Creamed Cauliflower is my FAVORITE! (Cheat)

So I love cauliflower more than any other vegetable..EVER. Seriously, I cannot name another veggie I love more. So I keep trying to come up with new and interesting ways to serve it so my husband doesn't get bored. (Cauliflower is not his favorite ;) )

This recipe is based loosely on my Mom's Cauliflower Soup. It is basically the same theory, only on a smaller scale. It is not extremely low carb because of the milk and flour, but I think you could probably revamp it if you are adventurous with coconut flour and almond milk. If I try it out that way, I will definitely update this entry. :)

Creamed Cauliflower Recipe

1 small head of cauliflower

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP flour (coconut flour if low carb)

1/2 cup of milk

smallest pinch of nutmeg

salt,pepper,garlic to taste

Boil the florets in a pot of water until mashable.  Put aside, reserving a small amount of water (about 1/2 cup).  Then put the butter into the pot, and melt over medium to medium low heat. When the butter is melted, add the flour, and completely whisk together. Before it can get too clumpy, start adding the milk, alittle at a time, constantly whisking. Once you get all the milk added in, it should be a very thick roux in the pan. Add nutmeg.  At this point, I add a small amount of the cauliflower water until it is the consistency of porridge. Add cauliflower back to pot, and mash until it looks like this:

Not the prettiest, but yummy!

Then start seasoning until it tastes right to you. I hesitate to actually advise on this because to some people it would be way too salty, and to others it would be too bland.  You know your family's tastes, so just add whatever seasonings sound right to you. :) 

And Beer Chicken it is...

This sounds awesome, right? Anything that adds beer to my meal...lol. Now since I grew up in the South, this would not be my first "Beer can chicken", but this is a great alternative to using the grill. Especially when it's SUPER cold outside. ;) And it really couldn't be any easier. Which seems to be a running theme in my blog, huh? 

Now, like the original poster writes, you can use a whole chicken, cut up chicken pieces, or chicken breasts. I used chicken breasts, and it came out great. You can also play with the spices. I am not a huge fan of Basil, so I just put in a shake of that, but I  believe that you can never have too much garlic, so I added extra of that. Here's how I did it:

Beer Can Slow Cooker Chicken

6 Boneless Chicken breasts

1 Can of any beer of your choice (Organic if you want to "clean" it up) 
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 clove of Garlic minced

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1/2 tsp Paprika

Shake of Basil ;)

Put all these ingredients in the slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or 4 on High. (I rarely cook anything on high...I feel like it toughens whatever meat I am using, but I will do it if I am in a pinch)

You can just eat these straight out of the crock with a veggie side dish, or you can shred the meat and put it back in the slow cooker to soak up the liquid. Then serve on rolls or over rice. You can't go wrong no matter what way you choose to eat it. It's delicious! :) 

Cauliflower "Rice" (Clean)

Now, do not get too excited. Does it taste like rice? No. But does it taste good enough to replace rice for the good of your health? Definitely. I LOVE cauliflower! Probably more than any other vegetable,so this is easy for me. I sneak it into mashed potatoes, completely undetected by my kids. One of which does not eat any vegetables AT ALL. So, that's something. Anyway...this could not be easier. Actually, it could be easier if I weren't scared of my food processor, but I digress. Here are the only items you need to do this:

Grater
Head of cauliflower
Skillet
Oil of choice
Salt and pepper

Basically you grate up the cauliflower florets into small bits. Heat up TBS of oil in the pan, and "dry" fry the cauliflower with salt and pepper. Just stir it around until it is halfway done and there you go. I served this to my husband with my Shrimp Creole because quinoa is not his preference. I think he was really surprised that he liked it as much as he did.

I also posted my Creole recipe, so check it out! (Please) :)

Looks like rice, doesn't it? :)

And it's time for Creole... (Healthy modifications)

Shrimp Creole

I have been making this recipe for years.  One of the few things I have been able to make for years and make well. Only problem is, none of the kids like it...actually, I guess that is not a problem. More for me ;) 

There are alot of Shrimp Creole recipes out there, but when I was younger, I wouldn't make any recipe with stewed tomatoes in it, so I adapted the recipes to my picky tastes. I guess I should be a big girl soon and try the normal recipes :) Until then, here you go:

Ingredients

1 TBSP butter (or oil, I guess)

1 medium onion, diced

1 green onion, diced

1 tsp red pepper (or chili powder - whatever you have)

2 (8oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 can of water

1 bay leaf

1 lb Uncooked Shrimp (cocktail shrimp are the best)

   cleaned and deveined

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and green onion and cook until soft. Add red pepper,  2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 bay leaf, and cook for about 15 minutes all together. Remove bay leaf and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink. Now at this point, I decide if it is too runny. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it is not, so it just depends. (on what, I have NO idea). If it is too runny, you can make a paste? of cornstarch and water and then add it to the mixture. I rarely find that it is too runny, but I wanted to add that, just in case. 

You can serve this over rice, unless you are cutting out rice like me, and then you can put it over quinoa or "riced" cauliflower.  I have added a short blog about that too. :)

Parsnip (not so) Chips...(Clean)

Parsnip "Chips"

So in our quest to find suitable chip replacements, I stumbled across someone talking about different root vegetables that you can slice into chips. Well, after the kale and zucchini chips debacle (different story all together), I decided to try parsnips. If you've never seen or tried parsnips, they are a little like a spicier carrot. Same shape and appearance, just white instead of orange. I have actually also put these in my Sausage and Potato Soup, in addition to potatoes, with great success. You just have to get used to the flavor and accept that they will never taste like potatoes. :) These are one of my husband's favorites that I  make here recently. I have to make at least 2 just for him. 

This is simple. Peel and slice some parsnips, at least one per person that is going to share these with you. Put in a bowl with Olive Oil and seasoning of your choice. I like to use Mrs Dash no salt Garlic and Herb seasoning and a little bit of sea salt. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, or to desired crispiness. These are not actually "chip like". It really depends on the thickness, and length of time in the oven. I will update after I try these at a lower temp for longer to see if that helps. 

Parsnip "Chips"

1 parsnip per person, peeled and sliced

Olive Oil (just enough to coat slices)

2 turns of a sea salt dispenser

Tbs seasoning of choice

Stir all ingredients in a bowl and lay out on a piece of parchment in a single layer. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Seasoning suggestions: 

Cajun spices

Ranch dressing mix

Mrs Dash (any flavor)

Garlic salt and pepper

Sky's the limit on this one. Just experiment with your favorite flavors. I would love to hear if you try something that ROCKS. Please let me know. :)

My Favorite - Baked Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls (Cheat)

Baked Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls

This recipe by CanYouStayForDinner  for Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls is by far my favorite addition to my family's "Appetizer Night". Appetizer night started a while back, when we decided that eating out constantly was expensive for what you get. So my oldest and I would go to the grocery store and pick out all of our favorite appetizers that we can get at the restaurant, and then make our own. Well, fast forward to our "healthy eating initiative", and I had to go on a hunt to replace frozen apps and add some that are healthier. Enter "Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls". These not only satisfy a need for buffalo flavor, but help on the low carb front too. I changed a few things from the original recipe, but you can definitely add or subtract anything you don't like. I leave out the broccoli slaw, but if you are a slaw lover - please put it back in. :)

So first things first:  Go to the grocery store and buy egg roll wrappers. You can find them in the Produce department. (You could also do wontons, but I haven't tried out the cook time yet) You also need to cook up some chicken and shred it into a bowl. Add buffalo sauce (I use Frank's, but just use whichever one you like best). There is no magic amount to add, just add it up to your heat tolerance level ;)

Next, I put a cookie cooling rack on my largest baking sheet. I also use one of those grill racks you can buy to put fish on to grill out. Then start laying out the wraps to get started. 

Next place your ingredients in the middle on the wrap as shown. This time around I used real blue cheese crumbles, but most of the time I use Laughing Cow Blue Cheese wedges and just smear some on the wrap before placing the buffalo chicken on.. Now, if you have family members that don't like blue cheese (I KNOW!!! Shocking, right?), you can use any cheese they like inside. I just use whatever I have on hand, and then separate those with and without, so as not to mix them up... 

Now start folding the wrap...kinda like an envelope? First the bottom corner up, then fold both sides in. Be careful not to rip the wrap. They are VERY durable, but I manage to rip at least one. And if I do rip one, I just wrap another one around it. Works fine. 

Lastly, you need to wet the edges so they will stay sealed when you fold the top down. Line them up on the rack and spray with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for approx 15 minutes...give or take a few. I keep an eye on them, and if they are starting to burn without crisping, I take them out and spray them again just to keep from burning. I don't have a good After picture, but even if I did, they would never look as awesome as Andie's do. :)

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

• Shredded chicken (use as much or as little as the amount of egg rolls you are making)
• Buffalo Sauce (I alternate between the "buffalo" and the "hot" sauce depending on what I have) 
• Blue cheese crumbles or Laughing Cow blue cheese wedges
• Egg Roll wrappers
• Cooking spray

Assemble wraps as shown in pictures, and bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Serve with Ranch dressing or Blue cheese dressing, if you like. But caution! These are smoking hot inside. So if your family is planning Appetizer Night, you can definitely bake these first...they will stay hot longest! 

Update: I messaged the blogger to let her know how much we loved these, and that I was planning on putting this recipe on my blog, and she actually messaged me back to say thank you. To me, that is super nice! :)

And now for the Norwegian waffles...

Norwegian Waffles

When visiting my family in Norway, these yummy waffles are usually served with coffee, sodas for the kids, and an assortment of chocolates. Most Norwegian families serve these when guests come over as an after dinner treat.  My kids love them no matter the time of day, so learning to make them has been a quest for a while. 

This recipe has taken most of my adult life to get right, but I am happy to say that I have finally done it! I had done an internet search of "Norwegian waffler", and could not believe the amount of different recipes there are out there. So last time my Mom and I were together, I showed her the one I thought sounded right, and she gave me her thoughts, and this is what I came up with in the end. :) 

Norwegian Waffles - makes 12 sets

6 Eggs
1/2 cup of sugar (give or take depending on preferences)
1 tsp Cardamom
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (totally forgot this step today, but no one complained) 

Mix together all the eggs, sugar and cardamon until well blended. Next add in the flour, baking soda and salt. Last, add the sour cream and butter and mix very well until the batter is smooth. Easiest way is to get out the mixer, but I am usually in a hurry, so I just mix it all up. Then I let the batter rest while I heat up the waffle iron. Traditionally these are heart shaped, but you can use whatever waffle iron you have. :)  Once ready, use a ladle and put about a ladle's worth into the center of the iron and close the lid.  These waffles are best served slightly soft - not crispy like American waffles.

I wholeheartedly recommend the waffle iron from Bed Bath and Beyond. It has a "doneness" dial that allows you to change the time and whether you want a crispy exterior or uniform texture, etc.

I am going to try to "lighten" these up soon, and will post if it passes the "KID TEST". :)