Roasted Cauliflower with Hazelnut Oil

Despite all the hype that surrounds roasted cauliflower, I've never attempted to make it. THIS WILL CHANGE STARTING TODAY!!! Oh my gosh, this stuff is soooo good. It's like candy!! I've roasted many veggies before and will now add cauliflower to my repertoire. The nuttiness from the hazelnut oil really adds depth to this dish. I can't WAIT to make this crack, I mean...healthy side dish, again.

10 C raw cauliflower (or about 1 1/2-2 heads)
3 Tbsp toasted hazelnut oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Roughly chop the cauliflower. Toss in a large bowl with the oil, garlic and salt. Spread out on a very large baking sheet.

Bake for 30-40 minutes on the middle rack, turning over occasionally. Serve hot.

I also think this dish would be awesome with truffle oil. But at $10/bottle for just a few ounces, I'm not sure I could part with that much of one of favorite ingredients in one dish! The toasted hazelnut oil was a gift from a friend whose husband is a chef at a resort and ordered it at wholesale price. :-)

WW Points per Serving: 1 pt per cup!

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 2

Wow! Let me just say how much I looooove spaghetti squash. I've never worked with this stuff until now and it is SO FUN! It's like my mother-in-law's obsession with popping zits. Once you start, you can't stop! String after string of squashy goodness, peeling away from the skin like magic!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 two to three lb spaghetti squash
1 C light sour cream
1/2 C fat free half and half
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 oz gruyere cheese
4 oz baby swiss cheese
1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Piercethe spaghetti squash CAREFULLY in many spots. Place in a baking dish and bake for about an hour, or until soft.

Remove from the oven and let rest until it's cool enough to handle, at least with a hot pad holder. Carefully cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and pulp, with tongs or a spoon. Then separate the strands with a fork and remove from the skin.

In a large bowl, combine the squash, salt, pepper, gruyere, sour cream and creamer.

Place the squash mixture in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray. Top with the baby swiss and a sprinkle of dried thyme.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. This dish easily serves six to eight people.

A Tale of Two Squashes: Part 1

Ahhhh... fall. One of my favorite times of the year because of all the fresh produce that is available. I decided to experiment this year with different types of winter squash. First, the butternut. I've seen this prepared most commonly as a sweet side dish, combined with brown sugar and butter. I decided to prepare this squash with a savory flavor.

Butternut Squash Casserole
1 two to three lb. butternut squash
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/3 C fat free half and half
1/2 C blue cheese crumbles
1/2 C parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the squash for baking by cutting it in half WITH A VERY SHARP KNIFE and scooping out the seeds. Rub both halves with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the halfs cut side up in a baking dish with about an inch of water. Bake uncovered for about an hour, or until fork tender.

In a large bowl, combine the squash (after scooping/scraping it out of the skin) and remaining ingredients, except for the parmesan cheese. Mash with a fork to incorporate everything.

Lightly coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the squash mixture to the baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

P.S. Sorry for the craptastic picture above, but we dove into the squash dish before I remembered to grab the camera. We had this with pork tenderloin, rubbed with dijon mustard and baked with apples and onions.

Mom's Potato Salad

(sorry for the blurry pic, guys)

My mom makes THE BEST potato salad, in my opinion. She made it for our housewarming party in July and it was a huge hit, as usual. When I asked her for the recipe, her reply was “What recipe? I don’t use a recipe!” But she managed to give some basic guidelines for her potato salad, which follows.

This serves about 4 people. ..

Boil 4-6 large red-skin potatoes. When done, douse with cold water. This will loosen the skins. Refrigerate until cool or cold. Peel and Cut into chunks.

Add:
1 chopped hard boiled egg.
1-2 stalks chopped celery
1 tsp. dill or sweet relish (your preference)
1/4 - 1/2 c. chopped onion

Mix well.

Add:
Season salt and Mrs. Dash original table blend to taste
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 c. Miracle Whip light
Mix well and refrigerate until well chilled.

Creamy Brie and Truffle Grits

So... our favorite restaurant, Dusty's Cellar, serves some of their entrees with "Creamy Truffle Infused Grits" which are like crack. I can't get enough of them. O.M.G. So frickin' good. So last time we were up in Traverse City, we stopped at one of our favorite spots, Fustini's, and picked up a small bottle of White Truffle Oil. At $10 for 1.7 ounces, this stuff ain't cheap.

Tonight, I attempted to replicate Dusty's Creamy Truffle Infused Grits to go with The Most Amazing Ribs. I added in some Brie cheese because, well, I can't seem to make anything without cheese in it.

I took my first bite and couldn't believe it. They tasted almost exactly like the grits at Dusty's! I still have this ridiculous shit grin on my face because I am so surprised that these turned out so similar to the Dusty's fare that I crave so often. I can't WAIT to make these again!

4 C chicken stock
1 C quick grits
1 Tbsp butter
3 oz brie cheese, rind removed, shredded
2 tsp truffle oil

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the grits. Cover and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 to 7 minutes.

When liquid is mostly absorbed, add in the butter. Stir to incorporate. Then add the cheese and stir to incorporate. Right before serving, add in the truffle oil and stir to incorporate. Serve hot! Be sure not to drool on your plate while saying your dinner prayer :-)

Teriyaki Chinese Long Beans with Almonds

I've had my eye on these Chinese Long Beans at our local market for quite some time. They are so unique-looking and always remind me of an internet sensation I heard about in college named Salad Fingers. Observe...


See!?!? The Chinese long beans look just like Salad Finger's fingers! If you haven't seen the Salad Fingers videos and don't get disturbed easily, I encourage you to watch his escapades, which can be found here. If you are easily disturbed, please reconsider watching the videos. You've been warned...

Teriyaki Chinese Long Beans with Almonds
1 bunch Chinese long beans
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp splenda
1 tsp corn starch
3 tsp COLD water

Slivered almonds

Steam the long beans in a pot of water, using a steamer basket. In a separate bowl, combine the soy sauce, Splenda, corn starch and cold water.

In a small sautee pan, over low heat, toast the almonds.

After the beans are done (about 5 minutes), strain them and return them to the original pot, sans the water and the heat. Dump in the soy sauce mixture and let the residual heat from the pot and the beans help thicken the sauce. If you need to, turn the heat on low to help it thicken. Add in the almonds, toss and serve ‘em up hot!

I served them with one of my favorites, Peanut Butter Chicken Stir Fry.

Cabernet Sauvignon Braised Short Ribs with Blue Cheese and Toasted Pine Nut Risotto

Our sister in law and her husband came over for dinner on Friday night with our cutest (and only!) nephew, Calvin III. I wanted to make something special since they have been so busy with the baby lately. How lucky was I to find short ribs at the local grocery store!!! I have been wanting to make short ribs after having a fantastic meal at Aerie restaurant at Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City. I found this recipe on epicurious.com and adapted it for a smaller group. I also conserved some wine. I couldn't justify using two whole bottles of wine. And using Mary Ellen's perfected risotto technique, I put together a few of my favorite things... cheese, nuts and 'shrooms.

Cabernet Sauvignon Braised Short Ribs
3 to 4 pounds meaty beef short ribs
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbps chopped fresh thyme
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbps freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
4 C beef stock
2 Tbsp corn starch

Arrange ribs in single layer in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Mix rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle all over ribs. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add ribs to pot and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer ribs to large bowl. Pour off drippings from pot; discard. Add wine and stock to pot and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and any accumulated juices to pot; bring to boil. Cover; transfer to oven and braise until meat is very tender and almost falling off bones, about 2 hours.

Bring to simmer before continuing. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ribs to large bowl; cover tightly to keep warm. Skim any fat from top of braising liquid. Boil liquid until reduced to 2 generous cups, about 20 minutes. Mix 2 tablespoons corn starch with 4 tablespoons COLD water with fork in small bowl until well blended. Whisk corn starch mixture into reduced braising liquid. Whisk over medium-high heat until sauce thickens very slightly, about 2 minutes.

Blue Cheese and Toasted Pine Nut Risotto
1 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C arborio rice
1/4 c dry white wine
5 cups chicken broth, heated
1/4 C pine nuts, toasted
1/4 C Reduced Fat Blue Cheese Crumbles (I like Treasure Cove)
6-8 button mushrooms, roughly chopped
Heat olive oil and butter in a large saute pan. Add shallots and garlic; stir until tender, about 2 minutes.

Add arborio rice and stir until coated. Add the white wine and stir until absorbed.

Add the chicken broth, one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Add more broth only when all of the broth in the pan has been absorbed by the rice. This process of adding broth takes anywhere from 17 to 25 minutes. Taste as you go along so you don't over or under cook the rice.

When you add your final ladle of broth, add the blue cheese, mushrooms and pine nuts, and stir until broth is completely absorbed.

Serve immediately.