Curried Cauliflower

So if any readers have a background in curry, you'll know that this is an extreme cheat and probably an insult to any true curry lovers . . . I am okay with that. This recipe is quick and delish, which fits my time budget tonight. I don't cook with curry much, but I like that it's semi-sweet and spicy. I like to add cumin to the mix for a fuller flavor. The curry I use is McCormick brand - so it's definitely authentic. (Joke.) 

Cauliflower is one of those veggies that is so meh until you load it with spices. This is very nomable. As in nom nom nom. Addicting, kind of like an Indian potato chip, but with a weird albino broccoli imitator. Next time I may chop up cherry/grape tomatoes and roast them with the cauliflower. Anyway, I'm in a weird mood, so I'll save you the mumbling and let you get to the recipe. Hope you like it!

Curried Cauliflower
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
2 teaspoons curry
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. In a large bowl, combine your spices, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil. Stir well.
3. Cut the cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Add in batches to the bowl, stirring in to coat with spice mix. As you add cauliflower, add 1 teaspoon oil at a time to keep the mixture moist. I ended up only needing 2 teaspoons, but feel free to use more or less.
4. Spread cauliflower in the bottom of a roasting pan, trying to spread into a single layer.
5. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, more or less.
6. Nom.

Chili Cheese Egg Puff

I cannot believe today is my last day of undergrad classes. To be totally honest, it doesn't feel any different. I think I'm in denial. I love school. I love learning. I'm a total nerd. Whatever. Last class in an hour with a fantastic professor and a best friend. Good way to roll out.

Anyway, with only a week left in my Bloomington apartment, I've been finding ways to cook all the leftover food in my fridge. I needed breakfast for a week that was quick (read microwaveable). This egg dish is awesome hot or cold, and goes great with my increasing coffee addiction. I used to be able to get away with two cups, but lately I've been pouring a third. And considering a fourth. 

Mom made this dish for the first time at Christmas this year. It's lighter than the traditional egg casserole we normally bake Christmas morning. I think it has more cheese than eggs but I'm not complaining. When it's fresh out of the oven it's light and airy, but it becomes denser once you refrigerate it. The chiles add a little zing but no kick, so for those of you that fear spice, no worries, this dish is pretty mild.  I halved the original recipe; this serves five and is made in an 8x8" pan. The full would be made in a 9x13" and serves 10. Also, I made this dish the night before then refrigerated it overnight to save time in the morning. Make your life easier.

Mrs. Shap's Green Chili Egg Puff
Ingredients
5 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 (4oz) can green chilis
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the five eggs.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, stirring thoroughly to mix.
4. Sift the dry ingredients into the eggs, whisking together until well-combined.
5. Add the Monterey Jack, cottage cheese, butter, and chilis. Whisk to combine.
6. Pour egg mixture into an 8" x 8" baking dish. Bake at 350 for 35 - 45 minutes, until the middle is set.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan and Lemon

Life is not about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself.

- George Benard Shaw. What a beautiful quote. Seriously clicked. You don't have to search, you just have to be. Be yourself. Have fun. Do what you love and try new things. Be spontaneous. 

For me, this semester has been of discovery, rediscovery, and living in the moment. When you do what you love, nothing is a chore and giving your all is what you want to do. I want to cook, and this blog has been fun. I rediscovered swimming and threw myself whole-heartedly into my workouts. I started lifting and running in the mornings, swimming in the evenings, and I feel stronger, more energetic, and happy. I still find time to ride and dedicate myself to the discipline of dressage. I enjoy my school projects, go on hikes with friends, and lay in the grass on lazy afternoons. It's a good semester, and a fantastic end to my college career.

I'm a planner. I make lists, create countdowns, and enjoy order. But recently I've taken to being living without a to-do list, without a plan, and letting the days take me where they will. It's worked out so far. Met up for a sushi dinner with a very dear, long-lost friend. Let a guy buy me a drink. Went to a grill-out and bonfire with a group of people I barely knew. Booked a trip to Scotland. Danced to live music. And tried fennel - clearly the most exciting of these. Every spontaneous decision has worked out wonderfully. I smile about all of them. 

Picture doesn't do it justice; I didn't have good lighting

Fennel is a vegetable that tastes surprisingly like licorice. I am not a fan of licorice, but when I saw they were on sale I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did! This dish is simple, and roasting the fennel mellowed the licorice flavor. It's savory yet slightly sweet, and the parmesan and lemon compliment the flavor nicely. I hope you'll go out on a limb and try this recipe too - you won't regret it!

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan and Lemon
Ingredients:
2 bulbs fennel
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese
*Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 355F.
2. Slice the fennel bulbs into rings about 1/3" thick, discarding the top and bottom rings ("the butts", as I call them).
3. Toss the fennel rings and olive oil in a bowl, stirring to coat evenly.
4. Shake into a roasting pan,  trying to make sure they're spread into one layer. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake at 355F for 45 minutes, more or less.
6. Once finished roasting, throw on some parmesan cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Yum!

*End Note:

To save the leftover lemon for later use, simply wet a paper towel, cover the cut/open end of the lemon and place towel-side down in a small, air tight bowl. Keep in the fridge for up to a week for the next use.

Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Watermelon over Baby Lettuce

This is a simple salad, easy to toss together that has an elegant feel to it. I used the leftover ingredients from the Prosciutto & Goat Cheese Egg Casserole, so this literally came together in under five minutes. It's quick, light, and healthy.

Feel free to omit whatever you don't have or dislike. Most of my salads are born from leftovers, and as long as there are veggies (and in this case goat cheese, because you could coat leather in goat cheese and it would be delicious), I'm sure it'll taste great and free up your fridge shelves.  Enjoy!

Goat Cheese, Prosciutto, and Watermelon over Baby Lettuce

Ingredients

Baby spring lettuce (I like Full Circle organic brand)

Goat cheese, crumbled

Few slices of prosciutto, torn

Watermelon, diced into small cubes

Cherry tomatoes, quartered

Balsamic vinaigrette 

1. Throw baby lettuce into a bowl and top with goat cheese, prosciutto, watermelon, and tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic and combine. Et Voilá - beautiful salad. 

Chili Lime Kale Chips

A. What is Kale?
B. Why don't you just eat chips made from normal things?

A. Okay, kale is a type of cabbage, that appears more like thick lettuce. It's high in calcium, vitamin K, vitamin C, and beta carotene. It kind of packs a punch in the nutritional department.

B. Regarding "normal things", I'm not a huge fan of potatoes, and most things made from them (fries, chips, tater tots, even mashed potatoes). I do not include sweet potatoes in the potato category however, because anything sweet potatoey is an instant win in my book. Why kale? It seems to be a fad on Foodgawker, my obsession, and I decided to try it out. 

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical about chips made from leaves. But these guys are fun, fast, easy, and definitely satisfy that salty craving (just with way less calories!). This particular rendition is pretty spicy, but you could easily use less cayenne to make it more appealing to your palette. 

Chili Lime Kale Chips

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder (cayenne pepper)

zest from one lime

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. To prepare the kale, wash it and make sure it is completely dry. (If it's not dry, it will simply steam and wilt instead of becoming crispy and chip-like.)
3. Once dry, cut out the stems, and tear the leaves into bite size pieces.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil and salt. Add in the kale, stirring to coat evenly.
5. Spread the kale in a single layer on two baking sheets, making sure none are covering the others. 
6. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. If they're not crispy, bake another 2-3 minutes, just watch them carefully so they don't burn.
7. Enjoy warm or or at room temp; store in an air-tight container.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Good morning! 

Looks delicious, right?

We've had a beautiful week in Bloomington with the cooler weather and Little Five. I can't believe earlier this week we hit the eighties - it's in the high forties now. But I'm not complaining. Had a great ride earlier today with Bond Boy and people have been barbecuing and holding bonfires all week. It's like fall all over. And who doesn't love fall?

Bond Boy

So, in honor of our April Autumn weather, I'm about to share with you my secret recipe for a perfectly lazy fall morning. Pumpkin Spice Pancakes. Think pumpkin bread in pancake form. Or think pancake in healthy, fiber-full form. They're very filling, and the recipe serves a lot. I love me some pancakes, but I can only do two or three of these guys because of the pumpkin. So invite friends over. Either way, if you eat these pancakes with a banana and some coffee I can guarantee you'll be off to a great start. 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Dry Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash cloves
dash ginger
Wet Ingredients
1 cup milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil

1. In a medium bowl combine all of the dry ingredients together; stir with a fork until well-combined.
2. In a measuring cup, combine your wet ingredients, whisking together.
3. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, whisking together until just combined.
4. Warm a pancake griddle or in a skillet over medium/medium high heat. (You'll have to monitor this.) Spray with Pam.
5. Using a 1/3 or a 1/4 cup, scoop the batter into the pan two or three at a time. I push the batter into a circle to thin it some; if you don't do this they take forever to make - read: "I burn them".
6. Allow to cook on one side until you see bubbles begin to form. Flip and cook the other side. 
7. Eat with coffee, banana, and tons of syrup. Have a good morning!

Hoosier Hummus

Little Five at Indiana means lots of hoosier pride (read "alcoholic beverages").

I could have tried to concoct a fun drink, but I've been stuck in team meetings all week. So instead, I made a cream and crimson hummus, featuring roasted red peppers and feta cheese. Yum! And, it's easy on the stomach for those of you not feeling so hot this week...

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Hummus
Ingredients
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans (drained, liquids reserved)
1/2 cup roasted red pepper
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 generous teaspoon cumin
1/4 (very generous) teaspoon paprika
pinch sea salt

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and combine until well-blended.
2. Using the left over liquid from the bean can, add until you reach your desired consistency.
3. Serve with pita, celery, carrots, peppers etc. Garnish with paprika, parsley, and more cheese.