Tag Archives: vegetarian

April 11, 2013 · 8:23 am

Spring Quinoa Salad and the Four-Hour Vacation

quinoa-picnic

I decided something a few weeks ago. ”Nothing” deserves a much higher place on my priority list. Recently we were given a rare gift – an extra weekend day, with no set plans and nowhere to go. Sure, the ever growing to-do list was still there. But the hubs and I decided to set it aside, pack a picnic and a deck of cards, and head to the park to check out Dallas’ new social oasis in the city – Klyde Warren Park. Side note for Dallas residents: If you haven’t been yet, I highly recommend making an afternoon out of it. It will make you excited for Dallas. Just go, you’ll see…

We parked it for about four hours. We ate lunch, listened to music (they were setting up for a concert that night), people watched, took silly pictures, played cards and just veged. It was like a little four-hour vacation. And it was for no reason other than to spend some time together doing nothing. It was awesome.

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I decided to make a spring resolution to take more four-hour vacations. I realize resolutions are typically made at the beginning of a year, but I’ve always found the change of seasons to be the best time for a shift in routine or perspective. It’s a time for cleansing, renewal and starting fresh.

Speaking of fresh… I’m excited to share this delicious spring quinoa salad I made for our picnic. This was the first really springy-tasting dish I’ve made this year. I love that transition when you first have those foods and flavors that tell your taste buds its time for a change. What are your favorite spring meals to make?

Spring Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Radish and Basil

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 in. pieces
1/2 cup thinly sliced radish
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil
1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
juice from 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and sautee until tender. Add radish slices and corn and continue to cook 2-3 minutes until heated through. Stir in quinoa. Remove from heat, add basil.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over quinoa mixture and stir to mix evenly with dressing.

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April 3, 2013 · 9:56 pm

Dinner for One: Sweet Potato with Kale and Avocado

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This is one of my favorite simple meals that I tend to make when I’m just cooking for myself. It’s super low maintenance (read: one pan) but has tons of flavor and is totally satisfying. It’s just simple ingredients that are easy to cook and happen to combine quite well together. By adding extras like garlic and lemon too, simple vegetables turn into the world’s simplest gourmet tasting meal for one. Did I mention how simple it is?

On a night when it’s just me, I can throw this together in about 30 minutes and be on the couch with dinner in one hand and the remote in the other, ready to relax and catch up on the girly portion of our DVR.

Sweet Potato with Kale and Avocado

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1/2 bunch kale, torn from stems and roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
1/2 avocado, sliced
salt
lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, wrap sweet potato in foil and bake 30-45 minutes, until soft.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute 5-7 minutes, until translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add kale and stir to coat with oil. Cook about five minutes until greens begin to wilt and shrink.

When sweet potato is done, unwrap and cut it in half. Mash the potato with a fork and then top with greens mixture. Add sliced avocado, sprinkle with salt and give it a little squeeze of lemon.

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March 13, 2013 · 9:11 pm

St. Patrick’s Day Spinach Pesto Pasta

I watched maybe four episodes of “Chopped” last night. It may have been a bit much… because when I just went to the kitchen to make dinner, I created my own little mystery basket. Except instead of exotic or ridiculous ingredients, mine were things in the fridge that are about to go bad… I had to get rid of some spinach. And the broccoli was looking a little peaked. (Please don’t tell the judges.) So there was that… From the pantry I scrounged some staples: pasta, garlic, onion. Done! I’m going to make a spinach pesto with sauteed broccoli and penne. Boom! And that’s how it went. Pretty lame for “Chopped,” I know, but the approach sure beat opening the door to a near empty fridge, sighing and saying, “We have no food!” Which is how I probably would have reacted just a few years ago…

Instead, I accepted the challenge and tried my damndest to impress my judge (the husband). And here’s the oh-so-appropriately-timed St. Patrick’s Day pesto pasta we ended up with for dinner:

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St. Patrick’s Day is a favorite holiday of mine. And when I looked down at all that green goodness on my plate I couldn’t help but smile at the timing. I would totally make this, or even just the pesto for a St. Patty’s Day party. Festive, and good for you! Skip the green beer and load up on this. (Note, I said green beer. I have no problem with beer… just for the record.)

Meanwhile, on my little episode of “Chopped”… The judges were speechless and practically licked their plates clean…

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And there’s still plenty of pesto left over to use in dressings and to dip things in between now and the actual St. Patty’s day. This pesto (which is similar to this one) is a super sneaky way to get in more greens, which are good for you on every level – improving circulation, bringing in oxygen, detoxing cells and even lifting the spirit. They’ll also help counter act some of the not-so-good for you stuff (read: green beer) we may over do in honor of our patron saint in green….

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St. Patrick’s Day Spinach Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

For the pesto:
1 bunch spinach
1/2 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
1 lemon
1 handful basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

For the pasta
1 box whole wheat or brown rice pasta
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

For the pesto, first put garlic clove in food processor and process to chop. Then add walnuts and chop. Add spinach, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and process into a smooth consistency. Last, add the basil and process until evenly blended and smooth. Add more olive oil and/or water until desired consistency is reached.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and sautee until translucent. Add broccoli florets and sautee about 10 minutes until cooked through.

Top pasta with broccoli mix and then pesto.

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February 25, 2013 · 9:30 pm

Curried Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

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It may look like just soup… but this is so much more than that. That little bowl right there is jam packed full of flu fighters – ginger, garlic, onion and sweet potato. We’ve been cramming these ingredients into alot of meals these days to help get us through the winter flu-free. So far it’s working (knock on wood). And with delicious finished products like this rich, creamy soup, getting that daily dose has been quite tasty, I must say.

Here’s a little more about why each of these four ingredients can help keep you from getting sick:

Ginger: Ginger is a root and has extremely strong anti-inflammatory, anti-oxident and anti-microbial properties. It’s long been a remedy to treat nausea and upset stomach (think gingerale on the airplane). Ginger is also an immune booster. Its heat drives circulation, warming the body and even causing a sweat to break. This helps to move colds and flus out of the body and leads to overall detoxification, which is necessary to maintain good health.

Garlic & Onion: Garlic, onion and other white vegetables are the scrub brushes of the vegetable world. When consumed, they get in there and scrub away the stuff that our bodies need to get rid of – viruses, bacteria, parasites (ick). That pungent smell you get when you cut into them comes from sulfides, which give them their anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties among other health benefits.

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Sweet potato: Just like its orange-fleshy cousins, carrot and butternut squash, the sweet potato is oozing with vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese -  critical components for immune support and function. What’s more, they taste like dessert  – quite a delicious way to load up on the essentials.

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One more pro: curry, with its bitter and drying spices, helps to clear mucus and reduce inflammation as well. For centuries civilizations have used curry to flavor and to preserve their food. In fact the combination of ginger, garlic and turmeric is one of the oldest in the book dating all the way back to between 2500 and 2200 B.C. making curry possibly the oldest dish on the planet. Looks like those ancients were on to something….

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Curried Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2″ chunks
3 shallots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger root
2 tsp curry powder
3-4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (or virgin coconut oil)
1 can coconut milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Once you’ve chopped the sweet potatoes, spread them out on a baking sheet, then drizzle with a little olive and a few shakes of salt and pepper and toss. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Then add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Next add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute or so. Then stir in the sweet potatoes and cook five minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and pour in coconut milk. Sprinkle in some salt, pepper and a little cayenne, if desired. Cover and simmer fifteen minutes.

To blend the soup into a smooth, creamy consistency, you can use either a blender, food processor an immersion blender. If you’re using a blender or food processor the steam can create pressure and cause the lid to pop off. So take caution and blend in batches if necessary.

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December 3, 2012 · 8:56 pm

Sweet Potato, Kale and Quinoa Salad

veggie-kale-quinoa-saladAs I sit down to write this, it feels a little like calling an old friend you haven’t talked to in years. There’s some guilt for having let so much time go by, a bit of awkwardness getting to where you left off, and oh, where to begin….

I must say, it’s good to be back in the food/health region of the blogosphere. I think I mentioned, we’ve been renovating our new house over the past two months or so now. In that time, I’ve been orbiting, lost in the home design section of the Internet – obsessing beyond control over very important things like differences in white paint. Now that I’ve successfully memorized Benjamin Moore’s entire collection and learned all there is to know about kitchen appliances, I think I’ve had enough…. it’s time to come back.

Side note – I must say, I have a renewed appreciation for the way we communicate online today – being able to share and find information with some keystrokes and a click. I feel as though I’ve learned another language – mostly from people like me just across the blog-o-pond. As I return to my own neck of blog-land, I’m excited to contribute what I know and love -  oh-so-good-and-good-for-you food – so others may enjoy and benefit.

We got our knives, bowls and other kitchen tools out of storage a few weeks ago and I found myself itching to get back into the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed having the excuse not to cook and letting others (my mom) do it for me while I pinned planned. I really didn’t think I missed it. But I did. I really did. This salad here is one of the first meals I’ve cooked in months. And oh, it tasted so good.

It’s good to be back.

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Sweet Potato, Kale and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cup water
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red onion, thickly sliced
4 kale leaves, removed from stems and torn
sunflower seeds, toasted
extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/4 a lemon
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt
black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse quinoa well. In a medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil (add a pinch of salt), then add drained quinoa. Cover pot, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed and you can fluff quinoa with a fork, remove from heat and transfer quinoa to a large mixing bowl. Set pot aside – you’ll use it later to toast the sunflower seeds (one less pot to clean later… right, Ross).

Place sweet potatoes and red onion on baking sheet. Drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss to coat with oil. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes. When slightly golden, remove from oven and set aside.

While the vegetables cook, prepare the kale and sunflower seeds. In a medium bowl, marinate kale with a pinch of salt, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix well, massaging the kale until it begins to wilt.

Next, get your pot you used for the quinoa. Place over medium heat and drizzle a bit of olive oil into the pot. Add sunflower seeds and toast, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown slightly. When toasted, remove from heat.

To your bowl with the quinoa, add the roasted vegetables and marinated kale and sunflower seeds. Drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss well and serve.

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June 21, 2012 · 9:20 pm

Green Lentil Dahl

It may not be the prettiest of meals, but for a simple dinner on the quick, cheap and healthy, it’ll do just fine. This has become a go-to at our house when the fridge is bare and dinner comes down to pantry staples. It’s called dahl, an Indian lentil dish that’s strong in flavor and low in maintenance. Not the most pleasing to the eye, but what it lacks in presentation it makes up for in flavor. And did I mention it’s quick… and cheap?…

Super-Power Spice
It’s the spices that really make dahl, dahl. The lentils are cooked with tumeric — a spice that’s been used to treat everything from bug bites to congestion to menstrual cramps. The vibrant yellowy-orange powder is a staple in Indian cooking, though it was originally thrown in as a preservative to make curries last longer. Sure enough, the same way tumeric kept the curry from going bad, it works to protect the living tissues in our bodies. And looking at the health stats for people in India and Pakistan, there’s something to it. They have substantially lower rates of cancers, particularly colon cancer. Perhaps they’re on to something…

For centuries, tumeric has been used as a potent medicinal herb in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for its anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fill-in-the-blank properties. Let’s just say it has super powers. And what have we Americans traditionally use this cure-all for? To make stain-your-clothes yellow mustard. Huh.

Tumeric brings balance to the body as a warming and bitter herb. It helps with protein digestion and also works to decongest the liver and protect it from toxins. As an anti-inflammatory, some say it’s comparable to Hydrocortisone or Motrin. And if you want to up the ante, add a little black pepper. As if super powers weren’t enough on their own, the synergistic combo makes tumeric 2,000 times more potent. Whoa.

Lentil Love
Spices bring these bad boys to life, but on their own they’re worth talking about too. Lentils are one of the best vegetarian sources of protein and are a fabulous alternative to beans as they take half as much time to cook. They come in several varieties in different colors and sizes. They’re good for the heart and cardiovascular system and stimulate the adrenal system. Of course they’re also low in calories and fat, but filling. Adding spices – particularly cumin, coriander and ginger – help to make them easier to digest as well (you’re welcome).

Eat dahl in a bowl with brown rice (the combo makes a complete protein) or add some sauteed veggies to the mix. For something warming, hearty and spicy, look no further…

Green Lentil Dahl

Ingredients

1 cup lentils, uncooked
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp cumin, whole seeds or ground
2 whole cloves
dash pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large pot, place the lentils and vegetable broth, and bring to a slow simmer. Add the turmeric, cayenne and salt, and cover. Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cumin and clove and stir to combine. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until onion is soft. When the onion begins to brown, add to the lentils, and allow to simmer for at least 5 more minutes.

Add a dash of pepper and more salt, if desired, and serve on it’s own, or with rice, veggies or both.

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May 19, 2012 · 12:08 pm

Curried Chickpeas with Kale

It’s been one of those weeks. You know, when you start out with the best of intentions…  a Sunday trip to the store, a fridge stocked full of fresh food just waiting to be turned into something delicious. And then life happens, work takes over and next thing you know you find yourself eating a LaraBar at your desk at 8 p.m. wondering how long an uncooked whole chicken stays good in the fridge. Does this happen to you? Or is it just me?

My problem is I do enjoy to cook, but often my eyes and intrigue are bigger than my tight schedule allows. If it’s going to be a busy week, I try to make a few staples (grains, beans, veggies, etc.) in advance and keep them in the fridge so I can throw something together in a pinch. This chickpea recipe is a great one to keep on hand. You can use canned chickpeas or make your own ahead of time (they’re so much better, and cheaper too).  To turn them into a meal, all that’s left is a little chop and saute and you’re about 15 minutes to done. Simple as a chickpea.

Curried Chickpeas with Kale

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 can)
3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
3 tsp tamari or soy sauce
juice from half a lime
1 tbsp honey
cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and 2 tbsp curry paste. Stir until paste is dissolved into mixture. Add chickpeas, tamari, sweetener and lime juice. You can add water if the mixture becomes dry as it simmers. Add kale and stir to mix with chickpeas as the greens begin to wilt and reduce down. Cook for about five minutes, then add coconut milk and warm (not boil) another minute or two. Stir in 1 tbsp curry paste evenly throughout.

Serve as is or over brown rice and topped with cilantro.

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May 1, 2012 · 7:06 am

Arugula Pesto

Before you read any further, just guess how many cups of leafy green things are in this bowl? This is like that game with the jelly beans… if they were pureed.

Got your number?

2? higher.

4? higher.

7? higher.

10? You got it, 10. There are 10 cups of leafy green vegetables crammed in there! It’s jam-packed and oozing with the essence of spring: greens, greens and more greens.  You’d have to eat one massive salad… Or you could put a tablespoon or two of this stuff on top of something satisfying and delicious, like pasta. Mmmmm.

The bright green color is so vibrant it glows. And for the body, it has the same effect. The more green leafy things you eat, the more oxygen gets into the body, feeding O2 to your cells and improving blood flow. You’ll also take in more materials (vitamins, minerals, etc.) that your body needs to make new, healthy skin cells. Every day your body is working to replace the million (yep, million) you shed in a day. And every day, or every meal for that matter, is an opportunity to improve the way you look and feel. Give your body what it needs and it will do what you ask of it in return. And when it comes as compact and tasty as this pesto sauce, how could you not??

This arugula pesto is a bit of a different take on the traditional. It skips the cheese and instead relies on peppery arugula, sweet basil, garlic and spices for flavor. The combination is so fresh and delicious, you might wonder why pesto ever needed cheese in the first place… The pine nuts turn into a rich, creamy base and along with the olive oil they provide healthy, satisfying fat that helps you absorb all the nutrients from the raw greens.

Everything in here is 100% raw too, which means none of the ingredients have been cooked, leaving the nutrition and enzymes in the foods themselves intact. Enzymes help break down foods in the body so they’re easier to digest and the process takes up less energy on our part. The energy saved from digestion can then be put to use in other areas, like cell growth and repair.

A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens it up and brings all the flavors together…

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves
1 cup pine nuts
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp oregano
2 cups basil
8 cups arugula
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ lemon, juiced

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse garlic cloves until finely minced. Add pine nuts and pulse until it becomes like a paste. Add salt, pepper and oregano and pulse. Add basil and pulse. Add arugula, two cups at a time and pulse until smooth. When all of the greens have been mixed in you should have a smooth green pesto. With the food processor running, slowly stream in olive oil through the small opening at the top. Squeeze in lemon and pulse again.

Just look at that glorious glowing green goop…

From here you can use it a number of ways. Serve it as a veggie dip alongside a crudité platter. Spread it on a sandwich. Add a little more olive oil for a salad dressing (green to the nth power!). Or drizzle over some pasta and spring veggies, like this:

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March 1, 2012 · 9:35 pm

butternut squash + kale + white beans + quinoa

Things I will miss about winter:

1. My UGG boots
2. Using the excuse “It’s too cold” to do nothing but curl up and watch Bravo
3. Meals like this….

I’m coming to terms with the fact that this will likely be my last bite of butternut squash for awhile, which makes me a little sad. Is it weird to miss vegetables? Wait, don’t answer that… My husband on the other hand does not share my nostalgia for these peculiar-shaped roots. As the “chopper” of the household, he’d be happy if he never came head to head with one of these guys on the chopping block again. They sure are little boogers to get into, but man, it’s so worth it. That buttery flavor and heartiness make them the perfect healthy comfort food. Plus with their dye-your-skin-orange flesh they’re chock full of antioxidants to keep your immune system in tip-top shape, just when you need it the most.

Literally, all I did here is saute sliced red onion in a skillet. Add the squash. Then broth. Then kale. Then beans. Serve over quinoa and voila! You’ve got yourself a dinner that might make you miss b-squash too. It’s crazy healthy, and even crazier that it’s so delicious. I almost can’t believe it myself. Here’s the full recipe….

Butternut Squash with Kale and White Beans over Quinoa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small butternut squash. peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces
  • 1/2 red onion, cut into thin crescents
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 can cannellini beans (or 2 cups cooked beans)

For the dressing (whisk all ingredients together to combine):

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Rinse and drain quinoa well. Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil and add quinoa. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, about five minutes. Add squash and stir to coat with oil. Cook 7-10 minutes. When the edges of the squash begin to sear and stick to the pan, stir in the vegetable broth. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. When the squash is soft, add kale and stir to combine. When the greens have reduced, add white beans and stir to combine.

Serve over quinoa; drizzle with lemon dressing.

And enjoy that last taste of winter.

As sad as I am to pack up my UGGs and say goodbye to b-squash, I’m just as excited to move on to spring. To help you get your body ready for the season, I’m offering a Spring Clean Your Body program. Now is the time we can all use a little spring cleaning — inside and out. Sessions can be done individually or with friends. For more information, click here.

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February 15, 2012 · 8:26 pm

Cauliflower, White Bean, and Leftover Soup

This soup was the unintentional product of a side dish gone horribly wrong. OK, I exaggerate, it wasn’t that bad. It was just a little cauliflower mash that turned out a bit more like cauliflower baby food. So, in my attempt to salvage a botched head of cauliflower, I combined the puree with some broth, added more veggies plus white beans, and the baby food became a creamy, velvety rich vegetable soup. Brilliant! One night’s kitchen disaster becomes something truly great and delicious the next. Love it.

If you avoid dairy, try this the next time you have a hankering for something creamy and delicious. Between the cauliflower, the added veggies and beans, it’ll satisfy and fill you up on the good stuff. I used veggies I had leftover in the fridge and frozen in the freezer: broccolini, carrots, celery, peas and corn. Soup is the perfect vessel for cleaning out the fridge in a completely delicious and non-wasteful way. Sweet potato about to go bad? Chop it up and throw it in! You’ll feel so resourceful.

Cauliflower, as this goes to show, is one of those magic veggies that you can turn into a number of things – roast it, mash it, rice it, puree it… It’s as if it were designed for cook-once-eat-twice cooking. You could roast  a ton of it with chicken on Monday night, then take the leftovers and turn it into this soup the next. I love it when that happens…  It certainly makes it easy to get another cruciferious veggie into your repertoire. Like it’s cousins (broccoli, kale and cabbage) cauliflower is high in vitamins C and K, so you get antioxidents and much needed support for your detox system. It’s also a good source of folate, potassium, iron and calcium.

Cauliflower, White Bean and Leftover Soup

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 qt vegetable broth
cauliflower puree*
1/2 cup peas, frozen
1/2 cup whole kernel corn, frozen
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
and/or any other leftovers you have

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add carrots and celery. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cauliflower puree to combine. Add peas, corn, beans and/or any other leftover veggies that you’d like. Bring everything to a simmer to heat through.

Cauliflower puree*

To make the cauliflower puree, cut cauliflower into pieces and steam 10-15 minutes, until tender. Place cauliflower in the food processor with three cloves of garlic. Add a little (I mean a little) water or broth and 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Puree, adding more liquid as needed until smooth and creamy.

If you’re starting with roasted cauliflower, follow the same steps as above. You may need a little more liquid to get desired consistency.

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