Loaded Cauliflower

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t believe this would pass for mashed potatoes. If it wasn’t for 2 of my friends swearing by it to try, I’m sure this would have stayed on the way back burner. It was AMAZING! There’s a few tips to know before you make it (see below).  I can’t wait to make this again!!

Loaded Cauliflower (low carb, keto)

(Adapted from Low Carb Maven)

 

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THE TRICK TO GETTING A FLUFFY CAULIFLOWER MASH:

1. steam instead of boil.
   
2. let it sit uncovered to release some moisture
   
3. drain well before putting it in the food processor
   
4. add the ingredients that make it taste great – like sour cream, cheddar cheese, chives and bacon.
5. don’t over blend it, this breaks down the cauliflower too much and it’ll be looser instead of thicker like potatoes

 

1 pound cauliflower florets
4 ounces sour cream
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 slices cooked bacon crumbled
2 tablespoons snipped chives
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the cauliflower into florets and add them to a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water and cover with cling film.

Microwave for 5-8 minutes, depending on your microwave, until completely cooked and tender. Drain the excess water and let sit uncovered for a minute or two. (Alternately, steam your cauliflower the conventional way. You may need to squeeze a little water out of the cauliflower after cooking.)

Add the cauliflower to a food processor and process until fluffy. Add the butter, garlic powder, and sour cream and process until it resembles the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Remove the mashed cauliflower to a bowl and add most of the chives, saving some to add to the top later. Add half of the cheddar cheese and mix by hand. Season with salt and pepper. (I blended with the food processor, it really should be done by hand to not make it so loose.)

Top the loaded cauliflower with the remaining cheese, remaining chives and bacon. Put back into the microwave to melt the cheese or place the cauliflower under the broiler for a few minutes.

I visually divide the cauliflower into sixths. Serving size is approximately 1/3-1/2 cup.

Lemon Parmesan Cod with Garlic Butter

Not going to lie this was not one of my favorite dishes. It was ok, but I think you might need to use the finely grated parmesan to make it look like the original post here -

Lemon Parmesan Cod with Garlic Butter

(Adapted from Cooking with Momma C)

 

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3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 lemon (zest, plus juice)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, cut small or chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds fresh cod

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the grated Parmesan on a dinner plate and add the garlic powder and paprika.

Wash the lemon and pat it dry. Cut it in half and make zest from one of the halves by using a zester or grater to shave off the yellow part of the skin, adding it to the cheese mixture.

Rinse the parsley and pat it dry. Cut it with scissors or chop it before adding it to the cheese mixture. Toss the cheese mixture with a fork to blend it.

Rinse the fish in cold water and rub your thumbs along the surface to see if there are any bones to remove. Pat the fish dry with paper towels.

Melt the butter in a small pan on the stove or microwave it in a bowl. Set up an assembly line from left to right with the fish, the butter, the cheese mixture, and the sheet pan.

Use a fork to dip each piece of fish in the butter on both sides, then in the cheese mixture, coating both sides and patting the topping onto the cod with the fork. Place the coated fish onto the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes. The cod is done when it can be easily flaked with a fork.

Squeeze lemon juice over the fish and serve with bread for dipping in the garlic butter (you can place the pan on the table for informal dinners) or spoon the butter over rice, mashed potatoes or polenta. Store leftover cod in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

I’ve been loving using the Instapot lately! All of the crockpot recipes can be converted to Instapot or vice versa. We LOVED this General Tso’s recipe. It needed more spice, but that’s an easy fix after. Do you have any favorite recipes? Feel free to comment with a link or shoot me an email

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

(Adapted from Adventures of a Nurse)

 

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1.5 pounds cubed chicken
1 tsp Sesame Oil
6 tbsp Rice Vinegar
6 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup Hoisin Sauce
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp ginger
1 clove garlic chopped
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Sesame seeds
1 chopped green onion
2 cups Cooked white Rice

 

Place pot on Sauté.

Sauté chicken cubes in sesame oil for 1-2 minutes or until chicken is white no need to cook all the way.

In a separate bowl mix together Rice Vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar.

Pour mixture into the Instant pot over the chicken.

Place Manual High power for 10 minutes.

Do a quick release.

Place your pot back on sauté bring to a slight boil and whisk in cornstarch until mixture turns thick and bubbly about 2 minutes.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.

Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken and Rice Bake

My husband loves easy casserole dishes he can quickly heat up for lunches, but it’s hard to find flavorful dishes that don’t all taste the same. He said he really enjoyed this dish. I had a helping of it and thought it had too much lime flavor, but otherwise was really good.

Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken and Rice Bake

(Adapted from Carlsbad Cravings)

 

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1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked long grain rice or brown rice (measured uncooked)
1 16 oz. bottle mild salsa verde (I like Herdez)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 15 oz. can sweet corn, rinsed and drained
1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies

10 Minute Marinade
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tsp EACH onion powder, garlic powder
1/2 tsp EACH salt, smoked paprika, cumin, chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for more heat)

 

Optional Garnishes
Tortilla chips
sour cream
cilantro
Avocados

 

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

In a very large bowl, whisk together the 10 Minute Marinade ingredients. Add cooked chopped chicken and let marinate 10 minutes.

Mix cheeses together and add 2 cups cheese, salsa verde, rice, sour cream, green chilies, and corn to the chicken and marinade. Stir until evenly combined. It will seem a little “wet” which is normal. Add chicken/rice mixture to a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes or until hot in the center then broil until cheese is golden.

Serve with desired garnishes.

Asian Salmon and Noodles

As another season of Lent comes around so do the seafood recipes! We LOVED this one. As usual I grilled the fish rather than broiling, but the instructions below list how to broil the fish. The flavor is amazing and I liked the different textures in the pasta. For sure a repeat dish for us!

Asian Salmon and Noodles

(Adapted from Julia’s Album)

 

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noodles:
1 tablespoons cooking oil
5 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
7-10 regular button mushrooms, sliced, or 1 Portobello mushroom, sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 or 2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce (substitute with any other hot sauce if you don't have Sriracha)
60 snow peas, ends trimmed (sorry, I didn't have a scale, so I counted them). I think it's about 2 or 3 cups
1/2 lb pasta, preferably Fettuccine (half a pound)

Heat cooking oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add chopped green onions and sesame seeds and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

Add sliced mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes on medium heat.

Remove the pan from the heat, and add soy sauce, honey, chicken stock, sesame oil, Sriracha - mix everything well to combine.

In a separate pan, boil snow peas 3-5 minutes until tender but still crunchy. Drain.

In another large pan, bring water to boil and cook pasta for 10-12 minutes or longer (according to pasta instructions) al dente. Drain.

Add drained snow peas and pasta to the vegetables and sauce in the large frying pan with vegetables from step 1. Mix everything well and heat everything through on medium-low heat.

 

salmon:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pound salmon
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce

 

Preheat broiler. Heat large skillet on high heat. Season salmon on non-skin side with salt & pepper, generously. Add oil to the hot skillet: the oil should sizzle. Add salmon to the skillet non-skin side down (skin side up) and sear for 4 minutes, moving the fish around the skillet to make sure oil coats the surface of the fish and that the fish is not sticking to the pan while searing. (I grilled ours)

After these 4 minutes, turn the fish over to the skin side and sear for another 3 minutes on high heat. After searing on the skin side, you can actually remove salmon skin easily at this point and discard, if you don't like to eat it.

Mix honey and soy sauce together, heating it a little bit in microwave or on stove top to soften the honey. Brush top of salmon with the honey-soy sauce. Place salmon under the broiler for 3 minutes, watching carefully not to burn salmon. Brush with more sauce midway through broiling, if desired. Broil for a total of 3 minutes until the top of salmon becomes a little charred.

At this point, salmon is ready to be served. Or, you can keep salmon covered until you're ready to serve. If your salmon is a little bit undercooked in the middle, then keeping it covered for several minutes before serving will also allow the salmon to continue cooking and it will be perfectly done and not dry when you're ready to serve!