Cilantro Lime Caulirice

I have to say that this is such a great substitute for rice if you are Whole30, 24 Day Challenge or just trying to clean up your diet. Now I made my own cauliflower rice, but if you are short for time or don't have the right tools, I have seen "cauliflower crumbles" or "riced cauliflower" at Trader Joe's and Target. Anything you can do with rice I'm pretty sure you could do with caulirice. The only thing I will say is that it's pretty stinky while it cooks!

Cilantro Lime Caulirice

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

A head of cauliflower
Bunch of cilantro, chopped
4-6 limes, juiced
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Remove the leaves and stem from the cauliflower. Chop the florets into uniform pieces about the size of a tangerine. Toss into the food processor and pulse until evenly chopped. It should have a "rice like" consistency to it. Put your riced cauliflower into a sauté pan over medium heat. You could drizzle a little olive oil in the pan if you aren't using a non-stick pan. Sauté for about 10-15 minutes depending on how soft you want it to be.

Dump your caulirice in a bowl. Now I like mine pretty limey so I would put the juice of all 6 limes in there. It's really to taste. Toss the cilantro in there too. Lastly, sprinkle a little kosher salt over it to help bring out the flavors. 

Enjoy!

Fluffiest. Pancakes. Ever.

Oh my goodness. These pancakes were the bestest, everest. They are so light and fluffy. I could probably eat them every day. Seriously. I am not joking. Your mouth will thank you.

Fluffiest. Pancakes. Ever.

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 TBS sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

3 TBS unsalted butter 

Oil for cooking

Directions

In a large bowl, sift the flour. Add baking powder, salt and sugar with a fork until just combined.

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Let it cool slightly. Lightly beat the egg with a fork into the butter, just until blended. Add the milk and again just lightly beat until blended. 

Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix just until well combined. It will look very runny, but I promise it will come out okay! 

Heat 2-3 TBS oil in a skillet and add 1/4-1/2 cup of batter. I add a 1/2 cup because I like big pancakes. Cook until you see lots of bubbles in the wet batter on top, or until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Mac & Cheese Soup

This was actually pretty good! It's very much like a runny mac & cheese. The original recipe was written very weird and at one point I was afraid that the soup might not turn out okay. I followed the original directions, but I have changed them for you. The way I have written them below makes much more sense then the original. It also contained onion and celery (which I have removed). Frankly, it was just kind of weird in mac & cheese. If you want to try it with the celery and onion just email me and I will send you the original recipe. 

Mac & Cheese Soup

adapted from Cuisine at Home

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Makes: 7 cups

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry elbow macaroni

5 TBS unsalted butter

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup fat-free half-and-half

1 cup skim or 2% milk

4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Cook the macaroni according to the package, drain and spray with cool water. 

In a dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Let the mixture cook until it's a light golden color, about 6-7 minutes. 

Warm the milk and half-and-half in the microwave or in a saucepan. Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture slowly while whisking constantly until very smooth.

Slowly whisk in the broth and then the wine. Stir in the nutmeg, mustard and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. 

Add the cheese, one cup at a time and let it melt completely. Stir in the macaroni. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls.

Enjoy!

Apple Crowns

The filling on these was yummy, but there are a few issues. One - when you bundle them up, you get all this dough at the bottom and the filling at the top. They were much too doughy for me. Two - there wasn't enough filling to go around. To eliminate this, I would actually double the filling. (Note - I did not double the filling in the recipe below!) I think once you get the dough to filling ratio right then these will be a great fall treat!

Photo from Taste of Home

Apple Crowns 

adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2 TBS all-purpose flour

2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided

1 package Pillsbury Grands! flaky biscuits

2 tsp butter, melted

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the apples, walnuts, 3 TBS sugar, flour, 3/4 tsp cinnamon and salt. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until almost tender.

Flatten each biscuit into a 5-in. circle. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful of sugar mixture over each. Top each with 1/4 cup apple mixture. Bring up edges to enclose mixture; pinch edges to seal.

Place seam side down in ungreased muffin cups. Brush tops with butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. With a sharp knife, cut an “X” in the top of each.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Enjoy!

 

Pan-Grilled Snapper with Orzo Pasta Salad

This was new for me all the way around. I'd never had snapper or orzo. Amazing, right? I've tried a lot of things and I'm not sure why I'd never had either of these. I must say that I now love orzo! It's such a cute little pasta. For those who've never had it, it's basically a rice shaped pasta. The snapper was delicious too. Very light fish, firm textured. I can't comment on hubby's approval rating as we didn't actually eat this for dinner. I had thawed the fish and then I was too tired to make dinner after a big test. I made it the next day for lunch instead! The pasta definitely needs a little tweeking and it would be great maybe with a little feta in it!

Pan Grilled Snapper with Orzo Pasta Salad

adapted from My Recipes

Ingredients

1 1/2  cups uncooked orzo

2-4  (6-ounce) red snapper fillets

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 TBS minced shallots

1 TBS chopped fresh parsley

4 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 TBS orange juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

2 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Pour 1 TBS lemon juice over the fish.

Combine salt, pepper, shallots, parsley, remaining lemon juice, orange juice, and mustard in a small bowl, stirring well. Slowly add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle the shallot mixture over pasta; toss well to coat.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This was very good. The only thing I would complain about is that it was too "gritty". I don't think that I left it in the blender long enough. This would not be my preferred method of pureeing the soup. My suggestion would be a food processor or a immersion blender. I would also probably use just slightly less broccoli. It might have been my fault for putting too much in. Otherwise, it was delicious. Very close to Panera's, but not quite. I may need to visit for a refresher!

Photo from Food Network

Broccoli Cheese Soup

adapted from Food Network

Ingredients 

6 TBS unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups fat free half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

2 bay leaves

1 tsp Kosher salt 

1/2 tsp ground pepper

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 1/2 cups chopped matchstick carrots

1 1/4 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1 1/4 cups shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Directions

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. 

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.) 

**To reduce cooking time, steam the broccoli and carrots ahead of time so they are tender. Toss them in the pot to warm them and then puree. 

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese.

Enjoy! 

Gourmet Pizza

Can I just tell y'all that I absolutely love pizza with pesto and goat cheese? Like buckets of goat cheese. Oh and artichokes. As Rachael Ray says "YUM-O!". You just can't get this from a normal pizza place. Plus the one here in town that sells something slightly similar wants $20. No thanks! That is why this recipe is just perfect. You can make this yumminess at home and not pay a premium for your sophisticated taste buds. 

Gourmet Pizza

Ingredients

Homemade Pizza Dough

14 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Baby spinach

7 oz pesto with basil sauce (I used Buitoni)

Goat cheese crumbles or slice goat cheese log

1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 475.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove HALF the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin.

Spread about 3/4 of the container of pesto on the dough. Cover with spinach leaves. I normally use enough to put one layer on the pizza - maybe 2-3 cups?  

Drain the artichoke hearts and use a paper towel to get excess moisture from the artichokes. Evenly sprinkle over the spinach. Top with mozzarella and then goat cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Best. Pretzels. Ever.

The other day I saw that my friend, Amber, was going to make soft pretzels for her son's birthday party and put it on her blog, This Mommy Cooks. They just sounded so good so I thought "Why not do a grown-up version for hubby's birthday party?!" I think the title of this post says it all. I preferred the plain ones with the Beer Cheese Dip, but people went crazy over the cinnamon sugar ones. You can definitely use this as a base to make many different kinds, some other examples might include jalapeno, cheddar, chocolate chip, etc. For a great video on how to make the pretzels, visit Joy the Baker. 

PS - The recipe I used from Food Network Magazine is one of their "Almost Famous" recipes. It's a copycat of Auntie Anne's pretzels.

Best. Pretzels. Ever.

from Food Network 

Ingredients

1 cup milk

1 package active dry yeast

3 TBS packed light brown sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

2 TBS unsalted butter, plus more for basting

1 tsp fine salt

1/3 cup baking soda

2 TBS coarse salt

Directions

Warm the milk in a saucepan until it's about 110 degrees; pour into a medium bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow baking dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake until golden about 10 to 12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Beer Cheese Dip

What should have been the original recipe came from the creative culinary minds of my mother and me at 9 am on Saturday morning while I was driving to the store. I couldn't find a good recipe and so I did what I always do - I called my mom. Needless to say, I screwed it up when I put the seasoning in and was rather liberal when I should have erred on the side of caution. I scrounged in my sister-in-law's fridge, "fixed" it and thus this recipe was born. People thought it was so good they were putting it on everything, not just the pretzels! Great pairing for the Best. Pretzels. Ever. 

Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup beer (I used Budweiser)

2 jars of Kraft Old English cheese

3 oz cream cheese, softened

4 oz Velveeta 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp dry mustard

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, scoop out the Old English cheese. Cube the cream cheese and Velveeta. Add them to the saucepan. Stir frequently. Once the cheese is mostly melted add the beer. You can add more or less depending on the consistency that you are wanting. 

**You could also go for a darker beer for more "beer" flavor. Just beware - a really dark beer might      change the color of your dip making it brown or gray and wholly unappetizing. 

Add the seasonings to the cheese mixture and cook for a few minutes more. Keep the dip warm while serving. 

Enjoy!

Potato Soup

So I need to fiddle with this recipe. I got this recipe from a friend and made it a couple of times last winter. I think I fixed it then, but of course did not write down the changes that I made. I think that it has too much Velveeta as written so you might want to add only 1/2 of the block and then add more as needed. I might just do away with it all together. Feel free to fiddle and leave comments, too!

Potato Soup

Ingredients

3 cans Campbell's cream of potato soup

1 can diced potatoes, drained

16 oz block of Velveeta

1 1/2 cans of milk

Directions

Cut Velveeta into 2" cubes. Combine all of the ingredients in a pot and heat over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the cheese is melted. 

Garnish with bacon, cheese or sour cream. 

Enjoy!

Monkey Munch (or Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddies...)

Again another Morgan-proof "baking" recipe. This is so easy and would be great to make with your kids (if you have any). I actually took this to a Delta Gamma function for collegians and I've never seen a bunch of girls so excited about food. Wait, I take that back. I have seen girls that excited and they were usually Delta Gammas, mainly me. Anyway this is well loved by young and old, just remember to let people know that it is made with PB in case there are any nut allergies. Anaphylaxis is no bueno at a party.

Monkey Munch

from Chex

Ingredients

9 cups Rice Chex
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar Directions Measure cereal into a gallon sized plastic bag or a large bowl with a lid. In a separate bowl, put the chocolate chips, PB and butter. Microwave for a minute and stir. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir, repeat until the butter and chocolate is melted. Stir in the vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over the cereal and stir to coat. It might help to shake it a little too. Once the squares are evenly coated, add the powdered sugar. Shake until well coated. Spread the mix out onto wax paper to cool. Enjoy!

How To... Make Homemade Whipped Cream

This is soooo easy and much tastier than the whipped cream in a can! I use my KitchenAid stand mixer to make this, but you could also use a hand mixer. If you can do this with just a whisk then I am thoroughly impressed and you are my new hero! I just don't have the patience nor the strength to hand whip it.

Homemade Whipped Cream

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp powdered sugar

Directions

Before you begin, place your mixing bowl and beater(s) in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes. 

Once the beater(s) and bowl are sufficiently chilled, pour your cream into the bowl. I turn my KitchenAid to 6 or 8 and let her go. Once the cream starts to thicken, add the sugar. Keep watching for stiff peaks to form. Stop once you see these! Don't overbeat it or you will have butter instead.

Enjoy!

Breakfast for Dinner - Waffles

I love having breakfast for dinner! There is just something so yummy about eating waffles or pancakes at anytime of the day. Normally, I just like to go to Cracker Barrel to eat their pancakes, but when you don't to leave the house or spend the money these waffles are just as delicious! This is just a basic recipe so you can add fruit (mmm, blueberries), nuts or spices (cinnamon or nutmeg) to jazz it up.

Homemade Waffle Batter

from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 cups all purpose flour

1  3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 TBS sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions 

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth. 

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. 

The best way to tell if the waffle is done (without lifting the lid) is the steam. Once you put the mix in and it starts to steam profusely. Wait until the steaming stops or slows to almost a trickle - this tells you that the waffles are done!

Top with syrup, fresh fruit or homemade whipped cream! 

Enjoy!

Mexican Rice

This is a great side for enchiladas or tacos. It's so yummy and easy!

Mexican Rice

adapted from multiple recipes

Ingredients

2 TBS Canola oil

1 cup uncooked rice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock (I love Kitchen Basics!)

Directions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Once rice is golden, stir in garlic powder, salt, cumin and onion powder. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add in salsa, tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

Enjoy!

Friday Favorites - Easy Appetizer

So my mom started making this appetizer a couple of years ago. It's really just a snack that she keeps in the fridge for the afternoon before dinner or the late night "snack attacks" of my sister and her friends. It's so easy that I am almost ashamed to put it on here, but it's so delicious I can't resist!

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

from my Mom

Ingredients

1 jar of Trader Joe's Red Pepper Spread

11 oz log of goat cheese (my mom like the one above so that's what I bought too)

Directions

Let the goat cheese sit out for about 10-15 minutes or until soft. It's a soft cheese anyway, but you want to be able to mix it well. When it's ready, put it into a serving bowl or tupperware container and dump in the jar of red pepper spread. Mix together thoroughly. Serve with pita chips or crackers. 

White Bean Enchiladas

This is a great meat-free recipe! You hardly notice that the meat is missing, even my meat-and-three husband thinks these are great.

Photo credit to MyRecipes.com

White Bean Enchiladas

adapted from MyRecipes.com

Ingredients

2  TBS reduced fat sour cream

16 oz can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2  cup Mexican cheese blend

2 TBS canned chopped green chiles

1 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp ground cumin

10 oz can enchilada sauce

1/4  cup  water

6  - 6-inch corn tortillas

Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the sour cream and beans in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup cheese, chiles, chopped cilantro, and cumin.

Combine 1/3 cup enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup water in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Dip one tortilla in the sauce mixture to soften; transfer to a plate. Spread 1/4 cup bean mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place roll, seam side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and bean mixture. Add remaining sauce to pan; cook 1 minute. Spoon over enchiladas; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Enjoy!

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