I tricked ya "rice"

It was Friday night, a perfect night for a low key dinner party with friends. I mean what else is there to do in Portland than to eat delicious food, drink wine and watch multiple episodes of "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia?" Did I mention it was just Friday, a day when nothing in this city is going on.....noooo, I don't feel guilty about staying in and snuggling up on the couch with my homies. Okay, what I feel most guilty about is letting netflix do all the work by auto-playing the next episode of a great TV series. Boom! one right after the other they play without ever lifting a finger to make it happen. Modern technology is the reason why we watched so many episodes, immobilized on the couch. But we had fun and laughed together, that's what matters.

Samantha and I set the dinner menu for the night, which included pan-seared rosemary dijon garlic chicken, a sauteed onion cauliflower "rice," and a big spring salad. The dessert menu (of course us ladies need dessert) was an apple, raspberry, blackberry fruit crisp with a chai glaze drizzle. You should be drooling because yeah it was pretty deeeelish. Us ladies (with powered noses and pantyhose...) even had a second helping. 

Had we not scarfed it all down, I could have taken and uploaded pictures. But we did, and so I can't share. There's always next time since I will be making the "rice" again for sure. See the trick to the rice (the 'I tricked ya rice') is that it is all made from cauliflower! You heard right, cauliflower. When you chop up raw cauliflower and pulse it in a food processor it has a similar appearance as rice. Trick or treat....I'd say a definite treat! And now think about adding the raw cauliflower chunks to seasoned and sauteed onions and garlic, cook for a few more minutes and you have a heavenly dish right in your own kitchen. Basically that's all there is to it. You start by sauteing onions with any spices you want and while that's cooking you can gently pulse the raw cauliflower. Add the cauliflower to the cooked onions, cook a few more minutes, add more spices if you want or a little broth to moisten and it's done. I bet peas and carrots would be a great addition to for a little more texture. Even toasted nuts for a crunch, I'm such a texture seeker. 

Our ingredients: cauliflower, onions, olive oil, garlic, vegetable broth, chicken seasoning, red pepper flakes, black pepper.

My inspiration and base recipe came for the 'rice' dish came from this link: 

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/01/recipe-for-cauliflower-rice-with-fried.html

Navratan Kurma

Indian food has made it's way into my mind again recently. I have been missing the flavor of a good Indian dish. I used to go to an Indian restaurant in Folsom, CA called The India House and fell in love with the chicken tikka masala, much to my lactose intolerant stomach's dislike. They had other delicious food as well, including, well everything there was actually delicious. Anyway, I found this recipe and decided to try it because 1) the pictures captured my interest. 2) it is loaded with veggies. 3) it did not use cream like my favorite tikka masala. 4) it looked do-able and easy enough. 5) I like the woman's blog who supplied this recipe.

Here is the link to the actual recipe, I made some very slight modifications.
http://www.holycowvegan.net/2008/09/navratan-kurma.html

The ingredient's list at first was overwhelming; I panicked when seeing it for the first time. But after reading through it I calmed and found that it was mostly the spices that made the list so long.

 I started my Indian journey by letting 1/2 cup of cashew soak in water for at least 30 minutes. Then I started boiling the carrots, broccoli and sweet potatoes in water (they have different 'done' times so I could not boil all at the same exact time). I just boiled each until soft.

Next, I sauteed ginger and garlic in a skillet until soft and browned and started adding the list of spices to coat the onion mixture. After 1 minute I added the tomatoes and tumeric to the mix and watched until the tomatoes started breaking down. Next I added cottage cheese and stirred to incorporate for 2-3 minutes. I added the salt and then the cooked veggies. This is another recipe where you can just use what you have on hand in terms of veggies. I used about 4 cups of mixed veggies including all the favorites: sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, green beans, onions, zucchini, and tomatoes.

After several minutes or so on lower heat the mixture will thicken and get to be like a gravy that coats the veggies. In the meantime you can strain the cashews and add the soaked nuts to a food processor and blend until it becomes a paste. You then add this cashew nut paste to the veggie gravy deliciousness and stir in. Serve it up and ENJOY! I added a few squirts of braggs and siracha to mine after serving as always because I love the nutty heat this combo provides.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cashews (soaked and ground into a paste)

4 cup chopped veggies (cooked til tender)

2 Tbsp minced/chopped garlic
2 Tbsp minced/chopped ginger
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp poppyseeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp red pepper flakes


1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tomatoes

3/4 cup cottage cheese
salt to taste

Rosemary walnut raisin crisps

There is one night during the week that I have a love-hate relationship with. It may seem odd but here's why.. I love this day because I'm off of work, can plan events with friends and finally start my weekend. Whoo hoo! But, I also hate this day because I am wide awake all by myself well into the wee hours of the night when most 'normal' people are asleep. This leaves me trying to keep busy and find ways to entertain myself, something that I could never do as a kid. I was notorious for saying "Mom I'm bored. What should I do?" Luckily as an adult I've learned a few more skills and know that I can easily entertain myself for hours and hours in the kitchen, without ever realizing how much time has actually passed. Imagine if I had that Easy Bake Oven as a kid, I could have learned this about myself long long ago and not had to ask others if they'd want to "play a puzzle with me." But now, after ditching the puzzles, I can easily get lost in the kitchen creating my own recipes and trying out other's recipes that I find on healthy blog sites. I geek out by searching the internet for new recipes because I love playing around with the ingredients, wondering how they will come together and I love being the only taste tester in the kitchen. Add a little more honey, have a taste. Mix in the rosemary, have a taste. Stir a few more times, have another taste. Preheat the oven, better have another taste before it goes in. You get the point here. In the past I typically turned to 'ohsheglows.com' and 'chocolatecoveredkatie,' two different blogs that feature vegan/vegetarian recipes, but for this creation I found a random blogger and modified the recipe (because I never have all the right ingredients). 

       

So on Wednesday, alone in my kitchen at 12 pm midnight I set out to make these rosemary walnut raisin crisps. They were better than I could have imagined; they were delicious. And now shamefully I will admit that 4 days later they are almost all gone. Think melba toasts, but thinner, more flavorful, possibly healthier, resembling nothing like a cardboard product, and whalllah you have a tasty treat.

 

My ingredients: whole wheat pastry flour, walnuts, plain greek yogurt, water, raisins, honey, baking soda, salt, lemon juice, rosemary, lemon zest.

Banana soft serve y'all

The banana soft serve with chocolate chips and pretzels!

Why this recipe is automatic. It's systematic, it's hydromatic... it's grease lightening! Okay obviously it's not really grease lightening, but it is so exciting and wonderful that I would say the two are in the same category in terms of hype. What is it you ask? Why don't I just tell you the recipe I am speaking of. It's banana soft serve y'all!

I've been wanting to make a mock frozen yogurt/ ice cream recipe for a while now. My first introduction to it was a couple years back when I was having a slumber party with 5 adorable kids. One of them was lactose intolerant (like me) so his mother made him "banana ice cream" so he wouldn't be left out at dessert time with all the other kids. The mother told me it was just pureed bananas, I couldn't believe it. This was when I became obsessed with frozen banana chunks, which now I always have in stock in the freezer. Back to soft serve though. 

Last weekend I was finally motivated enough to make the soft serve when I scored  about 5 dozen overripe bananas from the fruit stand for 2 bucks. If you are considering using under ripe or just regular ripe bananas I assure you it's not the same and the end result may be very different. Overripe bananas are less starchy, more sugary and sweet, and the texture is softer, easier to puree. All of these make the banana a great candidate for the mock ice cream treat.

To get started, once you have the overripe bananas, you first cut the bananas into large chucks and stick them in the freezer. Then when they are hard you can mash them up or use a food processor to puree them into a consistency like soft serve. Once you are happy with the consistency, either pure smooth or still a bit chunky, you can eat it. Although depending on how long you are mashing/ processing you may need to stick it back into the freezer for a bit to harden. And that's it! Easy as that, you have your healthy banana dessert. 

But wait, there's more! I am Miss Piggy, thus I believe more is better. So I added additional ingredients to my soft serve as you can see below. But the bananas are all you really need to make the base, the soft serve itself. (Dare I say that the pretzels and the chocolate chips are just optional ingredients?) If you want you may like to add fun ingredients, i.e. crunchy bits and hidden goodies. I first added chocolate chips, but then realized that frozen chocolate chips really don't have a strong chocolaty flavor. Then I added lightly crunched up pretzels, and fell in love. The salty sweet crunch was more delicious than I could describe. I may experiment with adding peanut butter next  :)

My ingredients 

Final product 

Kombucha brewing

My Kombucha rules!
I tasted my plain flavored kombucha last night for the first time and was so delighted. It was acidic and refreshing, which is exactly what I love about kombucha. Can't you see the excitement on my face in this picture? I tried to capture it, but maybe it didn't come through as much as I hoped.
 I am have also brewed ginger, ginger pear, and peach raspberry kombuchas. I'm addicted!
 I would have never thought it was so easy to make, and so inexpensive. Typically each bottle at the store is at least $3, a scam considering the limited ingredient list and limited chef/ingredient interactions. It becomes a "set it and forget it" process once you have the scoby and kind of know what you are doing.
I found a great website that lists step by step instructions on how to start brewing.
http://www.paprikahead.com/2009/07/how-to-brew-your-own-kombucha-from.html
That's all I have to say now about my Kombucha. Wait, I repeat... It rules!

Update on a better chocolate "silk" pie

I had posted before about a chocolate pie made with tofu and melted chocolate. I just went back to look at that recipe and realized I made an easier and possibly tastier pie last week. This new recipe has the same base with tofu and melted chocolate but after comparing recipes I think this one is better.

Needed ingredients: 
12 oz tofu, soft is better than firm tofu
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp maple extract (optional)
2 Tbsp almond (or other) milk
scant 1/8 tsp salt
10 oz melted chocolate chips
1 Tbsp agave
peanut butter (optional)

*banana (optional)

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, using 20-30 second intervals so you don't accidentally burn it. Now blend all ingredients into a food processor until smooth. Feel free to add additional chocolate or agave or add peanut butter to the mixture (I haven't tried PB yet but think it needs to happen soon!). Spoon smooth mixture into a graham cracker crust and let it chill it so it gets firm.
**Neat addition idea: I sliced a banana and put the slices on top of the graham cracker crust and then poured the chocolate mixture on. 

cauliflower crust/ or just crackers for the lazy

It took me a while to make this pizza crust after first learning about it. I spent a bit of time researching some different cauliflower crust recipes and ended up with this one because it did not use regular cheese and it was the healthier option. Part of the reason it took me so long to make was because cauliflower is not something I typically have in my fridge and it is often more expensive than my #1 beloved broccoli, and because I knew I would need a good amount of time to make the rest of the meal (the pizza toppings for this crust). After a month or so I was ready to make it. My curiosity was killing me.
In order to make the crust I first needed to shop for my cauliflower. I had been so eager to go to this one specific produce market in Portland, which continually gets rave reviews online for local and inexpensive goods. So on the first day of my weekend I wrote my directions to the market on paper and set off to explore. When I drove up to the market I was a little skeptical because the shop was so small and not in the best neighborhood. But my doubts quickly diminished after seeing the sign for plump, red, large cherries priced at $1.50 a pound! I couldn't believe it; I picked up a cherry and ate it from the bin. I had to test the cherry before overloading and buying bad cherries. (I remember I was allowed to do this often as a kid with grapes, I think on every trip to the store.) The cherry I sampled was so sweet and soft; I got a bag full even before looking around. I found the cauliflower (at the same price as the broccoli) and so many other producey goods like Walla Walla sweet onions, a plum-agranet, which is a cross between a plum and a pomegranet, and huge apricots. I loaded up my basket with $20 worth of fruit and produce and was on my way home to make my crust. 
I had planned to make the pizza that night, but after my late start shopping trip and the gym and my 9:30 "Roman Holiday" movie date (which was playing on a projector at the park that night), I just ran out of time. I got as far as making the crust and was going to top it later, but I ended up eating it like a big cracker. Now at least I know the recipe turned out and could count on it again. The flavor of my crust was so good and  tasty, I was both surprised and delighted. The consistency of the "crust/ big lazy person cracker" was like a very thin rectangular flatbread. It could be rolled, ripped, torn or cut I suppose. I'll be making the pizza soon I hope, but for now I have plans to make this recipe again and will eat as crackers.

The recipe:
2 C grated cauliflower
1 egg white
1 C cottage cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
1 Tbsp dried chopped onion
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp hot sauce (I used Cholula)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate cauliflower with a cheese grater (you may be able to use a food chopper, I'll try next time) until you have a fine rice like consistency. Place the cauliflower in a bowl and microwave for 8 minutes, do NOT add water or cover. Meanwhile while the cauliflower is cooking, place rest of ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. When cauliflower is done add the blended ingredients to it and mix with a spoon. This is your dough. Now you can glob it onto the parchment paper baking sheet and spread it out with a rubber spatula. It needs to be spread really thin. After you have spread it evenly, bake for about 30 minutes give or take until you like the consistency. I would suggest putting it under the broiler after baking to crisp it up for a thin, crisp crust. But I imagine if you like a softer crust then you could reduce the time and not broil.
When the crust is done you can add warmed spaghetti sauce and sauteed veggies, meats, cheese, etc. and put back in the oven under the broiler to melt any cheese or crisp any toppings.
And again I don't believe I took a picture and I literally just finished eating my last cracker piece while posting this.   :(