cauliflower pizza crust

most people know that i like to cook. they also maybe have the misconception 

that i'm trying a new recipe almost every night of the week. the truth is that 

roughly half of the week i'm trying at least one new thing in the kitchen... 

be it an appetizer, main course, cocktail or dessert. while the other days 

we're either grabbing take-out or making one of our favorite go-to recipes. 

take out for us really only consists of pizza from PCC or thai food. 

while the pizza we buy isn't super unhealthy (it's thin-crust, etc),

i wanted to try my hand a home-made 'dough' that could cut the carbs.

voila, cauliflower pizza crust to the rescue!

trust me, this isn't as weird as it sounds. 

in fact, i'm thinking you'll love it as much as we did!

the only caveat i have on this is it took me a few times to perfect the recipe a bit, so don't 

give up if you have a bad first experience! i've also added some notes and tips below :)

recipe via simply real health cookbook

ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, florets only, approximately 3 cups

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons almond flour

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

desired toppings for your pizza

directions

1. preheat oven to 450 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

add cauliflower florets to the powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth. 

don't over-process, blend just until there are no big visible pieces.

2. place the pulsed cauliflower in the middle of a clean dish towel. 

wrap it up and squeeze as much moisture out of it as you can. 

there will be a lot! open the towel and place the cauliflower in mixing bowl.

squeezing the moisture out of the cauliflower in a towel was a bit cumbersome and messy for me.

the second time i made the recipe, i actually went ahead and spread the ground up cauliflower 

on the baking sheet and baked it in the oven for roughly 15 minutes, stirring frequently, 

to get the moisture out. just a tip that worked well for me!

3. add cheese, flour, egg and spices, and mid together. combine mixture into a ball.

4. with your hands, flatten dough into an even crust on the baking sheet. 

bake for 20-25 minutes until it starts to brown.

be sure you are using parchment paper and nothing else. 

neither foil OR a greased pan worked for me!

5. remove from heat, add your sauce, toppings and place back in the oven until done 

(usually when cheese is melty and starts to brown)

we added store bought pizza sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, 

sun-dried tomatoes, and then topped with basil once it came out of the oven.

spiced sweet potato wedges

what is it about summer that makes me want a burger and fries?
maybe it's the endless BBQ's, the baseball games, and the late night hangouts with friends?

i served these with these delicious (and healthy!) chipotle apple turkey burgers.
really a great combo!

feel free to dip them in ketchup, aioli, chipotle mayo,
OR eat 'em plain, if you're like me :)

recipe via sprouted kitchen

serves 6
feel free to adjust recipe based on the number of people you're serving

ingredients

4-5 medium sweet potatoes (about 2.5 pounds)
read here about the difference between a yam and a sweet potato
i made these with sweet potatoes once and yams once.
yams were the winner, in my opinion.

2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil

2+ teaspoons smoked paprika

1+ teaspoon garlic powder

1+ pinch of chipotle chile powder (optional)
1+ pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

3+ tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

sea salt

pepper

i will say - i love great flavors. like, over the top flavors.
i would encourage you to spice this up to your hearts desire. 
don't be shy.

directions

1. arrange a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. scrub the sweet potatoes, pat dry, and cut them into 8 wedges each. 

on a rimmed baking sheet toss the wedges with the olive oil. 

sprinkle with the paprika, garlic powder, chile powder, rosemary, 

and a generous amount of salt and pepper. toss again to coat. 

spread them out in an even layer with as little overlap as possible.

really, truly, the thinner the layer you can bake them in, the better.
this will make more evenly cooked, more crispy fries.

3. roast in the oven, flipping the wedges over and rotating the pan halfway through, 

until the outside of the wedges are crisp, 30-35 minutes. 

there should be dark spots on the wedges, don't worry.

4. sprinkle the potato wedges with a few more pinches 

of salt and serve with your favorite burger.

these are yams :)

i served these with this chipotle apple turkey burger

chipotle apple turkey burgers

it's only wednesday and this week has already been filled with so much celebration! 

i got to meet my best friend's baby (jaxon) who is perfect in every way. i had the privilege 

of going to my mom's last radiation treatment yesterday, celebrating such a long-awaited 

milestone over lunch. and last night i went to a triple birthday party for family.

celebrating such monumental moments in life really makes you stop and think.

having babies, fighting cancer, and marking another year of life really puts life in perspective.

today i'm thankful for the people i get to do life with on the daily.

thank you for letting me in, and letting me ride the journey with you.

recipe from sprouted kitchen

serves 4

herb aioli ingredients

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

this aioli is totally optional. 
i made it once, and used it for dipping my fries,
but the second time we just used ketchup and chipotle mayo
 and wouldn't have known any different

burger ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

3 green onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 apple, granny smith or gala

1 pound ground turkey

1 scant teaspoon chipotle chile powder, 

OR 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
the canned chipotle definitely gave a bigger punch in flavor,
and i think the texture helped keep the burger together 
more than when i used the chile powder. just FYI

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped fresh chives, or chopped parsley

topping ingredients

cheese of your choice
my current favorite cheese

hamburger buns

lettuce

carmelized onions

tomato

whatever your heart desires!

directions

making the aioli...

1. in a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolk, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

whisk in a few drop of the oil to establish an emulsion.

while you continue to quickly whisk the mixture with one and, 

slowly stream the rest of the oil with the other. once you have a mayo-like consistency, 

whisk in the mustard, chives and basil. cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.

making the burgers...

2. heat olive oil in a saute pan. add celery, green onions, and garlic and saute 

until just browned, about 5 minutes. turn off the heat and set aside to cool. 

3. using the large holes on a box grater, grate the apple. 

combine grated apple, turkey, chipotle, salt, pepper, thyme, 

and cooked vegetables in a large mixing bowl and stir everything together. 

form the mixture into four patties, each 1 1/2 inches thick, 

and let them rest at room temp for 15 minutes, 

or keep them covered in the fridge until ready to grill.

4. heat your grill to medium high. 

cook burgers until the interior reaches 175 degrees, about 5 minutes on each side. 

put a slide of cheese on top of each patty in the last minute of cooking time to melt. 

transfer the patties to a plate and cover loosely with foil.

5. grill or toast buns. spread each side of the bun with a bit of aioli (optional),
and the toppings you desire. serve and enjoy!!

recipe for my sweet potato fries

yes, i eat my burgers without a bun :)

kickin boot

as mentioned here, i have a new favorite place.

it's called kickin boot and it was recommended to me

by my bff and her husband for dinner last saturday night.

it's located just off the main drag in ballard,

but i promise you, you'll feel like you're in the deep south :)

tip: plan to go about an hour before you want to sit down to eat.

hang out in the bar and scout out a bar table for some drinks and an appetizer or two.

it took us about an hour to get a table for 6, but this place doesn't slow down.

so best just go and wait it out :)

each table was graced with 5 different kinds of BBQ sauce

(yes i tried them all) :)

there wasn't one thing on the menu i didn't want to try.

we had fried green tomatoes, a BBQ trio, and kickin' shrimp as appetizers.

and we all got some variation of BBQ chicken, pork, or brisket 

for dinner with our choice of the most amazing sides.

did i mention they serve AMAZING cocktails?

hello. you guys must try this place out ASAP!

macaroni & cheese

recipe via my father's daughter

ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni (preferably with ridges)
8 ounces mascarpone
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup tightly packed grated parmesan cheese, plus
1/2 cup for topping
1/2 cup milk
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter

directions

1. preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. in a large pot of boiling salted water,

cook the macaroni for 2 minutes less than indicated on the package.

3. meanwhile, stir together the mascarpone, nutmeg,

and 1 cup of Parmesan in a small saucepan over a

medium flame until the cheeses melt together, about 2 minutes.

stir in the milk and salt and pepper to taste

and keep the sauce warm over a low flame.

4. drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce.

5. in a small bowl, stir together the remaining

1/2 cup of parmesan and the bread crumbs.

6. put the macaroni in a large baking dish,

scatter the bread crumb topping over it, dot it with the butter.

7. bake for 15 minutes or until top looks toasted

8. serve & enjoy!

i love comfort food, especially mac & cheese :)

something about this recipe just didn't do it for me.

it had all the right ingredients, and i actually loved the addition of the nutmeg.

but it turned out a bit dry for my taste.

maybe if you changed up the ratios a bit - this could be spot on.

check out my current fave mac & cheese recipe here.



potato skins & dip

am i the only one who is already pumped for football season?

i don't think there is anything better than a cool crisp saturday,

leaves falling on the ground, a cute new pair of boots,

and an afternoon full of football.

hello! that sounds perfect :)

i know, i know, i'm getting ahead of myself.

we still have another whole month of summer here in seattle.

nonetheless, i'm already planning treats for game day parties.

enjoy :)

recipe via food for friends

a lovely cookbook gifted to me by hbk

ingredients

12 large baking potatoes

3/4 cup olive oil

4 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 bunches of scallions, chopped

1 3/4 cup sour cream

2 bunches chives, chopped

1 bunch flat leaf parsley

seas salt & pepper

serves 24

(obviously i cut this recipe in half) :)

directions

1. pierce each potato right through the middle.

bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until cooked through.

remove and set aside until cook enough to handle.

cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out soft middles,

leaving a thin layer of skin. cut each half into 4 wedges.

2. brush oil over potato skins and arrange in a single layer on baking tray.

bake at the top of a preheated over at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden,

stirring occasionally so they cook evenly.

3. remove from the oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees.

sprinkle with cheese and return to the over for 5-10 minutes,

until cheese is melted or crunchy (however you like it)

4. to make dip, put sour cream, chives, scallions and parsley

into a bowl. add salt and pepper to taste. mix well.

5. serve, dip, and enjoy!