parmesan cheese and parsley then pour over macaroni. Pat down lightly, bake for 30 mins or until topping is slightly browned.

Oma's famous Spanakopita

beloved by small children all over the globe (especially in California and Holland!)

• olive oil;
• chopped onion;
• garlic;
• cumin (I prefer the seeds to ground cumin);
• 1x 450 gr/1 lb frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained (I always cook it up and Magimix it);
• 1 pkg feta cheese (recipe says 115 gr but pkg is 200 gr);
• "115 gr" cottage cheese (or thereabouts);
• salt & pepper;
• 1 pkg filo pastry

Recipe says decorate with tomato wedges and coriander sprigs; I use lemon wedges to squeeze over.

Fry onion and cumin seeds in olive oil until onion is opaque, add garlic then spinach; Remove from heat and stir in both cheeses. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Brush base of baking dish with olive oil. Now layer half the filo pastry in the dish, letting short edges hang over. Officially you should brush every layer with olive oil before adding the next; this tastes very nice but all that oil is not really necessary so I've stopped doing it! Then add spinach/cheese mixture and cover with the rest of the filo. Trim the longest overhanging edges and tuck in to seal.

Very important step: with a sharp knife cut through the layers to the base of the dish, officially into 16 pieces which I do in an oval dish diagonally, but in a smaller dish I make smaller cuts. You need to pre-cut the pieces before you bake the spanakopita so that you will be able to cut it when it's cooked!

Bake at 190 deg C/375 degF for 30 mins; leave to stand before cutting into pieces. Can be served hot or warm.

...Moi? who do you think the Swedish Chef was based on?!

Mediterranean pasta (with aubergine & tomato)

I make this quite often and in fact am making it for dinner right now - it's on the stove as we speak so you get the very quick recipe version!

• 1 large aubergine - cut into +/- 2 cm squares, pour on some salt, let sit for a while (I kind of think this is nonsense so you can skip if you want). Cook gently in olive oil until soft.
• When the aubergine is done, take it out of the pan and put it in a bowl to keep warm. Let the pan cool down.
• Put water on to boil (big pan full), then throw in the spaghetti when you are about to start the sauce.
• Slice garlic (to taste, but I would recommend 2 or 3) and dice about 6 good quality tomatoes. Add some more olive oil to the pan, when warm add the garlic and the tomatoes, plus one small chopped dried chili pepper (without seeds if you prefer milder), and of course plenty of herbes de provence, salt and black pepper, and let this gently simmer down to a thick sauce (takes about 5 mins), stirring frequently. (The official recipe has you squeeze the seeds and juice out of the tomatoes but again I think this is silly.)
• When the spaghetti is ready, drain it and add some olive oil.
• Add the aubergines to the tomato sauce, stir, and also add the spaghetti into the saucepan.
• Crumble feta, stir all ingredients together gently, plus some fresh basil if you have it. If not, no problem either. Save some feta for crumbling on top.

Serve in bowls. Very tasty vegetarian dinner!

Source: Rick Stein (on TV)

Next I will add a super pizza, and the mushroom-mascarpone sauce I have promised Nicole 100 times.

meatloaf recipe for evelyn

Meatloaf with tacochips
1 pak half-om-half gehakt (ca. 350 gr; biologisch)
100 gram gerookt ontbijtspek in reepjes (biologisch)
1 grote ui
2 tenen knoflook (of naar smaak)
[2 ingemaakte jalapeno pepers - optional]
85 gram tacochips (of gewoon 1 zo'n zak doritos)
2 eieren
chilipoeder
zout
flink wat gemalen komijnpoeder
40 gr geraspte belegen kaas
1 rijpe maar stevige avocado,
OF 1 groene & 1 rode paprika, in dunne reepjes en op laag vuur gaar zacht gebakken

for hot sauce:
1 blik gepelde tomaten
1 rode paprika
1 middelgrote, gehakte ui
1-2 tenen knoflook
1 grof gesneden stengel bleekselderij
zout
gemalen koriander
komijnpoeder
1 gedroogde chilipeper (met zaadjes is pittiger, zonder is milder)

Draai alle ingredienten in de blender (of mbv staafmixer) tot een vrij gladde puree.

For meat loaf:
Doe gehakt in kom, kneed even los, en dan de spekjes erdoorheen. Snipper ui & hak knoflook en evt. de jalapenos. Tacochips in een plasticzak, goed dichtmaken! en met een deegroller verkruimelen. Klop eieren los, en gooi alle ingredienten door het gehakt, goed kneden. Doe helft van het mengsel in een brood- of cakevorm van ca. 25x13x7 cm en druk een holte in het midden. Hierin strooi je wat kaas, daarover leg je de reepjes paprika. Rest van het gehakt eroverheen en goed aandrukken.

Zet 1 1/4 tot 1 1/2 uur in de oven op 175 graden C. Daarna, uit de oven halen, losjes afdekken, 10 min. laten rusten. In dikke plakken serveren met de saus er apart bij.

(source: NRC)