Today is the day I have 100% started PRISM again. I'm looking forward to seeing some results and maybe finding links to other issues. I have a big goal in mind but I know that I did it once before, I can do it again.
Tonight after I ate dinner (salad with homemade greek yogurt dressing) I made up these little goodies for a treat.
They don't look like much but they are so good and just the bit of sweetness I needed to get through today. Haven't had sugar since Monday. The first two weeks are always the hardest in terms of sugar but I'm determined.
How to make these:
You need oranges, I think any kind will do but I used Cuties because they're so cute
Cut them in half horizontally
Using a small paring knife or a serrated spoon, loosen the orange flesh from the peel, don't remove it completely, just enough to create a small gap between the orange and the peel
Pour a little agave nectar over each orange (this step is completely optional, the oranges are sweet on their own, I used just the tiniest amount on each)
sprinkle the tops with cinnamon, however much you'd like, some got more than others
place on a baking sheet under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, check it though because it could take shorter or longer depending on your oven
You want to take them out when they are caramelized on top
To eat them, let cool for a minute then flip the peel backwards, away from the flesh and eat straight from the peel.
You're house will smell REALLY good and you'll get a delicious, juicy, naturally sweet, cinnamon-y treat.
Make up more than you think you'll need because they go quick :) I just did one per person which was fine for us but if allowed, I could eat four.
Perhaps tomorrow I will make 'sassy water'. I'm drinking lots (subsequently, peeing a lot) of water but I found a fun recipe to freshen up my water. Slice lemon, cucumbers and add to water, grate a little fresh ginger, and sprinkle in some mint. Let it sit in water pitcher to naturally flavor your water.
If you have any fun, healthy (ie: no sugar, no flour, no potatoes) recipe you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it!!
Have you ever had this stuff? It's much better than the cans of condensed soup, and healthier too. I work with a lady who is an AMAZING cook. She cooks so healthily and does it in a way that doesn't make you think you are eating healthy. It's amazing. Well last night I got back to work after taking a resident to yoga class and the house smelled delicious!! She made up her own version of this soup. She shared the recipe with me so I'm going to share it with you!! (I have a pot cooking on the stove as we speak, maybe an after picture?)
(PS I don't measure so good luck)
Carrot/Tomato Soup
2 diced yellow onions (mine were medium size)
2 stalks of celery chopped
3-4 blanched tomatoes with skins removed- finely chopped (save blanching water)
A LOT of peeled & roughly chopped carrots (however much soup you want, cut that many carrots)
Garlic--I used quite a bit because that's how I like it
2-3 bay leaves (or dash of ground bay)
Turmeric- a few teaspoons
Red Pepper flakes- I like it spicy
Salt & Pepper
Dash of Cumin
Dash of ginger
So you start by sauteeing the onions, celery, red pepper flakes, tomatoes in 2-3 tablespoons of butter. Once the onions are translucent, add the carrots, bay leaves, turmeric, cumin, ginger, S&P, sautee a little longer. Add the water you used to blanch the tomatoes until it just covers the carrots. Let it cook until the carrots are tender. You can add the garlic now or you could add it when you add the water, depends on how garlicy you want your soup to be. Once the carrots are tender, use your immersion blender or regular blender and blend until soup is smooth. Carrots are really sweet so this soup is pretty sweet. It almost takes on a squash type taste. It's really good.
To tone down the sweetness, you can make this to add a little bit to each bowl of soup:
few spoonfuls of plain greek yogurt
1 small spoonful of mayo
2 pieces of green onion chopped up
garlic powder
little salt & pepper
mix all ingredients together and chill in fridge until soup is ready. I just used a spoonful in each bowl of soup.
It's healthy. I has a unique taste to it. (read healthy)
That white stuff really makes it good.
After trying mine, hers tasted better. I should have bumped up the spices and maybe used vegetable stock instead of the water.
Is this the future?! I heard about this product a few months ago but was reminded of it yesterday when Dr. Oz had it on his diet show. It's a powdered peanut butter product. Here's a picture:
It seems weird, powdered peanut butter...? but I've heard it tastes just as good as regular PB except it is a lot healthier. Here's what Amazon has to say about it
"Through a unique process created by Bell Plantation that does not involve the use of any chemicals; over 90% of the fat is removed from the peanut. Essentially the oil is squeezed out of roasted peanuts and what remains is a peanut powder. The resulting all-natural product is unbelievable!The possibilities for PB2 are limited only by the users imagination and creativity! An outstanding natural protein source sprinkle on shakes, yogurts, smoothies, great for outdoor sports. Excellent for ice cream as it will not seize while processing, ganaches, frostings, truffles, soufflés, cakes, muffins, brownies. Dissolves easily for savory applications- Asian noodle sauces, breadings and crust especially for seafood. It is also wonderful for baking either reconstituted or as a powder"
2 Tablespoons of this stuff is 45 calories...compared to 188+ per 2 Tablespoons of the 'real' stuff. CRAZZZY. I tend to go skimpy on the PB because of the amount of fat and calories but if I get this stuff, I can indulge and use more than a tablespoon at a time. This will drastically cut down on my morning smoothie calorie wise. You just mix it with a T or two of water. excellent.
Here's a recipe if you're interested:
1 banana the riper the better
1 Cup of milk--about
a spoonful or two of cocoa powder
a small squeeze of agave nectar (or honey)
1-2 T peanut butter
1/2 cup ice
Blend it all together and you have a pretty healthy breakfast. I usually only drink half because it's packed with calories but now with this powder stuff it won't be as bad. Huzzzzah!
Please note, I've never tried this product but I think I'm going to order a container and see how it is. It's like 4 bucks so it's worth a shot.
(or as sam called it, panty ho's...I corrected him)
Whaddya do with a tube of 20 cent panty hose (that you initially bought to make baby headbands), a couple pounds of fresh orchard (free!) apples, a blender, and a vase?
Well the question should be what CAN'T you do with those things, but I digress...
I got a wild hair tonight after being home sick all day and pinning 5 different apple cider recipes on Pinterest. I youtubed how to make your own apple cider without an apple press because not everyone has one of those. This kinda crazy guy that I almost wrote off and wanted to stop his video caught my interest. Luckily he did. He gave me the tools and knowledge that would satisfy my apple cider craving in a jiffy (well or maybe an hour).
If you'd like to partake in the pantyhose apple cider phenomenon you've come to the right place. Now maybe this is an old tradition and has been around for many years but I'd never heard of it.
Here's the video I got the idea from:
it's a 7+ minute video but once I saw where he was going, I fast forwarded to the end :D I'm just ADD like that. I'll show you in pictures the steps I used. I apologize for the phone pictures in advance.
Gather your supplies: GOOD blender, vase...preferably your mothers favorite china :D I kidd, washed apples (note I used more than are pictured), knife, cutting board, and 20 cent knee high pantyhose. I happened to have white on hand for another project.
Core and chop yer apples...don't peel them, but cut out any bad spots. I cut them into quarters then into thirds but I didn't need too. this part goes quickly if you have a 15 year old brother who wants to help.
fill up your blender to the top and add a few inches of water. the more water you add, the farther your apples will go and the more cider you'll make, but it will also make the final product watery. But honestly now that's it's done I think I'm gonna add more water too it, it's very apple-y.
blend those suckers in your fancy blendtec or whatever blender you happen to have.
mine has a whole juice option that I used. It blends it for 50 seconds but I stopped mine with 20 seconds left because it was done.
put your pantyhose around the vase and pour half of the (white) cider into it. It will turn brown quickly because that's what apples do but it's ok.
this part is kinda nasty and I almost lost my lunch..oh wait I didn't eat lunch..oh gosh I am related to my grandmother...pull the pantyhose up and use your fingers to squish all the juice down. At this point I decided I needed a larger vessel.
It will make weird sucking noises and it will totally gross you out but, march on.
now squeeeeze all that juice out of that nylon. How is it that when one makes apple cider and abuses that poor piece of nylon that it doesn't BREAK or RIP? but as soon as I try to put them on on Sunday, there are instant holes?! Will wonders never cease? You should get quite a bit of liquid out of each squeezing, keep going until it's dry and no longer juicy.
Warning, the following image is disturbing and disgusting, the faint of heart/stomach should look away now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what the pulp of the juice looks like after squeezing....sick right? I said it looked like refried beans, sam had other options as to what it looked like...but I'll spare you. Throw that away or put it in your compost bucket. Once it's all out, rinse the hose well and wring out, flip right side out and you're ready for batch 2. I made ALL the cider with ONE leg of panty hose so guess who still has one for baby headbands? HOLLLLA
Repeat this process until you have used up all your apples. The beauty of this is you can make as little or as much as you want without being swarmed by bees outside. Once you get a system down it goes quickly. We have an apple orchard down the road from my house that NOBODY picks so we picked a bunch the other day and I made applesauce with most of them and cider with the rest. I went back yesterday and 'gleaned' with a friend from work, we gathered A LOT more apples/pears/plums/blueberries etc...and a lot of it will be donated to the food bank. So no more rotten going to waste apples around here!!
at the end, you'll have some delicious, fresh, free, healthy apple cider that you can then drink, make into hot cider (YUM) or make into apple cider vinegar by leaving it out. You can freeze this, refrigerate it, can it, drink it, bathe in it...whatever you fancy, I won't judge. I don't know exactly how many apples we used prolly 20-30ish medium apples so we got about the same amount (or more?) than you would using an apple press!!
Now go, gather your pantyhose and apples!!
On the plus side, you'll have some lovely now tan colored knee highs to wear to church sunday :D Kiddddding!!
Are you on a restrictive diet that doesn't allow pleasures such as slurpees, sugared smoothies, or other frozen beverages? Do you gnash your teeth and wail from rooftops when denied such yummyness? If you are, or do, read on my friend, read on.
Today I kept seeing pins for strawberry lemonaid allll over pinterest and I was a little jealous that I couldn't have them cuz of all the sugar required to make them delightful. Then I started craving one but I held strong. My water just wasn't cutting it so I came up with my own version of a healthy Raspberry lemonaid slushy!! huzzzzah!!
All you need is one single serving size packet of crystal lite lemonaid, 10 ounces of water, a handful of frozen raspberries (or strawberries), and a handful of ice, ice baby.
we just happened to have 2 flats of frozen raspberries in the freezer, cuz I put them there 2 days ago and a large container of crystal lite packets...cuz I'm addicted to it's flavored goodness.
After blending all ingredients in a blender, pour into a glass and drink with a straw. I put a little too much ice in mine so towards the end I had to use a spoon, so moral of the story, don't be like me and put less ice in yours.
mmmm mmmm mmmm good. I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with this idea but I like to think I was so just let me live in my delusional world, after all I don't get to eat sugar so I need some sort of fulfillment.
Enjoy!!
oh ya, calorie-wise there's like 20< in this smoothie, for the WHOLE blender and there is enough for 2 drinks...unless you're me...then it's all mine :D. It just depends on how raspberry-ie you make yours, but raspberries are like 1 calorie each...or so I tell myself. Plus the 5 calories for the lemonaid packet.
I came across this recipe one time for these weird sliced baked potatoes so I kind of changed it up a bit and made it how I thought it should be. Here is the recipe for you if you'd like to have a fancy schmancy dinner sometime.
You need potatoes...however many you want/need. I made 5, obvs. Peel them and rinse them. Next, using your peeler, make the bottom of the potato flat. (You can use a knife but you waste more potato that way so I like my way better)
This next part is weird but just go with it. Place two chopsticks on each side of the potato, this will prevent the knife from going all the way through the potato. I've also made these with small red potatoes and just cut the potato while it was sitting on a wooden spoon. Thinly slice through the potato...not too thin but you don't want thick slices so it will cook fully.
it will look like this. you can fan it out. It helps if you have a way sharp knife. DUH. everything is easier with a sharp knife.
Place the potatoes in cold water after slicing, this does two things, keeps the potato from turning brown and gets out some of the starch so you can fan the potato easier.
Next mix the following into a bag:
Smoked paparika
garlic & onion powders
a little chili powder
a little oregano
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
I don't do measurements so just throw in however much you want. I use the paprika the most.
brush each potato with olive oil. You can just pour it but it doesn't get into all the cracks...
sprinkle and rub the dry mixture onto each potato. Side note: after getting the rub on, clean off the cookie sheet so that mixture doesn't burn in the oven, it smells really bad if it burns ;)
after all potatoes are done, cover them with foil and put them in a preheated 450 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes until done. The edges will be crispy and the insides should be soft and tender. the burnt edge pieces are my favorite. At this point you can melt some butter and pour over each potato ;), top with sour cream, bacon bits, cheese, whatever. Or just eat them plain, prolly a little healthier...
Well mine just got out of the oven so I'm gonna go serve them up!
it's dreary, it's windy, it's rainy what better way to cure this yucky winter weather than a salad that bears the promise of spring and warmer weather?! It's purdy darn good and if you're into that sort of thing here's the recipe for you! It has a tangy strawberry dressing, broiled rosemary mozzarella, juicy shredded chicken, candied pecans and spinach. mm mm gooooood. Here we go... (please note that there are NO exact measurements, you just gotta go with the flow and do what feels right to you ;))
Strawberry Dressing:
frozen strawberries mostly thawed- mush them..A LOT
olive oil- enough to make the dressing thin out a bit
vinegar just a touch don't go overboard
garlic- i mimick my above sentiments, don't go overboard just put a TEEEENY tiny pinch in or just leave it out, it makes a strong garlic flavor since it's not getting cooked
red pepper flakes - i use a pinch or two
agave nectar- this is personal preference, however sweet you want to make your dressing just add more or less agave. I'm sure honey could work too i just like agave and always have it.
pinch of salt
So in a bowl or small pitcher mush all the ingredients together. I started with just the strawberries and went from there so I could add more or less depending on the consistency. Also taste as you go to make sure it's not too sweet/tart etc...
Candied Pecans (or walnuts):
I just eyeballed a cup or two of pecans and threw them into a tupperware container
add 1-2 Tablespoons of agave, about a T of water, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of red chili powder. Put the lid on the top and shake until nuts are coated. Place on a silpat liner or parchment and bake at 320 for 15-20 minutes.
did I mention that I really don't like measuring..so good thing it's not an exact science.
Rosemary broiled Cheese:
I'll be honest, the only mozzarella I had was string cheese, so i pulled some (i used four) apart into two pieces, sprinkled some dried rosemary on top and broiled it for a few minutes then cut them into smaller pieces.
Chicken:
I used 5 frozen chicken tenders (all i had)
sprinkeld some garlic powder, and onion powder and a little chilli powder (my basic go to seasoning for chicken)
baked it until cooked then shredded it and added it to my salad.
Then just wash your spinach and add everything to it! Don't dress it until you serve otherwise it will wilt.
Pretty easy, healthy and delicious!
Not the greatest picture since it's from my ipod but it'll do ;)
We take a break from our regularly scheduled programing to talk about Thanksgiving! YAHOO! It's probably one of my favorite holidays (besides Halloween) because it means the Christmas season is here and that mean Christmas music and trees and decorating etc...I just love this time of year. This year was no different, Wednesday night we had dinner at round table pizza with "the families" like always. We had some great entertainment provided by Miss. Reagan. =) she knows how to work a crowd.
this was outside our window this morning:
really?! i like the snow but not this early and not when i have to drive places!! yikes. and Ty's in Chile enjoying a 2nd summer jealous!
I made it my project to be in charge of the turkey this year. I never realized what a big deal it was and how much work it is. my hands are raw from soap and bleaching everything, I'm so paranoid about cross contamination! So I took some help from one Alton Brown and brined the heck outta the turkey. I just used some stock, salt, peppercorns, orange peel and ice water then let it brine overnight in the fridge. then this morning i rinsed it all out (sick) and patted it dry. Made some aromatics with apple, onion, rosemary and cinnamon. Filled up the cavity with those items and brushed it with butter then baked it and basted it several times through out 3.5 hours. It got a little browner than I thought it would but it made the skin kind of crispy (i hate the skin though, never have liked it). and this was the finished product:
i have to say for my first turkey ever it was pretty good. the flavor wasn't as intense as i would have liked but it was pretty juicy. I also made a stuffing like quinoa because i hate stuffing. I just made up a recipe and used 4.5 cups of broth/water and 1.5 cups quinoa. half an onion, dried basil, rosemary, toasted pecans and crasins. I loved it. I got seconds of it but couldn't finish because i was far too full.
we had our neighbors and tracy over for our lunch/dinner. it was a mad house for awhile but it all worked out. it was surprisingly less stressful than it has been in years past so that's good.
so tomorrow is black friday. we did go to walgreens and michaels tonight which wasn't as crazy as i thought it would be, i have never shopped on thanksgiving day before and probably won't again. but tomorrow, i'm debating what i want to do. People started lining up here at 2:30 this afternoon for stores that don't open until 5AM!!!!!! yiiikes. that's dedication but i think i'd rather pay an extra bit of money and not have to wait outside in the snow. so i might brave the crowds tomorrow to go to old navy and a few places but we'll see it might just be better to sleep in and avoid all the crazies and the icy streets!
I'm not sure what's wrong with me these last few weeks. All I ever want to eat is SOUP. I've made cauliflower soup, mexican bean soup, squash soup, tom ka pug soup and now southwest chicken soup. I can usually go MONTHS without eating/craving soup but ever since I restarted this diet it's all I want to eat. It's hard because a lot of soups use butter and flour which are things I stay away from but I've found several recipes that are just perfect. This soup came from my mom who went to a class years ago at one of our favorite restaurants, Bandito Burrito downtown. She made it for a friend and gave her the recipe then she gave someone else the recipe and so on. So last year after thanksgiving we went over to some friends house and they made this soup with leftover turkey. I begged for the recipe then I found out that my mom had the recipe all along! So I made it the other night and it is just as good as I remember! Here's the Recipe for anyone interested (I'll put what I used in parenthesis):
3.5 lbs of chicken (I used 2 rotisserie chickens shredded up)
4 quarts chicken brother or water (3 chick. 1 water)
4 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
3 C onion (1 large chopped)
1-2T minced garlic (3T ;))
1 lg red pepper (forgot it)
1 large yam peeled and diced
3 med. red potatoes diced (I used 2 small)
6 oz. can diced green chilis
2 sm. cans mexican tomato sauce (El Pato brand)
1-3 t. Salt (depending on stock vs. water)
1 t. Pepper
2 T Oregano leaves
1.5 T cumin powder
1 T chili powder
1/2 C chopped cilantro (mine included a fingernail which I chopped off...sorry TMI)
Fresh Limes
Small pkg. frozen corn
1 can hominy
Optional:
Cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado etc...
1) heat 2 T olive oil over high heat. Add chicken pieces and brown (I skipped this part since I used already cooked chicken just added the chicken and stock together) Add stock or water, vinegar, tomato sauce, hominy and green chilies and simmer 1 hour. (I simmered it for 10 minutes)
2)Saute onion in remaining olive oil, add pepper and saute until soft. Add garlic and sautee for 30 more seconds (don't want it turning bitter) add to stock
3) Sprinkle yam/potatoes with chili powder and add to stock (I did this before the onions so they'd have more time to cook, I was in a hurry)
4) add in the rest of your spices- salt/cumin/oregano leaves and corn. Let it simmer until yams/potatoes are cooked through. Serve with your choice of toppings. We always squeeze a quarter of a lime into the bowl and have different toppings (cilantro, sour cream, cheese, avocado etc)
All in all this recipe says it takes like 4+ hours to cook but I had it done within 45 minutes-1hr. Their directions are not very clear at all so I had to improvise a little bit. I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes because I like it spicy. It will make A LOT OF SOUP 5-6 quarts. So use a big pot, I used the biggest we have and it was still right at the top boiling over all the time.
Here's a picture of the finished product in my standard soup bowl. It has a lot of flavor and is pretty good for you. If all you do is cook the chicken first (or have the precooked kind like I used which makes it even faster) and throw everything into the pot I'm sure it will taste just fine. Sometimes things are made more difficult than they need to be.
I promise I'll post about something other than soup soon, it's just a phase, promise. I'm really posting for my own records since we tend to loose recipes around these parts.
Funny story, I just posted this on my photography blog...woops! =)
What is Tom Ka Pug you ask? Well it's a vegetable coconut soup. They have other versions with chicken/shrimp etc...and those have different names but the version I was introduced to is the veggie version. It's a Thai soup and it's delicious. I'm having a hard time finding things to eat on this diet again but this is perfect! I just made a big batch that will hopefully keep for a week or so so when I am hungry and don't want to make anything I can just pull this out! here is the recipe for those who are interested:
ingredients:
2 quarts chicken stock
1 can coconut milk
broccoli- I use a lot more broccoli than pictured but do however much you want
5 carrots- I love carrots and might add one more next time
1 sm onion chopped
noodles (typically you could use two-four packages of top ramen without the seasoning packet but since i'm on this diet I use brown rice noodles which is just brown rice in the shape of a noodle- note, when I use these noodles I add a little more chicken stock maybe 1/4-1/2quart more)- I get them at Trader Joes
salt/pepper/red pepper flakes
Ginger (either fresh or dried, i always have dried on hand- season to taste 2-3teaspoons for me)
chop your veggies up. I dice my onions small because I don't like large pieces of it but whatever your preference is would be fine. I cut the carrots on a diagonal so they have more surface area...?! You can use baby carrots too just chop them once or twice to make them a little smaller. First heat a little oil in a pot and sautee the onions with salt/pepper/ginger for several minutes just until they are soft.
after the onions are soft, add the carrots and let them sautee for several minutes to help soften them as they will take longer to soften than the broccoli. once the carrots have had some time add the broccoli. Let that work together for a few more minutes. You don't have to let it go as long as the carrots they will get softer with the liquid.
once the carrots/broccoli/onion have been sauteed together add 2 quarts chicken stock and 1 can of coconut milk. After dumping the milk in pick up a little liquid with the can, swish it around and dump it back into the pot. Let this get a little warm then add the noodles. I used the whole bag of rice noodles.
Let the noodles cook covered until they are al dente. I let mine go a little past that because I don't like hard noodles so I let mine soften up a bit. With my noodles it takes about 10-15 minutes depending on how high i have the heat on. Make sure it doesn't boil over when it's covered! Also add the red pepper flakes now, this would be to your personal preference I like mine kind of spicy but the rest of my family doesn't so I just put a pinch or two in.
Once everything is cooked and the noodles are done the soup is ready! You could add some sort of protein if you're into that kind of thing but I like mine veggie style. it's so filling and pretty healthy. The most calories are in the noodles (which you really don't get that much of in a serving anyways) and the coconut milk. I might get the lite kind next to cut calories a little bit but it's fairly low cals anyway.
Enjoy!! Sorry the pics don't look too appetizing, it looks way better in person ;)
I have always had this thing about being prepared. I always have a purse full of stuff (tooth brushers, hand sanitizer, first aid items etc...) sometimes i get made fun of for it but it seems like the ones who make fun of me are the ones who need those items. ANYWAYS. when i was a kid i read this book, Z for Zachariah and a few years ago i read the book, The Road and both these books have just made me more of a preparedness freak. With all the natural disasters happening around the world in the last several years it makes me even MORE of a freak. Food storage is something our family has always had and we try to use up the old stuff before it goes bad. Here is a fun recipe to help use up some of that food storage that might need to be replaced soon.
Mexican Corn Chowder: 2 cans refried beans 2 cans corn (include the water) 2 cans precooked chicken 2-4 Cups Chicken broth 1 can black beans (drained) Taco seasoning onion powder garlic powder chili powder sour cream cheese
basically what you do is throw everything into a pot (except sour cream and cheese) and let it simmer until hot. at the end, add the sour cream and cheese. you can also top it with tortilla chips (if you're into that sort of thing ;)).
it's pretty good. very hearty. i made it tonight for dinner and brought some to my grandparents in the nursing home and by the time i got home i just wanted cherries so i'll save my bowl for tomorrow.
if your name is Anita, do no proceed :) jk you can if you want... i was going to take photos of the making of this dish but forgot so i borrowed the pic. the only thing i didn't use in mine was the pasta. pasta has flour and i can't have whole wheat pasta for a few more weeks :( but i thought it was marvelous without the pasta anyways. anyways. i've made this recipe several times in the past and since i've been on this diet i've had a rough time figuring out healthy GOOD flavorful meals to eat. i can't believe i didn't think of this one sooner! i didn't calculate it out but without the pasta i don't think it has hardly any calories at all and it's so filling. here's the recipe:
2 heads cauliflower 1 medium onion 4 cloves garlic 1 pound whole-wheat pasta Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 1 pinch red pepper flakes White wine vinegar 1/2 lemon 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 4 ounces ricotta salata or feta cheese Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cut the cauliflower into small flowerets. Peel the onion and slice it very thin. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Put the pasta on to cook. Saute the cauliflower in olive oil in a large saute pan. When the cauliflower begins to soften, season with salt and pepper and add the sliced onion and red pepper flakes. Saute over medium to high heat until the vegetables are brown and tender. The cauliflower should still be slightly crunchy and should not taste steamed. Add the garlic and remove from the heat, tossing and stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn; if it starts to brown, add a splash of water. Add a few drops each of vinegar and lemon juice and the toasted walnuts. Taste and correct the seasoning. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the cauliflower, adding enough extra-virgin olive oil to coat the pasta thoroughly, toss together and serve, with the cheese crumbled over the dish.
oh my word this is delicious. actually now that i'm thinking about it i may have already posted this recipe before....i'll check on that but i guess it deserves to be re posted :). it really is so good and i always add a little more than one pinch of red pepper flakes b/c i like it more spicy and we have some really good pepper flakes from teaquent stop here in b'ham.
p.s. please add LOTS of feta. i just love feta. even though it smells like diaper it tastes SOO good. trust me. also i dice my onion very small so i don't know they're in there, i'm not a fan of chunky onions. nosiree.
p.p.s. to toast your walnuts just put them in a dry pan on fairly low heat and keep moving them around so they don't burn. i had a few causalities last night i had to throw away.
thanks smitten kitchen for your always amazing recipes!!
EDIT:
so i went through my archives and realized i am so weird. well that was the first thing i noticed the other thing was i name my blog's weird names so i don't know if i ever posted that recipe before. i vaguely remember writing about it though. hmmm. during my archive adventure i copied some links from old recipes i love and thought i'd post to share the wealth.
so there's some homecooking inspiration for you (and for me) i forgot about some of these posts. well now i'm off to grind some whole wheat to make pizza dough for dinner (first time i'll have eaten pizza in 3 months. it won't be like regular pizza but same difference)
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