Cauliflower is the new Kale!

Hi. I don't feel like blogging but since I have an over developed sense of ... of... I don't know. Since I have this neurotic personality I felt like I HAD to. Like if I don't blog my 5 readers (waving to Julie my oldest friend that waits for me to post because she loves me and has known me most my life) won't be able to go on with their day. Like they will be slogging through their jobs, and the grocery store, and even my coworkers won't be able to do people's taxes because they are too depressed that I didn't write a blog post. I think that was just a run on sentence. Ok ok I will carry on about the pizza with a cauliflower crust.



Enter: Cauliflower. What? What Girl Scout Cookies? Oh shut up, you know that you bought a box of them too. Preservatives and all. I could tell you that I baked them myself and recreated (by hand) the box. I know OTHERS that would do so.



Oh yeah, the pizza. Ok, so all that you have to do is take a head of cauliflower and "rice" it in a food processor. Then you add egg and cheese and stuff (yes, I will give you the recipe. Don't whine)



And then you have a mound of goo that makes your heart sink because it doesn't look very good. But WAIT!



You bake it and it kinda DOES look like a pizza crust. You then add toppings. The toppings have to be cooked first because it only gets put under the broiler for a few minutes.



This one had broccoli and fresh mozzarella and tomato sauce. Uh oh forgot to take a picture after it was done. Damn! I will absolutely make this again. I will even let Dr. Food try it out. My friend Cathy shared it with me and she liked it too.



There was also Sardine night. I scored some fresh sardines and decided to try something with them. Do you know that they are one of the healthiest fish you can eat?



A bit of a pain to clean but they came out pretty good. Next time I will grill them on the BBQ.



Oh yeah and I also made a Harvey Wallbanger Cake for friends that came for dinner. It is one of my favorites (shhhhhh don't tell anyone). If you want the recipe just google "Harvey Wallbanger Cake" There are tons of the same recipe.



Cauliflower Crust Pizza
I got from eat-drink-smile who adapted from Your Lighter Side.

Printable Version

ingredients:
1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings*


To "Rice" the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).






Grilled Whole Sardines (with Thai Side Sauce)
Darlene Schmidt, About.com Guide


SERVES 2
8-10 whole sardines, fresh or frozen (see recipe for instructions on how to clean sardines)
BARBECUE RUB FOR SARDINES: (double this recipe for more than 10 sardines)
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. dry crushed chili OR 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
SIDE SAUCE:
3 Tbsp. good-tasting oil, such as coconut, canola, or olive
1 Tbsp. coconut milk OR 2 tsp. butter
1 fresh red chili, de-seeded & minced, OR 1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili or cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh coriander, chopped
2 Tbsp. fish sauce (available at Asian food stores)
3-4 Tbsp. lime juice
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. brown sugar
Preparation:

Lightly oil the grill with a little cooking oil to prevent fish from sticking.

To make the barbecue rub, simply stir all the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.

If the sardines you are using are already cleaned and prepared, skip this step. If not, cleaning sardines is relatively easy. Make a cut along the bottom of the fish and remove the intestines and entrails (simply run your finger inside the cut). Rinse and place the fish aside to dry.

Place prepared sardines on a try or in a long casserole dish, so that they're lying flat. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and slather evenly over the fish.

Now sprinkle the BBQ rub you made earlier over the entire surface of the fish. Gently rub it along each fish, so they appear yellow-gold. Sprinkle any remaining rub powder over the fish and set aside to marinate until your barbecue/grill is hot (at least 10 minutes).

To make the sauce: Simply place all sauce ingredients in a small pot or sauce pan. Heat very briefly (do not boil) - just warm up over medium heat to bring out the flavors, and it's ready! Taste-test for salt, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or another squeeze of lime juice if too salty for your taste. Add a little more sugar if too sour. (Note: You only need a teaspoon of this sauce per fish, as it's very flavorful.)

Before grilling, make sure your grill is lightly oiled or the sardines will stick. Grill the fish until cooked - about 5-8 minutes each side. When done, the fish will appear golden and the skin will be crisp.
Enjoy the fish as is, or spoon over the sauce for an extra Thai treat. The sauce is also very nice with rice. ENJOY!