‘Cauliflower’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Recipe: Cauliflower “Fried” Rice with Diced Ham

May 10, 2017 · Clean Eating, Narrative

A super healthy side dish that will fool even the most ardent cauliflower-haters.

My kids won’t eat cauliflower. Neither of them like it, no matter how I prepare it.

Until this dish.

My daughter wouldn’t touch it, and my son kept asking me what kind of rice I used, but he ended up eating it all. So I consider that a win.

As for me? I don’t hate cauliflower. I’m very firmly in a take-it-or-leave it camp, but loved this version of a healthier version of fried rice.

I taught a cooking class last week and had leftover carrots, scallions, garlic, and sesame oil, and with a bag of Trader Joe’s riced cauliflower in the freezer, I happily had all the ingredients on hand to make this.

I started with a recipe I found from Skinnytaste (you can find the original here), but made a few changes along the way, based on preference and what I had on hand. It comes together very quickly, particularly if you use a bag of riced cauliflower, instead of starting with a head of cauliflower, and makes a tasty side dish for one of the kids and an actual full meal for me. I think this is a great recipe to use as a guideline to customize as your own taste buds see fit. Adding in some grilled shrimp or chicken would make this an even more complete meal, and perfect for days when you want to get in and out of the kitchen, or want something a bit lighter to eat.

As a side note, Trader Joe’s actually limit the amount of bags of riced cauliflower you can buy to two at a time because customers go crazy for it. Out of the past 7 or so times I’ve visited TJ’s, this is actually the first time I’ve seen it in stock because they sell out mid-morning. At only $1.99 a bag, and saving quite a bit of time and mess, it’s no wonder!

Hungry for more cauliflower recipes?
There are hundreds of recipes for cauliflower pizza crust, but this one is one of my favorites.
This Loaded Fake-Out Baked Potato Casserole lets you indulge without the guilt.
Visit Flavortown with this recipe for Sesame Glazed Cauliflower.
Cauliflower Fritters. Kind of like a fried latke. But not.
These Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots from Kalyn’s Kitchen were fun little bites to pop in your mouth.
If you haven’t made this ridiculously simple Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup, you are seriously missing out.
This Buffalo-Style Roasted Cauliflower is one I keep going back to. So good and so easy.
This Roasted Cauliflower Spread is a riff off one that Sarah and I enjoyed at Tom Douglas’ Lola in Seattle.
Visually, this Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a showstopper, and I made it for a cooking challenge at the CIA.
If you haven’t had this Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing, I don’t know how to help you.
This super simple Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great comfort food spin when you’re craving carbs and cheese.
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving.

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Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Veggie Pizza

July 28, 2015 · Narrative

Overloaded vegetable pizza that is carb free? Yep, yep. Right here.

When it comes to cauliflower crust pizza, been there, done that.

And after that recipe, which was good, you wouldn’t think I would need another.

And you would mostly be right.

Until I spied a picture for a new version in a recent issue of Cooking Light magazine.

You know how they say “a picture is worth a thousand words?”

They would be right, because I ended up making the recipe the next night.

The power of persuasion and all.

This recipe was very similar, but just different enough to yield a slightly new result. I’m not going to lie, it’s slightly time consuming, as is the one I originally made two years ago. The major difference between the two recipes is that this one from Cooking Light calls for baking the “riced” cauliflower before making your crusts. A teensy new step, but one that resulted in pizza that was … dare I say it … foldable. Not completely foldable like a traditional slice of pizza, but enough so that it was possible. And because of that slight difference, I think it’s worth having this recipe in your repertoire as well.

And besides, who can go wrong with all those loaded veggie toppings?

For that part, I added extra mushrooms (and skipped their suggested peppers), and the whole thing resulted in one delicious dinner.

It makes two decent size pizzas, so I had one for dinner, and had the second one for lunch the next day.

side note: it does lose a bit of its foldability and crispness the next day, but still tastes just as awesome.

If you’re avoiding (or going light) on carbs, or just want to take your pizza in a completely different direction, make this.

PS If you haven’t picked up the August issue of Cooking Light magazine, get it! Filled will all sorts of clean eating recipes, it’s my favorite issue in a long time.

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Recipe: Fake-Out Loaded Baked Potato Casserole {Cauliflower}

December 15, 2014 · Narrative

Love twice baked potatoes with crispy bacon, cheese, and scallions? How about a faux version using cauliflower instead? Skip the guilt but still indulge in the toppings? Yes, please.

Neither of my kids like potatoes.

Of any kind.

Sometimes I don’t even know who they are.

When Mystic and I broke up two years ago, I went through a (thankfully) short phase where I had mashed potatoes and gravy.

Every night.

True story.

When THAT is my comfort food, how I have managed to have two kids that shun potatoes of all kinds astounds me to no end.

Truth be told, potatoes are not a girl’s best friend.

Or they shouldn’t be.

Because. Carbs.

And, of course, all those scandalous toppings you’re wont to add on top just pushes it (and you) over the edge.

The edge of those slim cut jeans, no doubt.

So how about we change things up and play a little trick on ourselves?

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole.

Crispy Bacon.

Sour cream.

Cheese.

Scallions.

Hold the potato.

What the what?!

Yep. Hold the potato.

If you’ve been here over the last few years, you know I have had every version of cauliflower known to mankind.

Well, I really haven’t, not yet. Because just when I think I have, I find ten more new fake-out recipes to try.

Just look at my Pinterest board for proof.

But today?

It’s all about the fake-out loaded baked potato.

It didn’t fool my kids into liking potatoes.

As if.

And it might not cure a broken heart, if you have one.

But it plays nicely as a tasty and filling side dish without the heaping serving of guilt.

Hungry for more cauliflower recipes?
Visit Flavortown with this recipe for Sesame Glazed Cauliflower.
Cauliflower Fritters. Kind of like a fried latke. But without the side of guilt.
These Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots from Kalyn’s Kitchen were fun little bites to pop in your mouth.
If you haven’t made this ridiculously simple Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup, you are seriously missing out.
This Buffalo-Style Roasted Cauliflower is one I keep going back to. So good and so easy.
This Roasted Cauliflower Spread is a riff off one that Sarah and I enjoyed at Tom Douglas’ Lola in Seattle.
Visually, this Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a showstopper, and I made it for a cooking challenge at the CIA recently.
If you haven’t had this Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing, I don’t know how to help you.
This super simple Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great comfort food spin when you’re craving carbs and cheese.
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza for fulfilling all your pizza loving dreams.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving.

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Recipe: Sesame Glazed Cauliflower

November 17, 2014 · Narrative

A unique twist on cauliflower, this Sesame Glazed Cauliflower makes for a simple and tasty side dish.

Can I still call this Sesame Glazed Cauliflower if I didn’t add the sesame seeds?

I think so.

And so it was.

I am on an endless journey to find a cauliflower recipe that my kids will like. I have come close, but so far, no cigar.

So it’s a darn good thing that I eat cauliflower.

And you do too.

I hope?

Did you know the going rate for a reasonably-sized head of cauliflower is $4.99?

Crazytown.

But in the grand scheme of things, you will likely have all the other ingredients on hand, so $5 for a side dish that can feed a small nation is not a bad thing.

#rationalizing

But it’s true.

And, in theory, it’s cheaper because the recipe only calls for half a head of cauliflower, so now the side dish is down to $2.50.

Even better.

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Recipe: Cauliflower Fritters

August 5, 2014 · Narrative

Similar to potato pancakes or latkes, these tasty cauliflower fritters are a fun, unexpected side dish.

Until I discovered a few out-of-the-box cauliflower recipe ideas last year, I don’t think I ever gave cauliflower more than a passing glance. Aside from roasting it or pouring cheese sauce over it, I can’t say I had seen many, if any, other recipes to prepare it.

And now, it seems like they’re everywhere.

Case in point: cauliflower fritters.

I love these little things. It gives you the fried taste of a latke, without all the guilt that goes along with it. By using whole wheat flour, and swapping out the more traditional potatoes for cauliflower, you come away with a delicious little side dish that you can’t get enough of, and another cauliflower fake-out dish where you leave the table seeing cauliflower in a whole new light.

Unless you’re my kids. Because now even though I’ve made exactly 623 different version of cauliflower (I kid. Slightly.), they still don’t like it. Eventually they’ll come around and, in the meantime, these are all mine.

Well, ok, except for the ones I shared with our neighbors.

Make ’em.

Hungry for more cauliflower recipes? Luckily I’ve got you covered.
These Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots from Kalyn’s Kitchen were fun little bites to pop in your mouth.
If you haven’t made this ridiculously simple Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup, you are seriously missing out.
This Buffalo-Style Roasted Cauliflower is one I keep going back to. So good and so easy.
This Roasted Cauliflower Spread is a riff off one that Sarah and I enjoyed at Tom Douglas’ Lola in Seattle.
Visually, this Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a showstopper, and I made it for a cooking challenge at the CIA recently.
If you haven’t had this Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing, I don’t know how to help you.
This super simple Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great comfort food spin when you’re craving carbs and cheese.
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza for fulfilling all your pizza loving dreams.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving….

Recipe: Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots

April 29, 2014 · Narrative

Cheesy, crispy litter cauliflower tots — all the taste and none of the guilt.

My kids don’t especially like tater tots.

In fact, if you mention tater tots to them, I’m not even sure that they would remember exactly what they are. And given that tater tots are, um, slightly processed, I’m ok with that.

Because if you’re going to eat processed food, it might as well be an Oreo, right?

Kidding.

Sort of.

My kids also have not yet jumped on the cauliflower bandwagon with me. Shocking as that is. But despite this, coupled with their disdain for tots, when I saw Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots from Kalyn’s Kitchen, I thought there might be hope.

It turns out that I wasn’t wrong.

But, of course, I didn’t call them cauliflower anything when the kids asked what they were.

I’ve been a mom for long enough to know better.

But I also don’t lie to them when it comes to food.

Consider it an error of omission when I called them Cheesy Bites.

Which seemed to be just.the.ticket because both kids ate them.

SO THERE.

Using the microwave and a food chopper (I love my mini one and use it exclusively), you can make quick work of the steps below. With just ten minutes, if that, of actual hands-on work, it’s a very simple recipe that you can pop into the oven quickly while you get the rest of dinner ready.

And the end result?

Little bits of cheesy, slightly crispy cauli goodness that you’ll find yourself popping into your mouth again and again.

Even if you don’t like tots or cauliflower.

Hungry for more cauliflower recipes?
If you haven’t made this ridiculously simple Three Ingredient Cauliflower Soup, you are seriously missing out.
This Buffalo-Style Roasted Cauliflower is one I keep going back to. So good and so easy.
This Roasted Cauliflower Spread is a riff off one that Sarah and I enjoyed at Tom Douglas’ Lola in Seattle.
Visually, this Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a showstopper, and I made it for a cooking challenge at the CIA recently.
If you haven’t had this Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing, I don’t know how to help you.
This super simple Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great comfort food spin when you’re craving carbs and cheese.
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza for fulfilling all your pizza loving dreams.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving.

…

Recipe: Buffalo Style Roasted Cauliflower

February 27, 2014 · Narrative

Slightly hot. Slightly creamy. And full on delicious. This easy twist on roasted cauliflower will keep you coming back for more.

All cauliflower all the time.

Maybe I should start a cauliflower blog.

Kidding.

But I seriously feel like the only vegetables I eat are cauliflower and broccoli.

Mostly because they are.

And mostly because they’re easy.

So that means I’m always on the look-out for a new way to prepare them.

Especially broccoli, because the kids will eat it.

Not so much on the cauliflower.

And even though Nick is all about buffalo flavored things (most notably wings and this salad), he didn’t care for this Buffalo Style Roasted Cauliflower.

Which is only mildly surprising.

But no matter. Because I pretty much hosed the rest of it myself anyway.

His loss.

But it doesn’t need to be YOUR loss.

Because if you’re looking for a new way to eat cauliflower. Or if you, like Nick and I, like buffalo flavored dishes. Or if you’re on a high protein and vegetable eating plan. Or clean eating. Or Paleo. Or MediFast.

All of the above or none of the above. This one is not to be missed. So stupid simple, I’m not even giving a real recipe.

Oven at 425. Bite size cauliflower florets spread onto a greased baking sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, mix to coat. Roast for 20-25 minutes, until they start to get golden brown. Remove from oven and put in a bowl. Add your favorite hot sauce. Just a bit to lightly coat the cauliflower. Mix so each floret gets some. Plate. Drizzle with a bit of your favorite bleu cheese salad dressing and top with crumbled bleu cheese (I’m partial to Amish Bleu for this one). Be sure to add the crumbled bleu cheese while the cauliflower is still warm, so it gets all nice and melty. Devour.

Go.

Hungry for more cauliflower recipes?
This Roasted Cauliflower Spread is a riff off one that Sarah and I enjoyed at Tom Douglas’ Lola in Seattle.
Visually, this Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower is a showstopper, and I made it for a cooking challenge at the CIA recently.
If you haven’t had this Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing, I don’t know how to help you.
This super simple Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is a great comfort food spin when you’re craving carbs and cheese.
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza for fulfilling all your pizza loving dreams.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving.

Recipe: Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

February 10, 2014 · Narrative

A super simple cauliflower recipe made in a way that you’ve never seen it before. Indian flavors, two steps, pure deliciousness.

To say I have a new appreciation for cauliflower would be an understatement. Or, at the very least, an appreciation for turning cauliflower into something completely unique and different than how it originally started out. So when my friend Cathy sent me a recipe for a spicy whole roasted cauliflower, it immediately got added to my list of things to make.

Natch.

Gone are the days when we just had straight up cauliflower smothered in melted cheese. Now we’re turning cauliflower into breadsticks and pizza, risotto and mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and steak. In fact, I even have a cheddar and bacon cauliflower pancake recipe coming soon. I made tonight’s cauliflower recipe on Friday, and it ended up coming in handy this weekend. The basic premise of the recipe is you mix Greek yogurt with a handful of spices, cover the cauliflower with this marinade, and bake it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. It could not get simpler than that, and beyond the simplicity of the recipe, I love the flexibility of it. Although the spices I used are Indian-influenced, you could mix and match any flavor profile you want. Make a Greek version with some oregano and lemon juice. Or perhaps an Italian version with oregano and basil, with maybe some sun-dried tomatoes thrown in for good measure. I honestly don’t think this recipe can be screwed up.

I made it on a night when I needed something easy that required pretty much no thought and ingredients I had on hand already. I didn’t have a dinner plan ready, and Nick had a dance to go to that night. I made the kids a tray of roasted broccoli (they’re not cauliflower converts … yet), and this for me. Leftover ribs for protein.

Now for the cauliflower story from this weekend… I spent Saturday at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) campus in Hyde Park (more details on that coming later this week), and one of the things we did while we were there was to have a Chopped-style challenge. If you’re not familiar with the Food Network show Chopped, you’re basically handed a basket of ingredients and have to make something amazing with it. I, along with three other team members, was handed a basket that had broccoli, kale, bulgur, lettuce, cauliflower, oranges, and Greek yogurt. All those specific ingredients had to be used to create one main dish and one side dish in an hour, and we could also use any Jones Dairy Farm products we wanted, along with any herbs and spices in the CIA kitchen.

Once I saw the cauliflower and the Greek yogurt, it was a no-brainer, and I took the reins for making the side dish, while the other three team members worked on our main course.

There was a team of CIA chefs in the kitchen during our one hour of cooking time, offering assistance as we needed it, and doing some taste testing along the way. Two of the chefs were also judges, along with two members of Jones Dairy Farm. When Chef Michael came around and took a taste of my marinade (pre-bake), I watched his face for a reaction, and he said “Interesting.” I asked him “Interesting bad or interesting good?” “Just interesting. I can’t say anything else because I’m judging.”

Although I wasn’t worried, I was certainly wondering.

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Recipe: Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

September 30, 2013 · Narrative

When I was putting away groceries last night, I got a little wistful.

I haven’t had pasta in over six months. And I miss it just a teeny bit.

And sushi. Specifically the most amazing Monkey Roll that ever was.

I used to have them once a week (and, coughcough, sometimes more) and they are amazing.

And man, I seriously miss those.

The other day Madeline asked me how much longer I was going to be doing this “food thing.”

Her adorableness overwhelms me sometimes.

“You lost weight and you look great. I mean, you looked great before too, and now you look even better. You should be done.”

She is very politically correct, and I love that about her.

And I’m almost there. My goal is to release the grip by the end of the year.

Which is pretty much the most perfect way to end the year and usher in a new one. Full of exciting promise, clean slates, and refreshed beginnings.

And until then?

I’m still not eating pasta or my beloved Monkey Rolls.

So in the meantime?

We find other ways to satisfy the occasional craving with new takes on cauliflower.

And this time, that means Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.

It was so simple. And so ridiculously cheesy. That you almost don’t miss the actual real macaroni noodles.

I used frozen cauliflower in those steamer bags, to make it even easier, and when it was done, I drizzled a smidge of hot sauce over the top. And then I promptly inhaled it.

A definite make again.

Whether or not you’ve given up pasta and beloved Monkey Rolls.

Hungry for more ways to get creative with cauliflower?
These Cauliflower Bread Sticks were another great riff, and delish!
This Mock Shrimp Risotto was almost as good as the real deal.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza for fulfilling all your pizza loving dreams.
And lastly, Cauliflower Garlic Mashed Potatoes will satisfy your comfort food craving.

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Recipe: Garlic Cauliflower “Mashed Potatoes”

March 25, 2013 · Narrative

Holy Grail of Garlicness!

My first tip regarding this recipe is to not use the five large cloves of garlic it calls for.

Because, man, I do love me some garlic, but it was way.too.much.

For realz.

Like Nick, who doesn’t like “mashed potatoes” and who I finally convinced to try a bite, was gasping for water because it was “so spicy.”

Spicy wasn’t the right word, but potent certainly is.

My second tip with this recipe? Make it.

Remember when fake-out mashed potatoes via cauliflower were all the rage some years back during the low carb diet craze? My Mom was definitely making them back then, but I never got around to, but luckily they’re baaaack!

To save a little bit of time, and since I don’t have a steamer basket, I skipped the whole first step and just used a Ziploc steamer bag to steam the whole head of cauliflower. I only had one bag left, and had to be a bit strategic to get it all to fit, but it worked beautifully.

Then, once the cauliflower had been steamed, I just pulverized the heck out of everything in my mini food processor. And it was done.

Now for serving? I think these are most perfect with a pulled pork or brisket or roast chicken. And with a bite of the meat and the “mashed potatoes” together on each fork-full. This recipe or this one or this one or this one would be awesome to go with it.

Paleo. Vegetarian. Clean eating. This recipe fits all those groups. And more. Super easy. And pretty guilt-free. Creamy. Flavorful. Delicious.

Go get ’em.

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Planning and Preparation: Keys to Success {Eat.Live.Be.}

January 9, 2013 · Narrative

I don’t profess to have all the answers when it comes to fitness and consistently making healthy choices.

Because I don’t.

I struggle some days just like you and you and you.

Trial and error. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

But I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the keys to success.

When it comes to keeping yourself on the straight and narrow, planning and preparation is huge.

Like Justin Bieber to my almost-five-year-old daughter huge.

How can you be expected to make a good snack choice when you open up your kitchen cupboards and are faced with cookies, chips, and candy?

You just can’t.

So don’t bring it into your house.

Why have the unnecessary temptation to lure you in a weak moment?

A friend of mine sometimes struggles with making the right food choices, so one night last week, she came over and we put together a meal plan. Just three dinners. To get her toes wet. And then the next day, I took her to a vegetable market we like and she bought all the ingredients to make those three dinners. And more items so she could stock her cabinets with good snack choices.

And by doing this, it became just a little bit easier.

On Saturday, another friend came over and we made a bajillion soups. And froze them all, so we had easy, healthy, grab-and-go lunches for weeks.

And by doing this, it became just a little easier.

These are not monumental tasks. But they are little tasks that add up to monumental changes.

Those little keys to success.

Baby steps, people, baby steps.

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