Cauliflower "Grits"

Cauliflower grits supporting a heap of vegetable curry

In an effort to lose weight, eat better, and get my children to eat more veggies and fewer processed grains, I am always on the lookout for tasty recipes that fit the bill.  I'd had cauliflower "fauxtatoes" before, where you mash the cauliflower and try to pass it off as mashed potatoes, and it didn't really work for me.  This recipe for "grits", however, is a horse of a different color.

Cauliflower grits, au natural

The hardest part of this recipe is cleaning the food processor when you're done.  It really couldn't be easier, and the end result is a tasty, firm blend of cauliflower and almonds, cooked in broth until done.  I use chicken broth, but vegetable broth would work well too.  For the almonds, I like the toasted, skin-on kind, but you can use whatever you have - raw, slivered, Marcona ... I'm tempted to try this recipe with Trader Joe's Wasabi Almonds! I serve this in place of rice in all of my Indian dishes, and it supports a saucy chicken dish better than noodles, since it soaks up all the best juices that run to the bottom of your plate.  It reheats well, is packed with protein and healthy fats, and tastes great.  What are you waiting for?




Cauliflower "Grits"

(Recipe Adapted from Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie and Charles Mayfield)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, shredded (use your food processor.  If you don't have one, use a box grater, or just chop the heck out of it.)
• 1 cup almonds 
• 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Shred the cauliflower.  Doesn't matter if you have chunks left over, they get cooked down.  Just make sure, however you cut or shred it, it gets cut down very small - this ensures a quicker and more even cook time.  Add the cauliflower to a large pot with a lid.  Add the chicken broth and stir to combine.
2. Crush the almonds.  I like it chunkier than almond meal, so it still gives you a little crunch and helps the cauliflower not just be squish.  Grind them in the food processor until the pieces are the size of bread crumbs, but not all the way powdered.  Add the almonds to the pot with the cauliflower and broth.
3. Simmer, covered, on medium-low for about 20-30 minutes until tender.  Add the butter and taste for salt and pepper.  Serve under curry, gumbo, or by itself as a side dish.

Fajitas Salad with Chipotle Dressing

Just as a painter needs to spend time in nature for inspiration, so must the Frugal Girlmet eat at a restaurant every once in a while, to taste new foods and get new ideas.  Sunday we took the family to Disney's California Adventure and had lunch at Cocina Cucamonga.  I ordered the Fajitas Ensalada.  I wasn't expecting much:  I mean, amusement park food doesn't have the greatest reputation.  But I was very pleasantly surprised!  

The salad was romaine and baby lettuces, topped with grilled chicken, and grilled onions, peppers, and zucchini.  But the best part by far was the chipotle dressing:  creamy, smoky, spicy and piquant.  I ate every last bite, and immediately began plotting how to make it at home.

It was so easy!  Buy a can of chipotles in adobo sauce (they're $1.69, so no big investment required!) and whole cumin seeds, and make this tonight!  (Note:  the veggies and chicken would be even tastier grilled, as they were in the original, but even with sautéed veggies and leftover chicken, this salad was amazing!)  Vegetarian?  Omit the chicken!  This sauce is so awesome, it would be great over grilled veggies - something to keep in mind for your BBQ plans this weekend...

Fajitas Ensalada (a la Frugal Girlmet)

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 large chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 large (or two small) cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bunch cilantro (use the upper stems too!)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced into pieces the same size as the bell peppers
• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Salad greens - spring mix, romaine, whatever you like

Directions:

1. Toast the cumin seeds over medium heat for a few minutes until they get a little darker and start smelling delicious.  When toasted, grind in food processor or pulverize in mortar and pestle.  (You could use pre-ground cumin, but please don't.  Seriously, that stuff has no odor or flavor.  Buy the whole seeds!)
2. With cumin in the food processor, add chipotle and a little adobo sauce, garlic, cilantro, mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, salt and sugar.  Buzz to combine.  Taste for seasoning - too spicy?  Add more mayo.  Too tart?  Add a pinch more sugar.  Put the dressing in the refrigerator while you cook the veggies.
3. Add a little oil or butter to a large pan.  Add the sliced onions and sauté until golden, then add the peppers and zucchini.  Cook until hot and tasty (not for too long, don't let them get mushy!)
4. To serve:  Lettuce on the bottom, top with hot veggies and shredded chicken, and dress liberally with the chipotle dressing.  Scatter some avocado over the top and dig in!

(The salad was also served with some tortilla chips over the top.  It was nice and crunchy, but I didn't need the extra carbs.  If you want, go crazy with them, but we skipped them and didn't miss them.)

Beanies! (Adzuki Bean Coconut Flour Brownies)

Even stay-at-home moms have afternoon coffee breaks.  Like most people, I like a little something sweet with that 3pm pick-me-up, but I hate the thought of eating healthy all day, with a pitfall of sugar and carbs  right in the middle.  I searched for a recipe for something snacky, sweet, and healthy, and didn't come up with much.  Peering into my pantry, I struggled for inspiration, and found it - in a dusty old can.

I bought the beans because I love Japanese red bean ice cream, and must have planned to make a simulacrum at home - maybe vanilla ice cream with the beans blended in.  In any case, that never came to fruition, and the beans got pushed farther and farther back on the shelf.  When I saw them this time, however, I was reminded of that old hippy mom stand-by, black bean brownies.  Those were fine by me, but I wanted healthier.  


So I turned to my new friend coconut flour.  Coconut flour is gluten-free and packed with protein, so I would be getting a boost, and not just from the sugar.  I couldn't find any recipes for coconut flour black bean brownies, so I went off the cuff and created my own.  They came out sweet, cakey, and strangely addictive.  Feel free to change whatever you like to suit your needs or tastes if you make it at home, but be aware that you can't substitute for coconut flour on a 1:1 ratio; it is its own creature entirely.   I would recommend adding a cup of chocolate chips, to up the cocoa flavor, which I will do next time I make these.  And yes, there will be a next time!


Beanies!  (Adzuki Bean Coconut Flour Brownies)


Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 packet hot cocoa mix (or sub 2 more tbs. cocoa plus 2 tbs. sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
• 1 can mashed sweetened adzuki beans (these have sugar added.  If you can't find them, use black beans and sweeten to taste with honey or sugar.  Or don't, if you don't want to.)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional, but I think I'll add some next time)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9x9" square baking pan with Pam and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the dry ingredients - coconut flour, cocoa, hot cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  I sifted them all together, but you can just sift your coconut flour if you cocoa isn't too clumpy.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the vanilla and coconut oil until foamy.  Stir in dry ingredients, a little at a time, until combined.  Mix in the beans (and chocolate chips, if using) and stir well.
4. Press the mixture into the pan, smoothing with a spatula (this stuff is quite dense, so you'll have to really work it into the corners.)  Bake for 25-35 minutes, until set in the middle.  Let cool and slice into sticks.  Enjoy with your afternoon coffee and don't worry about your carb intake.

Colcannon

It's a rare rainy day in Hollywood this morning. The weather is conspiring to make a very authentic-feeling St. Patrick's Day. What better excuse to cook up some comfort food, Irish-style?

Colcannon is about as comforting as food gets. It's got the salty goodness of bacon, hearty starchy potatoes, and you can never go wrong with lots of butter. The cabbage (or kale, such as the case may be) and green onions add sweetness to counter the bacon and a textural counterpoint to the mashies. It's simple, easy, and delicious Irish fare. This is the perfect dish to prepare your tummy for all the beer you're going to pour into it tonight!

Colcannon

(My recipe, based on seeing a few St. Patrick's Day cooking shows a year or two ago. Is it the most authentic recipe? I don't honestly know. But it's easy and incredibly delicious, and I like to think any proper Irishman or -woman would welcome a bowl of this and commend me for the effort.)

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of bacon, diced
• 3 large or 4 smallish potatoes, scrubbed, peeled if you wish, and cut into 1" chunks
• 1/2 head green cabbage, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced very thin
• 1/3 stick of butter, about 3 tablespoons
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup whole milk

Directions:

1. Put bacon in a large pot over high heat. Cook until crisp, then remove from heat, but do not drain.
2. While the bacon is cooking, simmer the potatoes in a little water and cover with a lid. When you can break the chunks of potato with a fork, add the cabbage and simmer until the potatoes are done, about 3 minutes more. You want the potatoes to be cooked through but not mushy.
3. Lift the potatoes and cabbage from the water and add to the pot with the bacon in it. (Yes, leave the bacon grease in the pot!) Over medium-low heat, fold in the butter and milk, stirring to combine and break up the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the green onions. In about 5 minutes you will have a creamy, comforting bowl of Irish love!

Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Sometimes it seems like you have to jump through flaming hoops to make something that everyone will like. In my case, I have one picky preschooler, and one husband who has adopted the Paleo lifestyle. (I don't have the space here to explain it, but here's a good primer if you are interested.) The husband has cut all grains and starches from his diet, and the girl is allergic to most nuts. Eek! To make baked goods that everyone can enjoy, I've found an unlikely ally: coconut flour!

Coconut flour is readily available - Whole Foods has it, as does Amazon.com - and is quite affordable, considering you only use about 1/2 cup of it, compared to 2 cups of regular flour, were you to substitute. Can you tell coconut flour apart from wheat flour? Yes, of course - the baked goods I've made with coconut flour are denser and grainier in texture, and don't rise as nicely and as fluffy as white flour. But it's worth it for us. Coconut flour doesn't spike your insulin levels like white flour does, is gluten-free, and is a great source of protein and fiber.

This cake is fast, easy, inexpensive to make, and quite healthy. I might even go so far as to say it's guilt-free! Try not to eat the whole thing at one sitting.

Coconut Flour Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter or coconut oil to heavily grease an 8-inch round pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, and coffee granules together. Use a stand mixer or an electric handheld mixer. Beat it till it's nice and frothy.
3. In a smaller bowl, mix together coconut flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda. Sift this mixture through a sieve over the wet ingredients, one-third at a time, and mix well after each addition.
4. Spread batter (it will be quite thick) into the greased pan and bake for about 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when it's dry and firm but still a little springy to the touch.

For my husband's birthday, I made this and brushed the top of the cake with melted chocolate chips and garnished with chocolate-covered bacon. It was awesome. For my sister's birthday, I made this with the frosting for my Mocha Brownie Torte recipe. It too was awesome.

And as a bonus:

Chocolate-Covered Bacon!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 6 slices bacon, preferably thick cut
• 1/2 teaspoon or so of coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

Directions:

1. Cook bacon. Whatever method you prefer is fine: pan-fry, bake in the oven, even microwave. Just get those things pretty crispy. When done, blot vigorously.
2. While the bacon is cooling, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave SLOWLY. They go from melty to scorched quickly, so heat them for 20 seconds, stir, repeat, until they are just melted. Stir in the coconut oil.
3. Paint your bacon. You could dip the bacon into the chocolate, but that's a pretty heavy chocolate-to-bacon ratio. I used a pastry brush to apply the chocolate. Let them dry on wax paper on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm.

Yeah, chocolate-covered bacon is a splurge, and a novelty, but sometimes you just gotta be silly. A Korean friend of the family tried this and said it tasted like a sweet and salty cookie. She liked it!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I know you love it. I do too. There's no shame in it: ranch dressing is awesome. But have you ever read the ingredients on the bottle? It starts off okay, with water, oil, onion, maybe some spices, and then it veers off into chemistry lab. Xanthan gum, disodium inosinate, modified food starch, MSG - do you really want to eat these things? Do you want your kids to eat them? There IS a better way!

Make your own tonight. Seriously, read the ingredients in this recipe, find them in your fridge and pantry, because I guarantee you have 90% of them right now, and figure out a work-around for the one or two ingredients you don't have. It will taste just as good as the stuff from the bottle, without that weird plasticky feeling on your tongue. Eat it on salad, dip your veggies in it, go crazy. What are you waiting for?

Homemade Ranch Dressing

(Recipe courtesy Mark's Daily Apple)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• 1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon tamari
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 small clove garlic, finely minced
• optional: 1 or 2 teaspoons mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Whisk everything together or process in the food processor. That's it! The flavors meld and get better if you let it chill for a while, so consider making this the night before you want to eat it.

Note: I never have buttermilk in the house. It's one of those ingredients that goes bad before I can use it all. A good substitute is the same quantity of milk with a teaspoon or two of lemon juice mixed in. Try making this as-is, and then the next time you can fool around with the ingredients to make it more to your liking. My dressing looks sort of greenish because I used more fresh dill and green onion (instead of chives) than called for, but that's how I like it.

Easiest Ever Marmalade

Winter doesn't have a whole lot to recommend it: Wet, cold, dark, et cetera. The only bright and shining thing that flourishes in winter is citrus fruits. My neighbor has a Meyer lemon tree that is going bonkers and she puts out a pail of lemons for me every week, and I love it. If you are lucky enough to have an orange tree, you are probably inundated with fruit right now - but what if it's too much? What to do?

Last year I was given a giant bag of oranges from a friend's tree. So big a bag that there was no way we could eat them all. Then I realized: Marmalade! Yummy orange marmalade that will last all year in my pantry and taste delicious on toast, in tarts, and even dressing beets (more on that in a later post.) I just opened my last jar of marmalade, canned 12 months ago, and it is still delicious. Canning is amazing!

If you are new to canning, this is a great way to learn. The recipe is easy to follow, the prep is quick, and the ingredients are cheap, especially if you have a tree in your yard. You can buy jars at the grocery store or even the hardware store. You also need a really large, tall pot to boil the filled jars in, and a pair of tongs or a special jar lifter to get the jars in and out of the boiling water. What are you waiting for? Make some marmalade!

Easiest Ever Marmalade

(recipe courtesy of Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine)

(makes about six 8 oz. jars)

Ingredients:

• 3 small oranges, unpeeled and seeded
• 1 lemon, unpeeled and seeded
• 1 small grapefruit, unpeeled and seeded
• 2 cups canned crushed pineapple, with juice
• 6 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries (I omitted these)

Directions:

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, working in batches, pulse oranges, lemon and grapefruit until finely chopped. Do not puree.
2. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine chopped fruit, pineapple with juice and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil hard, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to sheet from a metal spoon, about 20 minutes. Add cherries and boil until mixture reaches gel stage, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and test gel. If gel stage has been reached, skim off foam.
3. Prepare canning jars and lids.
4. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot marmalade. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
5. Place jars in a large deep pot filled with boiling water, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil, cover pot and process for 10 minutes. Remove lid, wait 5 minutes, and then remove jars, cool overnight, and store.

For more information on canning, please see:

http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started.aspx

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Can/