Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Vegetable-related

Roasted cauliflower salad with chickpeas and brown rice

This recipe is from a fellow food blogger and is  lovely and really interesting in it’s combination. I get more excited about interesting vegetarian dishes than anything else these days. If the Food Blogger recognizes his/her recipe, please let me know as I have forgotten who posted it and would like to acknowledge them

Yield:  Two entree sized servings
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

For the Roasted cauliflower
1 1/2lbs cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tsp grapeseed oil
sea salt
cracked black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cauliflower with the oil, salt and pepper to taste. lay in a single layer on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes or until slightly golden in color and cooked through with a touch of crispiness.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool a bit.

For the dressing
1/2 cup  0% fat plain Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 – 4 tbsp (or 2 oz ) blue cheese
juice of 1 Meyer lemon
zest of 1/2 a Meyer lemon
1 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar (Trader Joes sells this)
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
a few drops of White truffle oil (optional)

Place the yoghurt in a small bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking (this is to avoid a clumpy dressing) Once the oil is added, add in the remaining ingredients and set aside.
Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 mins to let the flavors develop.

For the rice
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 tsp salt.
Place the rice in  a medium sized saucepan and rinse under cold water a couple of times, draining each time. This prevents the rice from getting sticky and mushy.
Place the water in the pot with the rinsed rice and add the salt.
Bring to the boil, then cover and lower the heat to a bare simmer. Cook, covered for 50 to 60 minutes. Check for doneness after 50 minutes.

To assemble the salad
1 cup chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 1/4 cups green onions, chopped

On two large plates, arrange a small pile of rice. Top with cauliflower florets, chick peas and green onions.
Drizzle the dressing over and serve immediately.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Roasted cauliflower and pear puree (CleanCuisine)

Absolutely divine, different and dairy-free! Another great food blogger’s recipe.

Serves 2 but can easily be doubled

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of thinly sliced leek
1 medium cauliflower, chopped into small florets (about 1lb chopped cauliflower)
2 small pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 tsp salt
a few sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp vanilla unsweetened almond milk, warmed
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 375 F
Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
When the oil is shimmering, add the sliced leeks and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softened.
Add the cauliflower and pears and sprinkle with salt. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 6-8 minutes, until the cauliflower is lightly browned in spots.
Turn off the heat. Place the sprigs of thyme on top of the vegetables and tuck in.
transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for 25- 30 minutes, turning once or twice until the cauliflower is very tender.
Remove the sprigs of thyme and set aside a few pieces of vegetables for garnish, if desired.
Place remaining vegetables in a food processor and add the almond milk and nutmeg.
Process until smooth and serve hot

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Mock garlic mashed potatoes

We eat these a lot and they contain no carbs!

 

Screen Shot 2015-03-23 at 4.57.09 PM

Serves 4

1 medium head cauliflower
1 tbsp cream cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp straight chicken base or bouillon
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp chopped fresh or dried chives
1 tbsp butter

Clean and remove all the green leaves from a cauliflower. Put it into a steamer and steam until tender.
(You can also cut the cauliflower into florets and boil them till tender)
Drain well, do not let cool and pat the cooked cauliflower very dry with several layers of kitchen towel.

In a food processor puree the cauliflower with the cream cheese, parmesan, garlic,chicken base and pepper until almost smooth.
Garnish with chives and serve with pats of butter.

HINT- try roasting the garlic and adding a little fresh rosemary for a whole new taste!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Salad · Whole30 compliant

Mock Potato Salad

This is just like a potato salad, but done with cauliflower. I am realizing what an amazingly versatile vegetable cauliflower is the more I try it in different dishes. I leave the seasonings to you to experiment with. I also like to give it a bit of cayenne pepper for those who like a kick!

Serves 8


1 head fresh cauliflower
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced (I always peel celery with a peeler to get rid of the stringy bits)
2 slices onion, chopped
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tsp pickle relish
salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, paprika, to taste (experiment a bit with the amounts of these)
Fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Cook cauliflower until tender. Drain and pat dry. Let cool and pull into small floret pieces. Place in a large bowl.
Mix in remaining ingredients except paprika and parsley. Chill for 2 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle on paprika and garnish with parsley.



Asian flavors · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Nuts · Salad · Vegan · Vegetable-related

Curried cauliflower with currants and pinenuts (CleanCuisine)

This recipe is really unusual and full of flavor.
Serves 6-8


Dressing
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 
1 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp Madras curry powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

Cauliflower
2lbs cauliflower florets
2 tbsp kosher salt
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (I used about 1/2 cup at most)
3/4 cup dried currants
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 small red onion, finely chopped

Method for the dressing

 In a large bowl, mix the rice vinegar and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Whisk in the curry powder, salt and pepper.
Very slowly, drizzle the oilve oil and whisk into the vinegar mixture until incorporated. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Set the dressing aside.

Method for the cauliflower

Blanch the cauliflower in salted boiling water. Drain and add pine nuts, currants, sunflower seeds and onions. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing lightly to mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 -2 hours before serving. (I didn’t have time to chill it for that long when I made it and it was still great warm)

Plating
Mound the salad onto a plate in a compact pile and decorate with a few cilantro leaves