Parmesan Herb Faux-Zotto

Crazy name, true. Fabulous dish, yes!
Morgan is here with us this weekend. He's now 18. The last time I 'attempted' to serve cauliflower when he was here I made twice baked cauliflower casserole. You'd have thought he was having a seizure or something the way he acted when the serving spoon filled with warm, cheesy cauliflower goodness headed towards his plate!
This time was different. He looked at it. He smelled it. He smiled. He tasted it. He savored it. He went NUTS about it! Hearing his description was like winning a cooking show! He said the consistency, texture and flavor was incredible!
That, coming from an eighteen year old ... I'll take it!

INGREDIENTS:
1 large head of cauliflower
2 tablespoons Rosemary Infused Olive Oil
1 teaspoon chopped Garlic
6 fresh leaves of Lavender plus the buds off a large stalk
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Half & Half
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Sea Salt
Fresh ground Pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Wash cauliflower and cut it into small pieces. In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower into the size of rice grains.

2. In a heavy pan, heat olive oil, adding salt and pepper and garlic. Sautee garlic until it's golden and aromatic. Add cauliflower, mixing well, to coat evenly.
3. Add lavender and more salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat, cover and allow to cook for 5 -7 minutes.

4. Add half and half, butter and parmesan cheese. Mix well and cover. Allow to cook an additional 5 - 7 minutes.

 After the liquids have thickened ...

5. Serve and enjoy!

RECIPE: Yummy Hot Chocolate!

We were going hiking today at Echo Lake. There was rumor of cold weather and possibly snow. We all think "PB&J" when we hike, but today I also thought hot chocolate! My version of PB&J is almond butter and sugar free jam on low carb bread, by the way!
So, I bought a thermos yesterday in hopes of using it today for either hot chocolate or soup ... Hot chocolate won out. Here's how I made it ...

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup half & half
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 heaping tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa powder
Your choice of sweetener to taste. (I used about a tablespoon of Splenda.)

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a light boil on the stove OR microwave for approximately 5 minutes, depending on the power of your microwave. 

This was simply trial and error, without the error. It's a huge hit, in my opinion, and I will be making it a lot more often. It made about 2.5 cups, so it's enough to share. Here's the nutritional data according to My Fitness Pal ... 

Enjoy!

RECIPE: Twice Baked Cauliflower Casserole - Low Carb!

This recipe is for those watching carbs ... It's not true Paleo because it has dairy products in it, but since I replaced all sea creatures with dairy, it's perfect for me. This is by far one of the most decadent vegetable recipes I've ever tried. By far.

INGREDIENTS:
1 head fresh cauliflower
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
6 slices cooked, crumbled bacon, divided
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1 beaten egg
sea salt and pepper to taste
Chives or other herbs (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil enough salted water to cover cut up cauliflower.
2. Wash and cut cauliflower into smallish pieces and remove any leaves.
3. Place cauliflower in boiling salt water and return to boil. Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until soft.
4. Drain well, keeping in warm pot.
5. Mash cauliflower with a potato masher or equivalent.
6. Add 1 cup cheese, 4 slices of bacon, butter, sour cream, then add beaten egg and seasonings.
7. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, then sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup grated cheese and 2 slices crumbled bacon on top.
8. Return to oven for approximately 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Here's the nutritional information according to My Fitness Pal. Each serving only has 2 net carbs!

RECIPE: Carol's Low Carb Pumpkin Nut Muffin

The leaves show the slightest hint of color change and I start craving pumpkin! I've been sticking to low carb lifestyle for a while now, and so I've been working on some low carb (net 4 carbs!) pumpkin recipes to help pacify my cravings. 

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
1 egg
1/4 cup almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2+ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons Splenda
A handful of chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
In a coffee mug stir the egg and the pumpkin purée together. Add almond flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and Splenda then stir well. Add pecan pieces, if desired. 

Place coffee mug in microwave and cook on high for a minimum of one minute. Because of the extra moistness of the pumpkin purée it takes about two minutes in my microwave. (The muffin in the photo has been cut in half and put in a toaster for a crunchier texture.)

I altered the basic recipe to include pumpkin. If you want to delete the pumpkin add 1 tablespoon of butter instead. This recipe can also be made as a savory muffin by eliminating the Pumpkin, nuts and Splenda and adding herbs of your choosing.

Here's the breakdown from the recipe I added on MyFitness Pal ...

RECIPE: Carol's Famous Coffee Drink

For a while now everyone has seen me carrying around one of those Tervis-type insulated acrylic cups (with a straw) filled with creamy-brownish liquid goodness. Everyone who has tasted it says it tastes WAY better that "That Famous Coffee House" drink! Little do they know it's got a lot less calories and carbs that just about anything else on the market ... Well, that's I've found, anyway!

I tried many combinations over a few weeks and finally fell head over heels for this one.

1 cup dark roasted coffee (Conrad drinks Sumatra, so that's what I use. I don't know how to make coffee!)
2 ounces of Torani Sugar-Free French Vanilla syrup
2 ounces of Half and Half (for a creamier, fuller texture)
8 ounces of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
Ice

The options of flavors are endless since Torani has lots of yummy flavors in sugar free, plus you can use other coffees, as well. This is what works best for me.

I'm a firm believer in logging foods and exercise on MyFitnessPal as it helps me stay accountable. Here is the recipe I added there. After adding each ingredient daily I decided making my own recipe entry would save me lots of time and improve accuracy in my daily logging meals.