Deconstructed Cauliflower Tacos

If you made it past that title, then you are an adventurous eater and probably a fan of cauliflower - two excellent qualities in my book.

Inspired by Smitten Kitchen's Cauliflower Tacos and wanting some potatoes, I made this plate of deliciousness: pan fried potatoes, topped with pan fried cauliflower, and garnished with pickled red onions, cotija cheese, and cilantro. WOW! It was so good, that I had to make it three times in a week before I remembered to wait and get a photo before inhaling it!

Bonus points if you use potatoes that are red or purple on the inside, they just make it so much prettier. Do not skip the easy step of making the quick pickled red onion, it makes all the difference. And if you do it as the first step, they will be ready by the time you assemble your plate.

Broccoli with Blue Cheese and Garlic Bread Crumbs

When it comes to cooked vegetables, broccoli is hands down my favorite. And putting a cheese sauce on it is a no brainer, but this is the first time I thought to try a blue cheese sauce rather than cheddar. It's a keeper!

Most recipes will direct you to oven roast the broccoli, but I find that cooking it in a covered cast iron pan for the first ten minutes will give you that blackened crispy broccoli that you crave, and also steam it at the same time, without having to heat up a whole oven. Then, if you choose to got the extra step and make the simple garlic bread crumbs, you use the pan that the broccoli was pan seared in, and it is a one pan meal!

When you cut your broccoli, make sure to create lots of flat surfaces, keeping the stalks attached. You want to sear those flat surfaces on the hot oiled surface of the pan to achieve that crispy, blackened surface.

This meal was inspired by an old piece of blue cheese languishing in my cheese drawer, so I made homemade blue cheese dressing; feel free to use your favorite store bought.

Fideo Verde Seco - Cappelini in Green Herb Sauce with Shrimp

 

Having been a home cook for more than 30 years, there are very few recipes that look new to me - but this one was quite the eye-opener. Pan frying dry pasta and then adding a flavorful broth and cooking it in a skillet was a revelation!

So full of flavor, so easy to make, and the variations set my mind awhirl!

Apparently fideo is a type of very thin pasta but I have never seen it. Here I used cappelini, and gluten free brown rice at that, and it worked beautifully!

I garnished this with cotija cheese since it pairs well with shrimp, but don't tell the Italians since they traditional abhor cheese with seafood.

Elotes - Pizza Version

 

As a child growing up on the East Coast, summer did not officially arrive until my mom made fresh corn on the cob. My sisters and I pretended that our mouths were like typewriters, furiously munching through each row of corn, and returning to the beginning to start anew, like the return cartridge of an electric typewriter, similar to the one that my mom typed my father’s handwritten novels on. 

Since it was the 1970’s and home cooking was less globalized than today, I had never heard of elotes AKA Mexican street corn. Not until I arrived in California more than 15 years ago did I learn of this magical recipe. When I found it deconstructed in a pizza, I knew I had to try it.

The Berkeley Cheese Board sold me this version back in 2008 and I have been making it at home ever since.

Steamed Garlic Broccoli Pasta

This is a brilliant recipe from Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen. Brilliant in its simplicity and its utter contrariness. Who would have thought that STEAMING pasta along with broccoli could produce such a fantastic dish!

The broccoli gets silky soft but not over cooked. The garlic is mellow, almost like it has been roasted. Using water and oil to steam it all together is the stroke of genius! It is my new favorite comfort food, and a one pot meal to boot! Can't beat that!

Broccoli, Wild Rice and Cheese Casserole

Underneath all of that cheesy richness is loads of broccoli and wild rice, nestled in a cheese sauce! Not diet food, for sure, but 100% grade A, comfort food when you are tired of the rain and long for some sunshine!

Here in Northern California, we are not quite underwater - thankfully my house is on a hill - but our winter precipitation level is atmospheric, like the rain we have been receiving. Yup, we no longer are in drought conditions, and hopefully that will help when wildfire season arrives, but for now, let's fight the wet and cold with this delicious dish!

Garlic Broccoli Flatbread

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite food is, Pizza would be my instant reply. But variations on it are also way up there on the list, along with things like broccoli sauteed in loads of garlic with Pecorino Romano cheese grated on top. So it isn't surprising that combining the two is highly appealing to me. Maybe you too!

I often add a thin base of mozzarella so that the flatbread isn't too dry, as is pictured here. Other times sour cream or cream cheese (whipped in a food processor) is another option. I suppose that would technically make this a white pizza. Whatever you call it, I call it delicious!

Yogurt Cheese Pie with Raspberry Coulis

When I was in graduate school eons ago, I threw dinner parties. The first party I made homemade lasagna noodles with a spinach bolognese sauce, thinking it was pretty fancy. My diners loved it but wondered where dessert was. Dessert didn't even cross my mind, not for the entire nine hours of food preparation! But realizing that it was expected, I developed this goodie for my future meals.

Dessert is not my forte, not a strong desire. Chocolate is fine, but give me bread and butter or cheese and crackers. Mine is a very savory palate! So this dessert isn't very sweet, but it seemed to satisfy those who ate it.

Before Greek yogurt was available everywhere, this pie was made of "yogurt cheese," strained yogurt, mixed with sugar and vanilla. Poured into a graham cracker crust (or something akin to it) with a raspberry coulis on top. I loved it! 

Now, you can buy greek yogurt, which is strained regular yogurt, which makes this pie that much easier. My pie is generally more tart than those who like their desserts sweet, so taste as you go. In the past, I rarely strained the raspberry coulis, since it was simpler and I was often more preoccupied with finishing dinner preparations. Here I did, and it was divine. If you have the time and the inclination, strain it!

Tarte de Soleil with Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

Deep into a Humboldt winter, the sun is a shy one, so try and coax it out with this baked deliciousness! While some of us are happily noticing the lengthening of the days, others get a little preoccupied by the tossing of a pigskin ball and its culmination in a big bowl. Whatever your pleasure, here is a fun and beautiful way to celebrate both of these events.

Puff pastry sandwiches a homemade sun-dried tomato and olive tapenade, baked until golden and then served with a dipping sauce. Perfect when you want to indulge or impress. My inspiration was from Smitten Kitchen, and while I strayed a bit, her suggestions were still pretty spot on. Incidentally, buying puff pastry is the easy way to go, but I did make mine - gluten free! - and my current GF cooking goddess is Nicole Hunn of Gluten Free on a Shoestring, check her out!

Walnut Chickpea Tacos

If you look around the blogosphere, there are plenty of interesting non-meat options for making tacos. Really, you can put just about anything in a corn tortilla and call it a taco! But these from Vegan Richa really intrigued me.

Vegan Richa made quesadillas with them but the idea of walnut chick pea fillings for tacos sounded like a winner. Yes, yes it was! Simple, fast, delicious. Can you beat that? Never! 

If you don't have ancho chili powder, use some sweet paprika and a little cayenne, but not too much unless you really like heat!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Gorgonzola, Walnuts and Balsamic Glaze

 

Ahh Brussel Sprouts, they are not just for Thanksgiving! Of course because

they are cabbage in miniature I adore them, but do not let my bias sway you,

try them yourself with three wonderful flavors that compliment them perfectly:

balsamic glaze, blue cheese and walnuts!

The best part of this dish is that it feels gourmet and elegant and yet requires so little effort, other than preparing the sprouts. But once that is done and they are in the oven baking to crisp perfection, then you are just making the finishing touches, and oh what touches they are!

Cauliflower Cake

When I daydream of publishing a cookbook, one of my titles would be “Vegetable Goddess,” since I fancy myself as someone who can entice people into eating the vegetables they think they abhor. However, there already exists a Vegetable God, Yotam Ottolenghi. 

If you’re not familiar with him or his cookbooks, you’ve probably unknowingly seen his recipes made by someone else. Not only do his recipes inspire gorgeous food porn photos but they taste as good as they look. Us mere mortals worship at his feet and if you have yet to be graced with his brilliance, now is your chance. 

Cauliflower Cake, savory and delicious, combining basil, rosemary, red onion and turmeric with eggs, flour and roasted cauliflower. Best warm, still delicious straight from the refrigerator. You know you are at least curious! 

Warm Escarole and Parsnip Salad with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

 

Living on the northern coast of California means mild winters, but lately it's been changing. Frost! Temperatures below 40 degrees! I know, we are spoiled, but it is a shock to the system. As someone who loves salads, this is when I start to think about parsnips!

Yes, parsnips! I was the kid who wouldn’t eat spaghetti but eagerly awaited parsnip season. If you think they are boring, allow me to tempt you with this fun winter dish of pan fried escarole, sweet and creamy parsnips, and a tangy sweet balsamic vinaigrette. Fun garnishes are what make salads special, so there are a few bites of gorgonzola and walnut pieces tossed in there as well. Yum!

If you have yet to pan fry your bitter greens, get that cast iron pan heating! Basically an indoor version of grilling, warm salads are so wonderful in the colder seasons. 

Pumpkin Pancakes with Balsamic Cream

Years ago a friend had a life transforming meal that included pumpkin ravioli in balsamic cream sauce. She gushed about it and begged me to attempt it, which I did, and it was good. Supremely good. Since then, I've made pumpkin ravioli a few times, but it is time consuming. However, I started thinking that "Winter Squash Pancakes" from Smitten Kitchen would benefit from the Balsamic Cream treatment. Yes, yes it did!

Now pancakes usually means breakfast or brunch, but don't be afraid to bring this deliciousness out for dinner, it works then as well.

I followed this recipe to a T, except that I super cheated and used pumpkin puree in a can, and that made this a super quick as well as delicious dinner. Feel free to bake up or use leftover cooked winter squash to make these pancakes; undoubtedly they will be delicious because balsamic cream sauce is king!

Mushroom Rye Casserole

I won't lie. This is one of those be-inspired-by-a-recipe-but-substitute-what-I-had and those don't usually turn out so well. This is the exception that proves the point!

The basic ingredients of cottage cheese, sour cream and mushrooms were sitting in the frig, but no rice and no parmesan. But there were rye berries and emmentaler, so substitutions were made. And it was amazing!

Personally, the rye berries really made this dish: chewy and nutty, more flavorful than rice. Sold! Also, with tons of cheese sitting in the cheese drawer, some was going in no matter what was in the recipe. The nuttiness of the emmentaler paired nicely with the rye and the mushrooms. Definitely a winner that will be making an appearance again!

Although the photo is less than appetizing (hello winter light!), trust me that the dish must be worth it for me to publish a post on it with such a photo.

Garlic, Parmesan, Parsley Pasta

This is a super easy, super delicious, super fast pasta dinner. I know, most pasta dinners are all of the above, but this one is new to you!

Chop up a lot of garlic, a lot of parsley, grate a lot of parmesan or pecorino and toss it all together with your favorite string pasta and Presto Pronto! You have amazingness in no time flat!

By the way that is gluten free pasta and it was terrific!

Garlic, Parmesan, Parsley Pasta
(1 serving, multiply as needed)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced (most of it will be sauted gently in oil, and 1/4 is tossed raw with the cooked pasta, so you choose your garlic amount accordingly)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup parmesan, shredded
salt
pepper
olive oil
pasta

In a small saute pan heating on simmer, add oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add 3/4 of the garlic and saute slowly so it begins to turn golden, not brown. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Strain when al dente but keep at least 1/4 cup of cooking water and set aside.

Add pasta back to the pot and toss in the raw garlic and toss well. Add a good glug of olive oil and swirl to coat. Add parsley, cooked garlic and cheese and toss well; then add in 1 tablespoon of cooking water and stir well. It should begin to create a creamy sauce that coats the pasta. Add more oil and or cooking water to create a sauce consistency to your liking. Season with salt and pepper and eat immediately.

Hugs!

Summer Squash and Queso Fresco Tacos

Growing up on the East Coast, the extent of my exposure to tacos was limited to that chain restaurant with the horrible bell at the end of its commercials. Moving to California 10 years ago was akin to going over the rainbow. So many possibilities!

Luckily for us Humboldtians, Fall Farmers' Markets still look like summer ones, so whip up a batch of these summer squash tacos with real or faux sausage and continue to enjoy the season's bounty.

Although I often substitute due to laziness and a desire to use up what's in the frig, resist the urge to skip the queso fresco, it really makes this taco special. The same goes for the cilantro and lime, they are essential!

While most people drink beer with their Mexican food, wine is always my choice of beverage. What to pair with this one? A good fruity rose such as Tarantas' Rose of Bobal from Spain. No, not sweet, but lots of fruit. Any rose of Sangiovese or Pinot Noir would go as well. If you want a white, try Gewurztraminer or a medium dry riesling. Enjoy!

Pan Seared Cauliflower Steaks with Marinara and Parmesan

As the days grow shorter and the nights chillier most people think pumpkin spice. My mind screams CAULIFLOWER!

You always knew I wasn't like the other children...

Yes, the white orb beckons me with its promise of nutty buttery goodness. While roasting it is sublime, waiting for the oven to heat up and then waiting for the florets to cook seems to take forever. Then I realized that pan searing and steaming would work just as well and in record time!

Adding a red sauce and grated parmesan isn't probably your first thought of what to do with that gorgeous cauliflower you scored at the farmers' market, but have faith, it totally works! Searing it in a heavy skillet (cast iron works admirably), and covering it so that it steams in the oil and its own juices, produces a tender but charred cauliflower "steak" that marries beautifully with a plain marinara sauce and lots of parmesan. 

The inspiration came from laziness, not surprisingly. Cauliflower parmesan was a dish the New York Times foodies introduced me to - breading cauliflower florets, baking them and then re-baking them smothered in red sauce and cheese. But while breading is always a good choice, sometimes I am just not up for the extra work. So this shortcut was born. Trust me, you will devour it!

Smoked Salmon Phyllo Pie

Not everyone grew up eating hunks of raw cabbage in their high school brown bag lunch...ok, almost no one. You can guess who is the exception!

But even if you do not share my love affair with cabbage, you will be bowled over by the transformation of humble green cabbage in this phyllo encased pie.

Sweating onion, cabbage and finely sliced fennel in olive oil brings out the sweetness in cabbage and blending it with a minimum of ingredients creates what looks fancy, but us cooks know was actually quite simple to make.

While this pie features smoked salmon or lox, you could easily make it with pork or veggie sausage or just make it a cabbage pie for those of you who share my love of this member of the brassica family.

Pesto and Olive Pizza - Low Carb Crust

Pizza is my favorite food, hands down, no competition. And when you end up on restricted diets - no gluten, low-carb - the alternatives generally leave quite a bit to be desired. Enter this crust.

I cannot claim to have created it - that would be Fat Head Pizza Crust, whomever that is. But I did find it on the internet, and it is blow your mind good! Soft but chewy crust, crisp bottom, good flavor. Who'd a thunk it!

It does require a microwave, and in my wildest imaginings I cannot fathom how the creator dreamed up this recipe. But it works wonderfully. So prepare yourself for some delicious gluten-free, low-carb pizza!