Two Fit Moms

Tag: cauliflower

  • Penne with Cauliflower Ragu

    Penne with Cauliflower Ragu

    When there’s a chill in the air I tend to crave hearty meals and pasta automatically comes to mind. One of my favorite pasta dishes is Penne with Cauliflower Ragu. I love this pasta dish because it is a simple preparation with very few ingredients (only six!). The “sauce” essentially is a delicious cooked down mixture of cauliflower, garlic, shallot and olive oil. How can that not be amazing?

    Cauliflower is only just coming into its own as people explore new ways to prepare this cruciferous vegetable. It’s not uncommon to find Cauliflower Mash on a menu or to run into riced cauliflower at your local market. It’s even used to make pizza “dough”.

    It’s super versatile, and it’s a surprisingly delicious addition to pasta. In fact, it’s so good, I think you will find that this pasta dish becomes a staple in your house — as it has in mine. It’s frequently on the menu – especially as the cold weather sets in and all I want to do is make a simple pasta dinner.
    cauliflowerragucollage
    Penne with Cauliflower Ragu
    Serves 6

    Ingredients:

    2-3 tablespoons olive oil
    2-3 cloves of garlic (sliced thin)
    2 shallots
    1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
    salt and pepper to taste
    pinch of red pepper
    1 cup of reserved pasta water
    1 pound of penne pasta (whole wheat, brown rice, whatever works with your diet)
    grated parmiggiano-reggiano

    Directions:

    Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the base of a heavy pan over medium heat. Let the oil come to temperature and add the garlic and shallots. Cook until soft (7-10 minutes) and then add the cauliflower, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. I like to get some good color on the cauliflower at this point. Then reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower softens.

    In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water an add to the cauliflower mixture (this helps to create the ragu). Combine the pasta and cauliflower mixture — along with another 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (more olive oil helps bring it together but is not necessary). Top with grated parmiggiano cheese. Serve immediately.

  • Cauliflower Mash

    Cauliflower Mash

    Mashed potatoes are delicious, but mashed cauliflower is a great alternative.  Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in fiber, vitamin C and folate.  It sounds like something we could all use in our diet, doesn’t it?
    cauliflowermash
    As a mom, I’m always looking for opportunities to sneak healthy ingredients into my traditional recipes.  I grew up on mashed potatoes, and while I don’t make them as often as my mom did, I do make them time to time — and my kids and husband love them.  However, as usual, I tried a switch-a-roo on them — swapping out my mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower.

    First of all, the mashed cauliflower looks just like potatoes — actually, it looks better than my usual mashed potatoes because I fancied them up with some chopped parsley.  You will need a food processor to achieve a nice smooth consistency.  I’ve tried an immersion blender, but I’m not a fan.  It’s worth pulling out your food processor. The only serious addition to my Cauliflower Mash is garlic.  I also added a hint of cream cheese to help bring it together, but you could skip it altogether — hence it’s not only a great veggie side dish but you can make it vegan too.
    cauliflowerupclose
    The kids did detect a difference, but the adults devoured the Cauliflower Mash.  That being said, if you are a mashed potato fan, I suggest you try our Cauliflower Mash — it’s a completely delicious and nutritious substitute – in fact, it may end up replacing your mashed potatoes altogether!

    The recipe is super, super easy.  You won’t believe how easy it is! And, you can jazz it up adding herbs and grated cheese, but on its own, it’s absolutely delicious.  Check out the recipe below:

    Cauliflower Mash
    Yields 2 cups

    1 medium sized cauliflower
    2 cloves of garlic, crushed
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    1-2 tablespoons chopped parsley (or chives)
    optional: 1 tablespoon cream cheese or sour cream (or vegan butter)

    Remove the core from the cauliflower and separate florets (approximately 4 cups of raw cauliflower).  Throw them into a pot of salted water along with the crushed garlic; bring to boil.  Boil approximately six minutes until tender.  Drain cauliflower thoroughly.

    In the base of a food processor, add the cauliflower, salt and pepper.  If you are going to add the cream cheese, do so now.  Pulse until the cauliflower breaks down into a mash.

    Serve immediately.

    Helpful hints: Do not let the cauliflower cool before making this dish.  It comes together much better if it’s made while still hot.

    Consider steaming the cauliflower to increase the nutritional value.

    Also, if you feel like your mash needs more flavor, add 1/4 cup of grated romano or parmiggiano reggiano cheese.  If you feel like it’s too dry, add a tablespoon of veggie or chicken stock.

     

  • Cauliflower Hummus

    Cauliflower Hummus

    I recently ordered a veggie burger at a restaurant, and it came topped with a big dollop of cauliflower hummus.  It was fabulous—it tasted very much like traditional chickpea hummus, but it wasn’t as heavy.  I guess that makes sense.  With less than 30 calories per cup, boiled cauliflower is much lighter than boiled chickpeas (269 calories per cup.)  I came home from my restaurant experience and immediately started experimenting to create my own cauliflower hummus.  Why not?  Even though I love traditional chickpea hummus, there’s certainly nothing wrong with a copycat version that I can eat with reckless abandon and not feel overwhelmingly full afterwards.

    Please note that this is a very mild tasting hummus.  Feel free to experiment with your own version to suit your palate.  I used steamed cauliflower, but you can oven roast the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil instead.  You can also add a clove or two of garlic to intensify the flavor.CauliflowerHummus

     

    Ingredients:
    1 medium cauliflower, chopped and steamed until soft
    1 tablespoon almond butter
    2 tablespoons tahini
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    ½  teaspoon paprika
    Juice from ½ large lemon
    ½ teaspoon salt

    Place all ingredients into a food processor, and process until smooth.