‘Medifast’ Articles at Sweetnicks

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: Cauliflower Steak with Homemade Caesar Dressing

January 30, 2014 · Narrative

A unique twist on cauliflower – in under 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, you can be enjoying this deliciousness.

You know how when you eat something amazing, you can’t wait to tell someone about it? Or have it again?

This is that.

I had another post planned for tonight but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Because I need to tell you about this grilled cauliflower steak with homemade Caesar dressing

Seriously amazeballs.

I have never eaten as much cauliflower as I have since I started Medifast last spring. As I’ve said before, it’s a take-it-or-leave-it vegetable for me. That being said, I have eaten a ton of it in the past eight months, probably more than I ate in all the prior 42 years of my life combined. And in various iterations. I’ve had cauliflower as a mock risotto. As fake-out breadsticks and pizza crust. As mashed potatoes. As mac and cheese.

And tonight? As “steak.”

The recipe could not be simpler to make. In fact, the hardest part is cutting the cauliflower into steak-like slices (approximately four per head). My biggest tip is to make sure it’s thick enough when you slice. Too thin and it will crumble and then you suddenly have cauliflower florets.

So slice the cauliflower, and then grill (I used a stove-top grill pan). While it’s grilling, whirr together a handful of ingredients to make the Caesar dressing.

Which elevated the grilled cauliflower to all sorts of amazing levels.

Two things about the dressing. It makes a lot. Not necessarily a bad thing, but definitely enough for two heads of cauliflower. I also used it sparingly, just drizzling a bit over the cauliflower. Also, you have to like garlic. With the ten cloves that the recipe calls for, well, I’ll be tasting garlic for awhile. If you are not a huge fan of garlic, cut down on the cloves, or roast the garlic first to make its taste a little more subtle. It is lick the plate good, though, so don’t skip it.

However you do it, you can’t go wrong with this recipe. Over the past nine months, my taste buds and palate have definitely shifted. A lot. And while I wouldn’t say I’m crazy for cauliflower, I definitely don’t mind it. And with this recipe? I’ll actually go looking for it.

Make it. And don’t share. I won’t tell.

…

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.

…

Recipe: Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

September 11, 2013 · Clean Eating, Narrative

I could happily eat mushrooms every day. Unfortunately, the kids have yet to jump on that bandwagon.

But I have hope. After all, it wasn’t until my mid-to-late 30s that I started to like salmon.

I don’t buy into the hype that mushrooms taste beefy, and can fool you into thinking you’re having a burger. Because that’s just ridiculous. Mushrooms taste like … mushrooms.

True, they taste heartier than some of their vegetable counterparts, but to say it tastes like meat is a bit of a stretch.

IMHO.

Hear that, Rachael Ray?

When you hear of a stuffed mushroom, it’s usually with a crab stuffing, or other sometimes heavily breaded, often unhealthy, filling.

This is not that.

Filled with a mixture of chopped, fresh tomatoes, garlic, and cheese, it’s a perfect bite that you can feel good about. It takes 10 minutes to make, start to finish, which is perfect because it allows me the time to make something else for my resident mushroom haters, without running around feeling like a short order cook.

And really, after that, what else do you need?

Hungry for more mushroom goodness?
These Portobello Cap Pizzas are equally super simple to make and quite filling.
Mushroom-Crusted Chicken Burgers were a delicious way to sneak a few mushrooms past the kids.
And lastly, these pan-fried chicken thighs with mushrooms were a total win, and appearing on our table this weekend as we entertain friends.

*If you’re on MediFast, this is perfect, and makes two servings.

…

Recipe: Cauliflower Bread Sticks

September 4, 2013 · Narrative

Cauliflower has always been one of those take-it-or-leave-it kind of vegetables for me. I love it roasted (both plain and this version). And I love when it’s smothered in cheese sauce. But outside of those two ways? I’m not really looking for it.

But as a way to eat something that is normally carb-heavy, but instead, make a mock version that’s not?

Well, that just might work too.

After all, it’s worked with this mock risotto. Good stuff.

And this cauliflower crust pizza. Also good stuff.

Ohhh. And I almost forgot about the cauliflower mashed potatoes.

So why not bread sticks, right?

Super simple to make. Very few ingredients. Low cauliflower taste and even lower on the guilt scale.

But it makes me think I’m kind of having carbs.

And it’s satisfying.

And filling.

And tasty.

Now that’s what I consider a win.

Does it taste exactly like bread sticks? No. Is it the next best thing to that indulgence? Quite possibly so.

I recently caught a glimpse of cauliflower tortillas. I am so on that.

…

Recipe: Cauliflower Crust Pizza

August 27, 2013 · Narrative

When you’re trying to stay away from eating carbs, it seems like it’s exactly THEN that you suddenly want them. Even when I was straight 100% clean eating, I rarely had pasta or pizza. And since I’ve been doing Medifast, I am definitely not having pasta or pizza.

But that doesn’t mean you have to completely do without.

It just means that you have to get a little creative instead.

Like how about using grated, raw cauliflower to make your pizza crust?

I know.

A totally radical idea, no?

But yet … it worked.

The only drawback to the recipe is that it’s a little on the time consuming side. Because after grating the cauliflower and mixing it with a few simple ingredients, you have to bake it, then flip it and bake some more, and then top with tomato sauce and cheese, and then bake some more.

Maybe an hour start to finish?

In the grand scheme of things, not terrible, and, well, if it satisfies your pizza craving without carb loading … that’s a good thing.

And honestly, you couldn’t get healthier. Zero guilt. High vegetable intake. Math was never my strong suit, but that’s the kind of equation I like.

Whether you happen to be avoiding carbs, are eating gluten-free, or just want the taste of pizza without the side of remorse, give this one a try. You just might get hooked too.

Hungry for more cauliflower fake-out dishes?
This Mock Shrimp Risotto is a must-make. And coming next week? Cauliflower Bread Sticks. Yep. For realz.

Tomorrow? We visit Baltimore.

…

Recipe: Greek Turkey Burgers

August 19, 2013 · Narrative

When I made these Greek Turkey Burgers for dinner last week, Nick took one or two bites and promptly told me he didn’t like them. I swore up and down that I had made these before and he loved them, and came here to look up the post so I could prove it to him.

And, unfortunately, it looks like he was right.

I know I have made a million and one turkey burger recipes before, but the last one that he loved turned out to be the Thai Turkey Burgers from a few months ago.

Which basically means this wasn’t his most favorite dinner ever.

But also that I hadn’t yet shared the recipe here.

And since *I* happened to really like the burgers, I’m sharing.

(For the record, his objection is the feta. No matter how much I think he should love it as much as I do, he doesn’t).

Turkey burgers are a great go-to when you’re looking to satisfy a burger craving, but you don’t quite want all the fat that a “regular” burger might deliver. And this one? Where some vegetables are snuck in? All the better.

The roasted red peppers bits really help deliver moistness, which is a key to having a flavorful turkey burger, and I promise you, you won’t even know the spinach is there if you’re anti-spinach (so, sneaky vitamins!). And the feta? Well, that just puts it over the top, in my opinion. It gives the burger that nice strong tang that helps it pack a serious flavor punch. If you don’t like feta, substitute your favorite cheese in its place.

Serve it up with a side of roasted vegetables and you have a pretty awesome, complete, healthy Greek-inspired meal that is perfect for summer time … or any time.

Although I’m currently not eating carbs, this would be amazeballs with sliced avocado, a runny egg, and a nice crusty bun.

Making my mouth water just thinking about it.

Make it, you won’t be disappointed.

*If you happen to be on TSFL, this is totally approved.

Tomorrow? A visit to the air show.

…