Rosemary and ginger shortbread

June 5, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

I adore any form of shortbread and the combination of the ginger and rosemary is a real winner. This is uber rich so you only need a small piece of heaven.

Serves at least 12
1 lb (2 cups) Butter, softened
1 3/4 cups Sugar
4 cups Flour
1 tsp Kosher Salt
2 large Eggs, beaten
1 cup Crystallized Ginger, chopped
3 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped (may use 2-3 tsp dried rosemary for a milder flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. In another bowl sift together the flour and salt to add some air. Add this mixture to the butter and sugar and mix just until combined. As always, do not over-mix. Add approximately 3/4 of the beaten eggs and reserve the remaining 1/4 for a glaze. Add the chopped ginger and rosemary and mix until well incorporated.
Spread the mixture into a 9″x13″ pan. No need to grease it; it has plenty of butter already in there! Mix that 1/4 egg mixture with 1 tablespoon of water until a pale yellow color. Brush this over the shortbread batter.
Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes, until glaze is a light golden color and a toothpick comes out clean. Cut into 2″ bars when cool!
You might think 2″ is really tiny when you look at it, but these are super flavorsome

Asian flavors · Vegetable sides

Spicy cracklin' cauliflower

June 3, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

I am a roasted cauliflower fanatic and this is one with lots of powerful spices. This dish can be served hot, at room temperature or even chilled the next day. So versatile and an explosion of taste in the mouth for very few calories!

Serves 4
1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 6 cups)
1 cup diced red onions
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp crushed red chile flakes
2 tsp salt
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Place the cauliflower, onions, canola oil, curry powder, garam masala, lemon zest, fennel seeds, red chile flakes, salt , garlic, ginger and pepper in a large bowl.
Toss the ingredients together and blend until each piece of cauliflower is coated with the oil and spices.
Place the mixture in a large baking pan and roast for 30 mins until the cauliflower is crisp tender, turning the cauliflower every 10 mins to cook evenly.
When done, the cauliflower should be golden brown so you might need to cook it a little more, depending on your oven.
Place the cauliflower in a large serving bowl and mix in the peas and cilantro

Gluten Free · Vegetable sides

Simple parmesan roasted cauliflower with garlic and onion.

June 2, 2014February 7, 2016 Belinda

Last night I didn’t feel like much to eat, certainly not any meat and as I was looking in the fridge for inspiration, I noticed a very large cauliflower lurking in the back of one of the shelves.
It was still okay, but just starting to react to the restrictive plastic wrapping and time sitting in the fridge, so I decided to turn it into nutty, cheesy slices of roasted cauliflower.
MY, was it good! I even had the leftovers straight from the fridge for breakfast.

Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 425 F
Cut 1 head of cauliflower into florets or slice straight through the whole cauliflower making 3/4 inch “steaks”.
Toss these (don’t worry if the “steaks” fall apart.) in a large bowl with 1 medium chopped onion, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 – 6 tbsp olive oil, 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic (or garlic powder to your liking) and salt and ground pepper.
Toss around gently with your hands until well coated and tip onto a baking tray, roasting and tossing occasionally until almost tender, 20 mins or so.
Grate 4 to 5 heaped tbsp parmesan cheese straight onto the 1/2 cooked cauliflower and return to the oven for another 20 mins or until they are tender when pierced with a fork and browned and crispy. Remove the thyme stalks, squeeze the garlic out of it’s peel, or leave in it’s peel and serve. The onions should be starting to blacken which gives an even nuttier flavor.