Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon and Mustard

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A few weeks ago, I ran across a great deal on cauliflower.  It was on sale for $.85 per head.  Yes, 85 cents per head!  Wow, what a sale!  I've been paying up to $2.39 a head.  So I went a little cauliflower crazy.  I like cauliflower, it's one of the few veggies that Jeff will eat (besides corn) and Jacob likes it, too.  So it was a no brainer to go cauliflower crazy.  Except I already had a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator and Jeff had just left for training in California.  So that meant three huge heads of cauliflower in my refrigerator and only two people eating it!  After eating raw cauliflower, broccoli and cauliflower salad, cauliflower soup and cauliflower casserole, I found a recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website for roasted cauliflower that I tweaked a bit.  I thought it was very good and I can't wait to make this again.  I still have cauliflower in the refrigerator, so this will be on the menu this week.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon and Mustard

• Half of a head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter.  Stir in the olive oil, add the mustards, the lemon juice and salt and pepper,   Stir until combined.  Place the prepared cauliflower into a large bowl.  Pour the mustard mixture over the cauliflower.  Stir to combine. 

Spread the cauliflower into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Roast in the oven for about 45-50 minutes.  Stir every 15 minutes. 

Enjoy~

Rogan Josh

 

The last time I was at Penzeys Spices in Omaha, I picked up a bottle of Rogan Josh Seasoning.  If you've never been to a Penzeys Store, each spice or seasoning is displayed in a little jar.  You can remove the lid and smell each seasoning.  JP loves to do this!  Anyways, the Rogan Josh smelled soooo good.  A little spicy, a little curry-like and a little exotic.  According to Penzeys, Rogan Josh is...

• "Just a little spicy. A very popular dish from Northern India and Pakistan. This version of the red lamb stew comes from the state of Rajasthan, known for its hilly deserts and fierce, yet chivalrous warriors. Rogan Josh can be made with beef, but this blend is a great example of how a crafty seasoning can change the somewhat objectionable, "gamey" flavor of lamb into something far more delicious. Some blends are interesting-this blend is good." 

• Hand-mixed from: paprika, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, Korintje cassia cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and saffron.

The jar of Rogan Josh has been sitting in my cubboard for a few months.  Jeff doesn't care for spicy food, so I've been waiting to make this dish when he wasn't at home.  Wednesday night was the perfect night to make Rogan Josh!

 

I didn't have any lamb, beef or pork on hand, but I did have chicken...I'm not sure how traditional my version of Rogan Josh is, but JP and I enjoyed it!  I served the Chicken Rogan Josh over rice and veggies with a dollap of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro. 

Chicken Rogan Josh adapted from Penzeys

2 chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces

1 large onion, diced

2 T. olive oil

3 T. Rogan Josh seasoning

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. plain, fat-free yogurt

1 c. water

dollap of plain, fat-free yogurt

cilantro leaves

In a dutch oven, brown the chicken in the oil.  Remove the chicken and add the onion to the hot pan.  Add the Rogan Josh seasoning and salt and stir 1 minute.  Add the cooked meat back to the pan.  Mix the water and yogurt together.  Slowly add the water/yogurt mix.  Stir well.  Cook 1-2 hours over low heat.  Severve over rice and steamed veggies with a dollap of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro on the top!

Enjoy~ 

Cole Slaw

We eat cole slaw often in the Miller household.  It's a quick and easy side dish that goes well with just about anything.  I often buy a big bag of prepared cole slaw at Sam's Club and keep a Mason jar filled with the dressing in the refrigerator.  Cole slaw is quick to put together when you have the ingredients ready!  Enjoy~

Cole Slaw Dressing

2 cups mayo (I use Hellman's)
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. tarragon vinegar
1 T. onion powder
1/8 t. celery seed

Whisk the mayo, sugar and vinegar together until smooth.  Add the onion powder and celery seed.  Mix well.  Pour into a clean Mason jar and refrigerate until needed. 

To make cole slaw:  Shred 1/2 of a cabbage and 2 peeled carrots in a food processor.  (You can also hand shred the cabbage and carrot if you don't have a food processor.)  Place shredded cabbage/carrot into a large bowl. Add enough cole slaw dressing to your liking.  Stir well. 

You can also use prepackaged cole slaw mix.  (This saves a lot of time!)  If you shred your own cabbage/carrots, you will use less dressing...the fresh cabbage is more moist and takes less dressing! 

Enjoy~

Crock Pot Roast

I have a love/hate relationship with my crock pot.  Well, my crock pots.  I have 3.  I love that I can just throw ingredients in the crock pot and forget about it.  But I hate that if I don't plan it right, it takes a long time to cook.  I love that I can have serve hot appitizers and they stay warm (as long as I leave the crock pot turned on/plugged in.)  But I hate that meat becomes so overcooked that it shreds when I try and cut it....which is a good thing for some recipes, but not so good for others.  I love that I can throw in apples and it a few hours, I have applesauce.  I love that during the summer, I don't have to turn on the oven, but I hate that when a crock pot is on for many hours, it still heats up my kitchen.  I could go on and on, but I guess that over all, I love my crock pot...  ok, crock pots.

I made a roast in the crock pot a few days ago.  It's yummy, it's easy, it's wholesome, and the whole family loved it.

Crock Pot Roast
1 3-4 pound roast (any kind...I usually buy the cheapest roast I can find)


1 packet Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing mix
2 T. dry Ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 c. flour
1 beef bullion cube, crumbled
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, pressed


1-1/2 c. water
1 c. white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes, undrained

4-5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
4-5 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/3rds
1 onion, cut into 1/8ths, or 5-6 pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cabbage, cored and cut into 2 pieces (optional)


Spray the crock pot with non stick cooking spray.  Trim the roast of excess fat and place in crock pot.  Mix the Italian and Ranch mixes together with the flour, bullion cube, onion and garlic.  Add the water, wine and crushed tomatoes.  Mix well.  Pour over the roast.


Cook on medium for 4-5 hours.


Remove the roast from the crock pot.  Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and cabbage (if using) to the liquid.  Place the roast on top of the veggies.  Cook on high 3-4 hours, or until fork tender.  Remove the roast and slice into pieces.  Serve with the cooked veggies and the "gravy."  Enjoy~

Review:  JP told me that the roast was the best roast ever.  Enough said.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

So here it is, September 16...and I haven't blogged since August!  Ack!  Well, school has started and I am beyond busy.  I am taking two classes this semester (my LAST TWO CLASSES!) along with teaching two classes.  My students are seniors in college and I am teaching them how to teach Language Arts in elementary school.  Fun!  :)  I love teaching my students...they are like little sponges soaking up all I have to say about reading, writing, and the 4 other areas of language arts.  Do you know the components of Language Arts?  I've given you two...can you come up with 4 other components?  No cheating! (But they're listed at the bottom on this post!)

allnaturalannie.com

So onto Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad.  I love it.  Several years (more like 15 years ago) ago I got a recipe booklet from L.L. Bean.  They had 6 or 8 recipes on a foldout like booklet from employees.  One of them was for a Broccoli Salad.  The original salad contained a pound of bacon, a cup of mayo and 2 cups of cheddar cheese.  I've changed the recipe (haha, no surprise there!)

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad


1 medium-sized broccoli bunch, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 medium cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 medium onion, finely diced
2 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 c. shredded cheddar (I used 2%)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/3 c. raisins
1/3 c. craisins


1/3 c. mayo (I used lite Hellman's)
1/3 c. plain, fat free yogurt
1/3 c. Splenda
1/3 c. white vinegar


In a large bowl, mix the cauliflower and broccoli pieces.  Add the onion, bacon, cheddar, sunflower seeds, raisins and craisins.  In a small bowl, mix the mayo, yogurt, Splenda and vinegar together.  Whisk well.  Pour the dressing over the broccoli and cauliflower mixture.  Mix well and refrigerate.  Stir before serving.

You can easily double this recipe.  I've scaled this recipe down because JP and I are the only ones who like the salad...using a whole cauliflower and 2 heads of broccoli make a LOT of salad!  Feel free to use sugar or honey instead of the Splenda and regular mayo instead of the lite.  Also, you can use all raisins or all craisins...or whatever you like! 

Enjoy~


Language Arts consists of reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, visual representation

Egg Rolls

They look good, don't they??

 JP and I decided to have sushi (aka California roll) and egg rolls tonight for supper.  I love egg rolls.  They are so yummy, but oh so loaded in fat and calories.  But not these!  They are made with turkey and are baked!  They taste a little different from ones that are fried, but they are very good in their own right.  I'm not going to post the recipe I used for the California roll.  The picture looks better than they tasted.  They were very bland and chewy, not at all like what we buy in the store.  Almost a TLS recipe but not quite.

On to the Egg Rolls!  This is not a quick recipe...it will take 30-40 minutes to make them, and another 10-14 minutes to bake.  But don't let that stop you!

Baked Egg Rolls

1/2 pound ground turkey breast
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 inch piece of ginger, grated
4 green onions, thinly sliced (use the white, pale green and some of the green part)
1 can of bean spouts, drained or 8 oz. fresh bean sprouts
1/2 bag of shredded cabbage (made for cole slaw) or 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
1 small bag of shredded carrots or 4 carrots, shredded
2 T. sesame oil
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. fish sauce
2 T. oyster sauce
1/4 t. pepper
2 T. corn starch
2 T. cold water

1 package egg roll wrappers
1 small dish of cold water


In a large pan, brown the turkey.  The meat needs to be in small pieces, so break up any large pieces.  Add the cabbage, carrots, green onions, garlic, ginger and pepper.  Cook for 3 min on medium heat.  Stir the soy, fish and oyster sauce together.  Add the corn starch and water and mix well.  Push the meat mixture to one side in the pan.  Pour the liquid into the free area of the pan.  Stir well until thickened.  Turn off the heat and stir all of the thickened liquid and meat mixture together.


Preheat the oven to 400*.  Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.  Moisten 2 paper towels with cold water.  You will use 1 moistened paper towel to cover the egg rolls you make, and the other one will cover the stack of egg roll wrappers.  This will keep the egg roll wrappers pliable.  


Follow the directions on the egg roll wrapper package to fill the egg rolls.  You will need to use a scant 1/3 cup of the filling for each egg roll.  Use the small dish of cold water to seal the egg rolls.  


One they are all rolled, remove the damp paper towel and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-14 minutes.  The egg rolls should be lightly browned.  Enjoy!

Easy Grilled Chicken and Grilled Veggies

My inlaws left this afternoon after spending a few days with us.  They live about 260 miles away...close enough to visit, but far enough so they don't drop in unexpectedly!  It was great to see them and we had a wonderful time.  We traveled to the zoo in Salina yesterday and did some shopping.  My father-in-law, Leonard, did a few things around the house since Jeff is deployed, which I was very grateful for!  We played cards, did some geocaching, talked a lot and ate some pretty darned good food (of course, I'm biased a little bit!) 

Before they left this afternoon, I made a big dinner/lunch (another post for another day.)  It was terrific, but again, I'm a little biased!  The meal was different from my planned menu since we went out to eat last night and had a picnic lunch at the zoo.

Easy Grilled Chicken
Boneless/Skinless chicken breasts

Ken's Steak House Lite Northern Italian with Basil & Romano salad dressing
Gallon Ziploc-type Bag

Place the s/b chicken breasts in a Ziploc type gallon bag.  For every 3 chicken breasts, add 1/3 of the bottle of Ken's salad dressing.  So 3 chicken breasts = 1/3 of the bottle, 6 chicken breasts = 2/3 of the bottle, 9 chicken breasts = 1 bottle (you will need to use another bag if you're using 9 chicken breasts...it would be a little crowded in 1 bag with the dressing!)

Zip the bag and stick in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or up to 2 days.

Place the chicken on a med/hot grill.  Discard the salad dressing/chicken juice.  Grill 4-5 minutes and turn.  Continue grilling until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through....15-25 minutes, depending on the heat of the grill.

Review:  I've used a lot of different Italian salad dressings over the years and have found that I like Ken's Steak House Lite Northern Italian with Basil & Romano the best for marinating chicken.  It makes the chicken moist, and doesn't have a strong vinegary flavor.  Enjoy~

Grilled Veggies
1-2 medium zucchini squash
1 medium yellow squash
2 medium onions
1 medium green pepper
1 medium red pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 ounces whole mushrooms
3 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. Italian seasoning (Penzeys makes a good one, as does McCormick)
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
Gallon Ziploc-type bag
Bamboo skewers

Slice the zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise.  Chop into 1-inch chunks.  Seed and cut the peppers into large chunks (2 inch x 2 inch or so chunks.)   Put the spices, oil and vinegar into the Ziploc-type bag.  Add the chopped zucchini, yellow squash and pepper chunks.  Seal the bag and squish around so that all pieces are coated with the spice mixture.  Shake it up, baby!  Twist and shout!    (Click on the link!  My mum sings this song every time something needs to be shaken....and so do I!)Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or up to 2 days.

When you're ready to cook the veggies, slice the onions in half, then with each half, lay the sliced part on your cutting board and cut at 10 o'clock, 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock (you'll get 4 chunks of onion per half.)    Take the marinated veggies out of the refrigerator.  Thread the marinated veggies, mushrooms, onions, and cherry tomatoes onto wooden skewers.  You can put them in any order, but I like the zucchini or yellow squash on the ends...they don't shrink as much while cooking and fall off less than peppers, tomatoes, onions or mushrooms.  (You may want to soak the skewers in water before doing this step.  I never remember to do it, and the ends get a little charred, but that's OK.  If you don't want the ends of the skewers charred, soak them in water for 20 minutes.  It's up to you...)

Place on a med/hot grill.  Grill 4-5 minutes and turn.  Grill 4-5 minutes more.  It may take you more or less time depending on the temperature of your grill.  I like my veggies a little crisp with a little char on them them.  (Cook according to your tastes...not mine!)


Review:  I LOVE these veggies!  I've experimented with more/less oil, vinegar, spices and ready made Italian salad dressings, and this is what I've come up with.  The veggies are moist, flavorful, without being too vinegary.  I don't like to marinate the mushrooms (they get soggy), the onions (they fall apart) or the tomatoes (they get squished.)  However, feel free to change a few things to make it fit your tastes!  Enjoy~