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: Turkey Vegetable Soup

Tired of looking for recipes of casseroles for leftover turkey? I'm not sure what Turkey Tetrazzini is, but it sounds like it's loaded with carbs. 

After Zumba today I stopped by a local grocery store and picked up a few things to throw into a pot and call soup. I wasn't sure what I wanted, so I bought a few things I knew would be safe … Cabbage, Yellow squash, and spinach. s luck would have it, what I made was quite good and worthy of blogging.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups Trader Joe's Turkey Broth (or equivalent)

3 cups cooked and chopped leftover turkey

2 cups chopped cabbage (I used one small head, minus the core)

2 cups fresh baby spinach

2 yellow squash, sliced

1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 sprig each of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme

1/4 cup Trader Joe's quick cook barley (optional)

5 - 6 croutons

A few sprinkles of fresh parmesan

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour broth into a soup pot and bring to a boil, adding cut cabbage, squash and turkey as they are ready. Cover.

2. Add fresh herbs, salt and garlic … Stir. 

3. Reduce heat and simmer soup for an hour. 

4. Add spinach, then the quick cook barley, if you choose to add it. 

5. Simmer for 20 more minutes.

6. Place soup into bowls, add a few crunchy croutons, then lightly sprinkle parmesan on top. 

Serve and enjoy!

RECIPE: Thanksgiving Dinner Trader Joe's Style

Every year of my life I have had Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Tennessee. Well, all but a couple of years when we were flying there on Thanksgiving Day. This year we are at home in California. Since I've always been in Tennessee, we've always spent the day with my family. My sister-in-law wasn't there this year either. Her daughter just gave birth to a beautiful baby earlier this week, so she's at their home helping them. She said this was the first time in 27 years she's not been with our family, too. Not to mention this was the first Thanksgiving without my dad. Anyway, we will be getting together soon, so we'll make up for lost time then. Dad definitely was the glue that held our family together. I miss you, dad.

So, with many changes in traditions, it's time to try new things and start our own traditions. Conrad and I talked over options of what to do for Thanksgiving dinner and we quickly ruled out making reservations at local restaurants. We discussed ordering a meal from a local restaurant or grocery store and quickly ruled that out, as well. We ended up cooking at home. We bought a 12 pound turkey ...

 I rinsed it, dried, it, put salt, pepper, fresh sage, rosemary and thyme inside, along with the neck and the organs and a slices sweet onion … 

 I also placed a couple of slices of bacon inside the cavity, as well. I rubbed the skin with olive oil, then generously salted and peppered the skin.

 I added a few more fresh herbs … 

 Then covered the bird in BACON! I had preheated the oven to 500°, so I put the bird in for 30 minutes before reducing the temperature to 350° for the duration of the roasting time. As you know, cooking time varied by oven and size of the bird, but it's done when the temperature reached 161 degrees in the thickest part of the breast. After it's done, take the bird out of the oven, place it on a large platter, cover it with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving. 

While the bird was roasting I made dressing. Some folks call it stuffing, but I grew up calling it dressing.  I had never tried Trader Joe's Thanksgiving dinner fixin's before, but I will definitely use them again. To sum it up in one word … DELICIOUS!!!

I added a few of my own ideas to their stuffing mix recipe, including a pound of sage sausage, chicken broth instead of water for a richer flavor, and an egg to hold it together better.
First you empty 4 cups of water (or broth), 4 tablespoons butter, and the seasoning mix packet into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir often and let it gently boil for 3 - 5 minutes. I let it go 6.

 Fry the sausage … 

 Oh, and I added poultry seasoning! What stuffing/dressing is complete without it!

 Ready to go in the over … 350° for 50 minutes.

Yum! Finished product!

We also had grilled asparagus with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, and fresh grated parmesan. In the background there's a triple crock pot with mashed potatoes for Conrad, mashed sweet potatoes for me, and Trader Joe's turkey gravy in the third one. 

Ding! And, the bird is ready! The bacon kept it moist, golden brown, and crispy skin with tender meat throughout!

Conrad made his famous deviled eggs, too. We splurged a little by having the dressing, a small piece of homemade rosemary bread, and cranberry sauce … Also from Trader Joe's. 

The table is set and dinner is served!

 Definitely a member of the clean plate club tonight!

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: Fresh Kale Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch kale, remove the center stem
• 1 medium size fresh lemon, for freshly squeezed juice
• 1/4 cup Certified Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, you can also you lemon flavored olive oil
• 5 to 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 teaspoon or to taste sea salt
• 1/4 cup slivers, chopped or sliced unsalted almonds
• 1/4 cup fresh aged Asiago, Parmesan and Romano Cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash kale leaves thoroughly, dry or use salad spinner, then remove center stem and chop up.
2. Using a medium size bowl , add lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic & salt, mix well.  Add kale leaves to the marinade/seasonings.  With your hands work all the marinade into the kale. Massaging the kale leaves ensures coverage and helps to tenderize.  Let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Before serving add almonds and cheeses and toss...  Keeps for 2 days in the refrigerator. 

 Nutritional information on Kale:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale

RECIPE: Cinnamon Bun Muffins

I am ALWAYS on the search for new recipes for uses for cinnamon. Seems like I crave it more than any other seasoning or spice. I found this recipe on Elana's Pantry and just couldn't wait to try it! Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls!?

Cinnamon Topping:

• 2 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil (I used Wildtree)
• DIRECTIONS:
• Combine agave, cinnamon and grape seed oil in a measuring cup or small bowl.
• Set aside. 
• Muffin Mixture:
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• 2 tablespoon coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• ¼ cup grape seed oil
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• DIRECTIONS:
• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl.
• 3. In a large bowl combine oil, agave, eggs and vanilla. (I used my immersion blender)
• 4. Blend dry ingredients into wet and spoon about 1/4 cup into greased or lined muffin cups. (I use my MISTO sprayer to lightly spray grape seed oil into silicone cups.)
• 5. Spoon cinnamon topping onto the muffins.

6. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes on center rack of oven.

• 7. Cool completely before frosting them with Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes 9 - 10  muffins

Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
3 tablespoons organic Agave
3 tablespoons Half and Half (The recipe calls for heavy cream, but we didn't have any. Half and Half works just fine!)
A dash of Cinnamon for good measure!

1. To make frosting combine cream cheese and agave in a medium bowl until well blended
2. Whip in cream until frosting is nice and thick
3. Spread over Cinnamon Bun Muffins 
4. Serve

RECIPE: Moroccan Marinated Pork Tenderloin

I often refer to Gavan Murphy's website for cooking adventure ideas. Two of my favorite dishes from his website are Orange-Ginger Pork and Moroccan Marinated Chicken. I decided to see how cooking a pork tenderloin would be with the moroccan marinade. The results? OUTSTANDING! I'm glad I doubled the recipe because now we'll have enough for several meals.
I paired it with some stuffed roasted zucchini. Excellent stuff!
***Please note***The meat must marinate for 4 hours, so there is preparation that needs to be done in advance.
MOROCCAN MARINATED PORK TENDERLOIN

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 pound pork tenderloin


Marinade:
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon groung Coriander
2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons Lemon Pepper
1 teaspoon organic Agave

DIRECTIONS:

Preparing/marinating the pork ...
Combine the marinade ingredients together and blend well. (I used my immersion blender) Taste and set aside.
Preheat large skillet on high heat. Lay pork on foil or a paper towel then sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to hot pan, then add the pork to sear all sides. This should take 2 or 3 minutes per side. 

Once all the pork is golden brown, add it to the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Baking the Tenderloin ... 

***Allow the meat to return to room temperature to insure even cooking.***
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place tenderloin on a foil-lined baking dish and place in oven. I doubled this recipe and it took 35 minutes, so be sure to start checking for doneness at about 20 minutes. 

I used my meat thermometer and checked the thickest part of a meat.  At 25 minutes the inside temperature of the pork was 139 degrees, so I returned the dish back to the oven for 10 more minutes. If you're checking with a meat thermometer you want the internat temperature to be 155 degrees.

Remove the dish from the oven and allow the meat to 'rest' for at least 3 minutes. This allows for the juices to be reabsorbed back into the meat for maximum juiciness.