CAULIFLOWER STEAK

Friday, April 8, 2011

This is an amazing first course or side dish. Roasted slabs of cauliflower topped off with a tomato olive type salsa. I read about this technique in an older issue of Bon Appetit. Taking a whole head of cauliflower, peel off the outer leaves, standing it on its core end and cutting slabs from it's thickest part, a good half inch or a more keeping everything intact resembling a little tree. I decided to roast my "steaks" so I drizzled each side with olive oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of romano or parmesan cheese of course!

Bake in a 400F oven until tender and golden on each side gently flipping each "steak" over with a spatula. Don't worry about the stem and core being attached you're going to eat it all!

The end result gives you the perfect surface for a topping of your choice, think about it for a minute, the possibilities are endless! I might even stick a fried egg on top for some "steak" and eggs next time!

The topping I made had quartered grape tomatoes, sliced green and kalamata olives, finely diced red onion, fresh basil, parsley and olive oil, if I had a jar of artichokes I would have chopped a few in there and maybe even a couple sun dried tomatoes.

It was the perfect compliment to the creamy roasted slabs of cauliflower, and a definite WOW factor! I hope you give it a try.

Buon Appetito!

**Thanks to Carol F. for sharing this recipe with the world.

NO FAT BROWNIES

Image via WikipediaIn today's hectic lifestyle it is often required to just get something done quickly.  This yummy recipe delivers taste and quickness.  No Fat Brownies are lite and delicious.  I hope you'll try them out.

INGREDIENTS:
1 box of brownie mix
1/2 cup no-fat plain yogurt
2 egg whites
1/3 cup of water

PREPARATION:
Mix all of the above ingredients together and pour it into a 9 x 13 pan greased with Pam or any other no-stick spray.

Bake as directed on the brownie mix box.

Serve with sliced or crushed strawberries or raspberries.

Enjoy
Steve and Kim

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Bailey's Irish Cream Mousse Pie

Image via Wikipedia~Bailey's Irish Cream Mousse Pie~
3 eggs, separated
3/4 c. Bailey's Irish cream
1 c. walnut meats, chopped
1/8 tsp. salt
2 c. Cool Whip
2 tsp. shaved semi-sweet chocolate.
Beat egg yolks until lemon-colored.
Add salt and Bailey's.
Cook in top of double boiler until yolk mixture thickens.
Cool.
Beat egg whites until stiff.
Combine egg/Bailey's mixture, egg whites, and 2/3 of the Kool Whip,
using a folding motion.
Fold in 3/4 cup of the nut meats.
Scrape into a baked pie shell.
Cover with remaining whipped topping.
Sprinkle with remaining nut meats and chocolate shavings.
Freeze for 4 hours (no more than 8, though).
Bon Appetit

Many thanks to Carol in Washington for sharing this recipe with us.

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MARGARITA PEANUT TRAIL MIX

Image via Wikipedia

You are so going to love this.  Thanks for the submission, Carol.  You did good!

 

I'm not much on trail mix stuff but the margarita part looks really good.

 

Margarita Peanut Trail Mix

 

1/3 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons lime juice or tequila
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
3 tablespoons dry instant Margarita mix
1 1/2 cups Spanish peanuts
1 1/2 cups cocktail peanuts
3 cups crisp corn cereal squares
3 cups crisp rice cereal squares
2 cups tiny cheese-flavored fish crackers
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Salt to taste

 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet. Stir in tequila of lime juice, cayenne pepper and margarita mix. Add peanuts, stirring until well coated.

In a large roasting pan, combine remaining ingredients, except for dried cranberries. Stir in peanut mixture, mixing well. Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. Stir in dried cranberries. Add salt to taste. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 12 cups (24 half-cup servings).

MARINATED FETA AND OLIVES

Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr
Happy November Everyone.  I trust you all went out and voted yesterday.

Here's a yummy recipe sent in by Carol Feltman of Washington State.  It looks really good.  I encourage you to try it as I will be in the next few days.


Marinated Feta and Olives
1 pound feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup pitted green olives
1/2 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, cut into strips
1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fresh thyme leaves
2 t. snipped fresh oregano
1/2 t. cracked black pepper
In large glass or stainless steel bowl, mix cheese cubes, Kalamata olives, green olives, roasted peppers and onion wedges. In screw top jar, mix olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, oregano and pepper. Cover and shake well. Pour over mixture in bowl; toss gently to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours before serving. Serve with picks. makes 5 cups, or 10 servings. Make Ahead: Prepare as directed, except cover and store in refrigerator for up to 2 days.

CARAMELIZED GLAZED APPLE CAKE

I've been craving apple cake lately have been digging around for recipes. I remembered this one from the Costco magazine that I made two or three times last year.

No, it is not good for you. Yes, it is absolutely delicious. I also tried it with pears, and maybe even liked it better.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake 
 

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
5 Granny Smith apples
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
2 1/4 tsp vanilla

Caramel Glaze
4 T butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour and a 9x13 pan (Or 2 8x8 pans).
Beat sugars and oil until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together and add to egg mixture until just blended. Stir in apples, nuts, and vanilla. Pour in pan(s).

Bake for 50-75 minutes (mine was about 60). Let cool in pan while preparing glaze.
Glaze: Melt better over low heat. Stir in sugars over med-low and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly.

Poke holes in cake with skewer or toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake. Serve warm and top with whipped cream or ice cream.

AN APPLE A DAY DOES WHAT?

Remember, as a child, your mom saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" I do but I never cared much for the taste of apples.  They were hard to bite into, usually cold which I never did understand... God grew them warm.  Why do we make them cold?  Hmmmm.  Anyway, as it turns out, an apple a day is really good for you because it helps keep you healthy by adding to your intake of fresh fruit each day.
I've found more information on this topic and think you'll be interested reading about it too.  Visit the link below to see what I'm talking about.
Happy and Healthy Eating To You All.
Steve and Kim

Here is the LINK.  Click on it now.

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