Fancy Mac and Cheese? Oh yes.

Hot Damn if I don't feel fancy every time I say Gratin. This dish is simple to make, and can be as fancy, or as simple as you want. I chose to make my own sauce because it was Saturday and I had the time. Feel free to use store bought sauce, just pick out a good quality one. I loved the smoky flavor the Sofrito added to the dish, but again it's up to you how complicated you want to get, jarred sauce saves you a good amount of time. I used goat cheese because I ran out of parmesan, but again this is a flexible dish, so use cheese you know and love. I love dishes that make it easy to eat vegetables, and since its similar to mac and cheese this is wonderful to serve to both kids and adults.

Penne and Cauliflower Gratin with a Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

The Goods: Serves 4-5 as main dish
1/4 cup goat cheese or parmesan
1 small cauliflower (about 4 cups), cut into small florets
1/2 pound whole wheat penne
1 1/4 cups chunky Sofrito or store bought marinara sauce
1 cup half and half or 2% milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped basil or parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil

The Deal: 
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop in the cauliflower and cook five minutes, or until just tender. Scoop it out with a strainer and drop it into a 2 1/2 quart casserole. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Drop the penne into the water and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain it in a colander and shake to remove all moisture. Mix it into the cauliflower.

3. In a large bowl mix together tomato sauce, milk, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, cheese and salt. Pour the sauce into the casserole dish and toss well to mix the sauce, pasta and cauliflower.

4. Combine the bread crumbs and olive oil in a small bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Sprinkle all over the gratin. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until hot, bubbly and golden on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Baked Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

Whats green, white and yummy? This is!

And Im BACK. After a week of salty air, warm ocean water and eating out constantly I am relaxed and excited to be back in the kitchen. I was in Key West for a week and have been playing catch up since I returned, which is why I have not had an entry in almost two weeks(GASP!).

I am also on the broke side of things, so will be eating fairly simply for the next few weeks. I have some delicious ideas for meals, but Ill just put it out there I see a lot of beans and rice in my future. Lucky me, they are great for you!

This is an incredible dish to come back on. This dish is a full of interesting flavor, looks elegant, and is easy enough for most. Sometimes in mexican cooking its hard for me to come up with a side dish, and this is a perfect one. I made quesdillas with leftover ingredients and served this dish on the side, which was a hit. Healthy boyfriend loved the salsa and even his fairly unhealthy roommate gobbled up the stuff. Simple flavors that pack a punch are always my favorite.

The recipe comes from a book called, "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenburg. She is a very successful food writer and blogger and it all started with her starting a blog about food. Just like me! Her book is beautifully written, and the recipes are mouth watering. My mother(aka best mom on the planet) got me this book and I have been tearing through the stories and food advice. Inspirational as hell, yall.
For any of you out there more interested in blogging, definitely check out her book, fun fun fun!

Sometimes I am not the biggest fan of cauliflower, but I had never roasted it before. Holy smokes does it develop a new and hearty flavor that way. There are many things I need to try and I love the never ending variety at which vegetables can be prepared. As healthy boyfriends reminds me, baking is not as healthy as steaming, but for me flavor comes first, and a CLOSE second is nutrition. For him nutrition is always first, which is perhaps why he has no body fat and I have been sporting a belly most of my life. :) With all this cooking, hopefully flavor and nutrition will eventually become one in the same, but it takes time for that kind of skill. I can do it! So can you!

The colors of this dish are striking and I have a feeling this will be a dish I use often. This dish is cheap, easy and I cant say how deep the flavor is. If you are having company, I would absolutely put this on the menu.

Note: When you make you Salsa verde the first taste may be misleading. After I mixed all the ingredients  at first it was very spicy, so I was unsure how much salt to add. After it sat for 30 minutes or so, the flavors really balanced out and I seasoned it with a pinch more salt then. It is crucial for this salsa to rest for at least 30 minutes, to let the flavours develop. Let your flavors grow! Just make it first, and then once you prepare and bake your cauliflower, it will be ready.

Baked Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

The Goods: Serves 4 as side dish, serves 2 as a main dish

Salsa Verde
1 medium jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, minced with a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice(1 large lime)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

Cauliflower
1 medium cauliflower(about 2 pounds)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste

The Deal:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. First prepare the salsa verde. In a medium bowl, combine jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and olive oil and whisk to combine. Add two pinches of salt, or more to taste(see note). Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour if possible.

can you see the flavors develop? 

3. Wash and dry the cauliflower well. Place on a large cutting board, stem side down and slice it vertically, top down, into 1/4 inch slices. You will probably only get 2-4 intact slices and the rest will be crumbs, thats normal, so don't fret.

4. Put cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and use your hands to fully coat all the cauliflower. If you need more olive oil, add it, its imperative that all the cauliflower has a thin layer of oil.

5. Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a heavy sheet pan, or use two if one is crowded. You do not want the cauliflower touching or it will steam instead of roast. Salt lightly.

No touching, NO touch!

6. Bake until the cauliflower is tender, and evenly browed in spots, about 20 to 30 minutes. You must turn the cauliflower once in the middle of baking to ensure even browning.

7. Serve Cauliflower warm and drizzle your now delicious salsa verde on top. Enjoy the grateful sounds you are sure to get from this easy and tasty dish!

Garlic Quinoa with Pureed Cauliflower and Caramelized Onions

Well Folks, I was just in heaven. Not the actual place, but about as close as you can get on this earth. Healthy WONDERFUL boyfriend rented us a cabin in the mountains of NC. He surprised with a romantic weekend (inserts awwww noices here) and brought a bunch of vegetables to make, without any cookbooks or internet. I was a bit nervous I couldnt make anything without my resources, but I surprised myself and had a great time creating a new recipe!

He didnt have much of a plan for Saturday dinner, so I had to improvise. We made a meal that wasnt perfect, but was pretty good considering we used no recipes, just ingredients. Its one of the first recipes I have created almost entirely on my own, while of course using inspiration from other dishes.

Since we didnt have fresh vegetable broth, we used vegetable bullion, which was a bit too salty. Homemade broth is best, but in a pinch vegetable bullion can work magic. We also burned the onions, so added extra sugar which helped cover up the burned taste. Caramelized onions are easy, but we cut them too small. If you have never caramelized onions, its so delicious, but does take patience. This site has step by step pictures, which can help if you have never done it: Caramelize Onions

The quinoa went perfectly with the squash and the caramelized onions were a nice crispy addition. I really enjoyed the varying textures of this dish, I hope you do to!

Cauliflower before its been pureed:

Cauliflower after its been pureed. Or as I say, once its SUPER DELICIOUS:

Garlic Quinoa with Pureed Cauliflower and Caramelized Onions

The Goods: Serves 2
1 cup quinoa uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth,
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small(or 1 big) yellow onions, sliced into thin strips
1 small red onion, diced
2-3 cups cauliflower, chopped
few pinches of brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 tablespoons butter, or smart balance
1 tablespoon half and half
A few pinches of salt
A few pinches of pepper

The Deal:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan on medium low heat. Add yellow onions, a pinch salt and pepper and saute in butter mixture, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes sprinkle a couple pinches of brown sugar and put heat on low, stirring occasionally. It should take 30-40 minutes for these to caramelize. They will look very dark and taste sweet.

2. After the onions have been cooking for 20 minutes or so, in another medium pan saute the red onions and garlic, stirring often. While they are cooking bring a large pot of water to a boil.

3. Once the red onions have been cooking for 5 minutes, and begin to soften add the vegetable broth and quinoa into the red onion garlic mixture. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until quinoa is cooked. Quinoa is ready when almost all the broth is absorbed and the quinoa has a white ring around each grain(picture below)

4. Add cauliflower to the boiling water and cook for 15 minutes, until tender and a fork can be easily inserted.

5. When the cauliflower is ready, drain it and put in blender. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, half and half and salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

6. Place quinoa on a plate followed by the pureed cauliflower and finish with the caramelized onions.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did!

How quinoa looks when its ready, notice the white circles around the quinoa: