#1,021: Dairy Free Cauliflower Pizza (with sausage)

This recipe takes some practice and some patience, but it is VERY well worth the effort!!  My sister Jenny has been telling me about cauliflower pizza she makes very regularly.  I don't know what I was waiting for with this recipe but I've already made it twice and I have 3 more heads of cauliflower in my fridge waiting for me to make more. 

1 medium sized head of cauliflower - should yield close to 3 cups once processed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil (I used fresh)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (crush it even more between you fingers)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
optional a few shakes of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons almond meal
1 tablespoon (or more if desired) nutritional yeast (I omitted)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 egg
nonstick cooking oil

Place a pizza stone in the oven, or baking sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a cutting board, place a large piece of parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking oil or brush the parchment with olive oil. 

Wash and throughly dry a small head of cauliflower. Pulse in your food processor for about 30 seconds, until you get powdery snow like cauliflower. You should end up with about 3 cups cauliflower "snow".

Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cover. Microwave for 4 minutes. Dump cooked cauliflower onto a clean tea towel and allow to cool for a bit before attempting the next step.

Once cauliflower is cool enough to handle, wrap it up in the dish towel and ring the water out of it. You want to squeeze out as much water as possible. This will ensure you get a chewy pizza like crust instead of a crumbly mess. 

Dumped ringed out cauliflower into a bowl. Now add all your spices, your almond meal, your nutritional yeast (if using), and your olive oil. Mix the mixture to incorporate all the ingredients. Now add your egg and mix away again.

Once mixed together, use your hands to form the dough into a crust on your oiled parchment paper. Pat it down thoroughly, you want it nice and tightly formed together. Don't make it too thick or thin either.

Using a cutting board slide the parchment paper onto your hot pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until it starts to turn golden brown and the edges crisp up. Remove from oven.

Add your toppings (I recommend already cooked toppings, like shredded meat or sautéed veggies) and slide parchment with topped pizza back in the hot oven and cook for another 5 minutes until the toppings are warm.  

Allow to cool for about 2 minutes. Then using a pizza cutter and a spatula serve up your delicious grain and dairy cauliflower crust pizza!

#1,020: Paleo Nut Crunch Granola

I cannot find this recipe anywhere.  I have no idea where I found it to and therefore can't give credit to the appropriate website/author.  So I apologize for this!!

Since starting paleo, one of the hardest things for me is breakfast in the mornings.  Although this girl loves to cook, my breakfasts need to be fast and pretty much pre-made.  I love breakfast bars and smoothies, both of which are not super paleo friendly.  I don't love eggs so I prefer not to eat an egg casserole reheated every day.  Then I found this recipe which is basically a cereal made of nuts and can be eaten with almond milk.  Yeah for cereal!

This granola is delicious as a cereal, snack or dessert.  It's fabulous.  OMG I love it!

3-4 cups raw mixed nuts (any except peanuts)
1 tbsp. honey
1/4 c coconut
Optional add-ins: dried fruit, sea salt, spices.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

Mix the nuts in a large bowl.  Add in spices, coconut and sea salt if adding.  Mix.  Pour honey and coconut oil into the nut mixture and stir well. 

Spread the granola onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and cook for about 25 minutes or until the granola is a nice golden brown color.  Stir once about halfway through. 

Remove from oven and let cool completely.  If adding fruit, you can add this now. 

Serve plain, with coconut or almond milk, mixed in coconut yogurt or with fresh fruit.

#1,019: Apple Bumpkin Breakfast Bake

Isn't the name of this recipe just cute?  I made this dish to reheat for breakfast all week and I have to admit I am really enjoying it.  I think it would be better with some diced walnuts in it too, so I might add that next time.  I love the texture of the crunch. 

This is best served hot, but it really isn't bad cold either.  I'm enjoying it either way.

3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2″ chunks
2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed
12 large eggs
14 ounce can pumpkin puree
14 ounce can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (optional) (I omitted)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup ribbon coconut

Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 9×13″ baking pan well with coconut oil. Toss chopped apples into the pan, spreading evenly over the bottom.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Whisk in eggs, pumpkin puree, coconut milk, maple syrup (if using), vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Combine well. Pour over apples in pan.

Sprinkle the top of the mixture with sliced almonds and ribbon coconut. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes; until set. Cut into 12 pieces and serve hot or refrigerate to serve cold.

#1,018: Meatball Sub Casserole

You are supposed to use frozen meatballs for this recipe.  I wanted to use freshly made paleo ones, but decided that I didn't want to waste the paleo friendly meatballs on my family who wouldn't appreciate them.  So I went in search of frozen ones.  Our Kroger is being remodeled and they didn't have any in stock so I ended up using fresh turkey meatballs instead.  The package came with about 16 meatballs (homemade would have been so much better!) and I just cut them in half for this recipe.  I figured it would be easier for my family to eat.  I actually did not eat this with them.  I tried it so I could review it though.

Brian was not a fan of the bread on the bottom.  Neither were the kids.  They thought it was way too soggy, even being toasted first.  Personally I liked that part of it.  I liked that the bread was soft.  Since they were not fans of this, we will not be making this again.  The family says they prefer lasagna or meatballs with some garlic bread ON THE SIDE (made sure to emphasize that for them). 

1 loaf Italian bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used about 1 1/4 cups of ricotta cheese)1/2 c mayo (I omitted)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 lb package, fully cooked frozen meatballs thawed
28 oz jar pasta sauce
1 c water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place bread slices on a cookie sheet and toast slightly.
Once toasted, arrange bread slices in a single layer in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. 

In a bowl combine cream cheese (I used ricotta), mayo (I omitted) and seasonings.  Spread mixture over bread slices.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cups of shredded cheese. 

Gently mix together spaghetti sauce, water and meatballs.  Spoon over cheese.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. 

#1,017: Baked Chicken Fajitas

As you can tell by this, and the next post, we are on a fajita kick lately.  I've been enjoying making them because it's paleo friendly (minus the shells obviously) and the family enjoys them.  Especially Brian.  For the kids I will usually just cut up the meat and make some fajita meat quesadillas with brown rice and shredded cheese.  They eat it so much better that way then if I tried giving it to them as a fajita.  Same thing, won't eat it.  Whatever. 

I liked that this recipe was able to be baked.  It was so, so, so easy to make and tasted great leftover (cold or reheated).  We will definitely be making this again!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve (omit for Paleo)

 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.  In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.  Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.  Serve with warmed tortillas.

#1,016: Marinated Steak & Pepper Fajitas

 

 

As you can see from the photo above, this doesn't look like "Fajitas."  Brian ate his beef in a tortilla shell, but I wanted my steak and peppers cut up into a salad.  So that's exactly what I did.  And it was delicious.  My family will be shocked that 1. I ate the steak looking like the photo at left.  and 2. I ate steak at all. 

I'll be honest, I didn't eat much of the meat when it was pink.  Gross.  I like my meat charred.  So I cut it into strips and then stuck it back on the grill so it got nice and browned black.  This was very, very good.  Brian and I both enjoyed it immensely.  We will be making this again soon...

 

 

1/2 cup tequila or reduced-sodium beef broth (I used beef broth)

1/2 cup lime juice4 garlic cloves, sliced1 teaspoon grated lime peel

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon salt3/4 teaspoon pepper

4 poblano peppers, halved and seeded (I omitted)4 jalapeno peppers, halved and seeded (I omitted)
1 large sweet onion, cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices

1-1/2 pounds beef skirt steaks or flank steak (I used skirt steak)8 whole wheat tortillas (8 inches), warmed (I omitted)

1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (I omitted)

In a small bowl, whisk the first seven ingredients until blended. Divide marinade between two large resealable plastic bags. Add peppers and onion to one bag; seal bag and turn gently to coat. Cut skirt steaks in half and add to the second bag; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate vegetables and beef 8 hours or overnight.

Drain vegetables and beef, discarding marinade. Grill onion and poblanos, covered, over medium heat 4-6 minutes on each side or until tender. Grill jalapenos 2-3 minutes on each side or until crisp-tender. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat 4-6 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Let steaks stand 5 minutes.
Cut peppers into strips; coarsely chop onion. Thinly slice steaks across the grain. Serve vegetables and beef on tortillas; top with cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

 

#1,015: Barbeque Grilled Pork Chops

Holy cow were these Barbeque Grilled Pork Chops delicious!  Fantastic.  We all loved these.  I wasn't sure my family would love the flavor of these, but no one complained and there wasn't a pork chop left over!  Definitely adding to our family favorite category.  Since you only use half a can of tomato paste for this recipe, I immediately made another batch of the marinade and froze this for a future meal.  Win-win.

4 Bone-in Pork Chops, about 1-inch thick (I used thin cut boneless)
3 oz Tomato Paste
2 T Lime Juice
3 T Apple Cider Vinegar
1 t Salt
1 t Black Pepper
1/2 t Ground Mustard
1 t Cumin
1 t Chili Powder
1/2 c Olive Oil

Whisk together all ingredients for the marinade.  Lay out the pork chops in a dish and pat dry, then spread the marinade over them, covering both sides.  Cover in plastic wrap and marinate for either 30 minutes at room temperature or for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side until nicely browned and a little crispy around the edges.

#1,014: Paleo Meatloaf

This meatloaf was so easy to throw together.  I made it one day, stuck it in a loaf pan and we cooked it the following day.  It's a great make ahead meal that would be easy to freeze as well.  (I think I might have to do so!).  We all enjoyed this one.  Well, Chloe not so much, but that's just Chloe.  This was very, very good.  We did not add tomato sauce to the top of ours and usually I have to eat my meatloaf with catsup, but I didn't with this recipe.  We will definitely make this again.

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 medium sized yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
⅓ cup of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2½ pounds ground chuck (I use a combination of 85-96% lean)
½ cup of almond flour
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1 (8 oz) can of tomato sauce

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees if you have time to cook your meatloaf for 1 hour or more. If you are pressed for time you can preheat your oven to 400 degrees and bake your meatloaf for 45 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions and minced garlic and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown.

Turn off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, almond flour, salt, pepper and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork.

(I omitted this step) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread the tomato sauce evenly on top.

If are cooking at 325 degrees, bake for 1 to 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. If you are cooking at 400 degrees, bake for 45 minutes.

(I omitted this step) Place a pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf. This will keep the top from cracking and keeping your meatloaf moist. I just filled a smaller loaf pan with two inches of water and it sufficed.

 

#1,013: Seasoned Turkey Meatballs (Paleo)

I'll be honest, I wasn't totally sure I was going to love this recipe because of the peppers in it.  But I was very wrong.  These are delicious.  Matthew loved them too.  The girls would have liked them without the peppers, but as is, weren't big fans.  This is delicious in some homemade sauce.  Great recipe, that I will definitely make again.
 
2 lbs. ground turkey
2 eggs
1 small red bell pepper (chopped)
1 small green bell pepper (chopped)
½ medium sized purple onion (chopped)
3 garlic cloves (finely diced)
¼ cup almond flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Coconut oil (for frying)
 
Place skillet under medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  Once oil has melted, add onions and cook until translucent (about 3 minutes).  Add in red and green bell peppers the skillet (about 3 minutes). Add in garlic and sauté (about 3 minutes). Pour onion/pepper/garlic combination into a mixing bowl and let it cool for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl, and using a wooden spoon, combine turkey, eggs, sea salt, black pepper, almond flour and the (already cooled off) onion/pepper/garlic mixture.  Line parchment paper on your counter.  Grab a handful of your mixture and form little meatballs (1 ½” x 1 ½”); place meatballs neatly on the parchment paper.

Place skillet under medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Once oil has melted, place six meatballs in your skillet and cover skillet with a lid. Let meatballs cook for about four minutes (bottoms should get golden brown).  After one side of the meatballs has cooked for four minutes, open the lid and using your tongs, turn meatballs around to let the other side cook (be sure to close the lid again). Cook for another four minutes or until golden brown. Continue until all meatballs are cooked. 
* Makes about 20 meatballs

#1,012: Paleo Pesto Chicken Salad

Photo courtesy of Paleo Newbie.  I swore I took a picture of this made but cannot find it on my camera...I must have forgotten to take it. 

I made this recipe to eat for breakfast or lunch this week.  It was so easy to throw together and I love the freshness of the pesto sauce.  I had to keep adding more pesto because I enjoyed it so much.  I decided not to add the avocado to the mixture so it will keep longer in the fridge.  I'm cutting up avocado chunks and adding it in right before I eat it. 

This is really good.  The water chestnuts give this such a great crunch and the pesto gives it a nice oil/nutty flavor as well.  I will definitely be making this again.

Personally I thought this would taste better eaten on bread.  So I had to make some paleo friendly bread.  It was good either way.

2 cups shredded chicken (I used shredded canned chicken)
1 avocado,cut into cubes (I omitted, see above)
1 jar artichokes ,chopped
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
1/4 cup roasted red peppers – chopped small (I omitted)

For the Paleo pesto:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup basil
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

First make your pesto – this can be done ahead of time.  Combine, garlic, basil, pine nuts and lemon juice in a food processor for a few seconds until mixed. Pour in olive oil and blend until desired consistency. Store in fridge until ready to use.

In a bowl combine chicken, artichokes, red pepper and water chestnuts. Add desired amount of pesto and lightly toss. Add avocado.  Season with a little salt.  Serve inside a hollowed out tomato, as is, or with crackers or bread (if not following paleo).

Product Review: Lean Cuisine® Honestly Good Meals

During the school year I go through spurts of eating frozen meals and bringing home made lunches.  I usually have several Lean Cuisine meals in the freezer at work for those time when I forgot my lunch or didn't have anything ready to go.  My go-to frozen meals are pasta or pizza.  I'm not a frozen meat fan.  But when I was invited to join this Lean Cuisine® Honestly Good Campaign, I was interested in trying the product because these are found in the natural and organic freezer section.  This summer I have been eating mainly natural, unprocessed, organic foods.  So these meals are more in line with the foods I am trying to eat.  

My finished/cooked lunch.

I was sent a coupon to try one of these meals for free.  My Kroger only had 2 varieties to choose from: Pomegranate Chicken or Lemongrass Salmon.  I cannot stand salmon so I was really only left with one choice.  There are actually 6 varieties or this product though so hopefully my store will start to carry some of the other ones too.  You can choose from the 2 already mentioned as well as Roasted Red Pepper Chicken, Plum Ginger Grain-Crusted Fish, Pineapple Black Pepper Beef or Honey Citrus Chicken. 

Each of the meals come with a protein, whole-grain side, and veggies.  The pomegranate chicken included a grilled chicken breast filet, pomegranate glaze, green and yellow beans as well as carrots, and while grain pilaf.  I assumed I would love the pilaf, think the beans were just okay and not eat much of the chicken.  I was very happily surprised that this was NOT the case.  I loved the chicken.  (Did I just say that?!)  It was so moist, and tender.  I ate the entire breast.  I am not a huge frozen veggie lover but the green and yellow beans were really good.  I didn't love the carrots, but I don't love carrots too much normally.  The pilaf was probably my least favorite part of the meal but it was still good.  Best part of this meal is that it is filling yet only 390 calories.

I have been trying to eat minimally processed foods this summer so I was very happy to see that most of the ingredients listed on the package were whole/real foods.  The only non-real food listed in the ingredients was "2% or less of zante currant raisins with sunflower oil."  I assumed zante was some form of additive...guess what, it's not!  It's the type of currant used.  I was quite impressed. 

This is what the product looks like coming right out of the box. 
See that little black spot on the chicken?  That's a currant!

Find out more about Kroger brand products by visiting their website.  Don't forget, you can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter or on Pinterest.

Note: Although I received these products to try for free, it in no way influenced my opinion of them, or the opinions expressed above. 

Product Review: Fried Chicken at Kroger

Recently I was invited to join a BzzCampaign through BzzAgent for Kroger Fried Chicken.  These are obviously available at the Kroger Line of stores.  Want to see if you have one near you?  Check out this link: Kroger Store Locator. 

I was super lucky to be able to try several items for free: Kroger 8 piece fried chicken, 1 liter of Diet Coke and Kroger potato chips.  I almost ran to Kroger to pick all of this up the night my bzzkit arrived, but decided to save it for our upcoming road trip to Southern Illinois.  I checked and saw there were 3 Kroger grocery stores fairly close to our hotel.  I figured this would be a great time to try the products AND not have to worry about what we were going to eat for dinner that night.  I wish I would have taken a picture of the kids eating their dinner at the hotel but we started eating so fast I forgot!

I thought we were going to have to get this cold in the refrigerated section of the deli, but it was hot.  And best of all it was labeled with the time it was packaged.  I was very happy to see that it had only been sitting out for 30 minutes.  So we grabbed our chicken and other items and headed to the hotel to eat.  On the drive to the hotel Chloe kept complaining that the chicken smelled good and it was making her more hungry.  I literally couldn't get this on their plates fast enough.  Everyone loved the chicken and made sure I knew to keep the leftovers so they could eat it for lunch the next day. 

This was a delicious meal, that tasted great and I didn't have to worry about trying to cook!  And the 8 pc meal was only $7.99.  A lot less (and better tasting) that fast food.  The chicken was moist on the inside and the skin was super crispy.  We had two choices of flavors of chips at the Kroger we went to: Original or BBQ.  (Obviously this family went with original).  We will definitely be getting this again. 

 

Find out more about Kroger brand products by visiting their website.  Don't forget, you can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter or on Pinterest.

Note: Although I received these products to try for free, it in no way influenced my opinion of them, or the opinions expressed above. 

#1,011: Homemade Ghee

My cousin Alisa told me I had to get some ghee (organic clarified butter) but I couldn't find it in our stores.  My friend Paula told me to make it myself, so I started Google-ing how-to's and found a video that looked super simple.  This is the You Tube video I followed to make the Ghee.  It really was easy and all of this butter was from one pound of organic unsalted butter.  Because it is summer and my house (even with the air on) is pretty warm, my ghee is not solidifying.  I don't mind though.  I put the larger container in the fridge until we are ready for it so it did solidify, and if I really want solid butter I will use that one instead. 

This has a slight browned-butter taste to it.  It's good.  Really good.  I'm so glad I made it!!

Paleo Sausage Egg "McMuffin"

You may have noticed that in the title of this recipe, I didn't number it.  I'm not counting this one as an actual recipe since there was minimal cooking involved but I still think this turned out cute and it was good, so I'm going to share it.  Unfortunately I over cooked my eggs so they tasted more like hardboiled eggs, but that's okay for me.  Next time I think I'm going to add some veggies into my egg mixture before adding them to the mold. 

You are supposed to use round biscuit cutters for this recipe, which I do not have.  So I used shaped cookie cutters instead.  :)  I think these sausage and eggs are cute. LOL!

#1,010: Spinach Salad with Orange-Avocado Dressing

 

You definitely have to like avocados to like the dressing in this recipe.  I do love avocados but I had to use 3 oranges to sweeten up the dressing to where I liked it.  Because of that, I probably won't make this recipe again.  It's not bad, I've just had better salads and would choose something else over this one. 

 

1 large bunch spinach, washed and stemmed
2 carrots, grated
10 kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cucumber, chopped

Ingredients for the dressing:1 avocado
1 orange, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Wash and prepare the vegetables for the salad and place them in a large bowl. Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a blender and blend until incorporated. If the dressing is too thick, keep adding water until it is the desired consistency.

 

#1,009: Paleo Bread

Since starting to eat Paleo the last month, one thing I've missed is bread.  Not necessarily the bread itself, but to use as a sandwich when I eat my meat, especially with my lunch.  I can only eat so much chicken salad straight out of a bowl.  But if you add that on some bread, I love it so much more.  So I was on a hunt to make paleo friendly bread but without a bread machine (I don't have one yet).  I came across this recipe (which is linked at the very bottom of the page in the comments section from Sonia).

This was definitely a very easy to make.  And I had everything on hand except the flaxseed meal, so that was a bonus too.  Sadly I don't love this.  It has a bitter, unsweetened taste to it.  As just a bread (eaten alone) I'd have to but honey on this to sweeten it up.  Which I don't intend to do.  Eaten with my chicken salad though, it's not bad.  Not my favorite recipe and I probably won't be making this recipe again, but it gives me hope that I can find a different one I like to eat on occasion. 

1.5 cups almond flour1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1.5 tbs baking soda 1/4 tsp salt5 eggs1/4 cup coconut oil1 tbs honey1 tbs apple cider vinegar
Pulse the first 4 together in the blender then add the wet ingredients all together and pulse until combined. Will be a gooey mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

#1,008: Fresh Corn & Arugula Salad

I am not a huge fan of arugula.  And since I was making this recipe, I decided to add in a bunch of spinach to it to make it more of a spinach salad, with some added mixed greens.  :)  I loved this recipe and could have finished off the entire bowl.  The vinaigrette was really good and I loved the flavors of the balsamic vinegar and the fresh herbs.  Definitely a keeper recipe.

Basil Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon chopped shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:
2 ears fresh corn, husked
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 cups fresh arugula or baby spinach
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

In a small bowl, whisk vinaigrette ingredients until blended.  Brush corn with oil; grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from heat 8-10 minutes or until corn is crisp-tender and browned, turning occasionally. When cool enough to handle, cut corn off cobs and place in a large bowl.

Add arugula, tomatoes and pecans to corn. Drizzle with half of the vinaigrette; toss to coat. Top with cheese; serve immediately. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinaigrette for later use.

#1,007: Grilled Beer Brats with Apple Kraut

These grilled beer brats were our fourth of July dinner with my family.  Doesn't this look yummy?  It was!  I like brats but I don't love brats and I LOVED these.  These are really, really good.  I also loved the sauerkraut.  This recipe was super easy to make and it will definitely be going on our table again soon.  (Let's be honest here though, I'm the only one who will be eating the sauerkraut...but that's ok). 

My family doesn't drink dark beer so we used a bottle of Corona instead...it was still delicious. 

6 bacon strips, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium apple, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
12 uncooked bratwurst links
1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer
12 hoagie buns, split

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.

Cook and stir onion in bacon drippings until softened. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 15-20 minutes or until deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Add apple and garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in sauerkraut, mustard, brown sugar and cooked bacon.

Transfer to a 13x9-in. disposable foil pan. Arrange bratwurst over top. Pour beer over bratwurst. Place pan on grill rack over medium heat; cook, covered, 30-35 minutes or until sausages are no longer pink. Remove pan from heat.

Remove bratwurst and return to grill. Grill, covered, 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned. Serve on buns with sauerkraut mixture. 

#1,006: Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon and Garlic

I could probably stop at just the recipe title, since it pretty much sums it all up.  I love cauliflower.  I roast it all the time.  I also love bacon.  Enough said.

This really isn't any thing special in the way of side dishes, but I definitely enjoyed it and will be making it to go with my dinners (or lunches) again soon.


1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
6 cloves garlic, halved
3 strips bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. On a baking sheet, toss together the cauliflower, garlic slices, bacon and olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until bacon is crisp and cauliflower is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Family Bucket List: Make 4th of July T-shirts

When we set out to make 4th of July T-shirts, I wasn't sure if these would turn out or not.  Who knew you could use freezer paper as a template?!  And it actually sticks to the shirts (you have to iron it on) and then it peels right off.  It was the perfect thing to use as stencils for the girls.  The hardest part was cutting out so many different sized and shaped stars (I am a very bad cutter!).  I made Matthew's shirt but the girls did their own.  Personally, I loved Chloe's the best since she used the least amount of paint.  I guess less really is more.  :) 

Make 4th of July T-shirts

 The finished shirts!

#1,005: Gazpacho salad

I've never been a fan of gazpacho, but this salad recipe looked too good to pass up.  So I made if for dinner one day for my family.  I felt it needed more of a "salad" feel to it, so I added some romaine lettuce to it.  This was delicious.  I will definitely make this again.

2 1/2 cups cubed day-old dense country bread (1-inch cubes)
2 medium-size garlic cloves, chopped
1 large pinch of coarse salt
1 small pinch of cumin seeds
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably aged, or best-quality red wine vinegar, or more to taste
1/3 cup fragrant extra-virgin olive oil
1 2/3 pounds very ripe but firm tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 small Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, cored, seeded and diced
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 cup seedless green grapes, cut in half (I omitted)
About 1/2 cup slivered fresh mint or basil, optional (I used basil)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until they are just beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once. Lead the bread cubes cool. 

Place the garlic, salt, and cumin in a mortar and, using a pestle, mash them into a paste. Add the vinegar and olive oil and whisk to mix. Place the toasted bread and the tomatoes, cucumbers, Italian pepper, onion, grapes, and mint, if using, in a large bowl and toss to mix. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine well. Let the salad stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving to allow the bread to soak up the dressing.

#1,004: Paleo Greek Salad

In case you haven't noticed, I've been following the paleo diet/lifestyle for almost 30 days now.  I was afraid going away for the 4th of July was going to be difficult to stay on track but it really wasn't.  And I was able to introduce my family to a bunch of new paleo (or mostly paleo) recipes.  This was one of those recipes and we all enjoyed it. 

Dressing:
1 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp Crushed Capers (optional)
Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Greek Seasoning (McCormick’s is dependable and sugar-free)
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper

 

Paleo Greek Salad
4 cups Chopped Romaine
1 ½ cups Tomato Chunks
1 ½ cups Cucumber Chunks
¼ cup Chopped Purple Onion
¾ cup Kalamata Olives
¾ cup Pepperoncini Peppers (optional)
1 cup Paleo Greek Dressing

Dressing Combine all ingredients together in a large measuring cup and stir well.

Salad:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the salad dressing.

 

#1,003: Garlic-Balsamic Grilled Butternut Squash

I am a huge butternut squash fan, and usually I roast it in the oven, but I loved the idea of grilling it instead.  This was definitely easy to throw together and was really quite good.  My squash was still a little too undercooked for my liking so I think I'll microwave mine for about 5 minutes next time to start to cook it a bit first. 

1 butternut squash (or acorn or other winter squash)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, crushed
salt & pepper

Peel squash and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place in a ziploc bag. Mix oil, vinegar, thyme, and garlic in a small bowl, then pour over squash. Toss to coat, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Place the squash slices on the grill, being careful to save some of the marinade. Grill 5 minutes per side until the squash has some nice charred bits and is tender.  Pour the remaining marinade in a bowl, add the hot squash slices, and toss to coat. Let rest 5 minutes before serving

#1,002: Parmesan-Roasted Green Beans

This was a very easy recipe to make green beans with out having to blanch them first.  This was really good, but if you are making this for a large crowd you are going to need a lot of green beans.  I will definitely make this again (and maybe add a little bacon). :)
 
8 oz of green beans
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400.  In a medium size mixing bowl place green beans ( trim off ends), small amount of oil (enough to coat beans), pinch of salt and pepper. Mix til everything is covered.

Lay green beans onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle a “healthy” amount of cheese on top.  Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes – green beans should be crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

#1,001: Broccoli Sunflower Seed Slaw

If you are looking for a 3 ingredient, super simple recipe that holds up well (even with leftovers) then this might be your recipe.  Super simple.  I put a little too much dressing on for my liking, but it was still good.  I couldn't find any raspberry poppy seed dressing so I used pomegranate dressing instead. I also substituted slivered almonds for the sunflower seeds.  I'd make this again...

5 cups (12 oz.) pre-shredded broccoli slaw with carrots
1/2 cup prepared or homemade raspberry poppy seed salad dressing, or plain poppy seed dressing
1/2 cup dry roasted, salted sunflower seed kernels
salt to taste

In large bowl, toss together broccoli slaw and dressing. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Add sunflower seeds and toss just before serving. Add salt to taste.