Buffalo Cauliflower: Hot Veg Gets Hotter

May 24, 2013

I’ve long held my sister Kim’s fashion advice as gospel, but since her diet consisted solely of Doritos for much of her childhood, I never imagined taking vegetable direction from her.

plain cauli

Yet, ever since she named cauliflower the hottest vegetable of the year, I’ve been buying a head or two a week. Mostly, I roast it with olive oil and add parmesan, lemon or sea salt, or on a fancy day, mixed with pine nuts, mint and Meyer lemons:

Photo and Recipe from Yummy Supper

I’ve also tried letting cauliflower be something else entirely, like steaming and smashing it into cauliflower “rice” for a stir fry.

Photo and Recipe from Whole Living Magazine

And now I have a new favorite way to enjoy this trendy veg.

I’ve been making variations of Buffalo Cauliflower since Superbowl Sunday – beginning with pan frying cauliflower first battered in cornstarch, egg and panko. To lighten it up a bit, I then tried dredging cauliflower in flour and then baking. Yummy, but just as messy. And it didn’t make sense. Why take a perfectly lovely healthy (not to mention trendy) vegetable and bread/fry the thing and pretend its healthier than chicken? And both variations took far too long to make considering how quickly I consumed it.

I’m learning what makes a dish stick in my repertoire: I have to be able to make it without looking at a recipe, using the fewest pots possible. I’ve deconstructed this enough that you can now barely call it a recipe. It’s more just an outstanding combination – perfect for a summer BBQ. This tastes like junk food, but truly isn’t – just cauliflower, a little olive oil, and low-calorie/low-fat buffalo sauce.

Buffalo Cauliflower – The Easy Way

Chop and rinse your cauliflower and pat dry. For wing look-a-likes, you can chop larger pieces of cauliflower, but I prefer bite size chunks.

Spread on baking pan covered with parchment or aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil on top and toss with your fingers to distribute. For a little extra crisp/breading, you can sprinkle with panko or breadcrumbs.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until cauliflower starts browning. Remove from oven and toss with your favorite Buffalo sauce (I like Bella’s or Frank’s). Serve with whatever fixings you like.

Hoping you enjoy a nice long weekend. To our nation’s military families, we are thinking of you and the many sacrifices made for our freedom. Thank you for your service.

Granola Bars: Out of the Box

March 20, 2013

Overheard this week in my house:

“Which hummus is that? The one we made or one you bought?”

And then…. “Will you ever buy hummus again? I really miss the kind we buy.”

I hear you, buddy. My homemade hummus is not quite there yet.

My granola bars, on the other hand, are right on the money. As long as I keep these granola bars (and the oat-free version I’ll share next week) coming, no one seems to be missing the store bought boxes.

Just five minutes prepping, mixing and pressing. No bake, no box, no complaints.

No Box Needed Granola Bars

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients (10 bars)

For Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey or agave
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

For White Chocolate Apricot Granola Bars

1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup agave
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons each: white chocolate chips, chopped apricot, unsalted pepitas, cranberries

I only had rolled oats in the house, so I pulsed them in the blender for a minute. Voila. Quick Cooking Oats.

Instructions

Stir oats and rice cereal together in a large bowl and set aside.

In a small pot, melt butter, honey/agave and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it begins to boil and thicken. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir, then add to dry ingredients. Mix well and add chocolate chips or other “toppings.”

Pour into lightly greased 12 by 8 glass or metal pan. Use parchment paper (and some brawn) to press mixture into dense 3/4 inch thick bars.

Tasting is mandatory.

Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate is set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

If your granola bars fall apart, pack the mixture in a bit tighter or thicker, or place in therefrigerator for a few minutes to firm up. If they still fall apart, call it granola and sprinkle on yogurt. And next time you make it, cook the butter/honey/sugar mixture a bit longer.

Adapted from a recipe from Lauren’s Latest, which had been adapted from Rachel Ray.

Maple Snow Candy: A Sweet Taste of Winter

March 12, 2013

Wondering how to get through the last month of winter? An extra hour of daylight (thank you, whoever thought of that brilliance), spring skiing in the sunshine and maple candy made in the snow should certainly do the trick.

skiing

We recently spent an uber-New Englandy Saturday morning tapping maple trees at a local farm. The kids loved drinking the fresh sap along with a few sips of locally made maple syrup.

I don’t think topping the tapping experience off with maple candy was entirely necessary, but we had to do something with all the snow that arrived a few days later.

We modified Catherine Newman’s maple snow taffy recipe into these coin size sucking candies. The kids played Willy Wonka as they made candy molds in the snow and wrapped and decorated our treats.

Maple Snow Candy

Ingredients

1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup salted butter
clean snow (or ice cream)

Instructions

In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, melt the syrup and butter together until the mixture reaches 220ºF-235ºF (about 5 minutes after it comes to a boil) or until the mixture is a bit thick and a light brown caramel color.

Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes. You can pour it by the spoonful over bowls of clean snow (or ice cream). We made our candies by poking holes in a tray of clean snow (with a clean finger or the tip of a funnel), then filling in the holes with our syrup mixture.

In a few minutes the maple candies harden. Now just a little snow removal and you’ve got homemade sweets.

We poured some of the maple syrup mixture into a plastic candy mold and also made lollipops to be a bit safer for my little one. You can see quite a bit difference in the candy colors – the candy mold batch was a nice light caramel color which looked and tasted much better than the slightly burnt lollipops.

Sweet Start Your V-Day

February 13, 2013

We know Valentine’s Day is not really about the kids.

It’s fun to make decorations and eat candy while grumbling about how the holiday is so over-commercialized by greeting card companies, chocolatiers and jewelers.

But why not just give in and take a day or night to spoil your relationship a bit? It’s not a terrible idea.

Bedtime last night was interrupted by the arrival of a dozen of the World’s Tallest Roses in a giant vase . They are beautiful and amazingly hilariously taller than my kids (pics to come) and I do feel deliciously spoiled (and okay, kind of excited to see what we can make with the four foot long box they came in).

So, for Valentine’s Day, here’s my advice: start the day with a sweet treat for everyone, then consider the kids DONE and move on to taking care of your true Valentine.

These cinnamon rolls are not exactly healthy, but they are a lightened up version of the usual and they are miniature enough that you can’t do too much damage as long as you stop after a few.

My three year old loves making these – it’s a totally kid-proof recipe.

Pretty instantly delicious, though the wait for something so yummy is never easy.

Mini Cinnamon Buns

Recipe from Iowa Girl Eats

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients (16 minis)

1 8-ounce Tube Refrigerated Crescent Roll Dough
Butter (1-2 TBSP)
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
1 TBSP Skim Milk
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Maple Syrup

Instructions

Preheat oven according to dough package directions. Spread out half the dough (4 triangles) on a cutting board and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the other side.

Smooth the seams and roll the dough with a rolling pin. Brush the dough with half the butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.

Place mini cinnamon rolls into a mini muffin tin coated with butter or cooking spray. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.

Mix maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. You can also add a bit of strawberry jelly to tint the frosting pink.

Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Beary Delightful

January 29, 2013

It’s Janubeary in Ryan’s kindergarten class and we are falling in love with bears everywhere.

A lot of bear artwork and papers are coming home, including this keeper.

“I can’t bear to eat meat.” That’s Ryan at the table with meat, saying “yuck.”

The search goes on for nutrient-rich food for this six year old vegetarian. He has come a long way with greens, but I can’t help wondering whether he is getting enough calcium, protein and iron from the smattering of veggies and grains he eats.

He reminded me last week of a peanut butter-like spread he used to like, and to my delight, still does.

As I learned at Canyon Ranch 20 years ago (I must be SOOOO old if I am old enough to reference spa visits from 20 years ago), Peanut Butter Delight is a great replacement for regular peanut butter (which Ryan generally doesn’t eat on account of the stickiness). At 70 calories and 3 grams of fat per 2 TBSP serving, adding skim ricotta cheese boosts the protein, reduces the fat and calories. I know it sounds weird (especially if you are wary of ricotta), but it tastes great on whole grain bread, crackers, with a banana or apple, or on a spoon. I assume you could substitute any nut butter you like.

Peanut Butter Delight

The Canyon Ranch Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 minutes

6040900

Ingredients

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup natural-style smooth peanut butter, drained
2 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 1/2 teaspoons honey or agave

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or immersion blender with a metal blade and process until satin smooth.

Place in covered container and refrigerate.

Toasted (Not Fried) Ravioli

January 16, 2013

We’ve got a winter wonderland complete with school cancellation today in Connecticut.

Like so many days of parenting, the snow day starts with a fresh white blanket and its anyone’s guess how it will turn out. By ten am, we were building the biggest snow fort our ‘hood has ever seen; by eleven, we were at the dentist on account of a shovel to the mouth. No teeth lost, no stitches and gratefully tetanus shot up to date. Minor injury aside, it was one sweet snow fort.

If you are like us and raiding your freezer for today’s lunch or dinner, try this awesome lightened up version of typically deep fried yumminess. Like our day so far, its not quite what it seems but full of goodness just the same. We served it on New Years’ Eve and as little as I know about football, I’m certain it’ll work well as a playoff or Superbowl snack too.

Oven Toasted Ravioli

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

1 pound frozen ravioli, any kind (we used sweet potato filled)
3 egg whites
1/4 cup flour
1 3/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated parmesan + more for topping
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
marinara sauce for dipping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. Lightly beat egg whites in a small bowl. In a larger bowl mix flour, bread crumbs, panko, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Boil water and cook ravioli for half of the recommended time (typically 2-3 minutes). Drain and quickly spray through ravioli with nonstick spray to keep them from sticking together. Once cool enough to handle, dip each ravioli in egg whites then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on the wire rack and repeat until finished. Spray each with nonstick spray. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until crispy and golden.

Serve hot with marinara for dipping.

Carrot & Clementine Soup

December 27, 2012

I hope that you had a very peaceful and happy holiday.

As you round up leftovers and sort through gifts, cooking is probably far from first on your list. I’m sharing this one only because is so easy, sweet and warm and I’m guessing you may even have the groceries on hand.

Even the naysayers in my family gobbled it. Now, I have three orange soups in my repertoire… butternut squash, sweet potato and now carrot clementine.

Carrot & Clementine Soup

Adapted from Soups, by Elsa Petersen-Schepelern

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp powdered ginger or 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 pound fresh carrots (about 4-6), thinly sliced
4 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water
Juice of 5 clementines (about 3/4 cup)
sea salt & pepper
optional: shreds of lime and clementine zest, to serve

Instructions

Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan, add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened and golden. Add the ginger and carrots and sauté a few minutes more.

Add the stock or water, the clementine juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

Strain into another bowl. Use blender or immersion blender to puree solids along with 1-2 cups liquid until smooth. Add liquid until you reach desired consistency (I used all).

Reheat if necessary; taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with lime and clementine zest.

Swapping and Dunking

December 10, 2012

There’s not a better party to host than a cookie swap.

Yum. Double yum. And then there are the leftovers.

I had just the opportunity last week as hostess for a holiday get-together for a moms’ group, combined with a perfect excuse to make some cute stickers…

and test out a new recipe.

I spotted Gingerbread Swizzle Sticks on one of my favorite baking sites, The Decorated Cookie, which set me into a tizzy researching recipes for dunking sticks. I learned there are actually products manufactured for the serious dunker.

I tested the gingerbread and few sugar cookie batches and I’m sold on their convenience. It looks like you’ve done something special, but really you have simply skipped the time-consuming steps of scooping the dough into individual cookies and baking in multiple batches in multiple pans.

Just take your favorite cookie recipe (next time, I’m trying this one), shape the dough into rectangular logs, bake, cool and slice. Slip into a large mason jar or pair with hot chocolate mix for a teacher’s, hostess or holiday gift. Or set up a “dunk” station at your get-together, with hot chocolate, lattes and cold milk.

A few tips:

Use your favorite sugar, gingerbread or even chocolate chip cookie recipe; just don’t add the chocolate chips or sprinkles (or M&Ms) until AFTER you form the logs. The enhancements will look much prettier resting on top, rather than hidden in the dough.
For perfect dunking sticks, shape your dough into two 15″x3″ rectangle, about 3 inches apart. Then, press candies or chocolate chips into top of dough. Check Noah out – on the first log, he carefully planted every chip on its point so the top was completely flat. The second was a more of a dump and smush.

Let the cookies cool for five minutes before cutting into strips with a knife, pizza cutter or pastry tool.

Lest, you think everything in my kitchen occurs magically and without a hitch.

Check out Love Them Madly’s Facebook Page for the winning recipes from our Cookie Swap

(Hint: They weren’t mine, though I was a close contender)

And Now He Is Six

October 15, 2012

The boy I have been calling “almost six” forever finally turned six last week.

Tops on his list of things he hopes happen this year: he really wants to lose a tooth.

His actually birthday was as simple and sweet as that. He woke to a bunch of balloons outside his door, followed by breakfast by dad and some party store pranks that kept him giggling all the way to school. The two way squirting camera, magic ball & cup and the whoopee cushion have entertained all week, far beyond my $11 investment.

I googled some birthday jokes for his lunchbox.

What do you get every year on your birthday? Older!

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Abby. Abby who? Abby Birthday to you.

And added a bag of birthday cake batter popcorn (recipe below).

This is one way to lose a tooth.

After school, I took the boys and our eight-year old neighbor Maggie (one of Ryan’s favorite friends) to play black light miniature golf (first time for all of us), and spend a few quarters at the attached arcade (if you haven’t been to an arcade in awhile…don’t rush, the exchange rate of skee ball tickets to measly plastic prizes has not improved).

The fun kept rolling at Ryan’s favorite dining spot with both sets of grandparents and conveyor belt sushi. He pretty much ate rice. With a bit of cucumbers and tofu. He was thrilled.

Now, back to the birthday cake batter popcorn.

I spotted the recipe on Tasty Kitchen and tried NOT to make it, as the last two treats I’ve made also included boxes of conventional cake mix. I couldn’t resist, so instead I cleaned the recipe up a bit by using Bob’s Red Mill Vanilla Cake Mix (dairy & gluten free), replaced the vegetable shortening with coconut oil and spread the sweet stuff among twice the amount of popcorn.

I liked it immediately – as did my birthday boy and his brother. A day later, I worried the popcorn beneath the chocolate was too soft, but we are still reaching for it four days later, convincing me that its just right.

Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1 ½ cup Melted Almond Bark Or White Chocolate
1/4 cup coconut oil
1½ cup White Or Yellow Cake Mix
10-12 cups popped popcorn (air-popped or with minimal oil on stovetop)
¼ cups Sprinkles

Instructions

Melt the almond bark/white chocolate in the microwave, checking every 30 seconds until melted.

Add coconut oil to the almond bark/chocolate and stir until melted.

Add the cake mix to the almond bark/chocolate and mix well.

Pour the coating onto the popcorn and toss to coat evenly.

Spread the popcorn out onto cookie sheets to cool/harden. Sprinkle immediately with sprinkles.

Let harden before serving (but feel free to nibble right away).

Now This is Comfy: Fudgy-Filled Brownies

October 5, 2012

I bought a new dress a few weeks ago. A black shift, well-made and nicely detailed, with bell sleeves and a tasseled gold zipper running down the back. Even before I saw it retail at Neiman Marcus for $310 in another color, I knew it was a steal at Marshall’s (don’t knock it until its the only store within a mile of your house and you have limited shopping opportunities). I felt good in it and was happy to have something new to wear for the Jewish holidays.

It’s first wear was without fanfare or compliment. That’s just how it goes sometimes. It was a black dress, after all, perhaps not entirely eye-catching. I tried not to over think it, but by the end of the day, I just had to ask my husband if he liked my new dress.

Big mistake.

“Yeah,” he nodded, as if he’d actually noticed. “Is it comfy?”

Comfy?

Was that it?

Well, I guess it was comfy, but totally NOT my intention to look comfortable. I wore it with heels and even changed my earrings and necklace. Comfy is my everyday attire, my leggings, workout gear, even a few pairs of my jeans. My pajamas are comfy. My UGGS are comfy.

Hard to believe I even wore the dress again, but happily, the dress was redeemed in its second outing, as my mother greeted me at temple services on Yom Kippur by asking me about my dress before even sitting down and my fashionista sister even said she wanted one.

So, now, for those who need it, a lesson in comfy. This is a recipe for comfort-food. It is not clean, vegan, sugar-free or low-fat. I made this dessert for the same holiday I wore my comfy dress. I’ve been making these brownies since college. Totally decadent with a layer of creamy, chocolatey caramel and super-easy for kids to help with – added bonus, no eggs in the batter so they can (and will) taste right away. And if you overdo it, just throw on your most comfy black dress and heels and no one will ever know.

Fudge Filled Brownies

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients (Makes 24 brownies/cupcakes)

2 boxes Devil’s Food or German Chocolate Cake mix
1 large can PET evaporated milk
2 sticks of butter
12 ounces caramel squares
1 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Unwrap caramels and place in saucepan (don’t turn heat on yet). Add 1/2 cup evaporated milk.

Grease and flour (cooking spray and flour work well) a 9 by 9 or 9 by 11 baking pan (or use cupcake tin).

Pour cake mix into large mixing bowl. Melt butter in microwave. Add some evaporated milk so that mix is thick but moist. Use hands to press 1/2 of mix into bottom of greased pan. Bake for 10 minutes. then remove from oven.

While cake is baking, heat caramel on low/medium heat and stir (be careful not to burn). When melted, add chocolate chips and stir.

When melted, pour caramel/chocolate mixture over baked cake.

Take remaining cake mixture and form patties with hands or long thin strips (with the aid of a rolling pin, some flour and a knife) to layer over caramel mix.

Bake an additional 15 minutes, then remove. Slice when cool.

Buffalo Cauliflower: Hot Veg Gets Hotter

Buffalo Cauliflower – The Easy Way

Granola Bars: Out of the Box

No Box Needed Granola Bars

Ingredients (10 bars)

Instructions

Maple Snow Candy: A Sweet Taste of Winter

Sweet Start Your V-Day

Beary Delightful

Toasted (Not Fried) Ravioli

Carrot & Clementine Soup

And Now He Is Six

Now This is Comfy: Fudgy-Filled Brownies

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