Roasted Cauliflower and Sesame Spread

Recently we came into possession of a 30 gallon tub of cauliflower in our search to use as much as possible, we found a recipe for Roasted Cauliflower and Sesame Spread here http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/roasted-cauliflower-sesame-spread-recipe. It is a lot like hummus. The boys gobbled up the first batch on sandwiches for lunch. I think it is safe to say it was good.

Roasted Cauliflower and Sesame Spread

Ingredients
1 heads of cauliflower, halved crosswise and thinly sliced (or just cut the little florets off instead. Whatever is easier for you.)     

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons tahini (or a little sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili sauce that is what we did)

3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoon chopped cilantro (we left this out because we didn't have any)

Sesame seeds

Pita bread or chips, for serving (or use as a sandwich filling)

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower with the oil, ginger, and coriander and season with salt. Spread the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly browned in spots. Let cool slightly.
2. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add the tahini and lemon juice and pulse to a chunky puree; season with salt. Add the cilantro and pulse just until incorporated. Transfer the spread to a bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve warm with pita bread or chips.

Toasted French bread topped with Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Sesame Spread.

Or a simple sandwich. It is really lovely.

If you roast the cauliflower and decide against making the spread for a sandwich they are really yummy just roasted out of the oven. You can add a little goat cheese or feta if you like that sort of thing. This is a great recipe for vegans! I think you could make a batch and keep in the refrigerator for a few days. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did.

I hope that your day is filled with inspiration, love, and laughter. Be Well my friends.

Chicken Broth

I used my beautiful canner by myself for the first time ever this week to can chicken stock,or is it broth, no I think it is stock. My wonderful loving husband bought the canner for my birthday a few years ago. At the time my son could fit in it with plenty of room for veggies, so I was doubtful that I would ever use it. I love homemade chicken stock or broth or whatever and since we switched to Organic farmers market whole chickens I make broth after I cook the chicken. It is easier then you can ever imagine! First the pictures of canning. . .

That black line above the canner is the Microwave! This thing is huge!

These jars are quart size. If you are like me 4 cups fit into each one perfectly.

Four Quarts of Chicken stock. They are beautiful!

So I discovered the easiest way to cook a chicken in a crockpot. First defrost it, if your microwave refuses to defrost anything like ours, ours is only good for a bread box, place it in the refrigerator over night. You roughly chop one onion and put at the bottom of the crockpot. Place your defrosted chicken on top of the onion. Season your chicken and then put the lid on it until it is done. Here is the recipe and the link to the wonderful website I found it. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/25/recipe-the-best-whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/ 100 Days of Real Food Thank You for the recipe and awesome job! You have inspired me to give up my cereal crutch even though my kids now think I am the worst. Well until I let them eat banana pie for breakfast... Moving on.

The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 large chicken

Directions

1. Combine the dried spices in a small bowl.
2. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over. You can even put some of the spices inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts.
4. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. There is no need to add any liquid.
5. Cook for 4 – 5 hours (for a 3 or 4 pound chicken) or until the chicken is falling off the bone. Enjoy!

This is a really good, really easy recipe. Then if you are like me and love homemade chicken stock pour water over the bones and let it simmer on low overnight. Okay I also add garlic, carrots, celery, and a few other herbs and spices. This is completely optional but it makes the broth so much better. Then next morning you will wake up to a lovely smell. Of course you have to separate the broth and the bones but if you have a strainer it is just time consuming. Here is the good news chicken broth lovers you can freeze it in ziplock bags or any other freezable containers.

I would tell you how to use your super big canner but I am not an expert so I will give you a helpful link that will lead you in the right direction. http://www.simplycanning.com/. Simply canning Thank you for walking me through my anxiety. You were a great help to me and I will be pouring over your site now that I know how easy it is to can my own creations. You too are awesome.

If I didn't have so much school work I might start buying jars in all sizes and raiding the farmers market for delicious fruits and vegetables to can. Wait I did just make a giant batch of spaghetti sauce, 18 cups of it to be exact that I divided up and froze. I know what I want for Christmas Jars, Jars, and lids that go on top. Huston I have a problem! Now if my husband could make our fruit trees grow faster. I guess we will have to buy bigger trees to make up the difference.

I hope you week is filled with dreams of chicken broth, lots of love and bright laughter.

Recipe Tuesday

I am going back to my roots this week with a hearty country meal complete with Sweet tea. My favorite meal this week was Beans and Cornbread. It is my Papa's favorite meal so I grew up eating it at their house. It is nice to sit at the kitchen table and make new memories while reminiscing about old memories. Although this is one of my childhood favorites I want to encourage you to go back to your roots and share a childhood memory with your children at dinner tonight. I can't say that all of my food memories are good ones. Let me tell you we ate plenty of tuna casseroles, and kielbasa sausage meals to scar me for life. We take the good with the bad. So let's focus on the wonderful times.

Recipe: Beans and Cornbread

Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 2 Hours | Difficulty: Easy | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Bean Ingredients:
• 4 cups Pinto Beans
• 4 slices Thick Bacon (can Also Use Salt Pork, Or Ham Hock, Or Diced Ham)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• Cornbread Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Shortening
• 1 cup Yellow Corn Meal
• 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 whole Egg
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

Preparation Instructions

BEANS: Rinse beans in cool water; pour into a pot, cover with water by 2 to 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer 2 hours, or until beans are tender. Add water to pot as needed. Beans should have a thick broth. Toward end of cooking time, add salt and pepper and season to taste. Don’t over-salt. For a variety try adding chili powder, garlic or Tabasco. Serve in a bowl with cornbread. Can serve with small bowls of grated cheese, chopped onions, chopped fresh jalapenos, sour cream, and/or cilantro.
CORNBREAD: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat shortening in an iron skillet, muffin pan, or other baking pan. Combine corn meal, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, and egg. Add baking powder and baking soda. Stir. Add ¼ cup melted shortening, stirring constantly. Pour into hot pan, smoothing surface with spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Here is a link to The Pioneer Woman's Beans and Cornbread recipe. If you haven't visited her before she takes step by step photos. Plus she is a lot of fun to read. Enjoy
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/beans_and_cornb/

I topped the beans with Greek yogurt (it has replaced all the sour cream in our house. It is a healthier option and once you start you can never go back.), shredded cheddar cheese, red onions, and a dash of hot sauce. If you have a husband who loves beans but you don't love him after beano is handy to have before dinner.

We made honey butter to go on the cornbread. Cornbread is good crumbled into the heavenly beans but if you love bread on the side honey butter is a quick mix away. All you need is about 1/4 cup butter and 1/8 cup of honey mix together. If you use the real sticks of butter like me soften it in the microwave for 15 seconds or until you can easily mix it. Spread it on the cornbread thick.

Finally Sweet tea. We use Stevia to sweeten our tea. We also use fresh mint from the garden to flavor the tea. If you are up for a little Tea adventure try putting fresh peppermint (any flavor of mint will work) into the hot tea let it sit for a few minutes before adding ice or cold water. We often leave the mint leaves in the picture because it adds a pretty color in the clear glasses. Fresh stevia leaves taste just like the store bought processed stevia so you can sweeten with your Stevia leaves.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and your week is filled with love, laughter, and sweet smells of childhood memories floating from your kitchen.

Recipe Tuesday

Since I am now doing a menu plan on Mondays and I post a picture of my favorite meal of the week. I have decided to do a Recipe Tuesday featuring that recipe so that you can try it at home too. I have to admit, if you didn't know by reading my blog already I am a cookbook junkie. So I will share where I found the recipe and if I changed it at all, believe me I change every recipe sometimes a little, sometimes so much it is unrecognizable. This week I have two recipes to share with you. One from the menu and one lovely surprise. The winning meal this week is. . .

Open-Face Ratatouille Sandwich

ingredients

• 1 small eggplant, cut in 1-inch pieces (I used two regular eggplants from the farmers market)
• 1 small zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into 3/4-inch slices (I used two of each)
• 1  medium red sweet pepper, cut in strips (I didn't have a pepper oops)
• 1/2 of a small red onion, cut in 1/2-inch wedges (I used the whole thing)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (I just drizzled and guessed)
• 1/2 tsp. herbes de Provence or dried thyme, crushed (I don't have thyme growing, but I do have oregano and rosemary for the herbs de provence)
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, each cut lengthwise in 6 wedges (I diced up three roma tomatos)
• 8 small or 4 large 1/2-inch slices whole wheat or white French bread, toasted ( I baked my own bread and sliced up 8 nice sized slices and then toasted)
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (again I drizzled and guessed, I added more because I love balsamic)
• Fresh thyme sprigs (optional) (none)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large shallow roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add eggplant, zucchini, sweet pepper, and onion to prepared pan. Drizzle olive oil; sprinkle herbes de Provence, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat. Roast vegetables 30 minutes, tossing once. Add tomatoes to roasting pan. Roast 15 to 20 minutes more or until vegetables are tender and some surface areas are lightly browned.
2. Meanwhile, rub toasted bread with cut sides of the garlic clove. Place two small slices or one large slice of the bread on each of four serving plates. Sprinkle balsamic vinegar over vegetables; toss gently to coat. Spoon warm vegetables on bread. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme sprigs. Makes 4 servings.

Really I followed the directions using the ingrediants that I had. It was very enjoyable. I used extra ingrediants because I have to feed a hungry family of four, three of which are boys! This recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens Annual Recipes 2008 page 162.

The lovely surprise is . . .

Apple Cheddar Bread (muffins in my case)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts ( I used pecans and almonds)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese ( I guessed on the cheese so I am sure there was more then 1/2 a cup)
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon walnuts, apples, and cheese. Add the eggs, melted butter or margarine, and milk; stir until well blended. Pour into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until done. If loaf starts to brown too much, cover with foil.               

I made muffins because I think they last longer than a loaf of bread. Also you can tell how much you have eaten then a large slice of bread. I know I always cut gaint pieces of bread and then everyone wants more and there is none. 45 minutes for the muffins. I didn't have a problem with them over browning. This recipe came from Allrecipes.com here is the link http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Cheddar-Bread/Detail.aspx?src=ShareOnFacebook&recipeID=7241

 I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you make them I would love to hear how it turned out and if you liked them as much as I did.

I hope your day is filled with Love and Laughter