Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin and Smoked Paprika

We were all craving a good steak last night after eating very little meat for a few days and the slow arrival of Spring had me craving something herbaceous. Seared ribeyes with chimichurri really hit the spot and I wanted a side dish that could stand up to the raw garlic and shallots in the sauce. I was thinking of South American/ Spanish flavors, hence cumin and smoked paprika. Because I had the shallots and garlic out to make the chimichurri I put them in the pan as well, it all came together for probably the most delicious cauliflower I have ever made. Maybe up there with some of the best I have ever eaten. It is sooo good.

A note about the seasonings, good quality paprika is worth a few extra bucks. It might be a little more expensive but its a strong flavor and a little bit goes a long way.

What you need:

1 head of cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp salted butter

2 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 small shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Place all of the ingredients in a glass baking dish (minus the butter) and swirl around to thoroughly combine and coat the cauliflower with the spices. Place in the oven and bake for a total of about 45 minutes. At roughly 15 minute increments, stir the dish. When the cauliflower has nicely browned and softened put in your butter and stir to combine, let finish an additional 5 minutes in the oven.

Kitchen Sink Soup

After the warm tease we got last week winter has returned with fog, rain, and cold air. I wanted to make an easy dinner that would be warm and comforting so I pulled out my slow cooker to make a soup that would be ready when we got home from the girl’s after school activities. What first began as just a white bean soup transformed into something reminiscent of a loaded potato soup but much lighter and healthier. I used just about everything I could find, leeks, garlic, potatoes, cauliflower, beans and it came together to be creamy and savory.

What you need:

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

1 stalk celery plus its leaves, cleaned and chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small leek, white and green parts chopped

3 strips good quality bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp parsley

salt and pepper

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

1 cup diced yellow potatoes (skin on)

1 cup frozen cauliflower rice

4 cups chicken broth

Place a drizzle of oil in a large sauté pan and add your bacon first and start to brown and crisp it up. Next add your onion, carrot, celery, and leek and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir around for a few minutes to soften the vegetables and release their aromas. Lastly add your garlic and parsley cook for about 3 more minutes, add another small pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer everything to your slow cooker (or do previous steps in a soup pot and continue cooking on the stove top). Add in your broth, beans, potatoes and cauliflower rice and another small pinch of salt and pepper, let cook on low for up to 6 hours or until everything has cooked through. When the soup has finished cooking use an immersion blender to purée 1/2 of the soup or do what I did and use a potato masher to mash up the beans and potatoes in the soup, then stir everything into the creamy goodness that is ready to eat. Top with sour cream, cheese, and chives or scallions.

S’mores Pie

Just remember, I am not a professional photographer. I am just a home cook taking snaps with my phone and usually in a hurry to eat what I just made. This photo really doesn’t do any justice to how delicious this is. I don’t know where this recipe has been all my life. Yesterday was Pi Day and combined with the fact that it was my birthday weekend, I wanted to indulge. I knew I was going to make a chocolate pecan pie because I make a really good one, its relatively easy, and my husband absolutely loves it. He isn’t a huge sweet eater and it makes me so happy to watch him grin from ear to ear while eating the pecan pie. We were going to a little outdoor gathering with kids and I wanted to treat them to something they would love as well. Rewind to me being convinced to buy Golden Grahams cereal at the grocery store yesterday morning and everyone’s love for s’mores and I knew I had to make a pie utilizing those ingredients somehow.

Because we were already out shopping and I wanted to be able to enjoy the day outside with my family (and also needed to fit in a workout since I was going to be eating all this pie!) I grabbed some pre made crusts, no shame in that! If you would like to do a homemade version, I posted the recipe for that too. It’s simple to make just creates extra dishes to wash. If you aren’t going to be at an outdoor picnic and want it to be pretty the extra effort to make this in a glass pie dish is usually worth it.

What you need:

1 pre baked graham cracker crust

(or for the homemade version, 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/3 cup melted butter. Combine all the ingredients and press into 9 inch pie plate, bake for 6 minutes then cool before filling. I usually use my food processor to make the crumbs and do the mixing)

For the fudge base layer:

2 cups of dark chocolate chips (I prefer Ghirardelli 60% cacao)

1/4 cup salted butter

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

For the topping:

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 cup graham cereal

3 tbsp salted butter

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Using a double boiler or a microwave safe bowl, melt 2 cups of chocolate chips with butter. I like to just do 30 second increments and stir as I go. When 75% of the chocolate is melted remove from the heat and just keep stirring until smooth. Be careful not to overcook the chocolate. When the chocolate is smooth add 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk and stir until fully combined. The fudge will start to set quickly so be fast. Pour your fudge into the pie crust and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Set aside while you make the marshmallow topping.

Now take one cup of mini marshallows and the butter and melt in a microwave safe bowl for approx 30-45 seconds. When the marshmallows have doubled in size and are very soft remove from the microwave and stir in your cereal, second cup of marshmallows and chocolate chips. Stir until loosely combined and spread on top of the fudge in the pie pan. Top with extra crumbled up chocolate chips or chocolate shavings and a bit of cereal wait an hour to set. You can also place in the fridge for about 20 minutes. This pie stands well on its own, I watched most of my friends and their children eat it with their hands : )