Buffalo Cauliflower

This recipe came from Tasty. I first tried it because I was craving wings, but wanted to try something healthier. So for my first, and only warning label - these do not taste or have the texture of wings. It's definitely cauliflower. BUT the smaller you make the florets, the less overt cauliflower flavor and texture you get, and the sauce is delicious! 

The sauce is a little different from what you get on a traditional buffalo wing, because it has that hint of honey in it - and it's so good! My favorite thing to do is to let the pieces get just a little bit extra done, because that darkness in some places creates even more flavor. That being said, it won't hurt to leave them in for a little extra time if you want - and stirring or flipping them every 10-15 minutes won't hurt either.

This one is super easy, but the cook time takes the option of it being "quick." Still, I think the flavor and the easy of prep makes it worth a try. I like these enough that I've made them many times already - and my friend's wing-loving husband even liked them!

Ingredients

• ¾ c all-purpose flour
• 1 t paprika
• 2 t garlic powder
• 1 t salt
• ½ t pepper
• ¾ c milk or milk alternative (I use oat milk)
  
• 1 head cauliflower
• ¼ c buffalo sauce or hot sauce
• 2 T coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1 T honey

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C). Line a baking sheet (parchment paper, foil, or another type of liner)
   
2. In a large bowl, add the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and milk, and stir until well-combined.
3. Break the head of cauliflower into florets, about 1½-inches wide (smaller is better). Add the cauliflower florets to the batter, making sure each piece is evenly coated. Arrange the coated cauliflower on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. (I occasionally brush a little bit of the mixture in #4 on in this step, so you can do that if you want.
   
4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the buffalo sauce, coconut oil, and honey and stir until evenly combined. Brush the buffalo sauce mixture on the cauliflower and bake for another 20 minutes. (If you wait to put this on until after the first 20 minutes, you'll get more flavor if you do it twice - once at the beginning, and once halfway through this second 20 min).
   

 Servings: 4        Calories: 250 (approx.)

Steak (cast iron)

Ingredients:

- sea salt

- pepper

- canola oil or ghee

- butter

The gist:

You cook the steak slowly in the oven, then transfer to cast iron on the stove top to sear it. It'll be perfect.

Prep:

1.5(ish) hour before cooking:

- Add thick sea salt to both sides of the steak, place in fridge

30 minutes cooking:

- pull steaks from fridge, leave at room temperature

- preheat oven to 275

Cook time!

- pat dry with paper towel as much as possible

- add a bit more salt (you can always add more later, too)

- add steaks to wire cooking rack on middle rack.

- on the rack below, line a pan with aluminum foil and place below to catch juices from steak

- Cook for 15 minutes, then check internal temperature of steaks. You want to get it to 100-105 degrees. Check every 5 minutes until you hit it.

Prepping for the stove top:

- Once you start checking the steak temp, start heating the cast iron on the stove to nearly as hot as it will go. Have your canola oil (or ghee) and butter ready.

- Once you pull the steaks from the oven, add the canola oil to the pan and get it hawwwwt.

Cast iron cooking:

- Toss the steaks in, and sear for about two minutes cooking consistently. You want to pull the steaks when they get to 130 degrees internal temp.

- When you're getting really close to 130, add in a tablespoon of buttter and spoon it over the top of the meat, flipping constantly for about a minute. (This adds awesome browning)

- Once it gets to 130, remove the meat from the pan and let rest for about 10 minutes

- Sprinkle pepper (and maybe more salt) to taste

Roasted Asparagus

I roast asparagus on a foil-covered pan in the oven most of the time. It's a tasty, quick, and simple addition to pretty much any meal. Let's get to it!

Asparagus should be washed and can be cut depending on what you prefer. I always cut or snap off the bottom (about an inch) - it should snap easily if you do it with your hands.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle asparagus with olive oil and sea salt (you can also add pepper or garlic powder).
3. Roast in preheated oven until fork easily punctures thickest part of stem, about 12-15 minutes.

Blackened Tilapia

I found this gem on Naive Cook Cooks. I made a few modifications, but I've already decided that it's a new favorite - mostly because of how delicious and simple it is! This is a great recipe that can make 1 serving to probably 6-8 (the recipe says 4, but there is a lot of the seasoning mix there, so I think it will stretch).

In order to make 1 serving, I used a frozen tilapia fillet and about a teaspoon of the seasoning sprinkled on the fillet (about 1/2 teas. on each side was plenty). I think that fish is always better freshly made and not as good left over, so I like to make only as many as I'll eat, and throw a new one in when I'm ready for more fish - this recipe makes that so easy!

Also, in case you're planning to use some of the mix now, and would like to use some later - I mixed the seasonings in a small plastic bag. It was easy to mix, and will be sealed until I need it again.

Blackened Spice Mix:
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
2 - 3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp oregano

Other ingredients:
4 Tilapia fillet, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp butter, melted OR olive oil / cooking spray
Salt & pepper to taste*

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400F.
2. Add all the spices in a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust anything if needed as per taste and keep aside.
3. On a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan, lay all 4 pieces of tilapia (or as many as you plan to use), Brush them with butter or olive oil on both sides OR spray them with cooking spray. 
4. Rub or sprinkle the seasoning on both the sides of the fish.
5. Bake in oven for 7 mins.
6. Flip tilapia after 7 minutes and bake for another 7 minutes. (additional time as needed)

*The spice mix has plenty of flavor, so it is likely that you'll need to add any salt and pepper - but I won't judge if you do! 

**I paired this with asparagus - it cooks for about the same amount of time as the fish, depending on the size of the stalks. 

[Taco] Stuffed Bell Peppers

The other night my friend came over and we made dinner... she had ingredients in her head, but not exact measurements - but how can you mess up stuffed peppers? So, we went for it. This is our recipe, whether it was correct or not, it was rather tasty...

Serves: 4 (or 2 with leftovers)
[disclaimer :: could easily be made for one by reducing the recipe]

Ingredients:
 
2 cans of corn (drained)
1 block of cream cheese
1/2 jar of salsa

2 bags of instant spanish rice
1 can of black beans

4 green bell peppers, tops off and gutted


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the peppers upright in a pan. Mix together the first set of ingredients in another pan. Place both in the oven, stirring the mixture occasionally as cream cheese softens. (I think we stirred 3-4 times)

Cook the rice. Drain the beans. Mix the two together.

When everything is finished cooking (about 20 - 30 minutes -- let's be honest, I was more interested in our conversation than the cook time... but you can gauge it by the corn mixture - it should be warm,  easily stirred, and completely mixed), stuff your peppers. Or, you can do it in more of a deconstructed way (which we did because they're easier to eat this way).

If you want to actually stuff the peppers, I believe she said to put the corn mixture in first, then the rice mixture.

We topped with a little bit of shredded cheese.

This was delicious! I am not always a fan of green bell peppers... but this was really good. It would also be very tasty with a red pepper (and probably the other colors as well -- if I try it, I'll let you know). Great flavor, filling recipe.
















*Sometimes this happens when you try to get picture with a good angle... oops!



**Update**

I have made this recipe again, and decided to meal prep with some of it. I ended up with 9 smaller, but filling servings. I decided to freeze three of the servings, and will roast some more peppers when I thaw them.

I also mixed all of the corn and rice mixture before adding them to the peppers.

For the meal prepping, I added the peppers, first, then put the mixture on top.

Taco Seasoning

After a near melt down a few days ago (I can't eat anything!! Why am I even doing this!?), I finally decided on trying to make a taco salad for dinner. However, to make a taco salad, I had to make my own taco seasoning, which was actually a quick and *better tasting* alternative. I found my recipe from this cute blog: happily "un" processed. Honestly, I liked this seasoning better than the taco seasoning in the packets I've been using for years. Probably partially because I hadn't tasted anything so close to "normal" in a few days, and I was floundering. BUT, it also has a little more kick than packaged taco seasoning, but the same general taste.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp course sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

To make this, just put all of the ingredients together, mix well, and store it in an airtight container. I can also tell you that you would need to use 3-4 Tablespoons if you're trying to replace an entire packet. The first time I made it, I doubled the recipe, because I knew I wanted to use it for more than one thing. I had about half left over, so I would guess that the recipe as-is probably makes one pouch worth of seasoning.

Easy Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas

The other day, I made the yummy Easy Chicken Tacos. Today, using the chicken taco meat, I made....

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas!

Simply and Oh-So-Tasty!

1) Shred some cheese.
2) In a skillet, spread shredded cheese and chicken (wasn't warm, it had been in the refrigerator) on one tortilla.
3) Top with another tortilla,  and turn the burner on (med-hi).
4) Flip the quesadilla once. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn, but does get warm and crispy.
5) Remove from the skillet, cut (I used a pizza cutter), and serve!

Those steps made it sound more complicated than it is. For the chicken part of the recipe, just click on the link at the top of the post.

French Bread Pizza

I decided to put the Jalapeno Chicken on hold, hoping that a certain friend (you know who you are) will come make and eat it with me... but I do have a couple of other recipes for you! I'll do one today and one tomorrow.

I had the brilliant idea this evening to make french bread pizza, which I've made several times and was sure I'd blogged. When I looked back and found that I had neglected it, I decided that it was finally the time!

This is a quick and simple recipe that can be easily tailored to different tastes. This makes it fantastic (and fun) to make with friends, but also good for just one or two because you only have to make as much as you'll eat. I'll keep the rest of the bread around for a couple of days, and then freeze it for later use. I've found that bread freezes and recovers pretty well - especially when toasted (or baked).

Start to finish (including clean up), this took me about 20 minutes.

First, I should admit that I love the salad bar at my local grocery store... not so much for the salads (they're good too), but for the already chopped, fresh veggies. I use them for stir-fry meals and pretty much any recipe that does not involve using a whole vegetable (bell pepper, broccoli, etc). Today, I even found a few pepperoni in there - which I was wanting, but not wanting to buy an entire package of 100 (or whatever a package of pepperoni contains). This in inexpensive and cuts down on prep time and waste of unused veggies (today's container cost me a whopping $0.75).

Cut your bread into manageable pieces, and then in half lengthwise. I like to cut mine into four pieces, and then make a total of 8.

I wasn't going to put a shot of this until I had it all together and ready (next picture), but in case you are under the false impression that things are neat and clean when I cook/bake, I wanted to set your mind at rest. This was today's oops!

Once all pieces are cut, you'll want to prepare each piece with as much sauce, cheese, and additional toppings as you like - this is where it's fun to let other people prepare their own. Also, I prepped these on the cutting board and then moved them to the pan for less mess. I also like to put foil down most of the time to help with cleanup... it's so much easier to throw away foil than to scrape off baked on cheese and sauce and toppings...

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes (I got that from somewhere on the internet... I actually baked mine for about 18 minutes, and it was fine. If you're making the whole loaf, you'd probably need the full time).

Plate and enjoy! I like to top mine with a little Parmesan Cheese and Red Pepper Flakes. And, I just like this picture. It turned out so much nicer than the others!

Chili-Lime Pork Chops

{Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Start to finish: 15 min
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
Seasoning:
1 t chili powder
1/2 t garlic salt
1/8 t cayenne pepper / ground red pepper
1 T lime juice
1 t canola oil

Pork:
4 boneless pork loin chops 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (1 lb)

If Desired:
Chopped fresh cilantro
Lime wedges


Instructions:
Heat closed contact grill for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in  a small bowl, mix all seasoning ingredients. Brush mixture evenly on both sides of each pork chop.

When grill is heated, place pork chops on the bottom grill surface. Close grill; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until pork is no longer pink in center.

  

 **I flipped them over half-way through, even though the directions did not say to... I thought that would be in the best interest of the meat***

Sprinkle pork with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

***

This recipe was my first attempt at pork, incredibly simple, and so yummy!! This was sparked by my trying to save money for my Argentina trip, looking at the grocery ads before going to the grocery store, and seeing that pork chops were on sale... I have been wanting to try new things with my grill, and get as much use out of it during this nice weather. This was the perfect opportunity to try something new! Little did I know that the pork chops would come in a package of 10(?)! I knew that it was not in my best (money-saving, food-not-wasting) interest to cook them all... so I took out the four that the recipe called for and froze the rest.

Honestly, I used to think that I hated pork, so I would never make it... but I have found in the last year or so that it's not so bad, and not always as fatty as I remembered (I do not like fatty meat).

This recipe was so quick and easy! And now I'm looking forward to some lunches and dinners this week!

1 Serving: 190 calories; 10g fat; 170mg sodium; 0g carbohydrates; 0g fiber

Fish Fillets with Herbed Tartar Sauce {Pillsbury Fast & Healthy Cookbook}

Start to Finish: 20 min
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 c Italian-style dry bread crumbs
1 T olive oil
1 lb mild-flavored fish fillets (about 4 serving pieces)
1/3 c fat-free tartar sauce
1/4 c chopped tomato
1/2 t dried basil leaves

Instructions:
In a shallow dish, beat egg with wire whisk. In another shallow dish, place bread crumbs.

 
In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Dip fish into egg, then coat with bread crumbs; place in skillet.

Cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides and fish flakes easily with fork.

In a small bowl, mix tartar sauce, tomato and basil, serve with fish.

***

I simplified today... I didn't have tartar sauce or tomatoes, so I skipped that step and those ingredients. I used individually packaged, frozen (and thawed) tilapia. My fish browned pretty quickly, but I think I had the heat on a bit too high. The fish was good on its own, but I'm sure it would have been even better with the tartar sauce - next time!

Simple. Quick. Easy.

Enjoy!

p.s. for you singles and doubles out there, this can easily be altered to make less (or more if you have a large family), and I'm sure would heat up decently - though don't take it to work because we all know how people react to the smell of reheated fish!

Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake

I found this website with mug cakes on Pinterest (shocker, right??). So, I tried it tonight... pretty yummy and super quick and easy. It is definitely a great way to get a little chocolate cake, without baking the WHOLE cake... and eating the WHOLE cake... yeah.

Here goes! Try it out!

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp. cocoa powder (depending on how chocolatey you want your cake)
1 standard-sized mug

 
Instructions:
In mug, crack egg, add powdered sugar and cocoa powder. 

 
Whisk together with a small whisk until well mixed. 

Microwave for 50-60 seconds, until the cake is cooked through (but not overcooked!) 

Top immediately with a handful of milk chocolate chips, hot fudge, whipped cream, ice cream, or pour several tablespoons of heavy whipping cream over the cake,

then eat it with a spoon... or fork.

***
200 calories * 33 carbs * 5g fat * 6g protein
{nutrition info does not cover extra toppings... so sorry!}
***

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

{Found at skinnytaste.com ... possibly from Pinterest :) } I am mostly excited about these because it's doing Lasagna in a cooking-for-one-friendly way! I'm thinking that this will be very simple to store and reheat, and probably freeze.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Serves 9

Pictured with Parmesan Zucchini

Ingredients:

9 lasagna noodles, cooked
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz fat free ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and fresh pepper
32 oz tomato sauce {I used Trader Joe's pasta sauce}
9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions:
Prepare 9 lasagna noodles. Make sure you read the box if you haven't done this before - there are steps to those things that I was not aware of. However, I did read and follow the instructions, and mine turned out wonderfully and did not stick to each other. {small victories!}

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

***

Since I'm cooking for one, I thought I'd try an experiment with these lasagna rolls. I was wondering if they would be better baked and then frozen, or frozen before baked... so I froze one - writing the instructions on the freezer bag.

I will try to remember to report back on my findings. Since this makes 9 servings and there's only one of me... and I don't like to eat the same food for 9 days in a row, I thought this would be worth my while.