Food Lush

Mac & Cheese Style Cauliflower

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Sarah Anne

I'm so sad to be saying good by after such a short time with Food Lush, but I am forever grateful to have been included in this amazing bunch of women who love food as much as I do. I haven't been around long, but before I was a writer, I was a reader brought over by Caitlin (Thanks Caitlin!). So I will link you to a post of hers that gave me the guts to try something I'd always wanted to - Fresh Strawberry Jam!  As far as my own post, I think my very first post on Lentils is my favourite. 

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Onward and upward as they say, folks. I don't have any huge "my last post" kind of post, but I do have a favourite recipe that I rediscovered this week. It's definitely one that I think you'll love. Mac & cheese style cauliflower.  

Now, hold on, don't go anywhere just because I said cauliflower.  I know. It's kind of a misused vegetable. Bland when steamed. Used as 'rice' for the raw food and paleo crowd. Whipped up into faux mashed potatoes. Poor thing. I'll admit this recipe is kind of similar in that it is an attempt to lighten up a homey, cheesy dish.  But do me a favour and give it a shot. I promise, it's a dish worth adding to your rotation. 

Source

I definitely always increase the garlic in this recipe (and all recipes, let's be honest here) and sometimes I'll add a little dijon to the sauce.  I'm sure this recipe would be flexible enough to add bacon for those that like that sort of thing, green onions, maybe even peas?  For some reason, I always feel like peas go with mac and cheese, and since I like to mess with recipes so this is no different. Try it out and jazz up the flavours a bit! What kind of flavour combos can you think up. I love recipes that are simple in flavour and technique that lend themselves to a bit of play.

The other bonus to this recipe? It can be made pretty inexpensively depending on the cheese you buy. It can be doubled for more leftovers too. Maybe it is a way to get kids (and adults!) to eat their veggies rather than that blue box that advertises cauliflower in its pasta? Far healthier and in my mind, way tastier!

I serve this with a green salad most often and call it dinner. Oh, and don't forget to try a little sriracha on top, because who doesn't like sriracha? 

Are you a cauliflower fan? Have you tried any other 'faux' recipes using cauliflower? Perhaps a recipe like this?  

Let's Go Out on a (sugar) High Note: Sugar Cookie Bars!

Editor's note: For our last week at Food Lush, I've asked the writers to share both a favorite post by another writer, from over the last three years, and a favorite post of their own. You'll see these posts linked to at the top of their new post for the week. Enjoy a stroll down Lush memory lane!

by Caitlin

I know plenty of others before me have already said this: but I had a hard time choosing a favorite post to share with you all. It's been such fun for me to write here, to reconnect with some of you reading, and to be part of this little community. I can hardly believe I've been doing it for almost two years. I have long wondered how Jennie does it all, and fully support her decision to step away. But, oh, I will miss it here. I will miss you. Thank you for reading along, talking about food, sharing your food memories with me, and being part of this adventure. So, until next time: the recipe I make most from this site is probably Sarah's versatile marinade. And my favorite post of mine has to be this one, about my Gram. A perfect bittersweet note to end on.

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So! Does anyone else feel like blasting Vitamin C's classic hit Friends Forever - Graduation Song?

 

"If you got somethin' that ya need to say you better say it right now cuz you don't have another day."

Here's what I have to say.

A) I'll always have a soft spot for late 90s belly shirts and hackey sacks.

B) TODAY is Day 30. 30 days of grain-free, whole foods, no added sugar, no alcohol, no nothing? DUNZO. Fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, nuts, seeds, oils. There was a lot of coconut. 30 days. I can't believe it.

C) I'm not sure what I'm going to eat tomorrow, other than oats for breakfast. It's a little scary, actually. They recommend you reintroduce things slowly to see how your body reacts with the clean slate it has to work with. And that's great and I totally get it, I just don't know exactly how that looks for me yet. I'm just going to take it one day at a time. At some point I plan on trying dairy, and at some point I will try gluten again, and then I shall make these delicious sugar cookie bars. 

Photo from dinnersdishesanddesserts.com

Back in December my friend Jen posted on twitter about the angels she heard singing when she made something magical called "sugar cookie bars." And the thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE sugar cookies. A nice soft, chewy, fat sugar cookie with frosting and sprinkles? GIMME. But I hate rolling out cookies and dealing with all that. It's so much work and I can never find a recipe that gives me the exact cookie I want. I'm a sucker for those horrible grocery store cookies that are round and topped with seasonally appropriate colored frosting and sprinkles (I think they're called Lofthouse?). They're full of nasty ingredients and probably dye your insides the same seasonally appropriate shade, so I don't buy them, except maybe once a year. Maybe. And then I eat one or two and throw the rest away. 

All of this is a long way of saying that while I really wanted to make sugar cookies at Christmas, I also really wanted to NOT make sugar cookies at Christmas. Enter this recipe. It was so easy, and so good, and I no longer see the point of cut-out cookies, unless someone else is making them. Sugar cookie bars! SUGAR COOKIE BARS! How had no one thought of this sooner??

I halved the recipe and made it in an 8x8 pan, and I had a hard time getting the cook time right. The first batch was way undercooked, the second was over - so far over I had to throw it away. It turns out that slightly underbaked sugar cookie bars are actually delicious, if a bit much. Next time I make them I'm going to have to be much more careful watching the cook time. I am willing to experiment and get it right though. For science.

The buttercream is the perfect consistency, the dough is soft and chewy, and the right sprinkles - I did a layer of sanding sugar, then a layer of Christmas colored jimmies - tie it together perfectly for look and crunch. They'd be fitting for any holiday (Valentine's! St. Paddy's Day, Easter! Rainbow sprinkles for summer, fall colors, Halloween! Thanksgiving and Christmas!), a shower, a birthday party, or just because HEY, sugar cookies are DELICIOUS and you just ate nothing but pure, whole foods for a month. Good luck having two bites and slipping into a diabetic coma, crazy.

Have you made sugar cookie bars? Do YOU have a favorite Food Lush post? I'll miss you!

DIY Toddler Food: Fruit Leather

By Hillary

I hate spending money on individually-portioned snack food because I feel like I'm paying more for the wrapping than the food (and I end up feeling guilty about the pile of garbage I'm left with.) I especially hate spending money on snack food that is easy enough to make myself (don't even get me started on my husband who buys bags of popped popcorn that costs ten times more than buying kernels and popping it himself.)

All of this is to say that I cringe when I buy fruit leather for my kid so I tried to make my own.

Choose your fruit! I used four pears (skin on,) two apples (peeled,) and five carrots (not a fruit but I'm desperate to get my kid to eat vegetables and will try anything.)

Chop it all up and put in a pot over medium heat.

Add your spice / sweetener! I added the juice of a lemon and a couple tablespoons of apple juice (so the fruit wouldn't burn to the bottom of the pan before its juices were released.) You can add sugar, honey, cinammon, whatever you want.

Cook until your fruit and veg are soft and then puree until smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the puree evenly over top.

My oven's lowest temperature is 175F on the convection setting so that's what I went with. It took about eight hours for my leather to be fully cooked. You want the top to be matte and not sticky.

Slice it up and store in the fridge.

Will I make it again? Probably. It tastes great. I like that I know exactly what went into it. It took a lot of time to make but it was mostly unattended so it wasn't time-consuming. Overall I'd call my fruit leather experiment a success.

(Photo from my overused Instagram account)

Homemade Doggie Treats for the Canine Love(s) of your Life

By Nora

Hey, do you guys like dogs? Because my family is kind of dog-obsessed (we would have rescued like 10 dogs by now if we didn’t have some restraint), and in fact, we consider our two dogs members of our family, which any self-respecting dog owner should. And as members of the family, shouldn’t they get special homemade treats once in a while, too? We bake cookies for our kids, so why shouldn’t we do the same for our dogs? Not ALL the time of course, but once in a while I think it’s a fun activity to whip up a batch of homemade dog treats for the pooches. There are all sorts of different recipes on the Internet, depending on how simple or complicated a recipe you’re looking for.  But the cool thing is that these treats are all-natural and unlike some name brand dog treats you can buy at the store, you know everything that goes into them (and you can even pronounce the ingredients!).  Another bonus is that my 2-year-old daughter, who just started developing an interest in helping me bake, LOVES making cookies just for the dogs.  So it’s a great activity to engage your kids, too. Heck, there's even a dog treat cookbook you can buy! And, if you’re lazy and don’t want to make them quite from scratch, there are a selection of mixes you can buy, like this one.  Valentine’s Day is coming up, so why not use it as an excuse to make some heart-shaped goodies for your pooch? 

I can’t resist this face.

 

(Personal photo)

School Snack: Chewy Fruit and Nut Squares

By Erica H.

I believe most experts agree that cookies, generally speaking, are not an especially healthy snack option for children (I have not done the research re: adults). But somewhere along the line I became convinced that if you pack indentical ingredients into a bar-shaped package, an aura of wholesomeness will surround the entire enterprise. Bars are healthy! (I blame Big Granola for this particular line of brainwashing.)

Of course, along comes Lorraine Bodger to call me out on this point by titling her cookbook "The Four-Sided Cookie: 55 Recipes for Delicious Squares and Bars." Yes, well. I appreciate your opinion, Ms. Bodger. That will never change the fact that while I would feel a bit irresponsible sending my daughter to school with a bag of Chewy Fruit and Nut Cookies for her classmates, I feel just fine and dandy sending her bearing Chewy Fruit and Nut Squares, thank you very much.

The fact is, it takes only the most superfical analysis of this recipe to see that she has started with a chocolate-chip cookie dough base, added a touch of orange flavor, and mixed in dried fruit and nuts instead of chocolate. It's a bit genius, frankly. You can put anything you want into chocolate chip cookie dough! It's just dough! Sorry, it seems I'm still processing this breakthrough.

At any rate, these are tasty, not too sweet, and will keep you off the list of tragically indulgent cookie-pushers.

Chewy Fruit and Nut Squares from The Four-Sided Cookie by Lorraine Bodger

• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. light or dark raisins
• 1 c. chopped dried fruit (I used a combination of apricots, prunes, and apples)
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. light brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. grated orange rind
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in the fruit and nuts.

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg, orange rind, orange juice, and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour mixture and blend well.

Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the edges are browned and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

And don't worry--the kids will eat them. They are cookies, after all.

Spice Up Your Oven Fries

By Julie

I was grocery shopping the other day, absentmindedly looking for something new and fun to jazz up dinner when I happened upon this:

In the spirit of full disclosure, my oven fries have never been anything special, no matter what I've tried. I have yet to find that perfect crispy-fluffy texture, and the flavor is usually blah. So I picked up a packet and figured with an investment of 89 cents, it wasn't too risky to give this a spin.

I've got to hand it to Concord Foods - this seasoning makes one tasty potato. Bacon is the significant flavor, and even though I got barely a hint of chive, I was OK with that because it highlighted the other flavors perfectly. I couldn't stop eating them.

My eight year old son cleaned his plate, but my four year old daughter wouldn't touch them. In fairness, since she didn't taste anything, her opinion doesn't really count. And my husband ate every wedge that was left. So I'm calling this a win for my family.

Concord also makes dip, soup, and salsa seasoning blends, and I think I will be checking them out in the near future. Such a nice little kick for not a lot of money.

(Photo from Concord Foods)

Homemade Pierogies with Granma

by Sarah Anne

It all started with a perfect little dish of antipasto, which then spiraled into a conversation about getting back to basics with cooking and food. Of course I whole heartedly agreed! What I didn't realize, was that basics for Granma included making cabbage rolls and pierogies. 

Let us stop right here for a moment. Have you ever had a pierogi? A potato-ey soft, half-moon filled with cheese, mashed potatoes, onion, cottage cheese, so tender they just melt in your mouth? Boiled and tossed with sauteed onions, maybe butter or sour cream? If you haven't, I suggest you do before you go any further. Or at least collect the ingredients (if you don't already have them, it is that simple) in this post and make them. ASAP.  

I'm a fan, as you can probably tell, so when Granma said she used to make them from scratch, I got excited.  Before I knew it, my Mother in Law and Granma were in the kitchen making dough and fillings. 

I will say this may be time intensive, but it isn't hard. Besides, it's good to get a few sets of hands in the kitchen, even kids could put the dumplings together I think. I haven't included a filling recipe here, but we stuffed ours with two different fillings. One was cottage cheese and green onion, the other was cottage cheese, shredded cheddar and sauteed onion. The options go on and on, and you can even use mashed potato inside! Pasta with mashed potatoes inside. Does it get any better than that? Do be sure to use salt and pepper to taste.

Pierogi Dough

1/4 c oil (vegetable)
1 c water
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 c Instant Potatoes (Idahoan Brand was used here)
2 c flour

Wisk the first four ingredients together. Then add the instant potatoes and stir until combined. Let that sit for 10 minutes.

Add 2 cups of flour. Mix together and knead until the dough is smooth. Add flour as needed if the dough is sticky and continue to add flour until the dough is smooth and silky. (It really does get beautifully soft and delicate) Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Once dough has rested, roll out and cut with a small, round cookie cutter.

Use about a teaspoon of filling (see above for filling ideas) and fold over, sealing edges with a gentle pinch. Lay the filled pierogies on a flour-dusted baking sheet until you're finished. More than one set of hands really helps with this process.

A few notes about this recipe. The dough is extremely soft and tender, it won't be like pasta dough that is firm. It's doughy, soft and delicate. Because of this, there is no need to wet the edges when bringing the dumplings together.  Also, similarly to other stuffed pastas, don't overfill them, and get out the air before sealing the best you can. Oh! Please, please don't try to use real mashed potatoes. We tried. It doesn't make the same dough. Just use the instant kind. I promise, you'll thank me.

You can boil these up fresh, just until they float or they can be frozen. Make sure to put them on a floured baking sheet and freeze individually before putting them in freezer bags for the long haul. Don't thaw them though, just toss in salted, gently boiling water and wait until they rise to the top before draining and serving them up. Otherwise, you'll have a sticky, doughy mess on your hands. Trust me on this one.

I had such a great time making these with family and eating them felt cozy inside as I remembered the three of us in the kitchen, folding up dumplings.  If you give these a try, be sure to let me know how they turned out! I would love to hear about your experiences.

Do you have a family recipe that you make regularly? Perhaps a new tradition? 

Eggs: Easy Breakfast to Go!

by Maura

While most people are resolving to eat more vegetables, less meat, and exercise more, I'm resolving to eat more meat and eggs! (I'll also eat veggies and exercise.) Like thousands of others, I'm doing Whole 30 this month. As a result, I need a quick, easy, and filling breakfast that I can eat on the run. Eggs are a breakfast no-brainer and, in these cute to-go bites, they fit the bill.

The recipe is easy and very versatile. The first week, I used ground beef and broccoli. This week, I jazzed it up with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, Italian spices, and fresh parsley. For twelve muffins, I used 11 large eggs (10 extra large eggs). I put them in greased muffin tins and baked for 20-22 minutes at 350. If you don't have great non-stick muffin tins, you might want to consider using cupcake liners. Of course, if you are normal and aren't eschewing cheese for 30 days, you could add some pecorino, provolone, or parmesan cheese. Each morning, I heat them up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds and I'm on the road!

Any suggestions for quicky, easy and protein-focused breakfasts?

Trial by Pancake: Fluffy Coconut & Pumpkin Protein

by Sarah Anne

I love breakfast.

It is no secret that brunch is the best meal of the day and I wish every restaurant served it every day. It is probably also no surprise that I too fall prey to the age old question "Sweet or Savory"? Do I have the eggs benedict with chipotle hollandaise over black bean puree with aged gouda, or do I go with the stuffed pumpkin french toast with bruleed pecans and lemon scented whipped coconut milk? (And uhm, who is going to make me both of those right now?) I often wish I could have half of one dish and half of another, sweet and savory, so at home we do scrambled eggs with a side of sweet sometimes. I'd say 75% of the time, savory wins out, but I always have that hankering for delicious pancakes or maple syrup doused french toast.

Once I've decided that sweet is the way to go, I have another conundrum: How do I avoid the white-flour-and-sugar spike? Pancakes and french toast never seem to really stick with me like eggs and toast do, which is frustrating when you're trying to eat healthy. I have searched the web high and low for a good option and I never seem to make the same recipe twice, until now.

I've tried SO many kinds of protein pancakes, banana flourless pancakes, and everything in between. You name it. I've tried it. In my search of finding the right pancake recipe, I discovered two recipes that are high protein, white flour free and have proven to keep me satisfied for far longer than your usual pancake breakfast does! You'll have to pardon a lack of personal photos, these happen in the morning and I'm sure you all understand my normal morning 'state'.

Jamie Eason's Pumpkin Protein Pancakes (more alliteration!) have been in rotation for a few months now. They're high in fiber and vitamin A due to the pumpkin and if you use gluten-free oats, they are a great option for the Celiac in your family. I know you all may be sick of pumpkin spice by this point, but trust me and give these a try.

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More recently (read last week), these delicious, Fluffy Coconut Pancakes thanks to Nourishing Days have been the go-to. They are lighter and definitely more like your average pancake I think. They have great ingredients, delicious light flavour and pack a punch of protein thanks to the egg whites. These beauties are also grain free, and dairy free for those with allergies or intolerances. 

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They are both pretty easy recipes, and quick, which let's face it is important in the morning. I love mine topped with coconut oil and syrup, or even smothered with a bit of your favourite nut butter. For those of you that haven't tried many paleo-style recipes, please be aware that the coconut pancakes are a little eggy, but the author has updated her recipe with a few tip and tricks to try.

I'm not sure which is my favourite to be honest, but these recipes have certainly increased the 'sweet' breakfast options in my house. I have substituted banana for the pumpkin in the first recipe, but it just wasn't as tasty as the original. Lesson learned: Sarah, stick to the recipe.

Do you have a 'go-to' recipe for french toast, waffles or pancakes? What is your normal breakfast? Is weekend brunch your thing? I'd love to have some new recipes for my repetoire!

Oh, and folks? Please, do yourself and me a favour and use real maple syrup. It's the only way.

Source: My Dad's homemade, Maine maple syrup.

Decorating with food

by Elsha

Before we got our Christmas tree this year, we talked about making cranberry and marshmallow garlands. They're easy to make, just use a needle to put cranberries and marshmallows on a string. However, in the end we decided it would probably be tedious for the kids, since they're still pretty young. 

It got me thinking though, about the various other kinds of food we've used to decorate in the past. Here's the rundown:

3D sugar cookies. My brother in law made these for us a few times. He used these cookie cutters, and the results were adorable.

{photo credit: creativekidstuff.com}

Popcorn garlands. We made these a couple times growing up. They're a huge pain, because it's almost impossible to get popcorn on a string without the pieces falling apart.

Candy canes on the tree. As kids we loved putting candy canes on the tree, because we were allowed to take them off and eat them whenever.

Gingerbread men. The ones we made (in preschool maybe?) were actually ginger snaps glued on to felt backing. Cute ornaments though!

Gingerbread houses. We made these with the kids for the first time this year. Will only wanted to eat the decorating candy, but Kalena and my nephew had fun.

(Best decorating efforts of a 4 year old. Who definitely didn't put the house together.)

Sugar cookie ornaments. I haven't made these, for fear that my kids would take them all off and eat them in the first hour they were up. But my mom used to make them for the bottom half of the tree! Makes the tree extra irresistible to kids. 

Do you use food in your Christmas decorating?