Cauliflower 'Tots'

1  medium head cauliflower

2  eggs

1 C shredded cheddar

1 C shredded parmesan

2 T fresh chopped herbs*

2/3 C panko breadcrumbs

½ t salt

¼ t pepper

* To try out the recipe, I just used a pre-blended Italian herb mix (2 tsp, dried), but you could play around with any flavor combination here!

Core cauliflower and chop into 1 - 1½ " inch floret pieces. Steam until tender. Drain thoroughly and transfer to a large bowl. Mash cauliflower using a pastry blender or potato masher (or, use a food processor...) in to very fine pieces.

Add eggs, cheeses, panko, herbs, and salt & pepper (more or less to taste). Mix until well combined.

Shape 1-2 tablespoons of cauliflower mixture into balls or 'tot-like' shapes with your hands. Arrange tots in a single laer on a parchment lined baking sheet, or in the basket of an air fryer. Cook at 375° until golden -- for 10-12 minutes in an air fryer, or approximately 20-25 minutes in conventional oven,

Serve with your choice of dipping sauce(s).

Creamed Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

2 T butter

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

¼ C flour

1 C whole milk

2-4 C chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely minced

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Optional: 1 C shredded white cheddar and ¼ C dry white wine (or 1 T sherry)

Directions

Melt butter in a stock pot or dutch oven; cook onion and garlic over medium heat until very soft and translucent (5-7 minutes). Add caulifower, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower just begins to brown (another 5-7 minutes).

Sprinkle in flour, stirring to coat. Add milk, 2 C broth, bay leaf and rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender -- it may take a little longer if you chopped the cauliflower in large chunks.

Remove bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to purée mixture, adding additional broth to achieve desired consistency. (If you don't have an immersion blender, work in batches in a traditional blender; then return everything to the stock pot.)

If desired, add shredded cheddar and white wine. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg just before serving.

Gouda Grits with Hillshire Lit'l Smokies

This isn't really a recipe; I'm just posting pics as a reminder when I'm looking for dinner 'inspiration'! And you wouldn't have to use Hillshire Lit'l Smokies, of course. Sausage and grits -- with ANY sausage, even ground breakfast sausage, would be equally good. I had Lit'l Smokies (something I don't buy often) left over from another use and remembered a sausage & grits recipe I'd seen. I can't find the recipe anymore, but just made savory grits (pictured, top) using chicken stock and adding gouda cheese at the end along with the Smokies.

I actually made this twice more to use up all the all the Lit'l Smokies: when I'd used up all the grits I had, I made creamy polenta. Equally good, especiallly with gouda cheese melted into the mixture--substituted for the parmesan in the polenta recipe linked above).

And finally, I used up the last of the Lit'l Smokies and this time skipped both grits & polenta and substituted creamed cauliflower (pictured, bottom)...not bad with the smoked gouda, though it didn't have the same textural heartiness as the grits or polenta. 

Cheesy-Mustard Cauliflower

Cauliflower's never been a favorite of mine. I don't particularly dislike it, it just has so little flavor on it's own. But in my ongoing efforts to up my veggie intake, I've tried a couple options lately, both of them roasted. The appeal of a toasted-roasted, golden, almost-crispy-crusted top of the florets makes cauliflower at least inviting in appearance. This one, with gruyere cheese and mustard, gives cauliflower the flavor boost it so desperately (in my opinion) needs!

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
3 sprigs of thyme
6 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 stalks celery
1 shallot
zest of 1 lemon (large, wide strips is fine)
1 C dry white wine*
¼ C sugar
¼ C  + ½ tsp salt
2 T olive oil
3 T dijon mustard*
1 C shredded gruyere

* I used some homemade mustard I recently whipped up

Directions
Trim cauliflower, removing leaves and stem to level with bottom of florets. Rough chop celery and shallot. Preheat oven to 450° F.

Wrap 3 sprigs thyme, 3 cloves garlic - smashed, bay leaves, coriander and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie to secure. (I only had ground coriander, so I added that to the water with the salt and sugar.)

In a large pot, combine celerty, shallot, lemon zest, wine, sugar, salt and cheesecloth bundle with enough water to submerge cauliflower. Bring to boil, whisking to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat to simmer. Gently add cauliflower core-side down; cover, Simmer 12-15 minutes until fork tender. The top florets will be fine even if they're not submerged. Remove to baking sheet.

While cauliflower is boiling, 3 garlic cloves - thinly sliced, olive oil and ½ tsp salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat 4-5 minutes until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat; remove and discard garlic slices. Whisk in mustard. Brush two-thirds of the mustard mixture on cauliflower. Roast 30-40 minutes until florets are lightly browned and toasted.

Remove from oven; brush on remaining mustard; sprinkle with gruyere. Return to oven just long enough to melt cheese.

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco Sauce

Cauliflower's never been a favorite of mine. I don't particularly dislike it, it just has so little flavor on it's own. It's rarely worth the effort. But I'm always looking for ways to increase my vegetable repertoire. When it's got the appeal of a roasty-toasty browned top, and thyme and garlic...well it was worth a try. The romesco sauce is another flavor boost, and the accompanying recipe made plenty for the cauliflower (I chose a smaller head) and it'll be fine for topping other veggies or roast potatoes or toasted garlic bread...

Ingredients
1 head cauliflower
6 sprigs of thyme
6 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 stalks celery
1 shallot
zest of 1 lemon (large, wide strips is fine)
1 C dry white wine*
¼ C sugar
¼ C  + ½ tsp salt
¼ C olive oil

Directions
Trim cauliflower, removing leaves and stem to level with bottom of florets. Rough chop celery and shallot. Preheat oven to 450° F.

Wrap 3 sprigs thyme, 3 cloves garlic - smashed, bay leaves, coriander and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie to secure. (I only had ground coriander, so I added that to the water with the salt and sugar.)

In a large pot, combine celerty, shallot, lemon zest, wine, sugar, salt and cheesecloth bundle with enough water to submerge cauliflower. Bring to boil, whisking to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat to simmer. Gently add cauliflower core-side down; cover, Simmer 12-15 minutes until fork tender. The top florets will be fine even if they're not submerged. Remove to baking sheet.

While cauliflower is boiling, combine 3 thyme sprigs, 3 garlic cloves - thinly sliced, olive oil and ½ tsp salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat 4-5 minutes until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat; discard thyme. Brush half the oil over cauliflower. Roast the whole head until browned, 30-40 minutes, brushing with oil again half way through.

Serve with Romesco Sauce.

Cauliflower with Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette

Cauliflower is so bland, it definitely needs something to give it a flavor boost. This is a zingy option...

Ingredients
3 C cauliflower
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1½ T minced shallot
2-3 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Wash and trim cauliflower; cut to bite sized floret chunks. Boil or steam until crisp tender.

While cauliflower cooks, prepare vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Stir in parsley, shallot and capers.

Toss cooked cauliflower with vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cauliflower Hummus

Kind of debated whether to even post this one. It's not bad (in fact, for not being hummus at all, it's a reasonable substitute), it's just...why? Why would you want to turn cauliflower into hummus, if what you really want is hummus? But, if you're going really "low carb" and you want hummus, then...it's an option (about 1/4 of the carbs of chickpeas).

Ingredients
3 C raw cauliflower florets
2 T water
5 T olive oil
1½ t salt
5 cloves garlic
1½ T tahini paste
3 T lemon juice
olive oil & smoked paprika to garnis for serving

Directions
Combine olive oil, water, 2 T of the olive oil, 1/2 t salt and 3 cloves of the garlic in a microwave safe dish. Microwave for 10-12 minutes on high, until cauliflower is softened and somewhat darkened in color.

Put cauliflower mixture in mini blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add tahini paste, lemon juice, remaining garlic and olive oil; blend again. Add additional salt as needed, to taste.

Transfer to serving dish; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Serve with raw veggies, crackers, thinly sliced apples...

Polenta - Cauliflower Puree with Barbecue Shredded Chicken

You could just put BBQ shredded chicken over creamy polenta, but the cauliflower puree increases the polenta base without adding many calories, and the flavor is so mild as to be nearly unnoticeable. The homemade, mustard based barbecue sauce is good, and easy to tweak to your personal tastes. However, if you’re in a hurry, store-bought BBQ could be substituted easily to save time.

Ingredients

12 oz cauliflower florets

1 C (low sodium) chicken stock

½ C coarse cornmeal

3 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

¼ tsp pepper

¼ tsp coarse salt

½ C tomato sauce

3 T water

2 T yellow mustard

2 T ketchup

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

dash chile powder

12 oz cooked, shredded chicken (mix of breast and thigh)

½ c thin sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Process the cauliflower in a food processor until very finely chopped. Transfer to saucepan; add stock and cornmeal. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking often, until cauliflower is cooked and mixture is thickened (~15 minutes). Remove from heat. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Combine tomato sauce, water, mustard, ketchup, garlic, onion and chile powders in a small sauce pan. Bring gently to a simmer, stirring often until slightly thickened (5-10 minutes). Stir in shredded chicken.

Divide cauliflower-polenta into 4 bowls; top with chicken and barbeque sauce. Garnish with scallions.

Cauliflower Hash Browns

Makes 6  5" hash brown patties, or 12-18 mini patties

INGREDIENTS

1 large head cauliflower

2 egg, lightly beaten
½ C Parmesan cheese

¼ C scallions

¼ C chives

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 T dried basil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Optional: dipping sauce(s)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Grate cauliflower. Thinly slice scallions. Finely chop chives. Grate Parmesan.

Place cauliflower in bowl; sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Stir; let stand 20 minutes.

Squeeze or strain moisture from cauliflower (use a strainer or use a towel to 'wring' it out); return to bowl.

Stir in egg, cheese, chives, garlic, olive oil, basil, black pepper, and remaining ½ tsp salt.

Line baking sheet with parchment; coat lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Divide cauliflower mixture into 6 portions on tray; shape and press to about ½-¾" thick.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool to set (about 15 min).

Best served warm -- with dipping sauce(s) if desired.

BBQ Cauliflower 'Wings'

With some cauliflower I wanted to use up -- left over from making Parmeson-Garlic Roasted Cauliflower -- I found this recipe, courtesy of the Food Network. I have no intention of going vegetarian, so I would still much rather have real BBQ chicken wings (or tenders); but...even on cauliflower, BBQ is always an addictive, snackable flavor. The texture of the cauliflower obviously isn't the same as chicken. My adivce: take care to not overcook the florets...some of mine were really too soft.

Parmesan-Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

I didn't have fresh parsley, and I was a little shy on the parmesan cheese -- which would have made an even richer finished product! But it was still great...

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1-2 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
½ C grated parmesan cheese
¼ C bread crumbs
1 tsp smoked paprika
fresh chopped parsley

Directions
Preaheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl stir together olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Chop cauliflower into florets. Toss florests in seasoned olive oil. Transfer to baking sheet, in a single layer.

Bake 15 minutes. Toss parmesan, bread crumbs and smoked paprika. Turn florets; sprinkle with cheese and bread crumb mixture. Return to oven; bake another 10-15 minutes. Test for doneness by piercing with a fork or knife. 

Garnish with chopped parsley to serve.

Mashed Cauliflower

Potatoes aren't the only vegetable that's good mashed... and a little cheese (or a lot?!) and garlic add great flavor.

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
1-2 cloves garlic
½ C grated cheese
¼-½ C chicken broth, milk, cream or other liquid
salt & pepper (cayenne adds a nice kick)

The garlic can be raw or you can sautée it first. (Or in a pinch, just use garlic powder.) Just about any cheese will work - I've used cheddar, colby, jack, parmesan...but there are plenty of other flavors worth trying.

Directions:
Remove the leaves and toughest core of cauliflower, cut or separate into florets. Steam or boil for about 10 minutes until tender. Mash by hand or process in blender or food processor, slowly adding broth (or other liquid) until just smooth and creamy. (Don't overwork it.) Add garlic and cheese(s) -- depending on the cheese you use, your mashed cauliflower can have a stretchy-stringy-ness to it; parmesan doesn't do this much. Reserve a little cheese for garnishing.

Leftovers? Fry them up like pancakes..!  Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

Ingredients: 
1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
½ C cheddar cheese, grated
½ C bread crumbs
½ tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
salt
olive oil

Directions:
Cut cauliflower into florets and cook in boiling water until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain. Mash while still warm. Stir in cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, cayenne & salt to taste. (My pancake batter seemed a little too runny, so I added a little extra bread crumbs.)

Coat griddle or skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Drop -- and spread if needed -- the cauliflower mixture into 3" pancakes; cook until golden brown and set (about 3 minutes per side). Keep each batch warm in oven while cooking the rest.

I got 11 pancakes out of one head of cauliflower (1 recipe); some of mine were a little more than 3", so you could probably figure on a dozen.

Cauliflower Stuffed Baked Potatoes

My ongoing effort to increase my vegetable repertoire...

The puréed cauliflower in this recipe (from the Food Network) makes a wonderfully creamy twice-baked-potato without the extra fat of cream, butter or sour cream. And it tastes great! They do still get topped off with cheese and bacon...


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/super-stuffed-baked-potatoes-recipe/index.html