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. 

***

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?  

Chana Masala and Indian Spiced Vegetables

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!

Jess M.

I have been a faithful Food Lush reader from the start, having been a Style Lush reader for a long time. So, when it comes to choosing a favorite post, it's just so hard! I love how reading Food Lush has always seemed like sitting around with friends and talking about what we're all making for dinner or what great kitchen gadget someone found. So, I have to list the two Food Lush Gift Guides, 2011 and 2012, as my favorite posts. Even today when I looked back at them I was newly interested in things on the lists. They have given me plenty of ideas for my own Christmas list and ideas for others. I also really enjoyed this post about owl-themed kitchen things. I bought the mugs right after reading that post!

As for my favorite of my own posts, it has to be the one where I talked about my cookbook collection. I am so attached to certain cookbooks and I try and give a lot of thought to which ones I buy, so it was fun to show my cookbook-nerd side and share these with my friends.

And I know that this is Food Lush, but I cannot let it go without mentioning just how many things I bought for myself after they were mentioned on Style Lush: this coat, a bunch of these shirts, and BB Cream to name a few.

***

When we try to eat healthy it always involves a lot of beans. And when we discovered Indian food from a local restaurant we were instantly in love. Beans! Vegetables! Spiciness! Many vegetarian dishes! Unforuntaly the Indian restaurant in our town isn't convenient to us at all. We almost never happen to be near it to just pop in and bring home carryout. And when we discovered that our son would eat Chana Masala, I knew I had to find a way for us to have this dish more often. I didn't have to look very far because Smitten Kitchen has a great and easy recipe.

Chana Masala and Indian Spiced Cauliflower and Potatoes from Smitten Kitchen

Both dishes use overlapping spices, so when you measure them out for one, measure out for the other. They both also start with sauteeing some onion, so I just start them at the same time. Both reheat very well and when we put away the leftovers we often just combine it all into one big delicious bowl.

(Photos: me)

Gogo Quinoa Pasta

by Sarah Anne

I have a bit of a love/hate kind of thing going with pasta. I LOVE the delicate bite of a fresh pasta. The chew. The way the sauce clings to it. However, when I'm really trying to watch what I eat, a pasta dinner really takes up a good portion of my intake for the day. For a girl who loves to eat, this is super frustrating. 

Last night I had pasta planned and thought I'd peruse the natural foods store for any alternatives that might be worth trying. I'm SO glad I did, because I discovered something that I think I love more than regular, dry white pasta. 

Quinoa pasta!

Less calories and more protein than conventional pasta, and a far better texture than whole wheat spaghetti, this was certainly a winner in this house.  I tossed it with a simple fresh tomato and garlic sauce which clung nicely to each strand like I would expect with regular wheat pasta. I've tried rice pasta, kamut pasta and corn pasta - none of which stood up to my stringent pasta standards. This quinoa version by Gogo, had a nice bite to it, sauce held and it was easy to prepare. Word to the wise, however? Do NOT overcook it, or it will go to mush very, very quickly. 

I'm anxious to try Gogo's other varieties. Perhaps macaroni and cheese or a baked pasta dish next? I bet a fusili variety would make a great greek pasta salad as Elsha helped us out with a week or two ago. While a bit more pricey, this product will definitely become a staple in my house!

Have you ever tried quinoa pasta or any other 'alternative' flour product and been pleasantly surprised? 


 

Creamy white chili

by Elsha

It continues to be fridgedly cold here, so I'm always on the lookout for recipes to warm us up. This one fit the bill nicely. This chili recipe comes from The Taste of Home Cookbook which is one of my favorites. It was spicy and satisifying, we'll definitely be making it again.

{photo credit: tasteofhome.com}

Here's the recipe:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 

1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cans (15-1/2 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 oz) chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

First, saute the chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until the chicken is cooked through. Add the beans, broth, chilies, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Next, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in sour cream and cream. Serve immediately.

I actually made this using canned chicken to save time, and because I only had frozen chicken breasts, but that worked great. I sauteed in olive oil, because that's my habit. Also, apparently I did not do a great job of reading the recipe through while I was making it, because I realized AFTER I added two cans of chopped green chilies that it called for two 4 oz cans and I had added two 7 oz cans. Whoops! Also, spicy! 

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? 

Butternut Squash and Sausage Casserole

by Tara

Now that the holidays are over we can focus on plain, old, winter cooking. I love winter squashes, and butternut squash, in particular, is one of my favorites. I set out to make a vegetarian meal one night using spinach, carmelized onions, and butternut squash and pasta, and it looked like a lot of work. So I made this up as I went along, instead, and it turned out great!

Butternut Squash and Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:
-1 large butternut squash
-3 large yellow onions
-1 tbsp butter
-2 cups whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)
-6 cloves (1 tbsp) minced garlic
-Italian sausage
-15 oz ricotta
-1 tsp crushed red pepper
-1/4 cup milk
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
-2 oz shredded parmesan
-1 cup shredded mozzarella
-spinch and/or arugula (I like the pre-packaged 50/50 mix)
-olive oil spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Slice the onions in half and then slice in thin, half-moon strips. Melt butter in large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium heat, slowly, until a pretty brown color, about 20-25 minutes.
2. Remove onions and cook sausage and garlic in the same pan until sausage is browned.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta as package directs. When the pasta's finished, drain pasta over spinach/arugula (so that it wilts without an extra step!).
4. Add onions, ricotta, red pepper, milk, and parsley to skillet and cook until well-mixed and thickened. Add pasta and spinach/arugula.
5. Spray a casserole pan with the olive oil spray and pour the mixture from the skillet into the pan. Top with shredded cheeses and bake for ~30 minutes or until cheese is melty and browning.

(This makes a LOT of food. A lot. It made three pans and will easily serve 8-12 people as a main/only course. I froze two pans and while it was okay, the casserole wasn't nearly as delicious as when it was fresh. So you could fill up a 9x13 pan and feed a crowd.)

I'm calling this a success. I hope you enjoy it, too!

 

Quail for Christmas

by Tara

I was going to make duck for Christmas, but my butcher shop only offers whole ducks, and I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with a whole duck. Plus, it’s just my little family (three of us, including a two-year old) for dinner, so I didn’t want to have the leftovers from a whole duck.

So I decided to get quail instead. I bought four whole quail, and… now I’m completely lost. I mean, I’ve eaten quail; we used to have it for every Christmas dinner when my grandmother was alive if my grandfather had a good hunting day before the holidays. But she didn’t keep recipes for things like that, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Thank the heavens for the Internet, right?

This recipe from Simply Recipes looks good. And easy!

This recipe at Epicurious uses wine, so that’s more leftover for me to drink.

This one at Jules Food looks good. I don’t like oranges, though, so that might be a problem?

I love blackberries, and I’m thinking the balsamic and blackberry combo in this recipe from Jenn’s Cuisine would be delicious.

My husband doesn’t like stuffing (WEIRDO), or I’d be all over this recipe from Food Network:

I wonder if I could talk my husband into a stuffing made with Andouille sausage from a recipe created by Emeril? Possibly.

This recipe from Food Network might be the winner. Anything wrapped in bacon tends to top my list.

(Photo from: Food Network.com)

Have you ever made quail? Have a recipe that will help me out?

Fetuccine Alfredo with Fresh Egg Pasta

by Jess M

If I were to have to pick a specialty in cooking, it would be "dough." I'm decent at following recipes, but not very creative. Give me a bread dough challenge and various cookbooks and websites to read and I'm set. I really get excited about cooking/baking anything that requires the mixing of flour and liquid into a dough, maybe kneading it with my hands, and turning it into something delicious.

When I was pregnant with my third baby, my nesting took the form of cooking, and more specifically: dough centered foods.  I spent time reading bread forums and baked all of our own bread for a while (that didn't last!). I made muffins and cakes and scones and cookies on the regular. I had to start buying flour in 10-pound bags because I was going through the 5-pound ones too quickly. And it was during this time that I decided I was going to learn to make my own noodles. After some trial and practice I decide it was worth a little investment and so for my birthday that year I got The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles and an Imperia pasta machine.

Before I decided to commit to another kitchen unitasker, I experimented making pasta by rolling it very thinly with a rolling pin and cutting it with a butter knife. I wanted to make sure that it was worth going to all this trouble for.  And yes, yes it is.

For me, making my own pasta is a weekend, special occasion kind of dish. It's a little too much effort to go to for a weeknight meal. But when you want to make especially delicious fettuccine alfredo - or really any pasta dish - then this is the way to go.

Following the instructions from Cooks Illustrated, I used my food processor to mix up the dough. The dough for egg pasta is simply 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs. Pulse in the food processor until mixed. Then dump it out onto the counter and knead it for a few minutes until it forms a nice smooth ball.  Let the dough rest for a little while (15 min to 2 hours). Then divide the dough into 6 parts and feed each piece through the rollers of the pasta machine, changing the setting so that it gets progressively thinner each time. When it gets to its thinnest, run it through the cutting attachment.

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the noodles for just a couple of minutes, they will be done very quickly.

Alfredo Sauce
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1 stick of butter
Nutmeg
1 1/2 - 2 cups parmesan cheese
Combine the butter and 1 cup of the cream in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.  Simmer until the liquid is reduced a bit, about 10-15 minutes. Then add in the remaining cream and nutmeg, turn off the heat and stir in the noodles and Parmesan.

This recipe is a blend of the Cook's Illustrated cooking method and Pioneer Woman's ingredient quantities. Basically I am using the most amount recommended of each of the cream, butter and parmesan. And spring for the good kind of heavy cream, mine came from the local creamery, but even if you can just get the best one from the grocery store it will taste better.

Now.

In the interest of full disclosure I have to say that the night last week I made this it didn't go quite as smoothly as I'm describing here. I HAVE had noodles go very smoothly. Making the dough is quick! And it only takes 20ish minutes to roll and cut them! But last week, possibly because my dough was too sticky, after the first bunch went through the cutter, it got jammed. Dough backed up and the more I tried to feed through the worse it got. I had to throw out some of the more mangled pieces I pulled out. And there are STILL dried pieces of dough sitting in my pasta machine for me to go back and extract. I cursed at it, I maybe threw some dough and I was very disappointed. Dinner took way longer to make than it should have and I was really sad about it because I spent way too much time fooling with my pasta machine. I ended up cutting the last few sheets of dough on the counter with a pastry cutter just so I could be done and we could eat. AND! My kids did that awesome thing kids do when they look at something you've just spent 2 hours working on to get dinner on to the table and they turn up their noses at it and say "ew." Using the already hot pasta water I boiled them some dried spaghetti noodles which they ate with powdered kraft parmesan.

So, yes, you should make your own noodles. Yes, as with anything new or challenging  in the kitchen it sometimes can end up being a(n almost) complete flop. But when it goes well: you will have delicious, tender, silky noodles with cheesy, buttery alfredo sauce. And that is a win.

~~~

Sometime I'm going to also try my hand at ravioli (and avoid that whole pasta cutter getting jammed up thing!). Ariel shared her adventures in making her own ravioli here. 

(Photos from: me)

Roasted Cornish Game Hens with Berries Recipe

By Dani

Boy, oh boy, you guys, I love to cook fancy stuff at Christmastime. However, I'm a little short on time and long on stuff to do, you know? That's why I loved this recipe... it's a unique flavor (the combination of sweet, spicy, and savory is really nice) and so easy to make! Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves four):

• Two cornish game hens (thawed)
• Mixed berries (I used a frozen berry mix from Trader Joe's, about a 12-ounce bag)
• One tablespoon diced jalapenos (for less spice, use pickled, pre-chopped jalapenos rather than fresh)
• Olive oil to taste
• Raspberry or Champagne vinegar to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stuff hen cavities with berries and half the jalapenos each. Place hens breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan, if you have any extra berries, toss them in the bottom of the pan to flavor the drippings.

Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil and vinegar. Then cook for 10 minutes at 400 to get a crispy glaze.

Brush hens with oil and vinegar again, then turn oven down to 350 and cook for about 50 minutes, or until juices run clear, basting with oil and vinegar every 15 minutes.

When they're ready, pull the hens from the oven and let them rest for 5-15 minutes under foil. While the hens rest, strain the pan drippings into a sauce pan, add a little butter and flour and heat until you have a thickened gravy.  Then slice hens down the middle and serve with gravy, polenta or rice for a lovely, easy holiday dinner!

(Photo credit: Me. - Adapted from a recipe in Pike Place Market Cookbook)

Blackened Mahi Mahi

by Maura

As the lovely and charming Caitlin mentioned last week, we bought some local spices when we were in New Orleans. (I am definitely going to try her recommendation of blackened shrimp caesar salad this week!) I have not tried all the spices I bought, but I have cooked with the River Road Blackened Seasoning a few times.

This spice was really tasty on mahi mahi and salmon. It is spicy and a little goes a long way. It adds a nice kick to a blandish fish like mahi mahi and is a nice contrast to a fatty fish like salmon. Served with a side of roasted broccoli, it is a nice, easy, and healthy meal. I think it would also be good on a well marbled cut of beef.

If you aren't going to be around New Orleans any time soon, you can order this spice mix from World Famous Nawlins Cafe and Spice Market. You can also mix up your own (salt-free) version from this Seattle Times Food and Wine recipe. I've never tried that one, but you can generally trust the Seattle Times.

Do you have a favorite blackening seasoning? Is there a particular food you like to use blackening seasoning with?