Buffalo Cauliflower "Wings"

Not being able to eat fried foods can be hard sometimes.  I didn't eat it all that much but not ever being able to eat it - unless I make my own - can be a bummer.  Occasionally I will get a craving for something fried and spicy.  These buffalo cauliflower wings hit the spot.  They aren't breaded and fried, but sautéed in a pan.  So good.   

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower

1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1/4 cup sriracha

1 Tbsp unsalted butter (I used vegan butter)

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Rinse the cauliflower and remove the woody stem and leaves at the base.  Drizzle olive oil onto the whole cauliflower, underside as well.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes on the lined baking sheet.  

Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  

While the cauliflower is cooling, combine the hot sauce, sriacha and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until butter is melted, cook on low until sauce simmers.  Remove from heat.  

Separate the cauliflower into large florets.  Place 1-2 Tbsp olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the cauliflower florets and pan fry for 5 minutes without stirring.  

Pour the hot sauce into the skillet with the cauliflower - the sauce will sizzle and thicken.  Stir gently to coat the cauliflower in buffalo sauce.  

When the cauliflower is fully coated and the sauce has reduced slightly, turn off the heat serve. 

This would be great as an appetizer at a party.  We used it as a side dish with pork chops.  

I drizzled mine with a dairy free ranch dressing.  I'll post that recipe soon.  

Enjoy!

Fried Cabbage

Fried cabbage might not photograph well, but it is super yummy.  I found this great recipe for a different use for cabbage as a side.  I always tend to make cole slaw with cabbage.  Never thought to saute it!

Ingredients:
1 bag shredded cabbage - or you can shred your own
3-5 slices of bacon
1 onion chopped
2 T butter (I use Earth Balance vegan butter to keep this dairy free)
dash of apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop up the bacon and cook in a medium sized pan until crispy.

Add in 2 T of whatever type of butter you are using and the chopped onion.  Throw in about 1 T water to deglaze the pan and saute for 4 minutes.

Turn the heat to low and add in the cabbage.  Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Turn of the heat and add the remaining 2 T of butter and the dash or two of apple cider vinegar.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Add more apple cider vinegar to taste as well.

Serve and enjoy!

Mexican Rice

Doesn't look like much does it?  But it's gluten, dairy, and yeast free.  Which are not ingredients you would expect to find in boxed rice.  But they are there.  Which makes eating boxed rice nearly impossible for me.  The one's I have found that I can eat, are really gross.  So I have started to make my own.  And guess what?  It's super easy and delicious!  This stuff is way better than any boxed Mexican rice I have ever made.  A great recipe from allrecipes!  This turned out perfectly as is for children.  If you want more heat, you'll need to add some.

Ingredients:
3 Tbps vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 cup long grain rice
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth (if you are not using homemade, make sure to check for wheat)

Directions:

Heat oil in a saucepan and add rice.  Cook, stirring constantly until puffed and golden.  Sprinkle with salt and cumin.

Stir in onions and cook until tender.  Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Add more chicken broth if needed.  Fluff with a fork.

Enjoy!

Grilled Nectarines with Blue Cheese, Honey & Black Pepper

Grilled fruit is so delicious.  Nectarines, pineapple, grapes, peaches....so good!

We had some nectarines sitting in the fruit bowl and I really needed another side to go with dinner.  I had the meat and a salad but I didn't have any potatoes or rice.  I saw the nectarines and thought, I could grill them!  I searched for a recipe online that would work with what I already had on hand and I found this one from Food Network.  Score!

I only used 2 nectarines since we have a family of 4.  Each person gets one half of the nectarine.

Other ingredients you'll need:
Olive oil/vegetable oil
Honey
Blue cheese crumbles
Crushed black pepper

Directions:

Heat the grill.  Brush both sides of the halved/pitted nectarine with oil.  Place face down on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Flip over and finish cooking until almost soft.  (I over cooked mine a little bit but they still tasted great!  Don't worry about overcooking - just don't burn them!)

Place nectarines on a platter with cut side up and place a dollop of cheese in the center of each nectarine.  Drizzle with honey and fresh black pepper on the top.  I left the black pepper off for the kiddos.  

Enjoy!

Green Beans

My girls love green beans.  I typically just steam them and serve them plain to them as that's been their preference.  Now they like a little seasoning on them and I've found this recipe to be a favorite.  You can boil your beans but I steam mine.  When you boil vegetables they will loose some of their nutrients into the cooking water, which is why we steam them instead.  We want to keep as many nutrients in our veggies as possible!


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Cook your green beans, we steam for about 10 minutes or until tender, set aside.  Melt butter in a skillet, add remaining ingredients, stir to combine.  Pour butter/spice mixture over green beans and gently toss to combine.  Enjoy!

Cucumber & Tomato Salad

We had a lot of cucumbers from our CSA box (sounds like my previous post with onions, yes?  :) and I wanted to make sure we used them up before they went bad.  We were invited to a friends house for a cook out and needed to bring something.  I found this cucumber and tomato salad recipe on this blog and decided to give it a try.  It turned out super yummy!  It's really refreshing and goes nicely with BBQ. I made a few changes and they are listed below.


Ingredients:
10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half
2 medium sized cucumbers
1 tablespoon dill
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of Water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar 
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Sliced onion (about half of one)

Cut the cucumber, onions and tomatoes. I sliced the cucumbers and then cut them into quarters.  The cherry tomatoes I just cut in half.  The onion I sliced and then cut in half.

Add in the oil, vinegar, water, dill salt, and sugar. Stir and put into the fridge to chill.  I chilled for about an hour and then stirred and tasted.  I added a tad bit more olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt.  Just go by taste.  This salad definitely gets better the more it sits.  I thought it was best the next day.  Gotta let those flavors meld!  Enjoy! 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I had a bag of brussel sprouts and was looking for a new way to cook them. I normally just boil or steam them and add a little butter/salt/pepper. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and they were roasted in the oven so I gave it a shot. Oh my, these are soooo good. I don't really like brussel sprouts but I make them every now and then because I know my husband likes them. I could not stop eating these. After dinner I was eating them directly off the cookie sheet! This is the only way I'll be making brussel sprouts from now on...and I'll probably be making them a lot more often!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I parboiled mine for about 5 minutes to reduce the baking time. You don't have to do this step although I would recommend it. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.

Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes if you parboiled, 30-45 if you didn't. Shake the pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. (I didn't do that step and mind turned out fine!) Serve immediately.

Summer Corn Salad

Jordan found this great corn salad in a Taste of Home Grilling edition magazine. He pointed to it and asked if I could make it. Why yes, I can and I was so glad he found it because it was delicious! Very refreshing and a great side to something grilled.

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce
5 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 tsp cups fresh corn (or frozen)
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, salt, pepper sauce, and 4 tsp olive oil; set aside.

In a large skillet, saute corn in remaining oil until tender. Transfer to a salad bowl; add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, & basil. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Let salad stand for 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Kay's Sweet Potato Casserole

Jordan's aunt Kay made this recipe for Thanksgiving when I was pregnant with Saryn almost three years ago. I do not normally like sweet potatoes but I LOVED this dish. I think I had several helpings that year! :) I have made it twice since then but keep forgetting to get photos of it. Well, this year I made it again for Thanksgiving and made sure to get photographs! If you like sweet potatoes even a little, you should definitely try this recipe!

Ingredients:
Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup pecan pieces
1/3 cup shredded coconut
4 Tablespoons butter, cut up

Potatoes:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered (My potatoes were small but I used about 3 pounds of potatoes)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
8 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup - 1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Butter 6x9 inch or larger baking pan. I used a 9x11 pan and it was perfect.

Prepare topping by combining all ingredients except butter in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or a fork. Reserve.



Place potatoes in heavy saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Boil over medium heat for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and let them dry in a colander for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put potatoes through food processor or food mill (I used a hand mixer) Stop as soon as potatoes are smooth. Don't over mix. You may need to add some of the cream to keep the mixture moving. (I didn't have to, I added my cream after they were mixed.)




With whisk or large spoon combine potatoes with eggs, butter, cream, and spices. Pour into pan.



Distribute topping evenly over the top.



Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned.



We had this with turkey but it would be nice with ham or beef as well.



Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Peaches

I made this salad to go with the Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken Thighs that I made a few weeks ago.  Both recipes came from a Cooking Light magazine.  I didn't even know what "quinoa" was but thought it sounded yummy so we gave it a try.  I also looked quinoa up on wikipedia -  "Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to white rice or couscous."

Well there you have it!  If you ever get tired of making plain old rice give this quinoa salad a try!  It's delicious! 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp pepper
1 sliced peach (I sliced mine into bite sized pieces so it would be easier to eat)

Directions:

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Cool quinoa slightly.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Enjoy!

Creamy Corn Bread Casserole

Not the greatest picture, but it is super yummy!. We had company over and I forgot to get a photograph of the casserole before people started eating. Something I need to work on, I know!

I made this corn bread casserole as a side to some meat Jordan was grilling. It's like corn bread, but very moist. I've made this before but it's been a few years. I found this on allrecipes.com. After we ate Jordan said we need to make this more often because it was really good. Yay! Just what I like to hear, he likes it!! :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 (8.5 ounce) package dry corn bread mix
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.75 ounce) can creamed corn
1 cup sour cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.
In a medium bowl, combine butter, eggs, corn bread mix, whole and creamed corn and sour cream.



Then have your two year old (if you have one, if not skip the next few steps) pick out some spices from your spice rack...



And pretend to add them to the bowl.



Of course, stir to combine...



Spoon mixture into prepared dish. :)



Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown.

If you decide to make this recipe I promise your guests will make it disapear!

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

Jordan LOVES potatoes au gratin. I saw this recipe on allrecipes.com and thought I'd give it a try. I used my mandolin slicer for the first time and I think it really made a difference - especially with the cooking time and even cooking. If you don't have a mandolin just try to cut the potatoes close to the same size as possible. We thought this was a great recipe but very basic so feel free to use this as your base and add as you see fit. The only thing I thought it needed was a little more salt but I'm pregnant and think everything needs more salt!! :)

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, sliced into rings (I chopped mine)
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 1 quart casserole dish. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes and stir gently to combine. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.



Enjoy!

Barley Mushroom Pilaf & Green Bean Casserole

So I am going to combine two recipes in this one post. I served them together and they are both very quick and easy recipes. I made these sides a few weeks ago when I was still doing the $100 a month grocery challenge. I was trying to use what I had on hand for dinner and these are the recipes I found. The Barley Mushroom Pilaf I found searching on Google under barley recipes. I had barley in my pantry but had no idea what to do with it! Well, there is a website completely dedicated to barley recipes! You can click here to check it out.

Barley Mushroom Pilaf
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sliced fresh button mushrooms
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chopped green onion (I didn't have this but really think it would have added some color, so I would recommend adding it!)
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in saucepan; add mushrooms and saute until limp. Add barley, broth, green onion and rosemary. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. I had instant barley so I only had to cook mine for about 15 minutes. Make sure to check which kind you have before you start cooking! Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over pilaf and serve.



The green bean casserole is even easier. I make this recipe quite often but have never posted it on here because it's so quick and easy. But it's good and we all like it so maybe you will too! I found the recipe in a cookbook that was given to me as a wedding shower present. It's Betty Crocker's Bridal Edition cookbook and the recipes are very simple but every recipe I have made from that cookbook turns out nicely!

Favorite Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients:
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cans french style green beans, drained (I used frozen green beans b/c that's what I had on hand)
1 can (2.8 ounces) french fried onions (I never measure this out - just buy a large can and use a handful)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup, milk and pepper in 2 quart casserole or square baking dish - 8x8 works great. Stir in beans, sprinkle with onions.



Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes or until hot.

Enjoy!

Baked Apples with Jack Daniel's and Brown Sugar

Jordan and I have a pig cooker that a bunch of our friends chipped in and bought us as a wedding gift. We cooked a pig for a friend's surprise birthday party on Saturday and Jordan asked if I would make some baked apples to go along with it. I've never had baked apples before let alone made them. (must be a southern thing) He pointed me to these baked apples on the NC BBQ Society web page. They came out pretty juicy but Jordan said they were supposed to be that way. Everyone at the party liked them so I guess that's what matters most!

Ingredients:

8 cut, cored, quartered and unpeeled apples ~ Red Delicious, Rome or McIntosh apples are recommended ~ (I can't follow directions very well. I used granny smith and peeled a few of mine before I realized, oops!)
1-3/4 sticks salted butter
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's black label whiskey (to taste)
3-3/4 cups brown sugar lightly packed
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

The directions called for a 15x10 baking dish, which I don't have. The only thing I had was a 9x13 so that's what I used. Place quartered, cut and cored apples skin side up 2 layers deep and add water.



Place additional apple pieces over the holes created by the first layer until you have a relatively even surface (enough to fill dish to 3/4 full). Cut butter into 1/4inch pats and place over apples.



Drizzle whiskey over apples. Next pat brown sugar firmly over apples.



Cover brown sugar with white sugar. I could only fit 3 cups of brown sugar and 1/2 a cup of the white sugar on my pan and they turned out plenty sweet. Do not pat. Simply smooth white sugar over brown sugar by hand. Sprinkle ground cinnamon lightly on top of white sugar.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on baking tray or cookie sheet in case apples bubble over the baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I had to take these apples and put them in a pan with a lid so we lost the nice cripsy topping which I was a little bummed about. No one knew any different though but next time I'll make sure to cook them in a pan that can travel. We just served this along with the pig and other sides but the BBQ site has this as being a dessert. With all the sugar on it, it certainly could be! Below are the directions to make it a dessert if you choose too. You'll enjoy these either way!



Place 1 or 2 apple pieces in a dessert bowl and pour a tablespoon of the apple juices over the apple slices. Top with a tablespoon of sea salt toasted English walnut pieces and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I'm always on the lookout for new potato recipes. I found this one on Pioneer Woman Cooks and thought I'd give it a try. We were having london broil on the grill and these potatoes sounded like they would compliment the meat nicely.

I was right. :)

I followed Pioneer Woman's recipe exactly except I used a mix of small potatoes from Trader Joe's and added red pepper flakes with the fresh herbs.

Check out her website for the recipe and her step by step instructions.