Cauliflower Pesto

Sorry for the lack of posts these last few weeks! I have lots to share, but life gets busy, as I'm sure you can all relate.

This recipe comes to you straight from my noggin. I was thinking about roasted cauliflower and how delicious it was. Then I started thinking about pesto, and how I wished I could eat it (cheese hates me). THEN I got a brilliant idea that WORKED! So this is for all you dairy allergy/lactose intolerant folks. Or it's for anyone who needs a little more veggie in their life. So delicious you'll want to just eat it out of the blender on a spoon (at least me and my toddler did!).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup roasted cauliflower (about 1/2 a small head)
• 1 cup loose packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup cashews (or pinenuts)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Roast your cauliflower. To do this, chop it into florets, then toss with 1 Tb. olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to your taste. Cook in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, stir on cooking sheet, then cook an additional 5-10 min.
2. Put all ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and blend. Then add the olive oil and blend till well mixed and creamy.
3. Enjoy on all things pesto related! I personally loved using this on my Naan Bread Pizza recipe.

Veggie Pot Pie

This recipe was sent in by Katie M. She found it at All Recipes.

Ingredients:

•  2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 inch wide
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook onions, mushrooms, and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir in cauliflower, green beans, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, and 1/4 cup water until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Stir into vegetables, and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
4. Roll out 1/2 of the dough to line an 11x7 inch baking dish. Pour the filling into the pastry lined dish. Roll out remaining dough, arrange over the filling, and seal and flute the edges.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the crust is brown.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I didn't follow the recipe exactly as written when it came to the veggies, but it still turned out great (seems like most pot pie recipes are flexible like that). I would say that the mushrooms and potatoes though are pretty important to give it that thick, filling texture.
2. For the crust I used my basic pie crust recipe but used half whole wheat flour and half white to up the nutrition value a bit as it is a dinner dish. The dough was slightly more fragile than normal but overall tasted and worked great for this.

Cauliflower Power Tacos

This was AMAZING. My picture, however, is not as amazing, but please please don't judge this recipe by the picture! I found the recipe over at Betty Crocker.

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs), separated into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Crispy Chick Peas

• 1 can (15 oz) chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

Cilantro-Pepita Pesto

• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1 very small clove garlic, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño chiles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

8 gluten-free white corn tortillas, heated as directed on package 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place cauliflower florets in large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until evenly coated. Arrange on large cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cauliflower is tender and browned.
2. Meanwhile, mix crispy chick peas ingredients. Spread on 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chick peas are slightly browned and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, in food processor, place all pesto ingredients except oil. Cover; process using quick on-and-off motions. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil through feed tube, stopping halfway through to stir mixture with spatula. Remove pesto to small bowl.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pesto on each tortilla; top with about 1/2 cup roasted cauliflower and 1 tablespoon crispy chick peas. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve with remaining chick peas.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds.

2. I only did 1 Tb of the jalapeno chilies, and the only time I felt like it was too spicy for me was if I got a big chunk that my blending missed. If you are worried about spice nix the jalapenos and maybe try seranos or something more mild.

3. My hubby and I are not huge fans of corn tortillas so we used flour tortillas instead. Whole wheat tortillas are even better!
4. Also delicious with sliced avocados on it. 

Baked Cauliflower Poppers

(Picture from Delighted Momma)

This recipe was sent in by Katie M. She says she is completely sold on the idea that any veggie would be improved with roasting. She also says she especially loves this dish because would make a great side dish but is also a super yummy finger food/snack. She found this recipe over at Delighted Momma.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower up into small pieces.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
4. Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour and turn 3 times during cooking until each piece has a nice brown coloring. The browner they are the better.
5. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Company Cauliflower

(Photo from Allrecipes.com)

This recipe was submitted by Liz D. She found it at Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads cauliflower
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9x13 inch casserole dish.
2. Break cauliflower into florets, place in large covered saucepan and steam until tender.
3. Place cauliflower in casserole dish; gently stir in sour cream and cheese.
4. In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter; add bread crumbs and evenly coat.
5. Sprinkle bread crumbs over cauliflower mixture and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Chickpea and Roasted Cauliflower Stew

I found this recipe at Rachael Ray's website. It serves 4-6 people. My husband thought it had great flavor, and I loved the cauliflower!

Ingredients:

• 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
• 3/4 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4-5 cups chicken stock or water
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 2 cans chickpeas (15 ounces each), drained
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Toss together the cauliflower, 1/4 cup olive oil and a little salt and place on a baking sheet. Roast until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add in the shallots and garlic and cook for a minute or so, just to release the aroma and flavor the oil. Add in the cumin, cinnamon, fennel seed and cayenne pepper and stir to release the aroma of the spices, about 15 seconds.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and add in the chicken stock, chopped tomatoes, chickpeas and roasted cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the stew over medium heat until it thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in the parsley before serving. Serve alongside couscous or rice.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used less than 2 heads of cauliflower.

2. The 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper (or ground red pepper, in my case) was just enough to spice up the back of my throat. My husband thought the soup was great, but I think next time I would reduce it to 1/4 tsp of cayenne/red pepper.