I had picked up a bag of fresh cauliflower rice this week and there were plenty of new and old recipes to try.
First there was spicy southwestern cauliflower rice recipe
Then there was cauliflower rice puttananesca
Then there was stir fried veges with cauliflower rice
All turned out great and perfect for weekday lunch choices!
I had some tomato sauce left after using half in zoodles and went looking for a new recipe to try with ingredients I had readily available. I chanced upon this one and it was perfect for that quick lunch on a weekday.
Here’s how I made mine.
Ingredients:
2 cups of fresh organic cauliflower rice
1 cup home made tomato sauce
some fresh green onions
2 cloves minced garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
some crushed red pepper flakes
some fresh basil leaves
Can also add some cheese
Check here for the tomato sauce recipe.
Heat 1-2 tsp oil in a pan. Add sliced green onions and garlic and fry lightly. Add cauliflower rice and fry for 5-6 minutes. Add sauce and continue frying for another 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a bowl. Toss in pickled olives, capers, pepperoncini, and asparagus. Turned out delicious especially with a side of olive bread and baklava!
Every now and then I soak mung beans and make sprouts. I had some left over bamboo shoots and baby corn and I immediately thought about the sprouted mung bean and Thai green curry soup.
While the sprouts take several days, I decided to try a variation of Kichdi for Sunday brunch. Kichdi is usually made with rice and lentils. I have posted a recipe in the past here.
This time around replaced rice with Quinoa. Turned out pretty good.
I have been wanting to try this recipe for sometime now. It is one of those really quick and easy recipes if you have all the ingredients. This is adapted from here. This is how I made mine.
Ingredients:
1 frozen bag of riced cauliflower
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup frozen pineapple
1 small onion chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp coconut oil
cashews
cilantro
Seasoning: cumin powder, coriander powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper
In a pan heat oil. Add onion and garlic and fry lightly. Add cumin, coriander and curry powder and continue to fry for 1-2 minutes. Add riced cauliflower, peas and carrots and continue to fry for 5-6 minutes.
Add pineapple and salt and pepper and mix well. Toss in cashews and mix well. Sprinkle some crushed red pepper (optional)
Season with some cilantro and serve warm
Happy New Year!
Over the last few years, I have been cooking black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years day. Each year I try a new recipe. This years is adapted from here. Here’s how I made mine.
Ingredients:
1 cup black eyed peas (fresh or 1 can)
4-6 leaves of Collard greens sliced
green onions (can use regular onion) sliced
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeno chopped fine
1-2 carrots chopped
2-3 celery sticks chopped
3-4 tomatoes chopped (can use a can of tomatoes instead)
1-2 tomatoes (juice or use tomato paste)
1-2 tsp olive oil
Seasoning: salt, chili powder (or paprika), cumin powder, coriander powder, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaves
Soak black eyed peas overnight if using fresh. When ready to make soup, steam peas in a pressure cooker.
Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven or large pan with some oil. Add onions and garlic and fry lightly. Add carrots, celery, collard greens, tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked black eyed peas, tomato paste, seasoning and 2-3 cups water (or broth) and mix well. Reduce flame and let simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and some corn bread.
See Also:
A. SOUP. A. WEEK. BLACK EYED PEAS FOR PROSPERITY IN THE NEW YEAR
HOPPIN’ JOHN
BLACK-EYED PEAS AND GREENS WITH NAVRATTAN SPICES TO START THE NEW YEAR
BLACK-EYED PEAS AND COLLARD GREENS
BLACK-EYED PEAS AND COLLARD GREENS FOR THE NEW YEAR
Hold Short and Wait
That’s how I have felt this year.
I wish it was otherwise. But I am so thankful for everyone who was sane, showed empathy, and compassion for their fellow Americans.
I did not fly this year. I was willing to hold short and wait for my fellow countrymen as we figured out the unusual times we were going through. 2021 will continue these challenges. And I will continue to support whatever is safe to get us through these troubling times.
So while we hold short and wait, here are some cookies to celebrate the holidays and bring in 2021
Ingredients:
2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1 tsp Cardamom powder
2 tbsp. Orange Zest
1 tbsp. Lemon Zest
1/2 tsp baking powder
Icing:
1 cup granulated sugar
Juice of one orange
1 tsp vanilla essence
In a bowl, mix almond flour, baking power, orange zest, lemon zest, cardamom powder, coconut oil, coconut oil and maple syrup.
Refrigerate the mix for 30-60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
When ready to bake, layout dough between parchment sheets, roll and cut with airplane cookie cutters and layout on a baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
Decorate with desired icing.
Enchiladas are a favorite of mine. And this recipe loosely based on this one, turned out pretty good. I adjusted the ingredients and quantities according to my preference. Makes about 2-3 servings for that weekday meal.
Ingredients:
3 tortillas (used organic whole wheat)
2 cup frozen Latino blend vegetables comprising of corn, black beans, peppers, and onions
1 cup enchilada sauce (used Trader Joes)
cheese (I used pepper jack and parmesan)
Avocado (sliced for serving)
Sour cream (1-2 tbsp.)
Medium salsa (1-2 tbsp.)
pickled jalapenos (optional)
olive oil
seasoning – salt, chipotle power, lemon chili, and paprika
Heat 1-2 tsp olive oil in a pan. Lightly sauté the vegetables for 5-6 minutes. Season as desired with salt and spices.
Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an oven safe bowl spread out a layer of enchilada sauce. Top with a tortilla, add a thin layer of sauce, add half the vegetables, sprinkle some cheese. Continue layering the tortilla, cheese and sauce until done.
Bake for 40-45 minutes. Enjoy with some salsa, avocado, sour cream and pickled jalapenos.
Although we can find Spaghetti Squash all year round, I usually am drawn to them in fall. There were many recipes that I wanted to try, although as usual couldn’t get to them all.
My obvious favorite from before is this Spaghetti Squash Burrito Bowl. This week I tried two new recipes: Spaghetti Squash Casserole and a Very Vegetable Spaghetti Squash.
The Spaghetti Squash Casserole builds on a previous recipe you can find here. Here’s how I made the casserole this time.
Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti Squash
2 cups tomato sauce
baby kale leaves
some sliced yellow squash and zucchini
cheese (pepper jack and parmesan)
salt and pepper
fresh basil
crushed pepper
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the spaghetti quash and remove the seeds and pulp. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle some salt and pepper. Place on a baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and let cool.
You can find the tomato sauce recipe here.
To make the casserole, layer one cup of tomato sauce, scoop out spaghetti squash strands from one half of the baked squash and layer on top of the sauce. Layer some baby kale leaves on top of the squash. Next add a layer of yellow squash and zucchini slices. Add the remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle sliced cheese.
Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Broil for another 4-5 minutes. Serve warm with some bread.
The recipe for the very veggie Spaghetti squash is adapted from here. I used sundried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, some kale and fresh basil. Sprinkle some feta cheese before eating.
This was one of the recipes I wanted to try during chickpea week and finally did so this past week. This is based on the recipe found here.
Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, chopped
1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chickpeas
10-12 baby carrots, chopped
2-3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
Some chopped onion (I tend to use light onion)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
Ground coriander
Ground cumin
Salt and black pepper
Crushed red pepper
Fresh basil and parsley
If using dry chickpeas, soak overnight and steam cook.
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic, peppers and carrots. Fry lightly for 3-4 minutes. Add eggplant, tomatoes, chickpeas, and spices and continue frying for another 4-5 minutes.
Transfer to an oven safe bowl. Bake for 30 minutes.
Garnish with some parsley and serve warm with some pita bread or ancient grain naan bread.
I have been meaning to try these chickpea based recipes for sometime now. Although I always have canned chickpeas ready to go, it is always fun to use dry chickpeas: soak, cook and use! And while you do that, don’t forget to snack on the soaked chickpeas! Delicious!
I soaked some chickpeas during the weekend and steamed them Sunday night, so they were ready to go for the weekday lunches. I did not get to try all the recipes I wanted to, but here’s three fun ones.
First up is Chickpea Salad. I made absolutely no change to the original recipe and you can find it here.
Next up is this Quinoa salad. The only change is I added left over avocado. You can find that recipe here.
The last recipe is an old one but a favorite. This time around I did use artichoke. It is good with artichoke or mango. Check it out here!
Fly 'n Cook 