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!
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.
It’s what’s for lunch
I’ve had a left over pear for sometime and decided to pick some pomegranate seeds this past weekend with a plan to make salad for lunch. An internet search provided many alternatives. I liked the ring of Pear, Pomegranate & Pecan!
This is loosely based on this recipe. Here’s how I made my salad.
Ingredients:
Baby kale (1-2 cups)
Half a pear sliced
pomegranate seeds
pecans
sliced red onion
feta cheese
Dressing:
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar (I didn’t have apple cider vinegar)
Mustard
Minced garlic
salt and pepper
thyme
oregano
Lay out kale at the bottom of the bowl. Layer sliced pear, pomegranate, pecan, onion and feta. Mix dressing ingredients. Drizzle over salad and enjoy!
It’s what’s for lunch
I had some parsley I needed to use and several recipes that all looked good. Between one and the other, I ended making a combination recipe that turned out pretty good. Here’s how I made my Mediterranean bowl
Ingredients:
Quinoa: Tricolor quinoa cooked
Vegetables: Cucumber, heirloom tomatoes, red onion, red pepper, olives, banana peppers, capers
Dressing: Parsley blended with some olive oil and lemon juice
Toppings: Falafel, hummus, tahini, crispy jalapenos, pita chips, feta crumbles
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the quinoa. Mix in the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, and onion. Add in the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for an hour.
If making fresh falafel, can make ahead and warm before eating. I had some frozen ones ready to eat.
When ready to eat, transfer to a bowl. Top with the rest of the ingredients and enjoy!
See Also:
Baked Falafel
Ultimate Mediterranean Bowl
Quinoa Salad
It’s what’s for lunch!
It’s the time of the month, to clean the refrigerator. What better way than to plan new recipes!
I’ve tried a Mango and Spinach Salad and a Mediterranean Spinach Salad. This one is a cross between the two. What better way then to combine/refresh old recipes.
This time with some avocado!
Continue to read here for the recipe.
I recently picked up a bag of organic snow peas and immediately thought of stir fried vegetables for lunch. Typically when I cook stir fried vegetables I use a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. It turned out pretty good and this was how I made mine.
Sauce – soy sauce, honey, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped ginger, roasted sesame seeds, crushed red pepper
Vegetables – snow peas, sliced assorted peppers, broccoli, green onions, sliced carrots. Can also use baby corn and mushrooms
Tofu squares
Sesame oil
Salt to taste
Heat a wok or pan on medium. Add some oil and fry tofu until lightly brown. Set aside.
To the same pan add more oil and stir fry vegetables on medium high for 5-6 minutes, tossing as necessary. Add sauce and the tofu pieces and continue to cook for another minute or two.
Serve warm with some jasmine rice.
After thinking about it for some time now, I finally cooked Zoodles and really enjoyed it. My original plan was to make roasted vegetable lasagna as I cooked my sauce, but considering the warm weather, I was loathe to turn on the oven. Instead I switched plans and decided to try Zoodles casserole instead. I conveniently had a box of frozen Zoodles ready to use! Here’s how I made my Zoodles.
Sauce:
5 Roma tomatoes
1/2 onion chopped
3-4 garlic cloves chopped
some fresh basil leaves
olive oil
salt
cayenne pepper
Zoodles:
olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves minced
chopped onion (optional)
Cheese (I used sliced pepper jack)
salt to taste
some fresh basil sliced
1 pack frozen Zoodles (or use 3-4 spiralized zucchini)
For the home made sauce check out the recipe here.
Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion if using and fry for a few seconds till lightly golden. Add Zoodles and continue frying. If using frozen, continue frying until all the moisture evaporates. Season with salt and mix well. Spread out the Zoodles around the pan. Add a layer of sauce on top. Sprinkle cheese and continue cooking till the cheese melts and most of the moisture evaporates. Makes about two servings.
Sprinkle some fresh basil and serve warm.
For a while Trader Joes had this delightful item on there ready to eat item list. I picked it up a few times and it tasted delicious and was great for those times when I needed to carry lunch and had nothing planned. Sadly, it disappeared from the stores at the local store in recent times.
Source: Whats good at Trader Joes
This past week I decided to make some at home and here’s how I made mine.
Ingredients:
1 cup rainbow quinoa
1/4 cup french lentils
1 cup cauliflower florets cut small
1/2 diced red bell pepper
1/4 red onion, chopped fine (can also use green onions)
1 tsp curry powder
dash of garlic and ginger powder
salt and pepper to taste
dash of paprika
1-2 tsp coconut oil
cilantro to garnish
healthy dose of lemon juice
Soak lentils overnight or for 8 hours.
Bring two and half cups of water to boil. Add quinoa and lentils. Reduce flame and continue cooking for about 20 minuted or until cooked, adding additional water as needed.
Meanwhile, place a pan on the stove, add oil, and add onions, cauliflower and red bell pepper. Toss in spices and fry on medium high. Alternately, you can roast the vegetables in an oven.
When the quinoa is almost cooked, add the sauted vegetables and continue cooking. Add lemon juice generously. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
Makes 3-4 servings for that home-office lunch
What can go wrong with quinoa, lentils and cauliflower? All in all a delightful lunch. Either at home or in the office really. Bought at TJ or made at home.
This is perfect for that office day meal. I made it entirely stove top but you can also bake in the oven.
Ingredients:
1 frozen bag of Southwest blend (onion, corn, black bean, and bell pepper)
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1-2 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili lime
cheese (mozzarella or pepper jack)
salt to taste
Place a pan on the stove. Add oil and minced garlic and fry lightly. Add cumin, chili lime and salt to taste. Mix well. Add the southwest blend and continue frying lightly. Add quinoa and a cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce flame and let simmer until the quinoa is cooked. Add water as necessary.
Add enchilada sauce and mix well. Sprinkle cheese. Cover and cook on medium until the cheese melts. Makes 2-3 servings.
Top with some sliced cherry tomatoes, cilantro and crispy jalapenos.
Fly 'n Cook 