vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower

It seems I’m turning into quite a traveller. This weekend marks my third plane trip in six days. I am visiting friends from school in the Chicagoland area this weekend! I love being busy, but next weekend I’ll spend time at home.

Roasted Cauliflower is a year-round favorite at our house. Roasted veggies are always fit for the colder months, but we roast locally grown farmers market cauliflower during the summer.

Time to board the plane. See you in Minneapolis!

Roasted Cauliflower

1 medium head cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop cauliflower into 1 inch florets. Place cauliflower into sealable sack and add olive oil, tossing to coat. Place cauliflower in oven safe baking dish, add garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook cauliflower until lightly browned, 35-45 minutes, depending on desired softness.

Saffron Flounder

I’m back in Minnesota, I’m working in a really cool intern position, and it’s finally summer. I am happy.

I’m also in the midst of a bedroom redesign. Even though I’ll only spend three months here, my parents will use the room in the future when guests come, so they support my project. At this point in the process, I would be delighted if I never bought anything from IKEA ever again. Putting my new dresser together was a nightmare, to say the least. Still, it’s coming along, and I enjoy working on the room! Pictures will come later.

We ate flounder at our house this week. This recipe works with other whitefish, too (cod, mahi mahi, etc.). We served the flounder over sautéed spinach, and the spinach absorbed some flavor from the sauce. It also tastes very yummy by itself!

Saffron Flounder

1 lb flounder filets
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c dry white whine
1/2 c water
4 or 5 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper

In a large sauté pan, cook garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add all other ingredients, except flounder, and stir to combine. Add flounder. Cook flounder on medium for about 4 minutes, until cooked through. Turn flounder, cover, adjust burner to low, and let the fish slowly simmer covered for 10 minutes to let the flavors combine.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

It’s that time again… Meatless Monday! It’s also time that I start interning full time and hanging out with my family. I took a one week break between finishing finals and beginning the job, and it was a long week. I loved the time and freedom, but I look forward to structure and business work will provide.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza is a favorite at my house, as it offers a low-carb pizza option. I like to make the margherita pizza detailed in this recipe, but I also tried a traditional cheese pizza for one of my picky eaters. However, margherita remains a favorite.

You should probably eat the pizza with a fork rather than pick it up. I’ve seen it picked up before, but I prefer the cleaner option of silverware. Also, the pictures show the pizza on foil. I only used foil because we were out of parchment paper, but I prefer parchment.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Servings: 2 Prep time: 40 minutes

2 cups cauliflower, grated

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 cup crushed tomato

fresh mozzarella cheese

10 large fresh basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two pizza stones or pans with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside. Grate cauliflower and pat dry with paper towel to remove moisture. Mix cauliflower, grated mozzarella, and grated parmesan. Slightly beat egg and add to cauliflower mixture. Divide crust in half and spread onto each piece of parchment paper, about 1/4 inch thick. Bake crust for 12-15 minutes, until it begins to brown. Remove crust from oven and add crushed tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Soba Noodles with Veggies

Please welcome back Meatless Monday! For years I occasionally prepared Meatless Monday meals, but I recently decided to try cutting out meat every Monday. I choose not to eat meat on Mondays primarily because it gives me an opportunity to try new ingredients. For some they are, but soba noodles are not in my usual rotation. I also enjoy choosing fresher foods that are high in nutrients.

I won’t post a meatless meal every Monday, but when I come up with a good one I will surely share.

I saw many recipes for soba noodles, but they are new to me. Soba noodles come from buckwheat flour and wheat flour and are about as thick as spaghetti. Still, I was careful to stray too far from my usuals, so I put Brussels sprouts with them.

Soba Noodles with Veggies

9 oz soba noodles

1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced Brussels sprouts

1/2 cups roughly chopped kale

4 cloves garlic

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp lime juice

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

fresh cracked pepper

parmesan cheese

Place soba noodles in boiling water and let simmer for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse, or cook according to package. In a sauté pan, heat vegetable oil and add garlic, Brussels sprouts, and kale. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until Brussels sprouts are tender, about 6 minutes. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and pepper to sauté and remove from heat. Add noodles to vegetable mixture, stirring to coat noodles in sauce. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.